Holiday Village Turkey Sarigerme

Entertainment team absolutely fabulous. Could have taken oillie and Adam home with us. They were always there on hand when needed and made joining in fun.
The complex was absolutely fantastic. Clean and tidy everywhere. Wish I was still there. We have not 1 single complaint. The holiday was very relaxing and enjoyable for all our family. There was 7 in our party and we had the best holiday ever.
The food was lovely, (don’t be put off by the look of some dishes) I am a very fussy eater but never went hungry. Not much to do outside the village unless you hire a car or go on the excursions they lay on. (advice from other holiday makers is to go into the town, just 20 minutes away to book it cheaper!).
If you get bitten be mozzies get the stuff they sell over there, it’s far better than what we buy and take with us.
Over all, no complaints at all. Will be going back in the near future.

Myself and my partner and two children aged 7 and 11 have just returned from the holiday village.
I had spent so much time looking at the reviews on this place I started thinking I didn’t want to go as I was worried my children would be ill the whole week and we would be eaten alive!
Well yes we did get bitten by mozzies but my 11 year old didn’t get one bite! Ear infections - I think its a case of being in water for a couple of weeks and not drying your ears, we never suffered at all. I was very hot on drying ears and I applied a smear of Vaseline just inside the kids ears with a cotton bud every morning (advice from UK GP), ear plugs if not a tight fit may add to the problem by water getting in and not getting out again.
Food, Entertainment, Room all really good the only thing I moaned about all week was how HOT it was....Weather was good just bit too hot for me at 50 degrees.

Just returned from fantastic holiday at the holiday village. Accommodation was great - very clean. Plenty of food available and plenty of variety.
Plenty of activities and entertainment all of which was first rate particularly the pools and the kids clubs.
Just looked at some of negative comments and thought it worth adding my thoughts.
Ear infections - If you had read any reviews before going you would have known all about these and been prepared. It was the first thing mentioned at the welcome meeting by First Choice and there were several signs particularly by Swim Kids telling you to thoroughly dry ears.
I agree there were plenty of people with cotton wool in ears wandering about but we were in the pool virtually all the time, my children are 4 and 5 and we made sure ears thoroughly dried and we seemed to escape.
Miserable Turkish staff and unhelpful reps - these people were obviously on holiday while we were staying there.
Ice cream - this was available in the beach bar furthest from the hotel. I think it was an incredible 100 yards extra walk so a bit of a struggle! To avoid it melting you could always do something radical and eat it at the beach bar.
Trips - I am not a spokesman for First Choice but I am a bit puzzled by how much cheaper the trips were from Sarigerme. The jeep safari ( which is fantastic fun) was £24 per head including lunch at a restaurant ( no sign of packed lunches) , the kids were free and it lasted about 6 hours and that seemed pretty good value.
Sunbeds - yes these most seem to be claimed by 9am everyday but then we spent most of the time in the pool. Bit of a problem if your ideal holiday is to spend 14 days doing nothing but baking yourself at Gas Mark 4.

