"Firstly, the positives. There are some genuinely good things about this hotel. The location is fabulous: very close to the beach, with a pleasant surrounding area, beautiful mountain views and stunning sunsets. We had a decent break overall, but unfortunately there were far too many issues for this review to bike given even 2 stars, especially for a hotel being sold as 4-star Plus and Ultra All Inclusive.
The hotel has been refurbished, but only in certain areas. Our standard room looked very nice, although it was small and had nowhere near enough storage space. The shower repeatedly flooded the bathroom despite being reported three times. Repairs were attempted, but the problem continued, so eventually we gave up reporting it. The bidet also didn't work properly and soaked the floor. This was reported day 1, after 2 weeks it was still not working. There are 4 shelves for clothes, 2 are taken up by thick duvets which house keeping refused to remove - depsite the linen storage room being next door! The balcony was tiny and the air con drips water all over the drying rack and into a dirty hole in the floor.
**“Ultra All Inclusive” — absolutely not**
I really think Jet2 should reconsider advertising this hotel as Ultra All Inclusive, because our experience did not match that description. Having stayed in 10 other Turkish hotels, this one is a 3 star, not 4, and certainly not 4plus.
The minibar was stocked at the beginning of our two-week stay with a few soft drinks, three bottles of Pepsi and two beers. Once these were gone, they were not replaced. Water was replenished if we asked for it. For a two-week Ultra All Inclusive holiday, I find that extremely poor. Some guests complained that the drinks were out of date. There was a stomach bug going around, this won't have helped!
The ice cream is from a machine, isn't particularly good and melts almost instantly. Allowing guests to use a small paper cup would help, but this wasn't permitted either. Burgers from the snack bar are cold. Beer often served in a paper cup. Cocktails also in a paper cup and just thrown together.
**Restaurant and cleanliness**
There often weren't enough tables in the main dining area, and the standard of cleaning wasn't always acceptable. On one occasion we sat down just after the restaurant opened for dinner and there was already food all over the floor. Under our table were a cigarette end and somebody's used plaster.
Some restaurant staff also seemed to expect guests to move out of their way rather than the other way around. One chef nearly knocked a plate out of my hand.
On another occasion I was told off for getting food at 12:27 when lunch officially opened at 12:30 — despite the food already being out.
We also tried the Sunset à la carte restaurant. Halfway through our second course, the waiter placed the tip box on our table. We hadn't received what we'd ordered and no further courses arrived, so eventually we simply left. I wouldn't bother booking it.
**Pool rules and staff behaviour**
This was the biggest problem with our stay.
One particular member of housekeeping appeared determined to enforce the sunbed rules in an unnecessarily confrontational way. Nobody was allowed even to sit on a lounger before 7:30am. I understand rules regarding reserving loungers with towels, but this went far beyond preventing sunbed reservations.
I witnessed him stop a boy who looked about five years old and search his bag for towels as though he were going through airport security.
More concerning was an incident involving a family who needed to sit in a particular area because one member of their party had an amputated leg. The lady was visibly upset, so I helped by showing a translated message asking whether an exception could be made because the person was severely disabled. The answer was still no. I found the complete lack of flexibility or compassion disgraceful.
I later reported this same member of staff to both hotel management and the Jet2 representative following further behaviour that I considered completely unacceptable. I witnessed him berating a female guest near the pool bar and saying, “women should be seen and not heard.” I also witnessed him filming adults and children on his personal phone while they were sitting on sun loungers before 7:30am. He was made to delete this footage.
Whatever the hotel's rules are, I do not consider that an acceptable way to treat guests, and the filming of guests — particularly children — without apparent permission was extremely concerning from a safeguarding point of view.
The pool also closes at 18:30, and staff start blowing whistles almost immediately beforehand. Expect your swimming day to end very promptly.
The so-called “relax” pool was anything but relaxing during our stay. There were children jumping in, screaming, having water fights and using pool toys. It was often far too noisy to sit and read a book.
Some of the female lifeguards also seemed to spend a considerable amount of time on their phones. One asked my partner to move because she couldn't see the waterslide properly from where she was sitting, before saying, “Don't make my job any harder.”. Perhaps she could have stood up and moved? This seemed like too much effort though.
**Other issues**
We had two mornings without power. More concerningly, the bottom of the stairs did not appear to have functioning emergency lighting and was left in darkness.
After checking out, we used the spa facilities but found there was no shower gel or shampoo available. That seems very strange for a hotel marketed at this level. Isn't the whole part of a spa to get clean? The lockers didn't work either!
**Overall**
This was my tenth visit to Turkey, and we always stay in hotels rated at least four stars. Based on my experience, I simply don't understand how Jet2 has graded this hotel as 4-star Plus. I would personally put it closer to 3 stars, and we've stayed in lower-rated 4-star hotels in Turkey that provided a noticeably better overall experience.
I also don't understand the “Ultra All Inclusive” classification. A minibar that is stocked once at the beginning of a two-week holiday and then effectively reduced to water is just one example of why the description didn't match the experience.
There are positives. The location is excellent, the scenery is beautiful, and we still managed to enjoy having a break from everyday life. If you can get an extremely substantial discount, you may feel you're getting reasonable value.
Most importantly, the behaviour I witnessed from one member of staff means I personally could not recommend booking this hotel. I will not accept misogynistic comments, a lack of reasonable compassion towards a severely disabled guest, or staff filming adults and children on personal phones.
I genuinely hope the hotel management reads this review and addresses these issues, because the location gives this hotel enormous potential. Unfortunately, the service, management of certain staff, cleanliness and the gap between what is advertised and what is actually provided badly let it down."
