Surmeli Efes, Kusadasi, Turkey
Hotel Information
Recent Price: £180
Hotel Class:
Hotel Description:
Surmeli Efes Hotel is a modern resort hotel and it is located on the Ephesus Antique Beach-Selcuk and conveniently situated close to many famous city sights, Ephesus Ancient City 4 km, Basilica of St. Jean, House of Virgin Mary, Archeological Museum, Selcuk Town, Kusadasi and Shopping District. In additional to five star comfort and resort hotel facilities, hotel offers a traditional Turkish hospitality for your holiday, parties as well as your business meetings and seminars. loading...
Nearby Hotels Viewed by Other Travellers
Surmeli Efes Reviews
" Not 5* but good apart from room and reception staff "
Submitted By: trishwilts
This hotel has a lovely lobby and swimming pools which lead through gardens to the beach. However the reception staff, with the exception of one young man, are not friendly when you arrive after a long journey. A plastic band is quickly fixed to your wrist which may serve the purpose of identifying the status of your board but which does not feel like 5* treatment though I understand this is common practice. The unfriendliness is I think mainly because they don't have a good enough understanding of English which creates a barrier of course.
The animation staff worked really hard, and put on shows,and were very friendly at all times. The young man on the security gate, the lady in the massage area and the waiters were also friendly and helpful. Postcards can be bought and stamped and handed back to the shop in the lobby for posting and the first was received 10 days after I sent it.
The food was well displayed though cooked food was usually only warm and again I think this is usual in what is a hot country. Omlettes cooked freshly on the terrace at breakfast time were very nice and the sour cherry and rose jam is worth trying. It is as well to check out what is being cooked on the terrace though there may be queues at the height of the season.
Rooms on the first floor however look out across the roof. Ours also had a small bathroom with no plug in either sink or bath. There was agreement from others that these rooms are not 5* and one said that when she complained she was told they were 'economy' rooms. In my view there should be no economy rooms in a 5* hotel. They should all be 5*. Many need refurbishing.
The rep was usually nowhere to be seen once he'd got the booking for excursions. The phone number he provided wasn't available and the reception didn't have one that worked either. He clearly was reluctant to accept cancellations ( my mother had walking difficulties) and complained that he'd had to work harder for us when I asked him if he could obtain a wheelchair please.
All in all room, reception and rep apart, the rest was lovely and I would recommend it(with an upgraded room) as 4*. Kusadasi town is good and not far on the local bus from outside the hotel and the Turkish evening (£33)was superb in the castle in Kusadasi. A trip to Ephesus is convenient and 'a must see.' Pamukale is just too far.
The animation staff worked really hard, and put on shows,and were very friendly at all times. The young man on the security gate, the lady in the massage area and the waiters were also friendly and helpful. Postcards can be bought and stamped and handed back to the shop in the lobby for posting and the first was received 10 days after I sent it.
The food was well displayed though cooked food was usually only warm and again I think this is usual in what is a hot country. Omlettes cooked freshly on the terrace at breakfast time were very nice and the sour cherry and rose jam is worth trying. It is as well to check out what is being cooked on the terrace though there may be queues at the height of the season.
Rooms on the first floor however look out across the roof. Ours also had a small bathroom with no plug in either sink or bath. There was agreement from others that these rooms are not 5* and one said that when she complained she was told they were 'economy' rooms. In my view there should be no economy rooms in a 5* hotel. They should all be 5*. Many need refurbishing.
The rep was usually nowhere to be seen once he'd got the booking for excursions. The phone number he provided wasn't available and the reception didn't have one that worked either. He clearly was reluctant to accept cancellations ( my mother had walking difficulties) and complained that he'd had to work harder for us when I asked him if he could obtain a wheelchair please.
All in all room, reception and rep apart, the rest was lovely and I would recommend it(with an upgraded room) as 4*. Kusadasi town is good and not far on the local bus from outside the hotel and the Turkish evening (£33)was superb in the castle in Kusadasi. A trip to Ephesus is convenient and 'a must see.' Pamukale is just too far.
Advice: very nice Wed is market day
Activities: Ephesus, Turkish evening
Good for: Beach
-
- Date of Holiday:Oct 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:eticket
" A lovely holiday with my Mum and Sis "
Submitted By: Jammy_Ammy_Jammy
Just arrived back after spending a wonderful 10 days in this hotel with my Mum and Sister. We arrived at the hotel at 5am and the reception staff were lovely sorting out our luggage and we were asked if we were hungry as they would arrange a salad. The transfer is 2 and a half hours from Bodrum airport so I was glad to find water in the room when we arrived and a lovely clean spacious room overlooking the sea. The bathroom had a bath and power shower with toiletries on arrival and our towels were changed every day for fresh, clean warm ones. There were three of us in the room and hot water was always available and our linen was changed on a regular basis.
