"Beautiful Potential, but Seriously Lacking Organisation – Richmond Ephesus Resort
We really wanted to love Richmond Ephesus Resort. Unfortunately, after our stay, we are left with a very mixed feeling.
Let’s start with the positives, because there definitely are some.
The hotel itself is beautiful. Yes, you can clearly see that it is getting older and that some areas are in need of renovation, but honestly, this did not bother us at all. A hotel does not have to be brand new to provide a great holiday.
The swimming pools and water slides are fantastic, especially when travelling with a young child. There is a lot of potential for a wonderful family holiday.
And then there are the employees.
To all the staff who worked incredibly hard during our stay: thank you. Truly.
There are many employees who go above and beyond to make guests happy. Their friendliness, patience and effort are noticeable, and they deserve far more recognition than they probably receive. We want to sincerely thank every member of staff who helped make our stay better. You were not the problem — in many cases, you were the reason things still worked at all.
Unfortunately, this is where the positives largely end.
Basic things that simply should not be a problem
We repeatedly mentioned that there were not enough towels available. Nothing changed.
How can a hotel expect three people to shower and dry themselves with two towels?
This is not a luxury request. Towels are a basic necessity in a resort. Having to repeatedly ask for them and still not having enough is simply unacceptable.
Then there is the Wi-Fi.
Yes, technically there is internet. But if your idea of using Wi-Fi is anything more than sending a WhatsApp message, good luck.
Without a Turkish phone number and mobile data, you will quickly discover that the internet is practically useless. For an international resort in 2026, this is very difficult to understand.
Entertainment without organisation
There is an animation team, but unfortunately the entertainment programme feels very poorly structured.
There is nothing wrong with having activities and entertainment, but the organisation is lacking. It often feels improvised rather than properly planned.
And then we get to what, in our opinion, is the biggest problem of the entire resort:
There simply isn’t enough space for everyone.
After dinner, the hotel basically leaves guests with one main option: the bar.
The problem?
There aren’t enough seats for even a quarter of the hotel guests.
So you might think: “Surely there is another bar?”
Yes, there is.
At the amphitheatre.
Great — problem solved?
Not really.
That bar only opens when the evening entertainment starts. And guess what? That’s exactly when everyone wants to be at the amphitheatre.
So if you want to watch the show, you need a seat. If you want a seat, you need to arrive early. If you arrive early, you need somewhere to sit and have a drink.
But the bar isn’t open yet.
It is a vicious circle.
This is not a small inconvenience. This is a fundamental organisational problem in a large all-inclusive resort.
The strange thing is: the hotel has everything it needs
And that is what makes this experience even more frustrating.
The hotel has a beautiful location.
It has good facilities.
It has fantastic swimming pools and water slides.
It has plenty of hardworking employees who genuinely care about the guests.
What it seems to lack is proper management and structure.
Someone needs to take a step back and look at the entire guest experience from beginning to end.
Where do people go after dinner?
Where can they sit?
Where can they get a drink?
How many guests can each bar actually accommodate?
How are towels distributed?
How does the entertainment programme work?
How is the Wi-Fi provided?
These are not complicated questions. They are basic elements of running a large resort.
Would we recommend Richmond Ephesus Resort?
In the low season, maybe.
When there are fewer guests, we can imagine this hotel being a completely different experience. In fact, based on what we experienced, it almost feels like the hotel functions better when it is not full.
But during high season? Unfortunately, no.
The number of guests simply seems to exceed what the hotel can comfortably and properly accommodate.
And that is a real shame.
Because the hotel has the potential to be fantastic.
The staff deserve better support. The guests deserve better organisation. And the hotel itself deserves better management.
We sincerely hope the management takes this feedback seriously, sits down together and develops a proper, realistic plan to solve these issues — not just temporarily, but structurally.
Because throwing more guests into the same system without changing the system itself will never solve the problem.
Richmond Ephesus Resort has the facilities, the location and the people to be a great resort. Now it needs the organisation and management to match them.
And to the employees who worked hard to make our holiday enjoyable despite all of this:
Thank you. You were truly appreciated."
