Berry Blue Hotel

"We recently stayed at this hotel for a 10-day holiday from 12th June to 22nd June, having booked through On the Beach. Unfortunately, our experience didn't live up to the expectations we had from the photos and description. On arrival, the hotel looked much smaller than it appeared online. We had expected both the hotel itself and the pool areas to be much bigger, so this was a little disappointing. The first few days of our holiday were lovely. We spent our time relaxing by the pool and enjoying the sun, and we were looking forward to the rest of our stay. However, around day four or five I became quite unwell with stomach ache. At first, I assumed it was just something that had affected me personally. The following day, my partner also developed stomach pains, and another couple we had got talking to mentioned they were experiencing exactly the same symptoms. From that point onwards, we both had constant stomach aches for the remainder of the holiday. We tried to be extra careful by avoiding salads in case they had been washed in local water, avoiding ice in our drinks, and even stopping eating the meat served at the hotel. On the Friday, we met another two friends who also told us they had been suffering with stomach aches, which made us question whether the food or drinks at the hotel could have been the cause. We also felt that some of the food at the all inclusive buffet appeared as though it may have been left over from previous meals, which made us think twice about what we were eating. The lunch and dinner menus were also very repetitive, with many of the same dishes being served, leaving very little variety throughout our stay. Because of both the stomach issues and the limited food choices, we found ourselves eating out on several occasions despite having paid for an all inclusive holiday. The location of the hotel was another disappointment. There wasn't much within walking distance, and we personally wouldn't choose to stay in this area again, I do think that there is definitely potentially for this to be a great are as there looks like a lot of unused space which could be turned into more bars, restaurants, ice cream parlours ,etc. During our stay, a representative visited the hotel to sell excursions. What surprised us was how negative he was about the hotel itself. During our conversation, he actually said, "It's not the best hotel," while explaining the local area and the available trips. He also advised us that taxis were not safe and suggested that if we wanted to visit places such as the Old Town, we should arrange transport through him instead. The transfer would be free as long as we ate at a particular restaurant. While I appreciate he may receive commission for these recommendations, it left us feeling unsure about who we could trust and made us uncomfortable. Overall, we had a lovely first few days, but once we became unwell, the holiday quickly changed. By the end of our stay, we were simply looking forward to getting home. Sadly, based on our experience, we would not return to this hotel or this area in the future."

"Everything about this hotel is fantastic! We appreciate the professional service – especially Mr. Gökdeniz, who is very friendly and helpful :) He was always kind to us and asked if everything was okay. We also really liked the elderly gentleman driving the golf cart, who always took us to the beach with a smile. The food is delicious and everyone will find something to enjoy. Plus, a special evening program is prepared for all guests every day."

"We arrived off a late flight so was grateful for the smooth check in. We were quickly shown where main facilities were and while they organised everything, we had our first of many drinks at the Lobby Bar which is open till midnight. Soon we were taken to our rooms, and we had what we expected with a small balcony which had a table and 2 chairs and overlooked the pool. It was clean, comfortable and a decently designed room. Bathroom was fine and had a shower which never leaked although we did need to have rainfall shower head fixed as the water was pouring over the edge, but this was done promptly. Toiletries are in abundance and there is a mini bar with coke, Fanta and water – still and sparkling. Tea and coffee were available, but we only got English tea bags once and it seems they are in short supply because we didn’t see them at any bar or in the restaurant. Pool was very nice and water a lovely temperature. It was always easy enough to get chairs although there was a bit of early morning reserving going on. Towels were of varying standards of fluffy, bare, good or frayed but always clean. There were a pool bar and a Snack bar with Burgers, hot dogs, nuggets and Pizza with was open till 18:00. This was the only food option after 14:00 when buffet closed till 19:00 so a little limited if fast food is not your choice. Buffet – Breakfast 07:00 – 10:00 – a decent choice to suit most people – hot selection which included national dishes plus an abundance of fruit, yogurts, pancakes, eggs etc. There is no omelette station, but they have premade omelettes in a hot dish followed by a reduced breakfast selection 10:00 – 11:00. Bizarrely, they had the makings of biscuits and cheese with meats here but never at lunch or dinner Lunch 12:00 – 14:00 – mainly same each day for the pizza, pasta, salad, fruit, desserts with the soup and hot dishes rotating Dinner 19:00 – 21:00 – mainly same each day for the pizza, pasta, salad, fruit, desserts with the soup and hot dishes rotating but also had a ‘special’ every night eg roast dinner, tacos, sushi. Lots of desserts but to be honest a lot of them just tasted the same and some were almost tasteless Snacks 21:00 – 07:00 – this is not the best selection of food. Maybe for a quick snack but not as a meal. Choice is soup, bread, salad, a hot dish and bread with cheese by a toaster!! Overall restaurant provided food and you would need to be really fussy not to make a meal, but it was very repetitive and whereas I usually struggle to select what I want from a buffet because there is so much choice, here, I found it easy to grab a plate of food and be done with it. Mealtimes didn’t feel special, just an opportunity to eat!! There is the Merry Berry café from 15:00 – 18:00 with ice-cream – very popular and coffee with cakes. Good for a mid afternoon snack. Lobby Bar was by far my favourite. It was pleasant to drink there, the drinks were very well prepared and even when it was busy, the staff served with a smile, chatted and were interested in what we had to say, remembering it the next time we saw them. In particular, we built up a lovely rapport with Huseyn, Ayse and Antika. They were also very happy to prepare off menu cocktails provided they had the ingredients. Staff to be proud of. The only negative with the drinks was that often there would be non-availability (but an alternative was there, so just a niggle) eg, no diet coke in lobby bar for 2 days – but available at Pool Bar and Snack Bar. No Captain Morgans, but they did have Havana and local rum. One thing also to shout about is that we were there to celebrate 2 birthdays and via Svetlana at Reception the hotel was able to enhance this with room decorations, cake etc. Thank you so much for the, much appreciated by everyone. Gym is a bit disappointing. Only open from 08:00 and only one of each cardio machine, which meant waiting to get on. It would be better if it could be open earlier even. 5 days I had to go and remind them it was 08:00 and door was still locked."