Labranda Ephesus Princess

"Quite frankly the hotel, Labranda Ephesus Princess, was far from being the standard that was described. The restaurant and bar facilities fell far below our expectations. The "hot" food was at best lukewarm, at times we left full plates as food was cold and went to the buffet to find something else, invariably a salad or having to dig deep into the "hot" food tins to find something warm. We did speak to reception about this, pointing out that there were notices telling guests not to close the lids over the food warmers. We were told that the signs meant that the covers should not be pressed closed, but that is not what the signs said (see picture). Some dishes that were available in the evening appeared on the buffet the following lunchtime on the two occasions we used the Ephesus restaurant at lunchtime. This would seem to indicate that some dishes were being reheated. Alarmingly one was a chicken in cream sauce. There were no fresh juices, nor were there juices from concentrate, only squashes or cordials. Not great for breakfast or for cocktails. The Italian a la carte was one of the worst meals we had, very rushed, certainly not living up to its name "Romantica". Starters were OK, but our mains arrived before we had finished starters. Pasta arrabiata was comparable to a vindaloo, roast chicken was overcooked, difficult to cut through and chew with stone cold vegetables, as if it had been dished up prior to our arrival. No sooner had we pushed our plates aside and the Tiramisu dessert was in front of us. Well we think they had substituted the mascarpone with shaving foam, the first spoonful touched our lips and was immediately put down and we left. We spoke to guest services the next day and were offered a second a la carte experience at the Turkish restaurant. Hopefully in Turkey they would not mess up Turkish cuisine. The meal there was the best we had, indeed it was delicious from start to finish - tasty starters, well prepared and cooked chicken skewers and a baklava that was far superior to that served at the buffet. The only place that we felt a gratuity was earned. Unrushed friendly service and a chef who truly appreciated our favourable reactions to his cooking. It was a pity that this quality was not replicated in other areas. I imagine that the poor standard of the food in general was a reason for the hotel not to discourage a tout from Murphy's restaurant, in Kusadasi, around the pools and beach. We would have gone there, but having an airborne shellfish allergy made such a visit ill advised. The tout, Michael, understood my allergies and warned us against most local restaurant because of their seafood specialities. Thankfully, much to the dismay of some other guests, there was very little shellfish on offer in the buffet, just the occasional prawn salad. I doubt if the hotel staff would have understood the requirements in respect of allergies, having seen the pistachio ice cream contaminating the vanilla due to using the same scoop without rinsing. There was no food labelling mentioning nuts or other allergens. There were vegetable dishes which contained meat, notably at breakfast the "omelette with vegetable" was liberally laced with diced sausage. The bar service was hit and miss, at two different bars we were served pina coladas made with vodka! An after dinner digestif hazelnut liqueur in a shot glass was served in a salt rimmed glass with a slice of lemon, as if it was a tequila shot! Cocktail shakers were rarely used, cocktails were generally mixed in the glass. Conclusion: inexperienced untrained staff. The beach bar had limited drinks options. Their lunch afternoon food service was generally OK, but after 4 days it became monotonous so we braved "feeding time at the zoo" that was the Ephesus buffet restaurant. The corridor to our room (1401) was disgustingly filthy (see picture), it was quite depressing really. We also had to negotiate a steep slope as our room was at the far end, which my wife found difficult, but she coped with my assistance. We had upgraded to a superior deluxe room in the main building to avoid the slopes to and from the less expensive bungalows. The room was above the pool bar area so it was noisy until midnight and turned, with the likes of karaoke, so we couldn't settle down to sleep until then, only to be woken at 6am by the sound of chopping from the kitchen immediately below our room, as well as the moving of furniture. We considered requesting a different room, but met the occupant of 1402 which was his third room, so we decided to make the most of the poor situation rather than have the hassle of having to pack and move to something with potentially different issues. We like to sleep with a window open for fresh air, but the noise made that difficult, so we opted to use the air conditioning and put up with the fan noise. The room did not cool down much, so when we mentioned this we were told that it only worked from 6pm to midnight. So we had endured the noise of the a/c after midnight unnecessarily for one night. Some other guests