Breakfast in the morning was a pleasure. The restaurant is filled with fresh bread, pastries, cereals, fresh fruit, omelettes and pancakes to order, meats cheese and salads. Lunch time was filled with a variety of hot and cold food although we only ate there a few days as we usually grabbed a few slices of pizza from the pool bar. Waiters were always friendly, polite and our plates were cleared quickly. You can have wine with your meals, beer or soft drinks. Dinner time had just as much variety and people have mentioned that there was no British food, but what do they expect being in Turkey. The only criticism I would have on the restaurant was that food was never piping hot. Desserts were plentiful and ideal if you have a sweet tooth as Turkish desserts are indeed very sweet! Alcoholic and soft drinks were readily available although you have to pay for your drinks if you are in the Disco. No problem with this as we used to stay in the disco till around 1am and then pop to the cocktail bar where they were still serving till gone 2am as part of your all inclusive. You could get a sandwich from there also if you were a little peckish.
As for the entertainment team, they are fantastic! Paris, Kevin and Katie deserve a special mention as they were always so friendly, great fun to be around and all look like they love their job making our stay a pleasure. There were sports throughout the day and show time in the evening although some of the humour wasn’t quite to my taste but a lovely evening was always had by my family and I. Maybe the music could have been a little quieter around the pool as this did get a little tedious at times. However, there is a relaxation pool you can visit if you fancy something a little more quiet and romantic.
There is a market that comes to the complex every Sunday and you can pick up a real bargain if you have a little banter with the sellers. We took a day trip to Ephesus with a tour guide (I would highly recommend this as you may be a bit clueless if you have nobody to explain what each place is) and also a trip to the local traditional market.
I never go back to a place twice because I like variety, however I would definitely recommend this as a lovely relaxing holiday. I sat there one afternoon at the beach bar sipping my amaretto, looked around and thought to myself, how can anyone write such bad things about this place.
Ps. A big hello to Graham in Preston and friends :-)
Breakfast in the morning was a pleasure. The restaurant is filled with fresh bread, pastries, cereals, fresh fruit, omelettes and pancakes to order, meats cheese and salads. Lunch time was filled with a variety of hot and cold food although we only ate there a few days as we usually grabbed a few slices of pizza from the pool bar. Waiters were always friendly, polite and our plates were cleared quickly. You can have wine with your meals, beer or soft drinks. Dinner time had just as much variety and people have mentioned that there was no British food, but what do they expect being in Turkey. The only criticism I would have on the restaurant was that food was never piping hot. Desserts were plentiful and ideal if you have a sweet tooth as Turkish desserts are indeed very sweet! Alcoholic and soft drinks were readily available although you have to pay for your drinks if you are in the Disco. No problem with this as we used to stay in the disco till around 1am and then pop to the cocktail bar where they were still serving till gone 2am as part of your all inclusive. You could get a sandwich from there also if you were a little peckish.
As for the entertainment team, they are fantastic! Paris, Kevin and Katie deserve a special mention as they were always so friendly, great fun to be around and all look like they love their job making our stay a pleasure. There were sports throughout the day and show time in the evening although some of the humour wasn’t quite to my taste but a lovely evening was always had by my family and I. Maybe the music could have been a little quieter around the pool as this did get a little tedious at times. However, there is a relaxation pool you can visit if you fancy something a little more quiet and romantic.
There is a market that comes to the complex every Sunday and you can pick up a real bargain if you have a little banter with the sellers. We took a day trip to Ephesus with a tour guide (I would highly recommend this as you may be a bit clueless if you have nobody to explain what each place is) and also a trip to the local traditional market.
I never go back to a place twice because I like variety, however I would definitely recommend this as a lovely relaxing holiday. I sat there one afternoon at the beach bar sipping my amaretto, looked around and thought to myself, how can anyone write such bad things about this place.
Ps. A big hello to Graham in Preston and friends :-)
Good for: Beach
-
- Date of Holiday:Sep 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Aptly named.... "
Submitted By: Kylily1988
My family and I have just come back from an enjoyable week at the Surmeli Efes near Kusadasi. The weather was fantastic, the setting and location was close to perfect and the staff were very pleasant and friendly, if on occasion perhaps a bit over eager. The facilities are of a satisfactory standard, with exception of the gym equipment being badly maintained - but let's face it, who goes on holiday to go to the gym?!
