Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mehmanpazir Navid$$
( 757 2288, 0911-239 6459; apt US$25-35)
Nearer the bazaar, this place has surpris-
ingly sizable studio apartments with fold-out couches and a kitchenette.
HOTEL
Monfared Hotel$$
( 757 2050; s/d US$17/28)
At the base of the village where savaris arrive, this older
hotel has 26 timber-walled rooms with bathroom and tiled floors. Mr Nabizadeh speaks
some English.
On sunny days, the best places for delicious
mirza ghasemi
are the terraces at
Khaneh
Mo'allem Restaurant
( 757 2122; meals US$4-6; 12.30-3.30pm & 7.30-9.30pm)
,
behind the Monfared Hotel, and especially the Mehran Hotel's superbly situated cafe bal-
cony.
HOTEL
Getting There & Away
From Fuman, minibuses/savaris (US$0.50/1, 45 minutes) are regular in summer, but rare
in winter. The forest scenery en route is charming and around halfway there's a brilliant
traditional thatched Gilani house at the western edge of Makhlavan (Makelun) village,
now the backdrop for a roadside teahouse.
Ramsarرسمار
ELEV -15M
The tiresome Caspian coast road offers barely a glimpse of beach, but at
Ramsar
moun-
tains and sea conjoin fairly attractively. A grand avenue of palmyra palms sweeps up from
the tatty seafront to the wonderful
Ramsar Grand Hotel
( 522 3592; old wing s/d/ste
US$55/70/100; )
. Its 'old wing' lobby oozes neocolonial charm and the manicured
rear gardens are impressive. Rooms are somewhat less luxurious but fair value, especially
if you opt for a more spacious suite. Avoid the new wing, a drearily ordinary 1970s
concrete-box appendage (20% cheaper). Just five minutes' walk west, the
Caspian Mu-
seum
( 522 5374; Motahhari St; admission US$1; 8am-3pm winter, 8am-1pm &
4-8pm summer)
is housed in the 1937 summer palace of Reza Shah. In between, a (male-
only)
hammam
is ideal for relaxing the muscles after the trek from Alamut (
Click here
)
.
