Mersoy Bellavista Suites

We arrived July 11th and were put in the wrong room, but a simple request to the lovely hotel receptionist and within half an hour we were shown our new room, a suite with 2 rooms and jacuzzi bath etc. We found the hotel to be of a high standard, the pool was so warm and was a good depth at 1.6 metres all round. There was never a problem getting a sun bed whatever time you decide to go to the pool. The pool area is very clean and so good to have no kids running around. Breakfast was made up of mainly turkish fare, but guess what we were in turkey, but there was some english food avilable with omlets made to order and fried eggs if you wanted them. Dinner was always food of a high quality with a great variety of food. The alacarte menu at the Mersoy exclusive could have been better but the standard of the food was good. The chef at the Mersoy exclusive is one of the top chefs in the area and a really nice bloke. The staff in the bar near the pool were all vey friendly and despite other reviews I had read prior to my visit all wore name tags and most spoke some english. Thanks to Freddy, Omar, Memoli, Arjan, Dilce and her twin sister. I am sorry but I have forgotten the receptionists name. All in all me my wife and daughter had a great holiday in clmeler and standard of this hotel made it even better.

Can I just set the record straight on this hotel. I think people have been quite unfair on their reviews and scores on this hotel. Although the hotel isn’t perfect (not many are), I think it is a fairly decent hotel. We have stayed in many lovely 4 / 5 * worldwide hotels, so I feel I am a fair judge to know what is nice and what isn’t. We are very snobby and picky when it comes to choosing our hotels (when we booked this hotel we took a gamble as there were no reviews on Trip Advisor). I really think some people are never happy unless they’re moaning and complaining about something! Our stay was from 3rd until 10th July 2008. We travelled with On The Beach. This is going to be a long review, but I feel you should know the truth, as well as lots of positives which people don’t seem to be giving!! OUR ROOM We didn’t get off to a good start when we arrived at the hotel as we were shown to our room and it was the smallest room we have ever stayed in! There were 2 single beds (even though we requested a double) and there was no room for our luggage, we would have had to have stored our cases on the balcony! The fridge didn’t work, the television was an old fashioned TV (not a flat screen like the brouchure and hotel website promised!), there were no hangers in the wardrobe, no tea and coffee making facilities and to be honest the bedroom did not look like it was finished to a high standard and did not look new. We later learnt that the bedrooms in the reception block is an older building (not sure what it was before, but I’d say another hotel) and you could tell this by the standard of the rooms. We quickly asked to be moved as being a newly married couple we wanted a double bed! We were told that the hotel was full and that we would have to remain in the room for our first night and they would transfer us the following day, which we were pleased about, still a hassle though! The hotel wrongly advertise this block and the bedrooms that are in the same block as reception are definately not 4 star! Be very aware that if you are in the roof (top floor), like our first room was, then they are VERY small. It maybe worth requesting that you are not put on the top floor. We spoke to another couple who were in the same block and they were happy with their room and said it was quite big, although not finished to a high standard and still quite dated (no flat screen TV etc). We were shown to our new room the following morning and it was PERFECT! It was in the block where the suites are (although ours wasn’t a suite), which is a seperate block to the reception area. The hotel has 2 accomodation blocks and our new room was in the brand new building. Our room was big. It had a very modern air con unit, which was very effective – we woke up freezing in the night! It took a little time to get used to how to work it and only worked when your key card was plugged in so was off when you’re out of the room, but it didn’t take long to get cool. There were tea and coffee making facilities (no milk though which I’ve never heard off!!! It’s ridiculous that you have to pay for it! They could at least provide UHT milk!), the firdge worked well, there was loads of room, hangers in the wardrobe and a nice modern flat screen TV. The bathroom was modern with nice mosiac tiles. The hotel could provide another blanket in the rooms though and also a chair, as I had to bring in one of our balcony chairs to do my make up and hair. Our room was room number 4506, so it’s worth requesting this room or the ones next door or in the same block as you wont be disappointed. I would rate our room on the first night as 3 star (I’ve stayed in better Travel Lodges!!!) and our room for the remainder of the holiday was DEFINATELY 4 star. THE POOL The pool area is really beautiful. The hotel isn’t very big, with not many as many rooms as most hotels so I’d say that the pool size was perfect. The pool was freeflow, clean, attractive and a lovely temperature. The scenery is beautiful around the pool as there are mountains on both sides. We never had a problem getting a sunbed and most morning we weren’t down until 10.30am. There were plenty of sunbeds (possibly too many as there