The food was pleasant if not a bit monotonous, more than a week there would most likely see you bored of the food and more inclined to dine off the resort.
There are plenty of excursions and activities available for all ages but I should point out that you don't always get the best deal when booking from the hotel. Turkish baths, for instance, aren't as great value at the wellbeing centre as they make out, you can get them much cheaper elsewhere if you just ask.
The beach is lovely, with soft sand and nice warm sea. However when the wind gets up a bit the soft sand can be somewhat of a problem as it has a tendency of flying all over the place.
Having said that, we did stumble across a couple of minor issues such as the lifts. We found more often than not that we were fighting our way out of the lifts as uncourteous guests barged their way in before letting anybody out (but this cannot be made fault of the hotel, we just found it somewhat irritating)> Also, at night the mosquitoes come out in force! My boyfriend and I sat in the Bubbler Bar for no more than 15 minutes and I counted 12 bites in that time. More came up later.
Last but by no means least, when we booked our holiday at the Surmeli Efes we joked in giving it a nickname of the Smelly Orifice. I believe that we well and truly jinxed ourselves by doing this as it most definately lived up to the name. Unfortunately, the septic tanks are not covered, so if you happen to be down wind of them you get the most horrendous stench! Although it was not around all the time, it made its presence known when it was. One night we had to go indoors and stay indoors because it got that bad. The Surmeli is even known by locals in town as the Smelly hotel. This is really unfortunate because other than this I would have been more than happy to return to the Surmeli Efes but it has put me off.
If you want to go into Kusadasi itself you can get picked up right outside the hotel by a Dolmus (minibus) which run every 10minutes, although be warned that Dolmus means 'squashed' in Turkish and this is quite literally the case!! There are taxis available but they are an absolute rip off when you could just wait an extra 10minutes for the next Dolmus and pay a tenth of the price. Alternatively, there is a bar in Kusadasi called Murphys who offer a free pick up and drop off service if you ring up and book them.
Kusadasi itself is a lovely place but you do get hassled by the shop owners quite alot so avoid the bazaars where possible (unless you're feeling brave!)
I would also recommend visiting Ephesus as it really does make the holiday, there is also Dolmus pick up from the Surmeli for this too.
The food was pleasant if not a bit monotonous, more than a week there would most likely see you bored of the food and more inclined to dine off the resort.
There are plenty of excursions and activities available for all ages but I should point out that you don't always get the best deal when booking from the hotel. Turkish baths, for instance, aren't as great value at the wellbeing centre as they make out, you can get them much cheaper elsewhere if you just ask.
The beach is lovely, with soft sand and nice warm sea. However when the wind gets up a bit the soft sand can be somewhat of a problem as it has a tendency of flying all over the place.
Having said that, we did stumble across a couple of minor issues such as the lifts. We found more often than not that we were fighting our way out of the lifts as uncourteous guests barged their way in before letting anybody out (but this cannot be made fault of the hotel, we just found it somewhat irritating)> Also, at night the mosquitoes come out in force! My boyfriend and I sat in the Bubbler Bar for no more than 15 minutes and I counted 12 bites in that time. More came up later.
Last but by no means least, when we booked our holiday at the Surmeli Efes we joked in giving it a nickname of the Smelly Orifice. I believe that we well and truly jinxed ourselves by doing this as it most definately lived up to the name. Unfortunately, the septic tanks are not covered, so if you happen to be down wind of them you get the most horrendous stench! Although it was not around all the time, it made its presence known when it was. One night we had to go indoors and stay indoors because it got that bad. The Surmeli is even known by locals in town as the Smelly hotel. This is really unfortunate because other than this I would have been more than happy to return to the Surmeli Efes but it has put me off.
If you want to go into Kusadasi itself you can get picked up right outside the hotel by a Dolmus (minibus) which run every 10minutes, although be warned that Dolmus means 'squashed' in Turkish and this is quite literally the case!! There are taxis available but they are an absolute rip off when you could just wait an extra 10minutes for the next Dolmus and pay a tenth of the price. Alternatively, there is a bar in Kusadasi called Murphys who offer a free pick up and drop off service if you ring up and book them.
Kusadasi itself is a lovely place but you do get hassled by the shop owners quite alot so avoid the bazaars where possible (unless you're feeling brave!)
I would also recommend visiting Ephesus as it really does make the holiday, there is also Dolmus pick up from the Surmeli for this too.
