"2-Star Experience, 5-Star Staff
We booked Selectum Luxury Resort expecting a genuine 5-star luxury experience. Unfortunately, within just a few days it became clear that the reality was very different.
We stayed for 3 full days of what was supposed to be a 7-day holiday before deciding to leave and paying for our own flights home. We lost four days of our holiday and incurred the additional expense of changing our flights. We did not make that decision lightly.
In fact, we have never left a holiday early before. The fact that we were prepared to do so after only three days speaks for itself.
I want to make it very clear that this review is not an attack on the staff. Quite the opposite. The staff were consistently one of the strongest aspects of the resort. They were attentive, polite and hardworking, and many of them genuinely tried to make our stay enjoyable.
Unfortunately, the hotel itself simply does not deliver the standard its 5-star rating suggests.
🍽️ Food — 2/10
The food was one of our biggest disappointments.
For a resort marketed as luxury, we found the food bland, repetitive and frequently poor in quality. After only a few days, we had already lost interest in the main buffet because there was very little we genuinely looked forward to eating.
The issue wasn’t simply personal taste. The overall quality, variety and presentation did not feel consistent with what we would expect from a 5-star all-inclusive resort.
There were also some surprisingly basic shortcomings.
There were no drinks in fridges around the pool areas, unlike our experience at Rixos Premium Belek the previous year. The bottled water available also frequently tasted salty, which made it particularly unpleasant.
Ice creams were rarely stocked, and when they were available, the selection and brands were underwhelming.
The buffet seating was another major problem. Regardless of when we went, finding an available table was difficult. A holiday meal should not involve walking around a crowded restaurant searching for somewhere to sit. The hotel needs to seriously reconsider its seating capacity and how the buffet is managed.
The restaurant staff themselves, however, were excellent. They were attentive and worked extremely hard.
🛏️ Rooms & Accommodation — 1/10
The rooms were, in our opinion, completely unacceptable for a hotel presenting itself as luxury.
Our room was dirty, damaged and poorly maintained, with décor that looked dated and unattractive. It did not give the impression of a 5-star room.
The most concerning incident was the shower.
The shower head fell onto my partner’s head.
This isn’t something that can simply be dismissed as a cosmetic issue or an inconvenience. A shower fitting falling onto a guest is a genuine safety concern and should never happen in a properly maintained hotel room.
We were initially placed in a family room which required us to use the hotel’s golf carts to reach the main areas. Unfortunately, the carts were regularly full. On one occasion, we waited approximately 30 minutes for one.
We were eventually moved to another room, which we appreciated, but the move did not fundamentally improve our impression. The problem wasn’t simply one bad room; it was the overall standard of the property.
The air conditioning was particularly unpleasant. The AC absolutely stank when running. Based on my experience with fan coil units, I would seriously question how regularly the filters and internal components are being cleaned and serviced. Whatever the cause, having an air-conditioning system that produces a strong unpleasant smell is not acceptable in a hotel room.
At one point, the water supply to our room suddenly stopped completely and was unavailable for approximately 30 minutes. I cannot say what caused the problem, but it was another basic service failure that added to an already poor experience.
Housekeeping was also below the level we expected. We do, however, have sympathy for the housekeeping staff themselves, as the underlying issues appear to be more about the hotel’s standards and systems than the individuals carrying out the work.
🐈 Cats & General Cleanliness
There are a very large number of cats throughout the hotel grounds.
We have nothing against cats and don’t consider their presence a problem in itself. The problem is the lack of effective management and the resulting smell in certain areas.
This was particularly noticeable around the sand area of the children’s playground near the pool and slides.
A children’s play area should be clean, hygienic and pleasant. Having noticeable smells from cat urine/faeces in an area where children are playing is simply not something we expected from a luxury resort.
The hotel needs to address this properly rather than allowing the situation to become part of the normal hotel environment.
💡 Lighting & Atmosphere
The lighting throughout parts of the hotel was another surprisingly poor aspect.