we spoke to had been to had been told the a/c worked from 10 pm til 3 am, so the staff were obviously unsure of what the timings were. Even the lifts had no a/c much of the time, so very stuffy when crowded. Indeed, from past experiences hotel lobbies are usually cool, but here there was no place to escape the heat, unless there was the occasional sea breeze on a terrace. Maid service consisted of just pulling the duvets up, replenishing the paper cups and toilet paper. The toilet pan was not cleaned at all during our stay. The beach area was generally quiet, away from the loud sometimes inappropriate (drill rap? bad language) music around the main pool, but access to the sea was perilous so we did not attempt it. Three of the four access steps were broken and taped up (see picture). Their state of disrepair did not appear to be a recent issue, particularly as it affected three of the four. The only usable steps were at the far end of the beach area, which was generally crowded. We chose not to walk the length of the beach to gain access to the sea, particularly given the sea urchin warning signs. We were surprised that a blue flag was being flown, although the flag was faded, so probably earned several years ago. This is the first tourist hotel that we have stayed at which allowed guests to bring dogs. Dogs were even allowed to be off their leads according to a member of the animation team, who told us he could not ask the owners to put dog on a lead. Our balcony, which was much smaller than others, lacked a coffee table. It took four days of asking before one finally arrived, despite assurances each day that we would receive one. Whilst waiting for the return transfer outside at the front of the hotel, which was pleasantly cool compared to the stuffy lobby, we found ourselves being sprayed with pesticides from a tractor at 20:40h. Why was this not done at a time when it was less likely for guests to be using the area? The hotel promotes green credentials. That is a joke. No glasses for water in bedroom or bathroom, only paper cups in the rooms. We used 6 to 8 every day for our own teas and water, except on the day that the stock was not replenished so we had to re-use them. Very limited used of reusable plastic ware in pool and beach bar, one time use tumblers seemed preferable and easier for them. Even the lobby bar tried to serve a pina colada in a plastic tumbler on our first night because they did not have large enough glasses, except those for beer, which they deigned to use for our cocktails. At the end of our stay I did notice there were larger glass tumblers available."

"Our stay at the Labranda Ephesus Princess Hotel was unbelievably disappointing! We've been coming to Turkey for the past 10years and always stay in 5* hotels. Despite being advertised as a 5* it was more a 3* at a push. We only booked this hotel as it was near to Ephesus and the way it was sold to us online. Paid extra for a sea view room, view was ok. Balcony not so great. For a 5* all inclusive this hotel is lacking so many things! Our mini bar wasn't stocked with any soft drinks at all only 2bottles of water a day! Hot drinks were cheap and nasty, sometimes no milk would even come out at the coffee machines and the juices are just concentrated sugary drinks. Ended up drinking plain water the whole stay and buying our own drinks and milk at the supermarket in the room you only had powdered creamer and never enough. Small flimsy paper cups in room for tea and coffee, no mugs. No toiletries in room only 2 cotton pads, ear buds, and a shower cap the entire stay. Not even glasses to rinse with. The hotel is so old, run down and in need of much repair and care, wall paper peeling and paint not been updated. Rumour was it's bankrupt and been bought by a new investor. The hotel itself is built on a cliff with reception on the 8th floor. Hotel isn't great for those that have mobility issues. Lots of steps to the beach area, or you can catch a ride on the tractor if not too full. WiFi kept dropping out and had to call to get someone to look at it. No decent English TV channels just news. Some staff are polite and friendly, some not. Most seem miserable and like they don't want to be there. I don't blame them, they must deal with so many complaints. The issues spoilt our stay, we were also celebrating our wedding anniversary which did not even get acknowledged although on booking notes. I did bring some things to the attention of staff members at reception but not much got done and didn't want to waste my time constantly complaining. We went out daily to escape the hotel to be honest. On arrival it didn't seem like there was enough staff with a huge check in que. Nothing was really explained clearly either. No-one to take our luggage to the room. Only small 3lifts which broke down DAILY, always massive ques. We often took the stairs after getting fed up of waiting. We had a sea view room in the hotel building on level 4. As we walked to our room the first thing we noticed was the filthy, stained odorous carpets outside the rooms. Our