wasn’t much room to walk between them). They were wooden sunbeds (much nicer than ugly plastic ones) with attractove soft matresses on them. There were 7 large round sunbeds with lovely thick matresses. It was great as you could lie on them and dip your feet in the water to keep cool. We managed to get these round beds if we got up and reserved them at 8-8.30am. A BIG criticism would be that the guests from the Mersoy Exclusive (which is an all inclusive sister hotel next door) were allowed to use our pool. One day I counted 42 people around the pool (I may sound sad, but I’d finished my book!) and 27 of these were people with red wrist bands on!!! I think this is really wrong as it takes the exclusive feel away from the hotel and the pool area can become roudy. The hotel management / staff really need to stop this from happening. One morning on our rare appearance at breakfast there was a big row between a few British guests (who were always complaining – you know who you are!!!) to the restaurant / bar staff regarding this matter. I overheard the bar staff say that because the hotel wasn’t full with it’s own guests, they had over booked the Mersoy Exclusive (on purpose) so some of the all inclusive guests were moved into the bedrooms of our hotel (they should put them into the rubbish rooms like we were on our first night and not let them take up the good rooms!) so they could use our pool and then they’d go back to their hotel for their meals and drinks! Apparently when the Bellavista Suites are established and are full then this will not happen and they will not be allowed to use our pool. I hope this is sooner rather than later before their reputation as a hotel will soon be ruined if they aren’t careful as people wont return. It’s just the management being greedy, but he is not doing himself any favours. After the drama at breakfast the bar manager stopped the guests, with the red wrist bands on, to ask them which hotel they were staying in and would turn them away if they weren’t staying at the Bellavista. The pool was nice and quiet that day!! On our last morning it kicked off again at breakfast (with the same British couple complaining) and the waiter as a result went around all the nice round sunbeds reservng them with towels for it’s proper guests – fair play!!! I really did feel sorry for the bar / restaurant staff as I feel they have a hard time with guests complaining. If people have complaints then they should go to the management and not take it out on these poor soles!! Just a tip for the bar staff – buy more CD’s as we got sick off the same music playing over and over! I think the hotel need to decide what age is classed as an adult. Although there were no babies and infants, there were a couple of girls aged between 12-14 and a few 16 year olds. In my opinion this is not an adult age (as they were still immature and splashing around!!!). I think it should be aged 18 and over. It’s either an adult hotel or it isn’t!! I would rate the pool area as 4 star. STAFF I think the staff at the Mersoy are very pleasant and helpful. It helped having a English speaking receptionist (Carla). I’m suprised they weren’t walking around with glum faces from all the agro they get!!! Give them a break! It’s a new hotel (well the one bedroom block and the pool area is anyway) and there are going to be some teething problems. They are nice people. We did get asked to pay for water that we bought from the bar 3 days ago, but I refused to pay again as we had already done so. We didn’t have a tab set up and always payed for our water and ice cream straight away and they shouldn’t ask me 3 days later if they thought I hadn’t paid – I’ve been to bed since then!!! He was fine about it. My other criticism is that they confiscate water etc. Although they never did with us, but they would have done if they had found it!!! In the day you just put it in your beach bag and of an evening we hid our chocolate and water in our pockets. They don’t search you (they can’t!), but if you walk in with it on show or in a clear plastic bag then they will take it off you. Understandable though as it’s a half board hotel and you should go self catering if you don’t want this to happen!! There is a mini bar in your room, although it’s approx £1.50 for a small bottle of water and approx £1 a bottle from the pool bar. We didn’t mind buying it from the bar as who wants warm water anyway!! It was my husbands Birthday whilst we were there and we got in to find a bottle of lovely red wine and 2 wine glassed with a note to stay Happy Birthday! We thought this was a lovely touch as we hadn’t told them it was his Birthday – thank you Carla. FOOD I think most ½ board / full board / all inclusive food in most hotels isn’t the best. We ate in the hotel twice of an evening and ate out the other nights. We only made breakfast twice as 10am is too early for us on holiday and we’re never that hungry early anyway. Breakfast is served from 8am until 10am. To me it seems a shame not to sample the different restaurants, after 3 times of eating in ANY hotel you tend to be a bit sick of the buffet. I do agree with one of the previous reviews and that the food wasn’t hot. There was a decent choice though. Breakfasts were ok – good choice, no fresh orange though which was disappointing and cereals were pretty tastless, but everything else was nice. Good strong coffee. There was a chef who would cook you fried eggs and omlettes while you wait. I would rate the food as 3 star. There is no real bar facility