I, my 15 year old, and 9 year old have just returned from holiday. We did have a good holiday but I have mixed reviews.
I would give the First Choice entertainment team and in2action team 10/10 as they work so hard 24/7. I have worked with children and it's hard going to be enthusiastic all the time. Some of the reps based in the main hotel were not that helpful...Kele was.
I found most of the Turkish staff unfriendly and miserable. I got a telling off a couple of times for trying to take food when it was 2 minutes before 11.30am, although the food is out you can't eat it until 11.30am!! A couple of the bar tenders in the evening at the bar by the theatre were very nice, polite and funny and tried to make conversation with the guests.
A few of the receptionists were quite abrupt when you had to get your key card for your room reset.....after the maids have been in your room you can't get back in... This was such a pain as this happened to me 10 times in the 2 weeks.
I perhaps wanted to go to the room to get something for sunbathing, went to room couldn't get in then had to go back to sunbeds to get something to wear as you weren't allowed in the main hotel with swimwear....an inconvenience!!
It was extremely busy when we were there. I had to get up at 6.30am to reserve sunbeds...any later than that I couldn't get any...another nightmare! Once my towels were pinched and thrown on sunbeds further away from the pool and the umbrella!
The buffet food was fine, there was plenty of it, but after a week it started to get a bit boring. Breakfast juices, water, tea, and coffee ran out several times. Sprite and coke ran out also.
Tried to book any of the restaurants but they were all fully booked in the 2 weeks we were there so we didn't get the chance to try one, very annoyed with that as I was under the impression you were allowed one reservation in each of the restaurants.
I couldn't even get one and some families were in 3 times in each of them. The receptionist kept insisting that they were all fully booked but each time I checked only half the tables were filled. First Choice rep said she would try to sort something out...never did!!
Had to wait for a while sometimes to be served drinks at any of the bars. Waited for ages when pancakes and doughnuts were being served, but very much worth the wait...delicious. Free ice cream was only available from the beach bar which was a bit away, so if the kids wanted ice cream we all had to go as the ice cream would melt by the time I had got back...a bit messy.
I had read reviews before I left and we did take ear plugs but my 9 year old forgot to put them in a couple of times and did catch an ear infection but my 15 year old and myself were fine. Had to get a taxi to the local chemist, the pharmacist spoke good English and prescribed medication...20 lira for taxi and 37 lira for medication...much cheaper than using the hotel doctor.
Mosquitoes were a nightmare but as long as you use plenty of repellent you will be fine. I forgot one night and got 19 bites in the one night although I did take medicated anti histamine cream with me and after a couple of applications the bites had vanished....very impressed with this cream!! Betafusin...my mum got it in Cyprus. I found the best repellent was a roll on citronella one....I can't remember which shop I bought it from.....I also had a couple of sprays that I bought from boots but these really choked us as you had to spray lots.
Lots of rude holiday makers and unruly, greedy children...can’t say please or thank you...this has nothing to do with the resort...that’s British people for you.
Activities and entertainment both in the daytime and in the evening was excellent...can’t say a bad word about it. Captain Crowsfeet is funny! A few nights the entertainment team sang, as a band and I have to say they were really, really good especially when they had been in the sun all day entertaining and then this was now 9.30pm at night...and still giving their best.
The Turkish night on the Saturday was great...there were folk dancers and a belly dancer...very impressive and even camels which were a bit scary looking however all part of the night. There is even some market stalls on these nights...lots of cheap stuff to buy...DVD’s work.
Both my kids loved the high ropes...well worth the money...but kids are only allowed to do this if they have suitable footwear...trainers.
I had a Turkish bath...it was great. It's best to get one in the first couple of days you are there which I did but I burnt after it...I have never burnt before but I have got a great tan...just need to use a higher factor cream for a bit after. The staff in the spa are very nice...and handsome!
Went on the family cruise...the kids loved it but I didn't....most of the people seemed to enjoy it....I don't particularly enjoy going in the sea after a bad experience a few years ago but as I was there on my own I had to go in for the 9 year old. There was too many things swimming about for my liking and I was on edge the whole time incase the kids or myself got bitten or stung by something....one woman did but she was ok.....we did 4 stops for swimming....I was glad when we got back to the hotel....think I had 4 large tumblers of wine that night!!
The complex itself is gorgeous...but a few cats wandering. The rooms are very nice and the maids are in the rooms every day. The pools are also cleaned and checked.
Make sure you take plenty of toiletries....I did take what I thought was going to be enough but ran out of factor 50 sun cream....ended up having to buy 3 bottles which worked out just under £20 per bottle. I also had to buy 2 bottles of shampoo as my son likes to leave the bottle upside down with the lid open...£7 per bottle. Chocolate, crisps and sweets were expensive too.
Lovely jewellers based in the hotel...reasonable prices and more expensive pieces of jewellery. Hairdresser is a bit expensive...50 lira for front part of kids head to be braided...80 lira for a full head.
All in all we did enjoy our holiday and I would recommend this resort and I would go back but maybe not for a couple of years. If you want somewhere that the kids are going to be entertained and not get bored then this is it....this was my main priority....the kids were having a good time so I was chilled....although for being all inclusive we did spend quite a bit.
One last thing....I booked this on line and the video is a bit misleading....the video has footage from both the Pegasos Palace and the Tropical and it looks fabulous but it is 2 separate complex's although you are able to use the facilities in either of them but when watching the video I thought it was all the Holiday Village...and also no trampoline here.

