"Palmin Hotel, Kusadai, Turkey
We have been loyal guests of the Palmin Hotel in Kusadasi, Turkey since 2003, visiting annually—and on occasion twice yearly—since 2013. Over the years, we have consistently experienced exceptional hospitality in a safe, comfortable, and well-managed environment. The staff have invariably been courteous, efficient, and genuinely welcoming, often exceeding expectations to ensure guest satisfaction. Hygiene standards have been exemplary, and the food offerings have consistently provided a wide variety to suit all tastes.
It is therefore with considerable reluctance that I submit review regarding our most recent stay, from 15 October 2025 to 25 October 2025.
Upon arrival, the check-in process was smooth and efficient. We were pleased to be allocated Room 301, a pool and sea view room as requested. The room had been recently refurbished to a high standard and was well maintained throughout our stay, with daily cleaning, fresh towels, and regular changes of bed linen. The bathroom was adequately stocked with toiletries and towels. The first two nights were peaceful and enjoyable.
Unfortunately, the remainder of our stay was marred by excessive noise and disturbances continuing into the early hours of the morning. On one occasion, two guests engaged in a loud altercation on the third floor, lasting approximately twenty minutes and concluding with repeated door slamming. While we acknowledge that the poor weather—wet and dull throughout our stay—was beyond anyone’s control, it may have contributed to the restless behaviour observed among both adults and children. Many children appeared unsupervised, with the lobby frequently used as a play area. We witnessed one incident in which a young boy pushed two screaming toddlers in a stroller and repeatedly rammed it into seated guests. The lifts were also misused, with children running in and out, pressing buttons for all floors, thereby rendering them inaccessible to other guests. On one occasion, we sought refuge in our room for quiet, only to be disturbed by children shouting and running along the corridor, banging and kicking doors.
We fully appreciate that children are naturally energetic and curious; however, it is reasonable to expect appropriate supervision and engagement from parents. To be balanced, we did observe several well-behaved children whose parents were attentive and respectful of others.
The most serious concern relates to a health incident. On 24 October 2025, I consumed my usual lunch selection of salads and chicken cutlets at the hotel. Approximately one hour later, I became violently ill, suffering severe stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhoea, and uncontrollable shivering. Despite these symptoms, I managed to travel home on 25 October as planned. The following day, I consulted my doctor, who diagnosed food poisoning, most likely attributable to the chicken. I remained unwell for ten days thereafter.
Once sufficiently recovered, I reported both the food poisoning incident and the noise/disturbance issues to the Palmin Hotel. In our experience, well-managed establishments value constructive feedback as an opportunity to improve and maintain high standards of service. Regrettably, the responses I received were dismissive, condescending, and arrogant. My doctor’s professionalism and expertise were questioned, and the credibility of my concerns was doubted.
Some of the responses received – copied and pasted from the email’s received.
1. “With the passage of time it's difficult for us to carry out any detailed investigation of your complaint. However, we can say many of our guests will have consumed the same food as you on that day, and we have no record of any other guests reporting illness, or requesting medical assistance around that time”.
2.” However, the reality is your illness cannot be connected to the food you ate in the hotel. As we are sure your doctor will tell you, there are many possible causes of severe gastric upset, other than food poisoning. We are advised it would be impossible for any doctor to diagnose food poisoning days after the onset of a sickness, or to attribute its cause to a specific food consumed. You have attributed your illness to the food you ate a short time before, but we are also advised that the rapid onset of sickness as you describe, in such a short time, would be unusual. We mentioned the absence of reports of illness from other guests because, as we said, other guests would have eaten the same food as you from the same open buffet that day. It is highly unlikely that the food you took was contaminated and the other food from the same serving trays was not.”
My response.
It is a well-established medical fact that the onset of food poisoning symptoms depend on the specific strain of food poisoning bacteria, onset of symptoms can range from as quick as 30 minutes to as long as 3 weeks.
3. Another response received suggesting that my illness was caused by contaminated food long consumed before the onset of symptoms suggesting that I had consumed contaminated food before my stay at the at the Palmin Hotel. It was even suggested my illness was NOT Food Poisoning.
“We are indeed suggesting you consider the possibility that your illness was not caused by food poisoning, a suggestion we previously made in our email to you on Thursday. It could also have been caused by contaminated food consumed long before the onset of your illness, as your own research has revealed. Basically, as we have been saying from the outset, we believe it is not possible to definitively determine what caused your illness”.
My response as medically established:
Symptoms of food poisoning that occur 3 weeks after consuming contaminated foods are the very serious strains Listeria, Hepatitis A and some parasitic infections such These can be fatal for certain groups of people especially those who are immunocompromised.
I checked in to the The Palmin Hotel on 15/10/2025 in perfect health. We did not consume any food or drinks outside the hotel during our stay. We do not consume alcohol of any kind. I became very ill after eating lunch on 24/10/2025. I think no further elaboration is required.
4. Disturbance and Noise:
We do, however, tend towards a less severe approach unless the behaviour is unduly disruptive, or we receive specific complaints from guests at the time they are experiencing disturbance. As regards your comment about guests arguing on the 3rd floor, we obviously don't know when it happened so there was little we could add. If guests report such incidents we would always investigate and intervene.
I informed management I would be posting a public review. I received the following intimidating and threatening response
“We respect your right to air your experiences publicly In so doing, we would ask you to bear in mind we have a business, and many livelihoods, to protect, and we will have no hesitation in taking appropriate action if any damaging, unfounded allegations are made publicly”
I believe the response was deliberately intended to place me on a “guilt trip,” to intimidate, and to silence me. I wish to make it unequivocally clear that I will not be silenced, nor will I ever be restrained in conveying the truth
Finally. This experience has made one thing abundantly clear: The Palmin Hotel offers no meaningful customer support when problems arise. Despite many enjoyable holidays in the past, we will not be returning. I used to look forward to our annual visits, but there are many other excellent hotels in Kusadasi. Your handling of this situation has cost you two loyal guests. Had the situation been handled with respect and courtesy the outcome might be different."