at the hotel. There is a new restaurant opening up above the pool bar, but it’s not open yet as they are still working on it I think? Apparently this will be the new al a carte restaurant. LOCATION The hotel is in a very good location. There are mountains on 2 sides of the hotel so it’s beautiful scenery. It is quiet and peaceful although bars and restarants are just around the corner and it’s a very short walk to the beach. It’s set back off the main road. We found the loaction of the hotel was perfect. I have posted some photos on here so you can see for yourself. Overall we enjoyed our stay at the Mersoy and if we were to turn the clocks back then i would have still have chosen this hotel. We spoke to many couples who liked the hotel and had no complaints. I hope they put their review on here aswell to boost the raitings as it seems that only moaning minnies have posted reviews on here!!!! I am not quite sure that the hotel pushes 4 star at the moment. I would say that it’s currently a very very good 3 star plus. If they can correct their little faults then it will hopefully be a 4 star someday soon. I am sure that if we hadn’t moved rooms then my review may have been very different. The hotel need to change their decription of these rooms. Reception needs to have air conditioning fitted as it’s boiling in there and this adds to the fact that it isn’t quite a 4 star hotel. There is no conceirge so your left on your own to carry your cases, which again is unusual for a 4 star hotel. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Apparently the hotel does read the reviews on this website so hopefully they are taking these factors on board. Icmeler is a lovely pretty resort! Lots of great restaurants, bars, the Turkish people are fab (the only nationality who genuinely like the British!!!) and not too much hassle on the streets –be polite and say ‘no thank you’ as they aren’t rude or nasty people and are only trying to make a living!

Start this review by pointing out that my wife and I chose this size of hotel deliberately as we find the large hotels impersonel and the staff frequently servile and fawning. At the Bellavista we were aware of problems and some persons making their complaints common knowledge spreading their experience around the pool. I have to say we did not share their experiences. If we had a problem, we made it known to the staff (Carla in reception or Ice or Freddy in the pool area) and suggested a solution and they were only too happy to oblige. For example we found the breakfasts not entirely to our liking, but a mention to Ice that fresh fruit to go with the plain yoghurt available every morning would be welcomed and it was there the next morning The waiting staff were exceptionally friendly and kept us amused with their informal entertainment/humour The evening meal food was excellent with the offered variety always providing something tasty to eat; we actually preferred the offered selection to that available at the a la carte over in the nearby bar Throughout our stay the hotel owners were around making themselves known to the guests and seeking suggestions to improve the service/facilities.

We arrived late at night breakfast not served till 8am but most mornings it wasnt ready or there was no juice toaster not switched on crockery dirty no milk out you constantly had to ask all the time for things no napkins on the table then they would bring out one box and we ended up passing them round.We had vouchers for the a` la carte where we could eat three times a week we only went twice you had to go across to sister hotel for this choice was poor , steak was about the size of McDonalds burger , service very slow , five sweets on menu but they only had two.Went to the buffet a few times again service terrible food luke warm as it is cooked in other hotel then taken by car to buffet nothing to keep it hot while it is transported we watched this being done.Staff at bar need some training in customer service one manager was rude and shouting at us and other guests because we complained then went round the pool complaining about us to other guests.Another manager was also abusive when we spoke to him about some complaints.I complained to First Choice manager regarding this they reported it and the general manager from hotel came to our room to apologise and also gave us a bowl of fruit .Health and safety is an issue marble is very slippy and they had run out of anti slip treads i slipped and bruised my foot also scraped of a layer of my skin.Rooms were comfortable we stayed in the best suites which were pricey but not finished to the high standard that we expected when they put up wall lights they drilled the holes then changed their mind and put them further up the wall and lots of other things .Coffee making in the room we had to ask for cups and coffee and if you wanted milk you had to buy it from the bar as not allowed to bring food or drink into hotel never bothered with this too much hassle.lots of guests were being charged for items from mini bar that they never used or for bar bills that weren`t theirs we saw this happening every few days.The Mersoy Exclusive hotel was always overbooked it`s a lot cheaper to stay there so guests were moved to the suites and some people who paid for the suites were downgraded to basic rooms.First Choice need to think again about this hotel the rep had lots of complaints.We have been to Icmeler 7 times over 12 years it is a lovely place so dont be put of the resort only the hotel.

