Commemorating the founder of the Turkish Republic at the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Trabzon
Our first day in the city of Trabzon, along the Black Sea coast in northeastern Turkiye, was an auspicious one. Sirens began shrieking at 9:05 am on the 10th of November, bringing the country to a momentary halt. It wasn’t a moment of silence but instead a moment of respect for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, marking the moment of his death in November 1938. And our hotel, the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Trabzon, was ready for the day — with a far larger-than-life-size banner of Atatürk draped across the front of the building.
But even if you’re traveling to the Black Sea region on an ordinary day, this seaside hotel has a lot to offer. Here’s the scoop:
Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Trabzon
Overlooking the Black Sea from the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Trabzon
This contemporary eight-story hotel is located directly on the shore of the Black Sea, and the best of the 350 rooms and suites face the palm-lined outdoor pool or the seafront.
Though perhaps less bucolic, the city-view rooms offer an interesting perspective on this metropolitan area of 800,000, where you can survey the urban buildings rising into the hills. Many of those hills beyond the city are the source of Turkiye’s famous tea; roughly 60 percent of the country’s tea plantations are located in the region.
Views of the city from the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Trabzon
Guest Rooms and Amenities
With white bedding, blue accents, and modern furnishings, including a desk set up for working and a comfortable chair with a side table, the guest rooms feel sleek and uncluttered. Rooms have a mini-fridge and tea kettle, along with instant coffee and two varieties of tea.
In the bathrooms, the marble counters and spacious showers add to the contemporary feel.
While the majority of the rooms are standard doubles, with either one bed or two twins, the hotel also has suites in several sizes and configurations.
A standard guest room at the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Trabzon
Facilities and Services
If you love to swim (as I do), head for the hotel’s lower level, where a large indoor pool is a lovely spot to relax. The Ramada Plaza has a long outdoor swimming pool as well, although during our stay in late autumn, the weather was too brisk for an outdoor swim. There’s a well-equipped fitness center, too.
Indoor pool at the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Trabzon
The Ramada Plaza has several restaurants, including a window-lined dining room where an extensive buffet breakfast is served, and a shisha cafe/coffeehouse.
What’s Nearby?
A highlight of a trip to Trabzon is a visit to the restored Sümela Monastery, originally constructed in the 4th century on the cliffs high above the city.
Trabzon also has a version of the Hagia Sophia. While not as well-known as the famous Istanbul church of the same name, the Trabzon Hagia Sophia is adorned with well-preserved frescos along its walls and ceilings.
Another Trabzon landmark is the Atatürk Pavilion, a grand manor built in 1890, which the Turkish ruler visited several times in the 1920s and ’30s. In the house, which is now a museum, the clock is set to 9:05, the time of Atatürk’s death — a fitting place to mark the day of remembrance in the Black Sea city of Trabzon.
Rates
Double room rates at the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Trabzon start at about 135 euros (US$140) per night.
Check rates online for the Ramada Plaza in Trabazon at Expedia, Booking.com, or Hotels.com.
Hotel feature by Vancouver-based travel, food, and feature writer Carolyn B. Heller. Photos © Carolyn B. Heller. I stayed at the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Trabzon on a Black Sea region trip organized in conjunction with the SATW (Society of American Travel Writers) annual conference.