Advice: Very pleasant, just don't let yourself be hassled too much.
Activities: Ephesus is a must do visit!! Breath-taking!
-
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Great Holiday!!!! "
Submitted By: daniel123
we have just come back from the Surmeli Efes and found it overall to be clean, well managed and very friendly. True their are flies it the restaraunt but there not too bad, some of the guests are very ignorant and push you when you are trying to get your food. I was very disappointed that there were no walks outside the hotel, which runs along a main road with no pedestrian walkways into the town of Kusadasi - which is too far away anway to walk into, which means unless you catch the dolmus bus which is very efficient you have to stay on the site.
The bus transfer is 2 and a half hours long - not 1 and a half hours long as stated in the hotels description which makes it very tiring for the transfers to and from the hotel. There also is no ice cream included in the all-inclusive and the price of the icream is very high 14 lira for a Magnum ice lolly - the cost soon mounts up if you have sa young family. The food and drink though is always available and of a very high standard. the waiters were very friendly if not a little over stretched while we were there.
The bus transfer is 2 and a half hours long - not 1 and a half hours long as stated in the hotels description which makes it very tiring for the transfers to and from the hotel. There also is no ice cream included in the all-inclusive and the price of the icream is very high 14 lira for a Magnum ice lolly - the cost soon mounts up if you have sa young family. The food and drink though is always available and of a very high standard. the waiters were very friendly if not a little over stretched while we were there.
Good for: Beach
-
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Sunshine.co.uk
" turkey 2009 "
Submitted By: paul hudson
best holiday in years food great all day long.entertainment good laugh by annimation crew.room good plenty of space(family room).staff very helpfull allways at hand to serve.very clean allround.good value for money would go back any time .pools very best.hotel photografer was very good value for money had lots of nice pictures.
Advice: very good allround hotel
Activities: kusudasi great for shopping .food in hotel was good no need to eat out
Good for: Beach
-
- Date of Holiday:May 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:travel republic
" Great Holiday "
Submitted By: paulgray0727
We (2 couples) came here to celebrate a birthday and had a fantastic holiday, I would definately recommend staying here end April begining May,the hotel was so clean everywere, The whole staff were great and could not do enough for us, we felt very pampered by the waiters and bar staff, considering we were here before the start of the season the only thing closed to us was the restaurants but we had plenty of choice anyway, The Animation team were absolutely fantastic and such a great bunch, they would do anything for us and were such good fun to have around, would recommend for couples or Families,
Advice: Kusadasi is a great place to visit with plenty of shops to get what ever you need,
Activities: Murpheys is a great place to eat, Great lively sea front,
Good for: Beach
-
- Date of Holiday:Apr 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" too many flies! "
Submitted By: lwestley
I have just come back from staying at this hotel, and really wouldnt recommend it. When we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted well. But when I awoke to have breakfast we couldnt believe that the food was infested with flies!!!! this applied to lunch and evening meals. I found this to be disgusting!!!! i also got a tummy bug there which i put down to the food. Also this proved to be a problem when sunbathing, flies kept landing on people it was very frustrating.
The staff appeared to have an end of season attitude, and basic services werent delivered. Guests could snack during the day at the snack bar, and again this food was infested with flies and was cold!!!! certainly not the standard of a 5* hotel, i think a 3* could get this right!!!
On the first day it took us 20mins to get a drink from the outside bar. We were told to go to another bar by passing staff and when we had walked to the other bar there was no-one to serve us. My partner and i then complained and eventually someone did come to our assistance.
What really upset us on departure was that we were to vacate the room by 12.00 considered we have only arrived 6 days before so had been cut short of a day. Our flight wasnt till 2.45am the next morning, so we asked if we could use a room to shower and get changed in before we left. We were then told they didnt offer this and we couldnt pay extra for another room as they were booked up. To top it off a miserable man from behind reception then told us that we could use the turkish baths!!! how rude?!!! we were then told we couldnt have any meals on the day of departure......
I have to say that the waiters and bar staff were excellent and were generally very helpful...its a shame that is had to end on a sour note.
The staff appeared to have an end of season attitude, and basic services werent delivered. Guests could snack during the day at the snack bar, and again this food was infested with flies and was cold!!!! certainly not the standard of a 5* hotel, i think a 3* could get this right!!!
On the first day it took us 20mins to get a drink from the outside bar. We were told to go to another bar by passing staff and when we had walked to the other bar there was no-one to serve us. My partner and i then complained and eventually someone did come to our assistance.