We are just back from staying at the Mersoy Bellvista Suites, we stayed in a superior room which do not get me wrong was lovely however there were a high volume of complaints from many holiday goers. There are three different type of rooms that you can book for the hotel and there are not enough rooms for certain room types. If you have booked a suite or superior room please get your travel agent to check that you are defo staying in this room as over 80% of guests had booked these rooms and paid for them and were put into standard or the servant quarters type rooms. The pool area is great in the hotel however guests from the 3* hotel across the road are allowed to come in and use it!! Breakfast was not ready on a number of occasions along with having no juice, no milk at this time. The staff are not very organised in the pool area, it took 30 minutes to order 2 drinks from the two chuckle brother staff that work in the bar. The A La Carte restaurant i would not recommend, the steak was like a hamburger and half the menu was never on. Having complained about the service on our last day the manager of the bar decided to come over to our party at the pool and have an argument because we complained in front over 40 people, very unprofessional!! If this hotel was better run and self catering and you are guranteed the room you have booked i would go back but not very sure. I would highly recommend the Marti Hotel, Marti La Perla, hotel devamli and the mirage for the resort of Icmeler as this is my 6th time on visiting the resort.

Have recently returned from a wonderful holiday in Icmeler. We love Turkey and Icmeler is by far the best resort we've visited, but we would never again set foot inside Mersoy Bellavista. The hotel (advertised as adults only but allowing children) was exceptionally clean and housekeeping staff work very hard. Some rooms were not much more than a walk-in cupboard, numerous guests were changing rooms on most days and being charged exhorbitant amounts for the privelege. We stayed on half board basis, the food was acceptable but nothing to write home about and if you like salad for breakfast, you'll be fine. There are no price lists, bills or receipts in the restaurant bar and guests were somewhat shocked when they asked to settle their bill after a few days. The restaurant manager (Ice) was forever grovelling and fawning over new guests, selling them 'good' wine for dinner. Once they realised how he was ripping them off and they stuck to water or beer, this grovelling Manager virtually ignored them. Guests from the Mersoy all inclusive hotel across the road were not supposed to eat in Bellavista and we saw one elderly lady being turfed out during dinner. However, staff allowed them to 'reserve' the sunbeds round the pool with their towels as early as 7.30am before we had breakfast!! The drinks in the mini bar are very expensive, 3lira for a small bottle of water. Most guest were buying water from local shops as it was much cheaper but staff confiscated any food or drink brought in, which angered many guests. Many of the facilities advertised are not available, DVD player, satellite TV (very limited), coffee maker (but you couldn't buy the coffee water etc). The poolside jacuzzi - don't know why they bothered and they charged extra. Hotel opened this year but wasn't completed and sporadic work was being carried out on an upper level restaurant/bar. The pool area was pleasant, if a little small. First Choice need to have a rethink about including this hotel in their brochure. Icmeler is a lovely resort, not too big and there are plenty of bars and restaurants within a few minutes walk. Hassle is not too much of a problem here and the people are so friendly. Boat taxis run from the beach every half hour if you want to see Turunc or Marmaris and is a more pleasant way of travelling than the dolmus, though the dolmus is quicker. Will definitely return to Icmeler but will stay at one of the other hotels that we checked out.

