Labranda Ephesus Princess

"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."

"Went on a family holiday last minute and the hotel not as expected. As we are a family of five we had a bungalow which seemed nice until we noticed the camp creeping in. It was so so damp that the bed sheets and our clothes felt wet for a whole week! The hotel is infested with mosquitos. The food is less than average, not much choice and ok so it’s gone it’s not replenished. To say it’s an all inclusive, there isn’t food available throughout the day. Absolutely zero entertainment. Kusadasi is a lovely place but we would not recommend this hotel"