What really upset us on departure was that we were to vacate the room by 12.00 considered we have only arrived 6 days before so had been cut short of a day. Our flight wasnt till 2.45am the next morning, so we asked if we could use a room to shower and get changed in before we left. We were then told they didnt offer this and we couldnt pay extra for another room as they were booked up. To top it off a miserable man from behind reception then told us that we could use the turkish baths!!! how rude?!!! we were then told we couldnt have any meals on the day of departure......
I have to say that the waiters and bar staff were excellent and were generally very helpful...its a shame that is had to end on a sour note.
-
- Date of Holiday:Oct 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Ebookers
" Definitely not a 5* "
Submitted By: debbie.bowers@eastwell.uk.com
Well just come back from the Surmeli in Kusadasi yesterday and really felt like I needed to log a review. Firstly, at best I would say the hotel is a 3*. Would also recommend you do not stay here in October as all the Al la carte restaurants are closed even though this is not stated when you book !!! The only restaurant open is the main Efes restaurant which to put it politely the food is bland, repetive and not particularly varied. Or at lunchtimes only you can eat at the snack bar cold chips, cold pizza and salad - Hardly 5* though. As it was close to the end of season all the Entertainment staff couldn't really be bothered and were just looking forward to finishing !
On a brighter note the bar staff and waiters were all very friendly and polite.
On a brighter note the bar staff and waiters were all very friendly and polite.
-
- Date of Holiday:Oct 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Freedomdirect
" After spending a week at Surmeli... "
Submitted By: Mrs K Smith
After spending a week at Surmeli Efes, I must say the best thing has to be sea view from our balcony, beach with warm, shallow water, plenty of free sunbeds with no reserved towels over them. Water sports were excellent. Dolphin and water park was only a short ride on the bus.
We were surprised that some receiptionists can hardly speak English. Our journey to Kusadasi was also an adventure itself, shopkeepers thought we were all millionaires when they saw the hotel bracelets on our wrists.
Right, the worst things about the hotel are as followed:
1. Aircon inside the room.
For some reason, the aircon inlet vents sucks up cigarette smokes from somewhere outside and blows it into the room, making the room stink of smoke. The aircon also only blows out nice cold air for a few hours before blowing out warm air! Can you imagine how bad it was? Blowing out warm smelly smokey air!
2. Food.
They seem stick to their one and only food menu for the whole week, breakfast, lunch and dinner, everyday was the same. The guy who make omelets thinks people would be impressed if there were flames coming from the frying pan, well, it was impressive until you taste the omelet, it tasted like charcoal. I had an omelet which had more egg shells than egg! Lunch and dinner was marginally better, but we wouldn't have rated the food 5*.
3. Evening shows were very tacky, in the end, we opted to stay in our room and watch BBC News instead!
We were surprised that some receiptionists can hardly speak English. Our journey to Kusadasi was also an adventure itself, shopkeepers thought we were all millionaires when they saw the hotel bracelets on our wrists.
Right, the worst things about the hotel are as followed:
1. Aircon inside the room.
For some reason, the aircon inlet vents sucks up cigarette smokes from somewhere outside and blows it into the room, making the room stink of smoke. The aircon also only blows out nice cold air for a few hours before blowing out warm air! Can you imagine how bad it was? Blowing out warm smelly smokey air!
2. Food.
They seem stick to their one and only food menu for the whole week, breakfast, lunch and dinner, everyday was the same. The guy who make omelets thinks people would be impressed if there were flames coming from the frying pan, well, it was impressive until you taste the omelet, it tasted like charcoal. I had an omelet which had more egg shells than egg! Lunch and dinner was marginally better, but we wouldn't have rated the food 5*.
3. Evening shows were very tacky, in the end, we opted to stay in our room and watch BBC News instead!
-
- Date of Holiday:Sep 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Lastminute
" I would just like to say that this... "
Submitted By: Mrs Gina Edis
I would just like to say that this was a superb hotel catering for all needs. I went to this hotel from looking at it on line, I then read the reviews of the other guests and felt a little unsure as to whether we had done the right thing. On arriving at the hotel we were pleasently surprised it was spotless inside and out. We were equally as pleased with the rooms spacious with excellent see views. They had entertainment on throughout the day for both adults and children. and there was a evening show on every night as well as live music at the pool bar. the food was well presented and plenty to go around, the waiters were very helpful. The hotel had 4 pools around the complex but we went to the beach every day as it had its own beach with complimentry loungers and water sports, you had to pay for motorised activities but this was a reasonable price. The beach was cleaned every night and bins were emptied throughout the day. The hotel had a dolmuch stop right by it we used this form of transport quite a lot it was cheap and run pretty much all day and night. The had a variety of stops but you could get off and on where you liked, this was fun too as the locals use this service too. We would recommend this hotel for families or couples it was well worth the money we paid...