Firstly I must state that I am not in any way connected to First Choice as suggested when anyone gives a positive about this place.
The hotel was first rate with a wide range of food to tempt you with, ranging from the traditional English fry ups to traditional Turkish cuisine, and we could not complain about the lack of variety.
Food was readily available throughout the day to satisfy any hunger pangs. I can understand the nominal charge of £2 for the popcorn as I feel that some guests will have it for the sake of having it & causing mess to an otherwise immaculate site.
Both local and first choice staff were friendly and helpful.
We had a jacuzzi suite which was ample big enough for the four of us, 3 adults & 1 child, it was cleaned daily to a high standard.
The nearby smaller pools served as a getaway from the more lively main pools, the pool water was checked daily & we witnessed the result board being updated. The only downside was that first choice did not follow up their threats to remove towels which had been placed on sun loungers early and not used until later.
We took advice from earlier reviews & did not buy any inflatables as they are readily left by the pool by guests who are leaving.
Ear infections were a worry at first, but by simply wearing ear plugs & carefully drying ears regularly we escaped any problems during our two week stay. Although there is a doctor on site, we were told of a medical centre near the taxi rank in Sarigerme that was cheaper but giving similar advice & medication, thankfully we did not have to use either.
The entertainment staff on site worked hard every day, from daytime quizzes to evening musical acts. There were activities for all ages throughout the day to keep everyone amused.
'Thanks to all the over 16's for the daily water polo workout!'
We booked all our excursions with Sarigerme Tours, (which was just inside the local village next to the taxi rank), through Amet and would urge you to do the same, as they were cheaper than first choice and the local tour guides were very informative. We would recommend the Mud baths and Jeep safari as a must!
Two of us went quad biking, which was a great experience, I also took my daughter, 11, horse riding which allowed us to take in the magnificent views at a leisurely pace, these were booked with a man called Sonner at Adrenalin Park through Sarigerme Tours.
We went to Marmaris shopping, but there is also a weekly market in the village on Sunday's
The local traders seem a little pushy at first but when you get accustomed to their ways, shopping becomes fun and is a great experience, with a lot of great deals to be had.
This is the first time we have been to Turkey & would recommend it to anyone, as we will definitely go again & would have no hesitation using First Choice.

This is our 4th time in a Holiday Village in Turkey and I have got to say, certainly the best, it had it all! We went with friends who had never done this sort of package holiday before and could not have been more impressed.
Mozzies fine as long as you spray well every night.
Ear infections definitely a problem, if you can take antibiotics before you go, do; but if not, speak to rep and will sort taxi to take you to chemist and back, who will weigh your child etc to give antibiotics and drops, all in for about £20.
Wine not cold.
Sarigerme Tours were wonderful and total value for money. Much cheaper and more authentic than first choice. We did the mud baths and turtle beach, which was the most beautiful day out and we did the safari trip, which was the most fun I have had in years, got totally soaked, and laughed all day and saw real turkey.
Absolutely fantastic holiday, enjoyed every minute.

