Pigale Beach Resort

6 readers found this review helpful

Having read the reviews on here (and various other locations on the web), but being committed to my booking, I was determined to give this hotel a fair break, and after three days of over compensating and making excuses for them, I finally had to concede defeat and insist on being moved to another hotel. The travel agent said 4 stars, the hotel says 3....I would be extremely surprised if it got a single star on a UK rating system. Unclean, very noisy, and worst for me was the unbelievable stench of sewage which wafts over you for a minimum of 5 minutes at least once every half hour and makes you want to vomit. Would I recommend? Not unless I really, really, really didnt like you.
The staff were friendly enough (in comparison to the hotel we moved to, they were very gruff, but not rude), and the food although basic was well cooked. However, there was very very little choice of food, hygiene was very much an after thought with flies EVERYWHERE in the restaurant and whilst I know this isnt directly the hotels fault, very rude guests pushing into queues everywhere really did little to lighten my mood.
The "all inclusive" aspect was very misleading. No ice cream at all at any time. The pancakes (such as they were, very salty) were available for around 10 minutes meaning a free for all to the snack bar, waiting 15 minutes in a very rude queue to get to the front and be told none are left. Burgers were a similar story and the pizzas were cooked 1 at a time, took 5 minutes and i'll leave you to figure out the amount of waiting around this involved in a hotel catering to over 500 guests. In fairness the burgers chips and pizzas were tasty....but as my wife and youngest son refused to eat anything from the restaurant it did mean i had to endure hours of queueing everyday to let them be able to eat ANYTHING at all.
The pool. OK, until I moved to the other hotel, I assumed that there was a reason in Turkey chlorine isnt used. Instead the pool was heavily dosed with salt. When you are in searing heat and getting sunburn anyway, then dunking yourself in brine is NOT good for your skin, let alone your stomach should you have the misfortune to swallow any of it. The slide was very good, but open for 3 one hour periods a day, and with no pool attendants, lifeguards etc, when a few teenagers get rough around the pool, you really fear for the safety of your kids. This isnt helped by the animation team egging on any rough behaviour, and in some cases being the instigators of it.
Entertainment is a very loose word for what was on offer. The evening shows were more waiting for the next sketch than actaul show. Entertainment at this hotel seems to consist of humiliating one person to make everyone else laugh. I was not the victim of any of this, but if I had been I can tell you punches would have been thrown. The daytime entertainment was slightly better, with a continual buzz around the pool and almost always something on offer.
The rooms are VERY basic, but the air conditioning does work. The mini bar consist of one bottle of water when you arrive, which is not replaced. The hotel is built into a hillside, so ladies DONT wear heels else you will fall over, and if you have any disability or children in pushchairs, be advised that there are LOADS of steps. This wasnt a problem for us, but I can see how it could be for others. There is also a very very noisy late night restaurant come club type thing over the road which goes on until 3am. My 4 year old could NOT sleep at all until this finished, and this was one of the main reasons for us insisting on moving hotels. After a massively delayed flight and all the other issues at this hotel, 3 hours sleep maximum a night really did push me over the edge.
The hotel staff were friendly and made a good show of English - much better than my Turkish, but considering nearly half the guests are English, not really enough to enable proper communication. I did not encounter any of the limits at the bar of 2 drinks per person, and the bar staff were actually very chatty and probably the best staff I encountered. The manager was very apologetic and easy to talk to, although he would not take any criticism insisting that during August his staff were too busy entertaining children to worry about cleanliness - we should visit in Spetmeber when there are less children. This to me, standing there with my two children. hmmm.
The bit which really tipped my wife over the edge was the poolside toilets. You cannot flush toilet paper (as in many south European locations), so used dirty toilet paper was thown in the bins. However when they over flowed, the floor was used and by 3pm, the entire ladies toilet floor was covered in smelly used toilet paper which you were supposed to walk over bare foot (being poolside) to use the toilet at all.
To summarise, DONT go here, for your money there are MANY better places around.

5 readers found this review helpful

I got back today from Pigale, I went with my partner and another couple of similar age. We arrived around 8 pm and had to climb a few set of stairs to get to our apartment, nothing stressful and useful with all the eating that we did!! we got wristbands as we were all inclusive. There were men on reception to carry all of our bags to our rooms and fair play to them because they were extremely heavy!! We got there just ontime for tea. The buffet consists of lots of different fresh salad, pasta salads, cold meats, feta cheese, and then on another end they put about five different dishes on each nite sometimes chicken, potatoe, chips, beef, fish etc... I can be fussy with pasta salads and cold meats and I managed to find plenty of things I liked as did the others I went with. They have tea and coffee, nice cold juices and fruit and great fresh baguettes. The desserts were a bit weird but after mains we v rarely could eat any more.
The apartments where very clean and the cleaners changed towels and cleaned bathroom every day. I didnt see any insects or any creepy crawlys in my room the whole time!!! The pool was nice and clean and so refreshing to jump into after chilling in the beautiful weather!! They also have a water slide which was absolutely great fun, it doesnt look as big as in the pictures but it was alot more fun than I expected. Overall my stay was good the biggest thing I would complain about is the animation team. They are really nice people but every couple of hours they are on at you to get involved in different activities, which is great for some but for me I just wanted to chill out and get involved when I felt like it. They drink wasnt very strong but that didnt bother me too much meant I got to see the sun each day. We went into Kusadasi on two nights to a bar called Murphys, just for a change of scenery and a bite to eat. I def recommend you do this, the staff are great and the food is gorgeous!!! Also on the way home we we went from Bodrum airport and the prices are ridiculous, I got charged Fifty TL in the upstairs restaurant for four cups of tea and when I tried to argue he was wrong he put money in his till, I later found out from other staff they make up their own exchange rates, so learn from my mistake and take a packed lunch!!

