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Holiday Reviews > Med Beach Resorts > Cyprus > Kyrenia > Kyrenia Hotels > Merit Crystal Cove Hotel > Read Reviews
Merit Crystal Cove Hotel Reviews
| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Aug 2008 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Direct Traveller |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs J Egan-Wyer |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
The Merit Crystal Cove Hotel is amazing. My husband, two teenager children and I had a fantastic time at this hotel. The food was amazing, the employees were very professional and yet very kind and helpful. We found the rooms spacious, very clean and very comfortable, especially in the new part of the hotel. We had connecting rooms which is always desirable when travelling with children / teenagers. The air conditioner worked perfectly!
The beach area is wonderful. You have plenty of space to sunbathe and, even though we went at the end of July/early August, we had no problems with space.
The main restaurant was never too busy. The entertainment was lovely every night. The food was varied and delicious. The only two minor issues we had were that, in two occasions, we made reservations for meals in the restaurant by the beach and the 6th floor and, in both occasions, our names were not on the list when we arrived for dinner. Also, our bathing suits were ruined in the swimming pool maybe due to excess of chlorine. In every occasion, the hotel employees were very helpful.
The airline decided to change the flight times. This made our holiday shorter than expected. Try not to use Turkish Cypress Airline if you can help it. It is the worse airline of all!! The crew members were so miserable all the time! On the way back from Ercan, we were not provided with any food although it was a 4 ½ hour flight!!
We visited Kyrenia in two occasions during our stay and found that everything is overpriced; in some cases, dearer than buying in the UK. Tip to keep in mind is trying to visit in the evening when the sun is down as the heat is less overwhelming.
We had an amazing time. If we ever go back, this is the hotel use.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Aug 2008 |
| Tour
Operator: |
anatolian |
| Submitted
By: |
Miss S A Webb |
| Overall
Rating: |
4/10 |
| Comments: |
we arrived as a family on 25 july we chose this time specificaly as my other family members were staying close by at other resorts. It was due to be my daughters third birthday so as a last minute surprise i painstakingly checked double checked and found that the merit crystal cove would be the best place knowing it was five star all inclusive had a mini club a doctor on site and a family friendly enviorment, i thought at least my two small children would have food and drink whenever they needed. I knew to take two children under the age of three away could be challenging so i checked with my local agent in fact spent many an hour checking the accomodation i was booking would be appropriate if not perfect to my needs. we arrived and after a few days my youngest daughter (ten months old), appeared to have an ear infection i checked at the reception and was told to go to a local chemist by taxi and ask for thier advice as the nusre could not help 130 local lira later i had antibiotic medicine she apperared to not get much better so i thought a trip to the local hospital would put me at ease we were made to pay an amount to speak to an english speaking doctor who arrived ten minutes later in evening dress listened to her chest and said she is ok if no better in two days return to me. I was given a prescription for an expectorant which we picked up in another taxi at the local chemist. Being obvious i was english with a speaking barrier and needing this medicine for my baby i would of thought a complete explanation of mixing the medicne would of been a good idea it was only on the return to my hotel i realised the medicine was in powder form i had to rely on a waiter to read and explain the mixing proceedure. The staff and managers at the merit were absolutely fantastic but the other holiday makers who were only generally there for the casino would spend a few nights with family members and behave as though they bought the hotel and staff. i felt a victim of rascism and never knew how that felt until i visited cyprus i made my feelings known to staff and many said its because your english the managers were upset i had been made to feel unwelcome but said there was little they could do even the local shop minutes away from the merit didnt particularly appear to want or need my business the only reason i shopped there particularly was for milk and food for my baby, on the two ocasions i used this shop my change was thrown to me with no eye contact or exchange of words. I would never dream of treating any human being the way i was and at this point i had had enough my daughters health came first and i asked my rep to get me home as soon as possible the next day i arrived home 90 ponds lighter for the ticket change, 128 pound lighter to arrange taxi fare back to my home and this was all thanks to trying a country i never had before to be with my family on my daughters brthday . i am now at home away from my family one week short of a holiday that cost four thousand pounds. I will say the kitchen table waiter cleaner and bar staff made my holiday not the hotel or its patrons
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Sep 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Booked Independently |
| Submitted
By: |
Miss J James |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
Just returned from a 10 night stay in the Merit Hotel, which was my first time to Northern Cyprus and it won't be my last visit to this hotel.