Firstly I'd like to point out that I have no connection with First Choice so I'm not just giving a good review to offset the odd poor reviews, as some people seem to have suggested.
I'm giving a good review because the resort thoroughly deserves it.
Hotel/accommodation - the hotel itself was excellent, very clean, well set out in acres of beautiful gardens and everything we expected. We stayed in a Jacuzzi suite, which was a nice size, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and patio.
Fully air conditioned and cleaned daily. The really benefit of the jacuzzi suites was there were 3 secluded pools hidden away between them, which were great to return to after using the hectic kids pool, main pool and slide pools and chill out and relax - no problems getting a sunbed here!!
Food - the food was really good, varied every day and always plentiful and piping hot. There were three main restaurants, indoor (air conditioned) outdoor and rooftop, we preferred the outdoor ones as it was pleasant in the light breeze and they had barbequed food every night.
The restaurants were kept spotlessly clean, the moment a table was vacated or food spilt a waiter was on hand to clear it up, just don’t leave your plate unattended or it would be cleared away! Highchairs were always available and clean.
The a la carte restaurants were great too, a lot quieter and with waiter service, nice to put the kids in kids club/crèche and have a quiet meal for two! The Asian restaurant was the best.
The snack bar and beach bars provided snacks throughout the day, burgers, chips, toasties, pizzas etc, but there was more choice in the main restaurants, which had as big a selection as they did at night. Ice cream was available in the main restaurants during lunch (12-2:30) or at the beach bar all day, the beach bar was only a few minutes’ walk from the main pools so hardly any hardship!
Also a visit to the pancake lady in her little tent was a must, could sit there for ages sampling each different flavour of pancake she made!
Entertainment - we have two children (2 & 8yrs); the youngest went to crèche several times while the eldest really enjoyed the kids clubs. The eldest also went to swimming lessons with Swim Kids and her swimming really improved culminating with her obtaining her 400m badge while we were there. The E3 entertainment team were fantastic and worked so hard.
They provided entertainment around the main pool during the day; usually quizzes and games in the water for the kids, never in your face, if you wanted to take part fine, if not you weren't harassed. The evening entertainment was really good too, both our kids really enjoyed Crowsfeet Island with fun, games and dance-a-long songs - even our two year old knows all the moves to the new Mimic Man song!
The shows were also really good, not just the reps putting on a bit of a show, but stage school trained entertainers who could all sing and dance, maybe not West End class, but very, very good for a holiday resort!
The pool bar also provided entertainment such as quizzes, bingo and while we were there a comedian and a hypnotist, both very, very good, but always good clean family fun. Unfortunately it was all so good we struggled to drag the kid’s home before midnight most nights!!!
Pools - with 8 outdoor pools and an indoor pool there was something for everyone. The main pool was where most people headed and had the poolside entertainment during the day. It did get very busy and sunbeds were like gold dust, we tended to go to the kid’s pool and then visit the other pools.
The slide pool was great, the slides were only open 10-12 and 3-5, but there was never much of a queue for any of the 4 slides. After a busy day it was nice to relax by our own quiet pool outside our Jacuzzi suite and relax.
Yes, ear infections did seem to be a problem, but you could see the hotel doctor for £40 or visit the local chemist and get eardrops for about £3 which seemed to work for the people we met.
The pool water was tested daily and the results written on the boards next to each pool and each night the pools were cleaned.
Beach - the beach was very clean and always pretty quiet, but the sea was usually quite rough and got deep very quickly so not really safe for the kids, we only ventured there a couple of times to do the parasailing (which was brilliant!) as we're not big beach fans anyway.
Overall - this has been the best family holiday we've had together, the kids had a fantastic time, and so did us 'big kids'! Everyone was with families so there were no rowdy adults even late at night, everyone was having a good time, but respecting that this was a family resort.
Mosquitoes were about, but not a big problem, we used repellent each night and only got a few bits between us all.
Can't recommend this resort highly enough, so much so we've booked another First Choice Holiday Village for next year, not Sarigerme, but only because we want to try somewhere different.
If you want a good family holiday that will keep the kids entertained all day and night this is the place to go, if it's not your sort of holiday please don't book it and then write negative reviews about it!

We returned from the Holiday Village just over a week ago and wish we could go back tomorrow. We all had a fab time. That is me, my Husband, 8 Year old Daughter, and 2 year old Daughter.
We stayed in a Jacuzzi suite that over looked one of the small pools it was like a private villa in a wonderful complex. NONE of our party suffered with any medical problems not even Ear Ache.
The food was great plenty of choice, and very varied tastes. We ate in the al carts and found these lovely too, the Asian was the best, wonderful service. The children loved kids club.
We all enjoyed the evening entertainment in both Crows Foot Island and the Pool Bar.
We found this to be one the best family holidays that we have been on and would recommend it to anyone.
If you are thinking of visiting this hotel we would strongly recommend it. We loved it.

After reading many of the fantastic reviews I can only come to the conclusion that First Choice must be adding positive reviews each time a negative (and in most cases truthful) review is added to this site.
If only they paid as much attention to the guests complaints and in particular the horrendous ear infection problem.
The resort was spotless, and the Turkish staff were extremely efficient, polite & friendly but unfortunately there simply weren't enough of them to serve the number of guests present.
The children’s entertainment was excellent, the food was average, but First Class were sadly lacking in the guest relations department. Take your own ear drops and antibiotics with you; it'll save you a small fortune!

