"I arrived at Gazipasa Star Hotel on 8 July with my family after choosing this hotel based on the many positive reviews we had read. Unfortunately, our experience fell far below our expectations.
Check-in
The check-in process was smooth, and the gentleman on reception was initially friendly and helpful. We had booked two rooms, and he showed us both. Because the lift in the second building was extremely small, he left our luggage downstairs and told us he would bring it up once he had finished showing us our rooms.
After waiting around an hour with no sign of our luggage, we called reception. His response was simply, “Oh, I forgot, oops.”
This was extremely concerning. Our luggage, containing all of our belongings, had been left unattended for approximately an hour. During that time, it could have been stolen, damaged or tampered with. Thankfully nothing happened, but this demonstrated a serious lack of care and professionalism. It was an incredibly disappointing way to begin our holiday.
Rooms & Housekeeping
The rooms themselves were acceptable but extremely small. There were only two people staying in each room, yet they still felt cramped and claustrophobic.
The air conditioning worked well, which was appreciated, but unfortunately the housekeeping was one of the biggest disappointments of our stay.
Although we requested our rooms to be cleaned, it often appeared that the only thing that had been done was making the beds.
After returning from the beach each day, sand and debris naturally washed off in the shower. That same debris remained there until the day we checked out, clearly showing that the bathrooms were never properly cleaned.
Likewise, there was consistently hair on the bathroom and bedroom floors which remained there day after day. It was obvious that the rooms were not being swept or vacuumed properly.
The towels were only replaced every two days, which is less than ideal during the summer when guests are showering multiple times a day after the beach and pool. Even more concerning was that the replacement towels rarely appeared clean. Several had visible yellow stains on them, making them feel unhygienic to use. Clean towels should be one of the most basic expectations of any hotel.
The bedding also appeared to be changed very infrequently. During our nine-night stay, I believe the sheets were changed only once, if at all. After long, hot days spent at the beach, fresh bedding is something guests reasonably expect. Instead, it felt as though the beds were simply being made each day without the linen actually being changed. Combined with the poor standard of cleaning throughout the rooms, this left us feeling that hygiene simply was not being maintained.
Hotel Facilities
The facilities themselves were actually one of the highlights of the hotel.
The swimming pool was lovely—large, clean and with plenty of sun loungers available throughout the day. There was also a separate terrace with additional sunbeds, which was a nice addition.
The two water slides were surprisingly enjoyable and suitable for both adults and children.
The poolside bar was also convenient and served drinks throughout the day.
Guest Wi-Fi
One of the biggest surprises was discovering that Wi-Fi is not free in the bedrooms.
I have stayed in many hotels over the years and have never encountered one that charges guests separately for Wi-Fi access in their rooms. This was never made clear when booking, which felt misleading.
Although the charge itself (£2 per day or £10 for seven days) is not excessive, guests should not have to pay extra for what has become a basic amenity in virtually every hotel.
Breakfast
Breakfast was another major disappointment.
The hotel charges approximately £10 per person per day, or around £7 per person per day if purchased for the week. While that may not initially sound expensive, the quality and variety simply did not justify the price.
The breakfast selection was extremely limited. There was only a small meat selection, with the majority consisting of different cheeses. The fruit selection was also very small, and overall there was very little variety from one day to the next.
For the amount being charged, we expected a much higher standard and found it poor value for money.
Staff & Customer Service
Unfortunately, customer service was where our experience deteriorated significantly.
One morning I called reception to request toilet paper. Nobody brought it.
Later that day, after returning from the beach, my sister went to use the bathroom only to realise there was still no toilet paper.
I called reception again and spoke to a lady who was very polite and assured me someone would bring some immediately.
Nothing arrived.
Ten minutes later, I called again. A gentleman answered and told me it would come shortly.
Again, nothing arrived.
After waiting another ten minutes, I called for a fourth time. By this point we had effectively been waiting since the morning.
I politely explained that this was now the fourth request and that my sister was literally waiting in the bathroom.
His response was simply:
“I’ve already told you to wait.”
I explained that we had already waited over 20 minutes since the previous calls, as well as having requested it earlier that morning, but he repeated in an impatient and dismissive tone:
“Yes, and I’ve already told you to wait.”
At that point I became frustrated by both his attitude and complete lack of empathy and ended the call.
What happened afterwards made the situation even more uncomfortable.
For the remainder of our stay, every single time my family and I entered or left the hotel, this member of staff would deliberately avoid eye contact, turn his back towards us and refuse to acknowledge us. There were no greetings, no smile, no “good morning” or “good evening.” Instead, he made a very obvious effort to ignore us completely.
This was incredibly unprofessional. Reception staff are the face of a hotel, and regardless of whether a guest has made a complaint, they should remain polite, welcoming and respectful. Instead, his behaviour felt immature, hostile and almost as though we were being punished for raising a perfectly reasonable concern.
As a family of young women visiting Turkey for the first time, this made us feel extremely uncomfortable. We should never have been made to feel unwelcome in the hotel we had paid to stay in because we politely chased up a basic request that had been ignored multiple times.
Reviews
Towards the end of our stay, a member of reception approached me and offered me a free cocktail if I left a positive review.
That immediately made me question how many of the glowing reviews I had relied upon before booking were genuinely impartial. Guests should never feel encouraged to leave favourable reviews in exchange for incentives.
Overall
Sadly, this was one of the worst hotel experiences I have ever had.
While the swimming pool and facilities were genuinely enjoyable, they were completely overshadowed by poor housekeeping, stained towels, bedding that rarely appeared to be changed, unexpected charges for basic amenities such as Wi-Fi, an overpriced and disappointing breakfast, forgotten luggage left unattended for an hour, and the extremely poor customer service we experienced from one member of reception.
I booked Gazipasa Star Hotel because of its excellent reputation and high ratings on TripAdvisor, so I arrived with genuinely high expectations. Unfortunately, my experience did not reflect those reviews at all.
I left feeling disappointed, uncomfortable and frustrated that what should have been a relaxing family holiday was overshadowed by poor hygiene standards and unprofessional customer service.
I would not choose to stay here again, nor would I recommend it based on my experience."