1 reader found this review helpful

I'm very picky and hard to please, especially where hotels are concerned having travelled the world on business and stayed in some of the best, but the Pigale beach has it all.
I've been to Kusadasi many times but this was my first all inclusive.
Easy walking to Kusadasi centre and just a few minutes from a great beach. The rooms may be a bit on the small side and look basic but they're very well equipped, immaculately clean and comfortable.
Nearly all staff speak English, even the cleaners and gardeners, the bar and restaurant staff are all fluent.
Food is varied, tasty, plentiful and well presented, though some dishes look strange to UK eyes - give themn a try. Snacks ,including ice cream piza, chips and burgersare all free. drinks are very good, though I prefer Efes to the beer provided free.
All staff are very friendly and helpful.
Facilities are excellent and well maintained.
Sitting around the pool can be noisy at times but not all the time and all noise stops at midnight.
Entertainment is mainly for kids though for adults there's keep fit, darts, quizzes, bingo and dancing.
All in all fantastic value, only about £5 more than flight only, though do try other bars and restaurants

1 reader found this review helpful

I have so much to say about this crap hotel its hard to know were to start. When i booked this holiday over the internet i stupidly did'nt read any reviews on it first so when i did i was so dissapionted but just thought people only right these things if they've only got something bad to say. But as soon as i arrived i could tell they were all right it looked really dirty and when we went into reception the recetionist was really rude and miserable. We got taken to our room which was really basic and not alot cleaner. As we got there early we went straight down for breakfast there was all ready people's towls on the sunbeds i found out later in the day that this is what you need to do late at night so you and your family can have a sunbed in the morning. Anyway breakfast was terrible every morning lots of differant cold eggs and some sort of cold sausage they would also make either pancakes omelets or fried eggs mostly the eggs. Breakfast runs from 7.30 - 10.00 but if you fancy going down for breakfast at 9.30 onwards you'll be lucky to get any thing as they stop cooking at 9.30 and start putting it away. On our first day we thought we'd go see the beach my youngest who's 5 fell over twice on the way there the pavements were that bad. we was on the beach for about 1/2 hour when we was told we need to leave the beach as its being closed as there was polution being washed up onto it. The wiered thing was there kids in the water and these people were there the whole time we was picking stuff up and putting it into bags and never said anything. Every evening the food was cold and rubbish we ended up having to pay to go into town and eating out as we did'nt get one decent meal at the hotel. everytime we did eat something it gave us bad stomach's. This is deffinatly not a hotel for english people we was the only english there for the 1st week this hotel caters for forigners as you could see they loved the food. In reception they had a brochure with lots of pictures of the hotel it looked amazing these same pictures our on the net none of the pictures are right im so suprised the hotel's allowed to trade under such faulse advertising. One of the things that attracted us to this hotel when we booked it that it says its got a gym when i saw this i could'nt believe my eye's it was like something out of the 1920's you could,nt use anything in there. I could count on one hand the staff that were friendly the rest were so rude and miserable. If any english people are looking at booking this hotel please dont as it will ruin your holiday this place has made a very rude old manager alot of money considering you pay all inclusive you dont eat there and all the drinks are watered down including cola etc. What the pictures nof this hotel dont show is that amount of steps you need to go up to get to your room definatly not good if you have babies. Ice cream is only availble for 2 hours of the day 3 - 4 and 10 - 11 at night this again is closed before an hour if you dont get there quick. This is definetly not a hotel you can go to and enjoy your holiday.

i enjoyed my self with my fam and my mate we had a blast going down the slide eating getting drinks and basicl having fun i wood suggest pigale hotel i loved it and i really do miss it so much and wish i was there the staff were friendly entainment was good ginge was the best and jack the food was ok but i lives on the snack bar and ice cream

1 reader found this review helpful

Well where do I start? Worst holiday ever, food never changed, consisted of rice salad chicken and cous cous, the sweets were as bad everything covered in syrup making it very sickly.
Well we asked for a family room only to be given a twin room with 2 extra camp beds added, not enough room to swing a cat, there was enough of them there, cats that is!
4 of us, 2 kids and 2 adults side by side sleeping, balcony with air con blowing hot air on to us, something you don’t need in very hot weather, so when we sat on the balcony we had to turn the air con off to make our seating comfortable.
Footpaths uneven to walk without tripping up, no lighting of the walkways, not suitable if have walking difficulties as we found out. Stench from the sewers were unbearable in such heat, no tea and coffee facilities in accommodation.
Mini bar consisting of a small bottle of water on arrival each in which we had to refill daily, what more can I say allot of money spent on rubbish, would of had a better time at Butlins!