We have just returned yesterday from Turkey after staying at the Mersoy Bellavista Suites. Can we start by apologising to those of you booked and going to this hotel in the near future because what you read it not pretty however there are a few good points. We wish to point out that this is our third report on different hotels in the last 10 months and if you bother to read these it shows we are not "moaners". Ok, on first impression the hotel looks great. We book the Suite Select which are the best rooms and to be fair these are of good quality but with a slightly rushed finish. We were told by other guests that other rooms/suites were adequate or in most cases small. All rooms offer little storage so if you like to take a lot or are going for a fortnight be aware, and ladies, no wardrobe fits long dresses! The pool area has two levels, the main bit by the pool which is cramped but you quickly make friends (our enemies!) and a upper level which is spacious and has four of the comfiest sunbeds ever!!! (but read on?) That sadly is the good news. The bad.......... Breakfast consist of either coffee or Turkish tea, no fresh fruit juice but some yucky dilute stuff, Turkish breakfast i.e. hard boiled egg, cheese, ham, sausage (no not Walls some kind with no sausage meat in), the fresh fruit was water melon every morning, toast, omellete or fried egg. Sorry there was also four kinds of cereal but trust us when we say don't try them!!! Evening meal at the buffet consists of soup (one choice), salad left open to the elements from 7ish to 9ish. main course of a significant choice of four or five (which got colder the later you arrived for your meal). The last night we arrive at the buffet, the main course was manned by a chef which watched the flies landing over the food and did nothing, so we left and ate out. If you have booked you are entitled to a meal in the A la carte restaurant ( three if you are in Suites Select) but there is no A la carte retaurant as this is not finished and no sign of any work been down on it so you are sent to the owners bar a few yards down the road. However this is no more A la carte than I am Gordon Ramsey. It offers cheap pizzas, pasta dishes and chicken and meatball dishes. With dessert giving a vast choice of three options!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By reading the other reports you will see the hotels policy on bringing drink and food in to the hotel. Yes I saw it been enforced. You may thing that they would not do that to you but think again! Be aware that the mini bar in the room is 50% more expensive than the pool bar and there is no price list in the room. When you leave they will try to charge you for drinks you have not had and if you refuse to pay be aware you will meet the owner and another manager who will intimidate you. You will not see them if you are complaining. The rooms do get cleaned properly by real cleaners but all the other communial areas are done by one young lad who did not have the first idea. The pool was not cleaned all the week we were there. The area around thepool was cleaned once which consisted in spraying the floor which water so it look wet. Every morning the glasses from the night before was still laying around. This hotel has been open no more than 8 weeks and already looks tatty, god help anybody that goes in 4 months time. Those comfy sunbeds were already looking dirty, the walls of the hotel stained, the glass panels have bird sh** on them with no signs of been cleaned and sunbed/parasols already broken. The hotel has a policy of no kids but in the next suite to us was a couple with a baby, although that was First Choice's fault apparently. Gym you can only use for 15 mins as no aircon! Internet is too slow to use. No tea making facilities ( or milk ). No conceirge No lounge bar No gift shop Safe not free (as advertised by First Choice.) cost £15 pw No table tennis or football table (as advertised by First Choice.) Live music occassionally but no live shows or other entertainment (as advertised by First Choice.) No two International restaurants (as advertised by First Choice.) Staff are friendly but not professional or managed so expect poor service. Which included one member of staff been asleep behind the bar at breakfast. Even the First Choice rep was fed up of receiving complaints and had recommended to her managers to get things improved or take it off their books. We could go on for longer but the sooner this place is forgotten the better. If you are thinking of going to this place please please don't bother there must be better and if you have already booked, try to cancel. Good luck!