All of the staff were efficient. The staff were always making sure the place was clean and tidy. They couldn't do enough for you, very pleasant.
The food and drink was nonstop, and always varied.
The Pool area was as good as we had hoped. To get to the beach area you could either walk down the stairs or take a ride in the glass elevated lift!
Overall I would give it 9/10.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Oct 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Booked Independently |
| Submitted
By: |
Ms L Hancock |
| Overall
Rating: |
8/10 |
| Comments: |
I have stayed at this hotel about 10 now as sell property in Northern Cyprus. It has a fantastic location as has private beach cove plus large swimming pool (big enough to swim and do lengths). I agree it is not a 5 star hotel as we know it, the only true 5 star hotels in Northern Cyprus are The Rocks and The Colony, however neither have a beach as in central Kyrenia.
Having stayed at all 3 the Merit is the only one suitable if you have children as the other 2 have no space to run around and with the Colony the pool is on the roof - so no football.
The food is the best at the Colony then the Merit and the Rocks is definitely last.
At the Merit in the summer season there is a wide choice of food with 3 restaurants at night (one has no children policy) of which I did complain and they offered me room service instead with the same menu.
Kids club is not up to much - it is really offered for the Turkish who wish to gamble in casino with a child hanging off their leg as open until midnight. 3 years ago kids club fantastic but only if you have older children who want a game of volleyball or football as not much else offered. These staff were then replaced with 2 staff who didn't like children much.
Anyway it is not meant to be a negative review because we thoroughly enjoy it as enough children for a nightly game of football but not enough children to get a headache from.
We return every Aug and can honestly say that the same people return - without or with kids. Food is pretty good for an all inclusive with lunchtime and evening buffet good quality and Turkish night once a week.
Most waiters have been there for a good few years with most of them loving children.
The main attraction for us is that it is a secure place as security to get in and out of, my 9 year old can roam freely and he is watched by the members of staff, waiters and other guests and it is a very family orientated place with most guests being Turkish to plenty of grandparents, aunts and uncles and nice atmosphere.
It is not 5 star but you will not get something this cheap and quality on a beach in North Cyprus.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Aug 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Green Island Holidays |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs T Halil |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
I have stayed at Merit Crystal Cove every year since it has opened, it is the only hotel in Cyprus where I come away feeling completely spoilt after having a perfect holiday. There is so much to do every hour of the day and if you want to do nothing at all they have created unique areas to do so.
This hotel is plush, fun, relaxing and tranquil. My children are very fond of this hotel. It provides them with plenty to do including water sports, sports activities and a full supervised daytime programme of activities. We have found the food to be of a huge variety both appealing and healthy. The staff are very attentive and friendly all having good English.
The hotel is run very efficiently and has not let its standards drop over the years. With the variety of entertainment changing constantly we have never been bored or let down over the years. We have tried many hotels in Cyprus but this one is head and shoulders above all the rest.
We are also very happy with Green Island who were the first to recommend this hotel to us.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Oct 2005 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Booked Independently |
| Submitted
By: |
Mr M Wood |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
My stay at The Merit Crystal Cove Hotel & Casino was absolutely fantastic! It is easily the best hotel I have ever stayed in, it certainly lives up to its 5* rating.
All aspects of my stay were excellent, first class and 5*, from the food to the service and from the accommodation to the location. Everything was perfected. I am going back to the Merit in August 2006 and I simply cannot wait!
I would highly recommend this hotel to all, an absolutely magnificent hotel. Merit Crystal Cove Hotel & Casino, remember it!
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Sep 2004 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Green Island |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs A Ali |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
I visited this hotel in September 2004, and absolutely loved it. The staff are very hostile, the culture is fantastic and I will be going back this year as I was unfortunate to miss out last year, due to a fully booked hotel.
My family travel to the north Cyprus regularly and only stay at this hotel; we enjoyed the variety of restaurants and all inclusive privileges such as mid-day snacks.
The hotel bus provided us with regular access to the harbour every hour, and there was always something to do. The beautiful scenery, gym, restaurants and beach all made this a pleasant stay!
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
May 2004 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Green Island Holidays |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs J shanks |
| Overall
Rating: |
4/10 |
| Comments: |
I booked a holiday to go to North Cyprus on 30th may 2004 returning on 6th June 2004 staying at The Merit Crystal cove in Kyrenia.