1 reader found this review helpful

I just got back from the Pigale hotel. I was there for a week with a school trip (I live in Istanbul but am from Scotland).
After our 11 hour journey to get to Kusadasi we arrived at the hotel at 5.
The reception staff were great and helped us up the many many stairs with our bags. Then we headed straight to the fantastic pool.
The slide was brilliant! It was nonstop fun for 2 hours then we went and got showered.
The water from the tap and shower were salty, therefore brushing your teeth was a horrible event.
Dinner was cold and not very varied. I didn’t eat breakfast as all they had was eggs and I’m not a great fan.
The beach that was 2 mins walk away was really good and had lots of water activities.
Also the wee shop next to the hotel was really good and sold all sorts of stuff....including cheap vodka (score!). The bar just up the road from the hotel was also nice.
The hotel was basic but staff were lovely and the pool was great.

Having returned from a 2wk holiday yesterday at this appalling hotel, I really would like to state to anyone thinking of booking, stay well away!
After being told on our transfer bus from airport we were being upgraded because our original hotel was closed for refurb (should have been Pigale panorama sunset). On arrival at Pigale beach I was in tears.
It was obviously a down grade and could only be classed as 3* due to the swimming pool. The grounds were truly dismal, very unkempt; the paths were a walking hazard all uneven.
The pathways outside the apartments were absolutely filthy, and the gardens were overgrown with weeds.
The worst was still to come though when we were allocated our room. They were very basic, little chef has better accommodation!
We arrived just in time for breakfast which was eggs, eggs and more eggs. The only decent food was the crusty bread.
Lunch and evening meals were no better, the hot food was cold (work that one out). For 2wks it was mainly chicken, the odd beef or lamb dish if you were really lucky, but still cold!
On our first night we had to complain that they hadn't supplied the full menu of free drinks that should have been available, only watered down beer.
Second night better but all drinks were watered down except the rakki. Only one of the many supposed bars was open that was outside by the pool.
The animation team that were there as our entertainment, was absolutely dire and nobody bothered to stay up to watch them. They were basically for entertaining the children, whom were in bed by the time the animation evenings got started.
There are so many down points to this hotel and I’m getting to tired and bored to list them all, which basically sums up my holiday.
All I have left to say is stay clear of the Pigale beach hotel.

1 reader found this review helpful

I still can't believe I had to put one! That's only because there is no zero.
I booked a 4* hotel in the middle of Kusadasi, and on our way to the hotel our rep told us the hotel was closed and that we had been upgraded to Pigale Beach Resort which is a 2* pink ranch in the middle of nowhere.
We ended up spending a lot on taxi to go to the centre of town and hopefully this is something we will get back as I never stayed in such a repulsive hotel!
The staff is all but helpful and kept on looking down at us like we weren't good enough for the hotel (trust me everyone is good enough for this place) and sometime refused to serve us (great when you're on all inclusive!).
The food was quite tasty but it was the same every day, twice a day and it became sickening after 2 days.
The hotel is situated near a motorway and a petrol station (classy!) and it is really noisy. It is also situated on the top of a hill and none of the staff seemed to be able to help us getting our suitcases up the 50 stairs going up to our room, but they were at the bottom of the stairs watching us struggling to do so instead.
This is the worse place I ever went to. When you only have 20 days holiday a year is it a real shame to waste 5 of them at Pigale Beach Resort.

This is the worst hovel I have ever stayed in; we were supposed to be in the Pigale Panorama in Kusadasi town; weren’t told till on the transfer bus that the Panorama was shut.
The Panorama beach is a 10 minute bus ride from town and in middle of nowhere, opposite a petrol station and that’s it! grim!
Was told, don’t worry, going to a better hotel, an upgrade of what we should have.
Never ever go to this hotel!
This hotel is barely a 3 star; filthy dirty neglected grounds; cold food and not a lot of choice. If you like peppers you'll love it here!
The bathroom was vile, dim lighting, not till we took pictures (for complaint) did we realise how filthy the bath was, urgh!!
Never once did we get a hot meal, bain maries weren’t lit so do the math!
Restaurant next door was our refuge.
Only one bar open, the pool bar, so couldn’t sit outside at night at bar cos too cold so had to sit in reception to drink; bar there not open and management refused to open it so had to schlep round to pool bar each time we wanted a drink.
Endless list of complaints; don’t want to bore you, just never ever go to this hotel.
Only gave a score of 1 cos can’t put zero!