room was not properly cleaned, with dirty mirrors with smears and make-up from previous guests which weren't cleaned once in 7days. The bathroom was mouldy and in ill repair with horrendous sewage smells coming from wash basin our whole stay, hotels excuse was "it's due to the very old hotel drain system." On our balcony we had someone's underpants which remained there the entire stay despite reporting it. Wasps, flies were a constant problem at meal times making it uncomfortable to relax. We had mosquitos in our room and I got bitten EVERY night! Never have had this many bites on Holiday in Turkey before and in the hotel out of all places. We were allowed to choose 1 meal from 4à la carte restaurants (4inl, they closed restaurants) during our 7night stay, booking was a nightmare. You could only book the day before between 9am-llam to secure a reservation, but even then at 9.17 am told fully booked. We gave up in the end. The food quality and variety was extremely poor! We had stone cold, bland food every meal! Many items running out quickly and random substitutions. If you arrived an hr after start time you'd find things finished/ unavailable. We spent a lot on meals out everyday as the food was so bad. On coach back to airport we found out some guests had food poisoning from the hotel. Luckily we ate out the majority of the time! Very little animation through-out the day and evening. Some facilities were closed, 3 ala carte restaurant's no hairdresser, children's arcade machines. Children bored every day playing outside rooms, lifts and in stairways. Even had some playing knock down ginger while we were tryna sleep. Parents nowhere to be seen. Additionally, the hotel's location was inconvenient, with shops and eateries far away a 25min bus journey to the centre. The bus stop is about a quarter mile from hotel you need to walk down (dog poop daily along the palm tree grass paths). Poorly lit and nowhere to sit while waiting. The on-site shop charging silly prices €3 for a packet of crisps! The pool and beach (man made) areas were also disappointing, lacking the premium feel and service one would expect. Overall, it was a far cry from the 5star experience we anticipated, it was a significant letdown compared to our previous trips to Turkey. It's sad that the hotel only sends automated responses. They really need to look into what needs improving and take onboard travellers experiences. Please believe the bad reviews on here as they are accurate! I naively thought maybe it'l be ok, I really regret not changing hotel prior to flying out. Never again! Actualy quite sad that our holiday experience was ruined. I'm sorry I would NOT recommend this hotel. Save your hard earned money and book elsewhere!!!"

"Wow. Where to begin. Went went end October and the place was basically closing for end of season, even though guests are arriving. No entertainment…like, none. Not even a radio. Nothing. One bar open called the Lobby Bar and that’s exactly what it is… a Lobby bar. It’s a bar beside reception with no atmosphere. No where near enough seats and as I said, NO entertainment. It’s almost like a low standard sofa shop. It’s weird. Then, the was no vodka. No vodka? All gone. And no Pepsi max or Malibu. We was offered Brandy. So unless you like beer or toxic undrinkable Gin, enjoy your water. Food is really really poor. Not topped up, lukewarm warm. Poor availability. Lots of queues as the layout is badly planned. Not even a toaster! No one could be satisfied with the food, and I’m not fussy. Flys absolutely everywhere in the “canteen” too. It really is a poor canteen, certainly not a restaurant. The staff in there are so rude (behind the counter, not the guys who clear tables). There is no snack bar. The only time you eat is at the designated meal times. So no snacks if you didn’t make it, or if you just fancy a bit extra as you’re on holiday. No ice creams for the kids apart from a corner at dinner time. Very tired bungalows/rooms. Old and need a re-vamp. And they are a 6 minute walk from the hotel. But not a flat 6 minutes, it’s all steps. It’s exhausting. I was aware there was steps to the beach but not to the rooms. It’s exhausting and you avoid having to go back to your room all day. There’s 3 lifts in the hotel building itself. Reception and lobby bar (the only bar) is floor 8. Restaurant is floor 2. Pool is floor 1. So you need the lifts. ONLY ONE WORKS. The hotel is honestly just not fit for purpose. We absolutely didn’t get what we paid for and it’s such a shame. We had an amazing holiday as we were a group of 9 who get on so well, but without those people, it would be heartbreaking. It’s not fit for purpose. That place should be fully functioning in all departments til the close the doors for end of season, but they don’t. I would absolutely Not recommend this hotel at all. It’s awful. To add, I’m a believer in you pay for what you get and I take the good with the bad in most situations. But this place is unfair. When you need that holiday and end up here it’s a huge disappointment Ps. The pool is freezing."