"A let-down if you’re looking for real luxury
We went to Eftalia Ocean as a family of six - my husband and me, our two young boys, and both grandparents. I’ll be honest from the start: lots of guests clearly have a lovely time here, and if that’s you, I’m genuinely glad. But if you’re hoping for a proper five-star experience, I’d think twice.
A bit of context. We holidayed in Turkey regularly when I was a teenager, at hotels like the Magic Life chain (but I have experience of various 5 star hotels/ and all-inclusive 5-star hotels - most recently Bali Ayana resort). Back then it really was five-star - beautifully served food, à la carte restaurants for different evenings, thoughtful kids’ activities in lovely settings, and a real sense of care. I’m honestly not sure whether the price of true five-star hotels has tripled, whether we were just unlucky with this place, or whether the rest of Turkey still delivers that experience. What I do know is that, for what we paid, Eftalia Ocean didn’t come close.
First impressions
It started before we’d even arrived. The transfer driver asked for a tip for bringing us to this “5-star luxury resort” - something I’d expect to be part of the service. The resort itself is enormous, which is partly our own fault for not checking, but it has no real charm or personality and feels dated, like very little has been refreshed in over ten years. What looked like a pleasant walkway between the townhouse rooms and the main building turned out to be an ugly car park.
Check-in and the room
At check-in - having already been asked to tip the driver - the first thing they did was offer a paid room upgrade. My dad had carefully booked what he thought was the perfect room for our family, only to be shown “the better room” for more money. I was really disappointed by what they considered a luxury upgrade: a tired, dated room with curtains that were too small to cover the windows, paint going over the light switches, wallpaper peeling off, and tiles that had simply been painted over. We’re renovating our own home at the moment while working full time, and honestly this looked like a teenager’s DIY attempt.
The bathroom, for a supposed five-star resort, had an old hairdryer that barely blew any air, and instead of proper toiletries there was one of those wall-mounted “2-in-1” dispensers you’d find at a public pool - and the one by the sink was never even filled. To get pool towels you had to walk all the way to the “spa,” where every single time you were asked where you were from and pushed to pay for a full spa treatment. There was nowhere else to get towels. At the genuine five-star places I remember, there were self-service towel stations you could use freely, without feeling like you were being upsold at every turn.
Wandering around
After seeing and chekcing in into our underwhelming room - one of the “luxury” ones, with pool access and two floors - we went to explore. No map, no tour, no welcome drink, nothing to help us get our bearings. We just wandered, and quickly found ourselves among cheap-looking shops selling overpriced bits and pieces. Near the main pool there were stands where you could buy more food, sweets and chips - which made the whole place feel cheap. I’ve never been to an all-inclusive five-star resort with so many stalls trying to sell you extras. Coconut water that costs me £3 at home was £10 here.
Everywhere you turned, there was something being sold.
Things to avoid
Give the “Big Kral” pirate ship a miss. It’s promoted as family fun, but it’s really a grubby bubble bath full of tipsy adults who could easily topple onto a toddler. Extras like face painting, decorating a t-shirt, or colouring in those cheap moulds all cost more money. Even the walk into town was a let-down - the first ice cream shop charged us £10 for two, probably the most expensive ice cream I’ve ever had, and without any of the “somewhere special” feeling to justify it.
Sleep and comfort
The beds gave us real backache. My mum’s room faced the market, so it was noisy, and once again light poured in around the edges because the curtains didn’t fit the windows.
Food and restaurants
Mealtimes were a proper ordeal. It felt like an expedition - leaving the boys with my parents while we queued, bumped into crowds, and walked long distances just to get something to eat. Fresh juice in the morning? That’s £2 extra. Again, at a “luxury five-star resort.”
After a few stressful visits we avoided the main restaurant altogether. It felt like an ugly school canteen. We tried Burger Land instead, which was worn out but at least quieter. The à la carte restaurants are mentioned in the reviews as almost impossible to get into. The “Italian” bore no resemblance to anything I’ve experienced in Italy, and the height of luxury was a staff member opening a tiny ketchup sachet for you - which honestly just made me feel sorry for them. The staff there were lovely (and we did tip them), but the food was still disappointing.
Kids’ club
One day they simply didn’t run the kids’ club. The activities were sad overall - empty rooms that looked a bit like an orphanage, and constant pressure to pay extra for a cheap t-shirt for a four-year-old to colour in. To be fair, our boys still had fun and the staff were genuinely kind, but they were clearly under-resourced, and everything looked tired and worn. There were none of the lovely evening performances or activities I remember from a Greek Hotel Eva from 30 years ago, where the children made things and put on little shows - it felt so special back then. Here there was nothing like that.One would expect these things are just going to get better - but Eftalia Ocean thought differently.
The pools and beach
The main pool was closed twice for “brown water” - I’ll leave that to your imagination. Oversized or tipsy adults kept dunking themselves in the baby pool to cool off, which was pretty grim. And the sea, which we’d hoped might be our escape, looked dirty enough that we decided against going in at all.
The little details
A lot of the things that make a place feel special were simply missing. All the glasses were plastic, as though they’d forgotten glass exists, which made everything feel cheap. Same with the thin, grubby cloths on the tables and the plastic cutlery that snapped even when you were careful with it.
Credit where it’s due
Our room cleaner was fantastic and clearly did her best (Fatima). Most of the staff were kind and trying hard. But many of the floor staff seemed untrained - walking straight at you, or whisking away your drink before you’d finished it. Cleaning from plates that splashed on you and the floor - very unprofessional and disgusting looking.
The bottom line
Plenty of people clearly enjoy Eftalia Ocean, and good for them - I really don’t mean to sound like a snob. But my honest view is this: if you’re paying a lot of money, the experience should at least match the comfort and quality you’d get at home, ideally better, with lovely food and proper service. For me, none of that was delivered here. If someone calls this a luxury five-star resort, I’d love them to experience the real thing - because to my mind this is a two-star at best."
