"Our third year in a row doing Turkey 5* all inclusive as a family of 4, so I'll write this review compared to where we stayed previously ( Barut Hemera & Kirman Leodikya).
Pros:
* No sunbed wars! Even at 10.30 there were loads left to choose from, never had this before - a huge positive!
* The staff were brilliant! The animation team were great at getting people involved, but weren't pushy. They worked so hard from morning till late. Can't remember all the names but Rio was great, and Nikita's dancing was infectious.
* The kids club was 10/10. Much bigger than we'd experienced previously, so much going on all day & night for all ages, lots of choice for each type of personality. One of the highlights for my girls (5 & 9) was the kids quest, really fun! Had read before we went that not all the staff speak English, but that isn't true at all. There weren't many English kids in the club when my girls went but they still loved it. Anna & the team are excellent, and Rami who walks around with a positive energy is an asset to the team. Thank you all!
* The kids carnival (Wednesdays) was exceptional! We knew it took place, but it was way better than we expected. I won't say much as don't want to ruin it, but wow!
* The evening entertainment was good, especially 'Wonderland'. We were there for 9 nights so also had a white party, a red party & a boho party. They really make an effort with the themed decorations, and DJ Emre Mirza was great. My kids have asked for his songs on a playlist (shazam them when you're there, especially the Papilon Belvil song!)
* Foam party (Thursday's at 12pm) was fun. My apple watch said 'it looks like you're doing an indoor run, do you want to record it' because I was obviously dancing so much!
* The slides were really good, we spent hours & hours each day on them. Rules say age 10+ but my 5 year old went on them all. The lifeguards are really 'on it' making sure everyone follows the rules, a lot of whistle blowing when people don't swim away quickly enough, etc. They were all so friendly too, shout out to Samet who my girls took a shine to & were sad to say goodbye to. The slides were open 10-12 (like previous hotels we'd been to) but the afternoon was much longer 2pm - 6pm. Another big perk!
* The spa guys & photo guys who walk around aren't pushy at all, another positive compared to previous hotels we'd been to. We loved chatting about football with Bob.
* Adults pool was SO relaxing! Very quiet being a hotel mainly full of people with kids (we went August summer holidays), but if your kids go in kids club I'd strongly recommend.
* Getting drinks was never a problem in the buffet restaurant, especially if you picked a table in a less chaotic area. Emine was very attentive.
* The alacarte's are only €10pp & so worth it. Really good food & service, especially Kanji, followed by Mirage.
* The burgers, pizzas & jacket potatoes were REALLY good. You don't always want something so heavy/hot in the summer, but the salads are great in the buffet or poolside bar.
* The Indian food in the buffet restaurant was authentic & tasty. I forgot to get the chef's name, but his food was a highlight!
* Selection of bottled beers available (Efes, Bud, Heineken & Bomonti) & not decanted into a plastic/cardboard cup, another big plus!
* The cocktail menu on the bar is limited but the bar staff could make most things even if not on there. I thoroughly enjoyed an espresso martini each day after lunch :)
* The pier is beautiful, especially later on when it's quiet & the sun sets. Jumping off the end will forever be a core memory for our family. We got some lovely photos too.
* Room in main hotel was spacious, modern & clean. Could hear some noise from our neighbours a couple of times but we were ground floor close to the lobby & main reception & we didn't hear any noise from there, which was a relief.
* Air con was powerful & room was cool all night even without it turned on.
* Land of legends only a 7 minute cab ride away. We got from hotel for €20 then realised we could've used UBER for €7. Managed to get a taxi back from outside land of legends quickly even at 11pm.
Cons:
* Buffet restaurant was repetitive. We missed the big themed nights we'd experienced at previous hotels.
* Cocktails were hit & miss depending on who made them. Some were really good, other times not great. Mojito I had twice & both times was bad. Pina colada I had 4 times & only 1 was good.
* Sometimes took a while to be served at poolside bar, but mainly because some people think it's ok to push in. The staff work very hard, but it'd be good if they had a bit of an awareness of who was next, to ease the tension when people push in.
* Couldn't get everything via QR code, just the small cocktail selection. A shame, as previous hotels you could get everything & there were a lot more rollerskaters.
* Single-use plastic water bottles are provided in fridges you help yourself to. And whilst I appreciated not having to wait at a bar for water, it did concern me that the majority of these bottles are not being recycled. There are some recycling bins dotted around, but around the pools & beach it's 1 bin per sunbed & the cleaners were just emptying them into 1 big black bin bag. Previous hotels had water & ice stations to help reduce plastic waste.
These are small negatives just to make the review honest. We all loved our stay & wouldn't hesitate to return. Thank you all :)"