Been back home now for two weeks and thought after reading the reviews I would add my own.
The overriding issue I can see is ear infections. Yes they were rife, both myself and daughter went down with one, she saw the doctor yesterday and is still slightly infected!
The doctor in the hotel is very good BUT very expensive.. I claimed in my travel insurance and the total claim for two of us was £200, which after excesses meant I paid out paid out £100 for two courses of ear drops!.
We were left a note in the room suggesting "swimmers ear" was the cause...melting wax etc. As others have mentioned there were people everywhere in the resort with cotton wool in their ears...I took a walk to the hotel next door. ( Much better slides!) and saw no one with cotton wool there. I think this perfectly points out that the condition was isolated to the Pegasos!.
Having said that...can’t fault anything else.
Kids Club - Both mine ( 8 and 4) were happy to go to kids club, both going about 20 times during the holiday. Really recommended and gives you some time to relax, not wondering what they are up to.
Food - God the food...A huge buffet every day, probably far more variation than was needed. Even if you tried to be conservative and try a little bit of everything your plate was over flowing. No problems at all with belly problems. Restaurants were very clean.
Rooms - Spotless and made up every day.
Pools - See above! The slides were fun...longer and faster ones please though!...for us " big kids"
Beach - Huge deserted beach...not golden sands, more black ash and pebbles and the sea can be rough and drops away quickly.. So be careful if you have little kids or swimming is not too strong... It’s amazing how quiet the beach can be.. And my only conclusion is that you have to walk a "whole" couple of minutes to the nearest bar...
Ice Cream - Yep, only available at the beach bar. What’s the problem there...we used to have a walk through the immaculate grounds with the kids and pick up an ice cream whenever we fancied....and the walk is good for them...and... We are not talking miles again! Couple of hundred yards at best...surely that’s not too much to ask!
In2Action Reps - All very good and keen.. Thanks to the guys on the high ropes. My daughter did it twice, first time no problem but second time froze on the final jump. They were all fantastic...trying to encourage her to jump. But no forcing at all. In the end the tall guy, (Matthew I think) climbed up and helped her down.
Entertainment reps - We usually only just made the evening quiz, as the kids were knackered by then. Good bit of fun...the best part being seeing what question the reps couldn’t read...but they all did it in a nice happy way! (Ollie excluded in the reading bit...good entertainer but I do hope though you get nothing back from the dodgy DVD sellers.. too many references to them...that’s not your job mate!).

I do love the way they announce the entertainment for the evening...
" At nine we have our early evening quiz, AT NINE THIRTY YOUR BINGO SALES, and at 10.15 eyes down for bingo!” Yes they include selling bingo tickets as entertainment.
Didn’t make many visits to the Clown Theatre...as the kids were tired...but why do the entertainment team think we want to see them try to recreate " Las Vegas" "Songs from Musicals" " Girls Aloud".... during one bit I was wondering why I was just sitting there watching someone dressed up as Mary Poppins singing away!!
Might just be me but I prefer things with interaction with the crowd and having seen the real Tom Jones in the real Las Vegas... I suppose it’s a lot to live up to.
Bars - preferred the smaller bars than the main bar...that was far too crowded...Big up for Durali ( or something similar) in the pool bar.. Seems to be there morning noon and night...and was a top bloke. Nice to have a drink in a glass in the bar by reception now and again too.
Music - It’s a beautiful hot Turkish morning...sun is shining, enjoying a book or a chat, cold drink in hand...and Chris Rea's "Driving Home For Christmas" is played for the 32nd time!!! And if it’s not the same music over and over again some bright spark has decided we all want to listen to "Holiday FM" over the loud speakers all day. Almost expected Smashie and Nicey to come onto the airwaves.. ( May have been better!) I’m sure people who wanted to listen to music would have Ipods or MP3's.
Checkout - this was one major concern we had before we left. Out of room at 12.00 noon, and coach collected us at 1.00 am following morning. But not a problem. A room for luggage by reception, showers in the spa...all nice and easy.
Overall a good holiday (ears excluded)...