Ekinci Palace

"We arrived in the early hours of the morning to be greeted by no one. Eventually, a young man appeared and had to use his phone to translate everything. Despite several prior requests for a lower room due to medical reasons, we were given an attic room that was filthy, unbearably hot, and in disrepair. The room had a broken towel rail, damaged sink, holes in the walls, and unsafe electrical plugs. The so-called “balcony” was just a wall covered in pigeon feathers and droppings. It was an absolute sweat box. When I raised these issues with the owner, Osman, he said we could move, but later his daughter Melis (the manager) told us it might not be possible because it was high season. I suggested the top-floor rooms shouldn’t even be used if they’re not fit for purpose. We saw plenty of other rooms empty, but apparently, they were “saved for others.” Later, Osman offered to move us temporarily to another building nearby for a day or two, but then disappeared. His daughter said we’d be moved the next morning. During this time, I tried desperately to contact Sunshine Holidays for help — but the hotel’s Wi-Fi didn’t work, and my phone credit ran out after several failed attempts. After finally getting through via the Sunshine Holidays chat, they contacted the hotel to help arrange a move. However, when I next spoke to Osman, he became angry and confrontational, accusing me of being “unfriendly” for contacting my agency and saying he was “finished” with me. I was extremely upset and in tears. My husband intervened, and Osman then changed his tone, saying he’d “help us” and show us a new room — but he made us feel like we should be grateful and even hinted we should retract our complaint. We were eventually moved to another room one floor down. It was cooler and had a small balcony, so we accepted it just to get out of the first one. However, it was still poorly equipped — only three chairs, three cups, and no plates or bowls for a self-catering stay. The air conditioning only worked in the bedroom, and we had to pay £70 for it. We ended up moving a bed into that room so four of us could sleep there because it was too hot otherwise. Other issues: • Towels and bedding never changed once during our stay. • Bin emptied only once. • Shower alternated between scalding and freezing; the door was broken. • Balcony door didn’t lock. • The camp-style oven looked unsafe, so we never used it. I didn’t complain again because Osman had made me feel intimidated and uncomfortable, and I was afraid we’d be left with nowhere to stay. We also saw other families complaining about similar issues — including an 87-year-old woman placed on the top floor! Some guests were even told to leave after disagreements with management. The only positives were the breakfast and the pool area. The foam party could have been fun until someone slipped, hit their head, and it was shut down early. When we checked out, Melis finally apologised “for the start of the holiday” and said everyone wants lower floors — but honestly, those top rooms should be condemned. It’s shocking this hotel still holds a 4/5 rating on TripAdvisor — that is not what we experienced, and we saw many other unhappy guests during our stay. The rest of Turkey was wonderful, but this hotel experience completely overshadowed what should have been a relaxing, long-awaited holiday. I would strongly urge Sunshine Holidays not to continue offering this property until serious improvements are made."

"We stayed here end of September for 2 weeks. Our room was basic but it was cleaned most days by Osmans wife who did an excellent job. Was very quiet while we was there. The food we ate there was good quality and the breakfast was delicious. We have stayed here 12 times now and always enjoyed ourselves. Thanks to Melissa and Osman for a lovely stay and will be going back next year for 3 weeks."

"Our 2nd visit this year. Been going for about 13 years now. We love our time here with the beautiful ekinci family who continue to welcome all guests and ensure they have a happy holiday. The staff still continue to work as hard as ever. It's a lovely family run establishment and cannot fault their kindness at all. We wouldn't go anywhere else"