We booked this half board holiday at short notice via the First Choice website. The hotel was billed as a 4T from their premier collection. On arrival at about 1.00 am we were surprised that the hotel seemed to be surrounded by buildings on all sides as the photos in the brochure suggesting it stood on it's own - power of finding the right camera angle I suppose. We were reasonably impressed with the newly furnished room (we had paid a bit extra for a suite that gave us a separate living area, a jacuzzi bath and an invaluable ice machine). Balcony was over a side road. Daylight revealed that the small pool area was indeed surrounded by buildings. Each to their own and I'm sure this is great if you just want to cook yourself for a week or two! To us it was claustrophobic and would be best described as a concrete goldfish bowl with a puddle at the bottom. We were not put off by this as we like to go to the beach (only a 10 minute walk away). On our first day however, walking back to the hotel after exploring our new surroundings, we were accosted the instant we walked into reception. This was because we had the audacity to walk in carrying a bottle of water and a carton of orange juice and were ordered to leave it outside. I may have made some allowance if we were bringing in alcohol but water? The orange juice was only required as the stuff they served at breakfast was some chemical imitation of the real thing. We fumed on this for a bit and vowed to spend as little as possible in this establishment without inconveniencing ourselves but then got over it! Not much to say about the food - it was Ok nothing more than that but the kitchen staff did their best to be helpful. The waiting staff had a bad habit of fornicating around those who spent their days at the pool and presumably spent money with them - but that's OK by us. We then arrived back at the room one day to find a mini bar statement for 11 TKL for a vodka. We hadn't used the mini bar and don't drink vodka, but they were insistent they had not made a mistake. For less than a fiver we couldn't be bothered arguing - we hade been leaving bigger tips elsewhere but I still don't like getting ripped off. Indoor pool (waste of space) gym, steam room etc is located in something resembling a smelly dungeon - never did find out what was included and what you paid extra for as we were not tempted to use them. There is a minging jacuzzi affair at the side of the main pool that they charge extra to use - they'd need to pay me to use it. In short the management of this hotel need to get sent on a course in people skills. The manager needs to re think his attitude - winding people up on the first day doesn't induce them to spend money with you and is therefore a bad business decision. Nevertheless we had a great holiday after being apprehensive about going to Turkey - for some reason we had never fancied it previously. Apart from the management at the hotel the Turkish people were courteous, amusing and very friendly. Turkey and Icemeler get our vote - the hotel certainly does not and First Choice need to re-assess their classification. Luxury redefined was the hotel's strap line - We don't think so!!

We have just returned from the beautiful resort of Icmeler. We stayed in the new part of this hotel. We found that the first week, which was then only been open for 3 weeks, we were spoilt. The sunbeds were plenty, the waiters looked after us, the dinners and breakfasts were lovely. We were put into a room at the top, which was nice!, BUT, there was no view, and we had asked for a pool view. We had to pay over £100 to have an 'upgrade!' -???? We had to pay to move across the corridor into an identical room, but with a view of the pool. Over the first week, we noticed that everybody coming into the hotel were being put into little pokey rooms, so that they had to 'UPGRADE' ! and pay for the convenience. We all saw this as a big con. By the end of the week even the Mersoy Exclusive Hotel opposite, had its guests being transferred to our part, because they too werent getting what they wanted. Also the Exclusive hotel was supposed to have been very very noisy. Kids shouting, even adults shouting and banging doors. Our hotel Bellavista we were all told, was Adults only. The first week, any children coming over from the Exclusive were promptly told to go back, they were not allowed over. The second week we found that a family of four adults brought in a baby! But everyone was told definetly no children????!!! So we had all paid the privilege for a child free hotel, only to have a child come in! In the advertised details of the hotel with First Choice it says we have a safe, tv satellite, DVD player, tea and coffee making facilities. There was a safe at a charge of £30 for the fortnight ! There was satellite tv, but the most basic crap channels, NO DVD player, not even when we asked,and the coffee making facilities were there to be used, BUT, we werent allowed to bring in water milk, tea, coffee, sugar ! People that did had them confiscated at the door. Which, I would put down to a form of stealing, as people had just been out to purchase their stuff only to have it taken off of them!!!!!! It was degrading to have the water taken off of us all, as this is an essential source of life, and you have to drink plenty in the heat of the day, to stop dehydration. We were told that there was water in the mini bar at a charge of about 80p per small bottle, where in the super market it was cheaper about 70p for a 2 litre bottle and frozen ! The first week of the holiday, I had asked for a glass of wine with my dinner, the waiter told me it would be better to have a bottle, and he could put what I didnt drink in the fridge and that would be my bottle. I said OK. It was fine until we got our bill to pay, it was very very expensive, and there was no price list to say how much it was. The pool was lovely and quiet and relaxing the first week, and we could choose to have a rounded bed with mattress by the pool or just a sundbed and parasol. By the second week, we were lucky to have a choice, the all inclusives were coming over to use our pool, and they were there 7.30 in the mornings, before anyone had breakfast!! There was an outdoor jacuzzi, which was free?!! The second week there was a notice put up, and it said Jacuzzi extra charge? This hotel was ok when it was only half full, then it totally lost the plot when it was full.The restaurant staff couldnt keep up to the standards that we had in the first week. We were given vouchers to use in the 'A LA CARTE' restaurant next door at the Bistro, when we booked our table with 2 other people at 8 O'clock, we didnt get our main course until 9.30 pm, and the meal wasnt A La Carte either. The Mersoy should by now, know how to look after guests, the older hotel the Exclusive has been there for some years, but still hasnt got it right on Customer Relations, and the needs for their guests. They just tell you what you shouldnt have and charge you for what you want.