Large areas of the resort were far too dark, particularly in the corridors and communal areas.
A luxury hotel should feel warm, bright and inviting. Instead, some areas felt gloomy and almost oppressive.
At times, walking through the hotel genuinely felt more like walking through a dark, old mansion than a modern luxury resort.
This may sound like a minor point, but atmosphere matters, particularly when you are paying a premium for a luxury holiday. The environment simply did not feel luxurious.
🏊 Pool Areas & Splash Park — 8/10
The pool areas were one of the few areas where the resort genuinely impressed us.
The main pools are huge, there is plenty of space and there is a very good selection of slides and water activities.
The splash park was also excellent, and our son really enjoyed it.
The main criticism is the availability of sunbeds.
There did not appear to be enough for the number of guests. We are not the type of people who want to get up at 6am, put a towel down and then disappear for several hours just to reserve a sunbed. Unfortunately, it felt as though this was almost necessary.
Aside from that, the pool facilities themselves were very good.
🧒 Kids Club — 7/10
The kids club was another genuine positive.
The facilities were nice and the staff were fantastic. They were polite, friendly and genuinely engaging with the children.
Our son particularly enjoyed the face painting and had a very pleasant experience.
A special mention to the girls working at the kids club. They were brilliant and deserve recognition for the effort they put in.
🍔 24/7 Restaurant — 7/10
The 24/7 restaurant was actually one of the better dining experiences during our stay.
The food was decent and considerably more enjoyable than the main buffet.
A special mention must go to Metim, who was exceptionally friendly, accommodating and attentive. He made a noticeable effort to make us feel welcome and is exactly the kind of employee who deserves recognition.
👥 The Staff — 10/10
If the staff could be reviewed separately from the hotel, they would receive 10/10 from us.
They were attentive, polite and hardworking. We genuinely appreciate the effort they put in throughout our stay.
In fact, their attitude was one of the reasons we didn’t tell them the real reason we were leaving.
We left at around 5am, after just three full days, to catch our earlier flight home. When asked why we were leaving, we said there had been an emergency at home.
That wasn’t actually the truth.
We simply did not want to make the staff who had treated us so well feel bad by telling them that we were leaving because we were so dissatisfied with the hotel.
Interestingly, despite what we told them, they appeared to suspect that we were not actually happy with our stay.
They were understanding and professional when we left, and once again demonstrated that the staff were not the problem.
There were also occasions when the behaviour of some guests, particularly some Russian guests, was extremely frustrating. To be clear, this is not a criticism of anyone’s nationality. The issue was the behaviour itself and the impression that certain guests were sometimes being prioritised by the hotel. This could make the atmosphere uncomfortable at times.
⭐ Overall
The pools were good. The splash park was good. The kids club was good. The 24/7 restaurant was decent.
And the staff were excellent.
Unfortunately, those positives were not enough to overcome the fundamental problems with the hotel.
The food was disappointing. The rooms were poorly maintained. A shower head fell onto my partner’s head. The air conditioning smelled terrible. We experienced a loss of water. The hotel was unnecessarily dark. The cat situation created unpleasant smells around children’s areas. The buffet regularly struggled with seating. The golf cart system was inadequate for the layout of the family rooms.
These aren’t isolated complaints about minor inconveniences. Taken together, they paint a picture of a hotel that simply isn’t being maintained or operated to the standard you would reasonably expect from a 5-star luxury resort.
Most importantly, we were unhappy enough to pay for our own flights home after only three full days, giving up four days of a holiday we had already paid for.
We did not leave because of one bad meal, one rude employee or one disappointing room. We left because the overall experience was consistently below the standard we had paid for.
We have stayed at other 5-star resorts in the area, including Rixos Premium Belek, and the difference in quality was significant.
There are clearly some excellent people working at Selectum Luxury Resort. They deserve better recognition because they are doing their best within a hotel that, in our experience, does not currently live up to its reputation.
We paid for a 5-star luxury holiday.
What we received was a 2-star experience with 5-star staff."