We booked the holiday as my daughter had been quite ill over the past year and needed a rest. We chose this hotel as we were assured that it was a five star hotel and that the food was fantastic. It was of the utmost importance that the food should be good as my daughter has Ulcerative Colitis and was taking a strong course of steroids, which suppresses the immune system. We also chose All Inclusive as it had been recommended to us as the children could get ice creams etc whenever they wanted and that we wouldn’t have to worry.
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time and we went to the departure lounge on time only to be then told of a 20 minute delay which we thought wasn’t too bad. The plane hadn’t even arrived in the airport and didn’t do so until another hour. We boarded the aircraft approximately 1.5 hours late only to sit on the plane for another hour while we waited for a slot.
While on the plane we were only offered one drink with our meals. When we asked for another orange juice for my daughter to take her medication with we were told that only water was available which she doesn’t like. Bearing in mind this was a long flight this was unacceptable.
Because of the flight delay we arrived at the hotel very late and was told to go straight through to have some dinner as they were just about to clear it all up. The food from the buffet was luke warm and tasteless.
The next day we went to the pool. We were shocked to hear pneumatic drills, angle grinders, drills, chopping saws, jigsaws, electric screw drivers etc. We couldn’t believe that there was a construction site on the hotel grounds. We were not old of this by Green Island Holidays. My husband works on a construction site and does not want to go on holiday on a construction site. There was also work being carried out on the ground floor of the hotel.
We escaped to the beach the following day but we could still hear the awful noises from the construction. They were also constructing a bar on the patio part of the beach, which took five days to build using most of the above tools.
The very next day we were at the beach again when a JCB digger came along the beach in front of our beach beds, half on the sand and half in the sea where our children were playing. This was very dangerous. It came onto the beach and then went into the sea to retrieve boulders from one end of the beach only to take to the other end of the beach. This lasted approximately 2 hrs.
The buffet restaurant was awful. The ‘Hot’ food was lukewarm and of very little choice. The breakfast was awful and when we asked for fresh orange juice we were told that we would have to pay for it as it was not available to the All Inclusive guests. This is unacceptable as it was a 5 star hotel. We ate out at other restaurants outside of the hotel three times in our six day stay.
There were other restaurants available in the hotel and we were saving the panoramic restaurant for our last night. The Green Island Holiday Representative offered to book the restaurant for us only to be told by the Hotel Manager that children were not allowed in the restaurant. This was unacceptable as we had paid adult prices for our children to stay at the hotel. We asked to see the manager and we had to wait two hours for her to turn up. We practically had to beg her and in the end she said yes to the children going to the restaurant.
We went to book it for the Saturday night as this was our last night there only to be told that all of the restaurants except the buffet restaurant were not available to guests as there was a special function going on that evening. We booked the panorama for the Thursday evening and the Hasir restaurant for the Friday. We could not go to the Mediterranean restaurant as we were already booked to go out on the Wednesday evening.
The bar that was being built on the beach was to be a disco, which was opening on the Friday. We went along and ordered some drinks which we were charged 90 million Lire for even though we were on an ‘All Inclusive’ board. We complained to the reception only to be told that we should have had vouchers for drinks. They would not refund our money and the very next day the vouchers were left in our room.
On the final day that we were there, we were having lunch with a family that we had met.
The hotel were setting up for a big function next to the pool. The organiser asked us to move while we were having our lunch so that the workmen could set up some cables where we were sitting. The function that they were setting up was out of bounds to hotel guests and that only casino member invited guests were allowed. The function was a concert performed by a Top Turkish singer just for casino members only.
The ice creams available for children were only served in a one hour slot per day.
The Children’s club was closed this week and there were wasn’t any entertainment for the children all week.
On your website it states that there is a comprehensively equipped fitness centre. The fitness centre had no air conditioning and the equipment had seen better days. It was not at all modern and there wasn’t any music being played.
It also states that all the rooms have satellite and cable television. It fails to state that it is not in English. My children were very disappointed.
The last statement on your web site is ‘However you choose to relax The Merit Crystal Cove has it all’. Well the week that we went it didn’t have it all and is was not at all relaxing. The food and noise were horrendous.
I complained to the tour operator and this took just over a year to get any compensation but no apology. I would not recommend that you use this tour operator as they would not even give me any answers as to why we were not notified of the construction work.
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Merit Crystal Cove Hotel Reviews
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