"OK so we have returned from 10 days at the Club Calimera Serra Palace. We booked through Jet 2 and travelled as a couple in our 60’s with no children April 20th to 30th 2026
Arrival
The Calimera is about 90mins from the airport and the route there is the usual parade of hotels and shops. As you arrive you access the hotel via a service road which to be honest looks awful with rubbish and graffiti on the walls.
This road is nothing to with the hotel though so don’t let that put you off.
On arrival it was clear to see that the hotel was lovely and clean and a security checkpoint to pass through made us feel nice and safe. The reception area was large enough and well organized with people on hand to take your suitcases.
We had paid for a sea view room and were allocated 2517
Room
Our room was on the top floor of the first block. If you think of the place almost as 2 hotels standing one in front of each other with a connecting area (with a lovely horse statue), then we were in the first bit.
The rooms on our level (level 6) are built into the apex of the roof and give a stunning look across the hotel complex to the sea.
The room was not the most beautiful one we have had on our travels, but it was safe and clean. The glass door to the balcony didn’t lock but at this height no one was getting into the room over the balcony.
The room contains everything you need for a few days’ holiday with a powerful hot shower , a safe for your valuables and decent quality toilet paper.
The bathroom did have a strange door configuration though which doesn’t offer the greatest of privacy and requires some singing or whistling if you don’t want to share your bathroom noises with your partner lol.
Food
Ok so WOW , WOW and WOW, this was a massive plus for us, the main buffet restaurant was astounding with food for all pallets. I’ve seen reviews of people moaning about the food at this hotel, but they have to be made up reviews (probably by other jealous hotels). The choice of food is staggering, and they really do try and please all nationalities. At breakfast they have actual panels of honeycomb for honey lovers so the hotel must have its own bee hives. They always have Turkish food on offer as well for those wishing to try the local cuisine. The thing that also impressed me is that they have food stations where the staff are making the food for you so you can see how fresh everything is. They also have certain themes on certain nights, for example a sushi night or a seafood night etc.
I have to say a word about the cakes here …… the cakes that are on display here would make it into any Patisserie window in Paris. Line after line of the most exquisite cakes clearly made and displayed with love and pride.
Al La Carte
During our stay there were two a la carte restaurants open, the Turkish and the Italian. We were informed that for every 7 days of your holiday you can eat in one or the other on one occasion. As we are there for more than 7 days, we got to try both.
Both were incredible and well worth going. It’s a set menu where you sit at your table and they bring out the courses to you. I think both the Turkish and the Italian were 5 courses.
After both experiences, we were STUFFED lol. The food was of the highest quality and on the Italian night we had a live Saxophone player as we ate.
Lunch time we ate at the beach buffet which served burgers, chips etc. but again to a high standard. The burgers were all flame grilled and you could tell they were 100% beef, not like the ones in the UK which are padded out with bread and onion etc.
There is also a little gem here as well. Two lovely Turkish ladies have food stations down there where they make these incredible pancakes. They hand roll the dough out and cook them in front of you. You can have a variety of fillings, but we usually had a chocolate one and a cheese one. The result when they are cooked is so light they are almost like crisps. These ladies work very hard sitting in what must be a backbreaking position for hours to show people how they traditionally cook these pancakes.
There is no charge for the pancakes, but a tip is definitely in order.
Another tip is that at 3pm staff serve delicious ice cream in cones at the poolside again its all part of your all-inclusive.
Also remember that Turkey is a Muslim country so don’t expect to find Pork products like Sausage and Bacon
Staff
All the staff we met were very friendly and really really hard working. It wasn’t unusual to call an elevator and when the doors opened to find someone on their hands and knees polishing the mirror inside.
Housekeeping was excellent as well with fresh bottles of water left daily. We had some nice towel art one day as well. We had seen the lady who cleaned our room in the gardens the day before collecting flower petals. The petals then became part of our towel art. We responded by giving the lady a good tip the following day but then strangely didn’t get any more towel art after that.
Guest services were amazing as well, so friendly and very eager to help with anything they could. You go and see them to make your reservations for your al a carte restaurant night. A lovely lady called Nurcan who is the guest relations manager was our go to and she was always really helpful and attentive to any request.
Water
As travelling Brits we are always wary about drinking the local tap water so always look for a shop to buy bottles. Really don’t worry about that here as bottled water is available all round the hotel complex for free. It’s either on display to just take yourself or just ask for a couple of bottles at any bar. We always kept some in the room for brewing up during the day.
Talking of brewing up this is important ……..the on-site shops do not sell milk. However, if you ask nicely at the Terrace bar and leave a little tip they will give you a nice cold-sealed carton as they have milk in the fridge there for making Pina Colada cocktails.
Tipping
Tipping is always one of those subjects that people have very different views on. We have found that jobs on a hotel site that attract tips from customers are VERY sought after. Hotels know this and some will offer employees’ wages with the promise that they will get lots of tips. Many of the staff rely on tips to support their families. It’s also worth remembering that people are more likely to tip a waiter or bar person but are unlikely to tip gardening staff who work just as hard.
Tipping is your choice at the end of the day, but I know it makes a difference. Even a small tip is gratefully received and definitely alters the amount of alcohol you get in your drink LOL
Entertainment
Entertainment is mostly held in the Amphitheatre by the terrace bar and while we were there consisted of dance troupes, acrobats and a magic show.
On both Wednesday nights that we were there, market stalls set up around the pool with local traders flogging fake perfumes and fake brand name clothing. They were funny and so long as you know what it is your buying it’s a fairly safe experience.
Something else that impressed me about this hotel is that on your way down to the beach you will see what looks like a music festival stage set Infront of a nice grass area. This wasn’t in use while we were there, but I can imagine mini festivals been held there in the height of the high season.
Also, while we were there Spiderman made an appearance.
With no notice, a guy appeared in a really good Spiderman costume one after noon and walked around with the hotel photographer posing for photos with the kids, obviously this was very popular with the younger guests.
They also had a big screen there and showed the Champions League Semi Final matches.
Beer
All important to us Brits is the beer. Well its TUBORG coming out of the pulls and it was delicious. I also noted that unusually for an all-inclusive, they were using HAVANA CLUB for the rum based drinks. So, if you like your Rum and Cokes, you’re in for a nice time
Conclusion
This hotel is definitely worth its 5-star rating. It’s super clean with cleaning staff visible constantly at all hours of the day and night. The lobby bar serves drinks 24 hrs. a day.
Its is completely safe and the staff are always visible and willing to help.
IMPORTANT ~ Not all staff speak good English (Why should they) …. But this means that your request can sometime not be understood for the first time around.
This doesn’t mean you are been ignored or that staff are “surly” (which I have seen on other reviews). Be patient and if required go to Guest Services who do speak good English.
Also important is that the Hotel appears to be owned by a German Hotel Chain so there is a strong German influence you will notice. A lot of the staff speak German and majority of the guests were German (but a lot of French too). Speaker announcements often came German first then English or French (so again be patient 😊).
If there is one negative here its something the Hotel cannot control and that’s the guests. Questionable parenting skills mean that some children clearly become ferral and race round the terrace bar screaming at each other and climbing on the furniture to the point where it becomes unsafe. I saw adults coming back from the bar with trays full of drinks that were nearly toppled over by children racing past them.
On the subject of children if you have some then there is loads for them to do here and the aqua park looked brilliant.
If you don’t have any and you are looking to escape the screams then there is a lovely adults only pool on the right-hand side as you walk down to the beach."
