"We visited Haydarpasha for the second time in April 2026. We decided to return based on our fantastic experience in April 2025. However, this year certain changes made our stay a little disappointing.
There is no denying that this hotel is stunning, it truly is a palace. It is so nice to wake up in such a stunning location. The hotel is so clean and staff work tirelessly to keep it that way. The facilities are great, a number of restaurants to choose from, a variety of pools (the main outdoor pool is freezing, beware at this time of year haha!) there is also a heated indoor pool which was popular. It has its own private beach, with beach bar and restaurant and an amphitheater adjacent to it for entertainment along with some excellent water slides which are super fun! There is also a small fairground with big wheel, swings and bumper cars etc. It doesn’t end there, the spa facilities are a lovely added bonus although the treatments are quite expensive and you can get much better value for money elsewhere. There is also a game centre, you do get some free plays but there after you do need to pay extra to play but this is reasonably priced. We were a family of 9 and it was 5 euros each to play bowling which we thought was fair, we did it twice! The patisserie is also a really lovely (delicious) touch
The rooms are fantastic, we had a duplex apartment this year, so much space for families, all rooms have a fridge with contents included that gets replenished every day along with fresh towels.
This year the restaurants offered some great variety but much less than last year, only one bbq this time and this year it seemed that it was difficult to keep food warm as often some dishes were lukewarm or cold, the food is delicious but it would be nicer if it was hot. We loved the new fresh orange station and I’ve never had such amazing jacket potatoes at the pool bar, they’re huge!
We mainly sat on the sun loungers around the pool near the lovely pool bridge bar. Lots of drinks available including cocktails, shorts, beer and iced coffee. Talha the roller blade barman was fantastic, so friendly and attentive, always with a big smile on his face, his good energy made our days around the pool, you really noticed when he was there.
Staff special mentions - The team has seen changes since 2025 but there were some absolute diamonds that made our stay so much better. Deniz - what a super star we did yoga every morning with her unless we went on a trip and step aerobics In the afternoon, she was so much fun, attentive, friendly and works so hard in her field. She made an effort to come and talk to guests outside of activities and remembered who each family was (that’s a skill). I hope she stays here as she is an asset. Nur also leads daytime activities and her Pilates class was so so good, challenging but also relaxing, we also did the kanga boots sessions with her, she is beautiful inside and out, she also made an effort to come and talk to you outside of activity time. Utku was another entertainer that needs a mention, he worked day and night, his main role seemed to be dj but he also lead the kanga boots session and was so lovely and friendly. He had many talents that are not utilised in this hotel which is a shame.
Tunco - kids entertainer. This guy is something special! He’s brilliant with guests of all ages, always making us feel welcome and making us laugh, his mini disco is the best I’ve ever experienced, we looked forward to it every night. Such a happy soul. So glad he was still here this year. Hold onto him, this hotel needs him! For all these members of staff, English is not their first language but this wasn’t a problem, their English was great and they all spoke several languages so no guest was left out. I admire this so much!
Evening on entertainment was our biggest disappointment this year. Last year we had dance troops, pool raves, and acrobats. This year it was karaoke pretty much every night or bingo. It felt unimaginative. Apart from 2 nights where the magician came who is excellent! And one live music act that was actually very good. We came for 2 weeks and karaoke was on for around 12 days. When we finally did want to do karaoke they took it off. Some of the entertainment team weren’t very friendly, they seemed uniterested in guests and more bothered about their own appearance. This was the biggest disappointment for us.
I understand that it is a new team and maybe in time this will improve, I hope it does because this would then bring the review to a 5 and I would consider visiting again. The staff I mentioned above would get a 5 star+ rating, they carry the other staff.
Tips - use a private transfer as the location is quite a distance from Antalya airport. Use Pablos corner for trips & excursions, he is fab and very reasonable (he is situated outside the hotel to the lift) defo worth a walk out of the hotel to the nearby shops, Blue Shark is an experience and they will pick you up and bring you back for free on their bus. Shops are decent & bartering is welcomed. If you can - visit land of legends, it’s the best theme/water park I have ever visited! We also did the cable cars for Alanya castle and visited Kleopatra beach, the cable cars were 12€ each but it was worth it such amazing views and a great historical adventure
Overall this is a stunning hotel with lots of facilities to enhance guest experience, super hard working staff but there is room for improvement entertainment wise. Staff should want to entertain guests, not use them to be the entertainment."