This hotel had only just opened for summer 2008 and there were some very good points, but quite a few teething problems. It has a good central and quiet location, 50 yards up a side street from the main road and with pleasant green surroundings and good views from most rooms. We arrived at 2am and were put in a room overlooking the road opposite the sister hotel. We were woken at 7am by a large generator across the road, which was like having a concrete mixer outside. There were several power outages requiring the generator to kick in. We asked to be moved and were – to the new block. To be fair, when a problem arose, the First Choice rep and hotel staff did their best to resolve. Some of the niggles were unexpected. The brochure said we’d have a DVD player, but we had to ask for it. The ‘tea and coffee making facilities’ consisted of a large coffee filter machine, which heated 2 cups of water to lukewarm in 20 minutes. So take your own kettle and your own tea and coffee as there are no supplies! Nor is shampoo and bath gel supplied after your initial bottles. Some small touches missing such as name badges for the staff which would enhance the friendly welcome they gave everyone and encourage visitors to respond in an easier manner knowing the name of their waiter or receptionist. The holiday was somewhat spoiled by petty penny-pinching by the hotel management. On our last day we had to vacate our room at noon, and the cleaners finish at 5pm. Rather than clean your room last, they’d rather try to charge a lot of money to keep it for a few hours. Our leaving time was 5.30 pm, and despite being half-board, we were only offered a cheese roll for missing our dinner that night. Not really good enough. They also try to stop you taking and food or drink in. Each room has a fridge with very expensive items you don’t want. There are a couple of 300 ml bottles of water which cost 3 lira. You can buy 1.5 litres (5 times as much) locally for 0.75 lire. So everyone is told to buy water from the mini bar or the hotel bar. They don’t have a shop in the hotel. The breakfasts and dinners were generally good, although breakfast lacked variety. We were told that fried eggs cost extra! This rule was soon changed. They charge 30 lira for a bottle of wine with dinner, which can be purchased for 8 in the local supermarket. We got some vouchers to have the a la carte meal at the hotel next door and this was a pleasant change from the buffet. The hotel finish is of a high standard – lots of marble, stainless steel and quality fittings. The air-conditioning is efficient but the rooms lacked storage space for clothes and smalls. There were no instructions as to how to contact Reception by phone or any other facility; no folder with information on gym and spa hours and charges and pool bar menu as this bar doubled as room service. The swimming pool is large, quiet and child-free as this is an adult only hotel – lovely, no flying footballs and outsize lilos. The swimming pool had an advisory notice on pool rules but unfortunately it was placed at the furthest point from ladders into the pool and guests were not showering before using the pool. The pool is 1.60 metres deep all round (about 5’ 6” in real money) so you have to be a confident swimmer to make full use of it. We didn’t notice the hassle, which many reviewers complain about. In fact, several cafes were closed down by the police for a week for intercepting potential customers on the pavement. They have to offer their services from within their shop or bar. Other general tips: bring a small amount of Turkish Lira as the airport rate is awful (2 lira to one pound). Use banks rather than money exchanges. Many things are priced in lira, euros, pounds and dollars. Often paying in sterling cash works out cheaper than paying with lira.