G Edis
G Edis
-
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Goldtrail
" We have just had a great holiday at... "
Submitted By: Mrs C Harrison
We have just had a great holiday at the Surmeli Efes, other people are commenting on the lack of choice in food and that it was repetetive I say that they were in another hotel as we ate something different everyday and my kids loved the choice...if you have picky kids then its ideal because they can have simple food if they wish but the variety was amazing I bet all the people who are complaining about not enough choice dont cook different meals everyday at home. !!! The staff were great and put up with a lot of ignorant guests treating them like skivvys ! Your holiday is what you make it ours was brill ! The animation team were always there helping the kids to get involved with activities and the place was so clean and well maintained I was impressed. The rooms are cleaned and beds made everyday and I felt so safe there, we didnt lock anything away for two weeks and nothing was touched. The bus service is great regular trips into Kusadasi and Kusadasi itself is still very Turkish which is what you want, not streets full of English pubs etc.
Well done Turkey Brilliant place we will be back!!
Well done Turkey Brilliant place we will be back!!
-
- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Booked Independentlyon the beach
" I have to admit to disappointment... "
Submitted By: Mrs R Fowler
I have to admit to disappointment generally with our holiday at the Surmeli Efes in Kusadasi. Having specifically requested a holiday suitable for 2 boys aged 7 and 10 - I was amazed to find a mini-club offering nothing suitable for that age group (their initial visit to it offered them playdoh and a film in a foreign language) and an adults entertainment programme throughout the day that the children could not join in. The animation team were constantly coming round the pool to rally up the adults for pool and beach games but extremely rarely anything for the children - despite many complaints and requests for activities from all the holiday makers.
The hotel has great facilities with lots of pools and directly onto the beach, but I certainly feel was not capitalising on these facilities for children and therefore providing a family holiday atmosphere.
I would not call the hotel 5 star in many ways, but I think it could be with more effort. There are only 3 lifts servicing the hotel, which are also used by housekeeping etc. so were always busy. One of these broke down on our second day and was never mended, we had to wait ages for lifts up and down. Being on the 10th floor we really had no option.
The food was extremely repetitive - with nothing really suitable again for children - but that would not have mattered had the other facilities been OK. Queing was long for food, and if you did not make it early you often had to settle for a dirty table and get your own cutlery etc. They regularly ran out of certain food and plates and you had to wait, and it was difficult to get drinks. It was the same with the bar service - queing at busy times with often only one person serving. There were no free ice-creams for children (a first for me on an all-inclusive basis) - and buying them was really expensive. You also had to usually find someone to open up the kiosk when you wanted one.
We had a normal hotel room which was very basic but OK (not 5 star certainly). The air conditioning control did not work, so we had to settle for cold or hot at night which was a nuisance. We were also directly above the bin stores - and even being on floor 10 - when these were emptied early in the morning it did disturb us.
One day they had a wedding and guests were unable to use one of the favourite pools from lunchtime onwards, which I thought was a bit cheeky.
Our transfer to the hotel took us 4.5 hours, which was a nightmare. I would also like to warn people about the mosquitos - they were out in abundance, and we were all bitten loads despite always spraying ourselves.
The beach was very nice - with shaded areas you can sit under - but the sea was very murky and not too pleasant.
The hotel had no facility at all for cashing money on a credit card, so be aware of that - you have to go into the town by taxi to do that.
I would generally like to advise anyone with children above the age of around 6 to be aware that this hotel does not really cater for them and they will have to make their own entertainment. Having said that - the shows in the evening were very good and highly entertaining.
The hotel has great facilities with lots of pools and directly onto the beach, but I certainly feel was not capitalising on these facilities for children and therefore providing a family holiday atmosphere.
I would not call the hotel 5 star in many ways, but I think it could be with more effort. There are only 3 lifts servicing the hotel, which are also used by housekeeping etc. so were always busy. One of these broke down on our second day and was never mended, we had to wait ages for lifts up and down. Being on the 10th floor we really had no option.
The food was extremely repetitive - with nothing really suitable again for children - but that would not have mattered had the other facilities been OK. Queing was long for food, and if you did not make it early you often had to settle for a dirty table and get your own cutlery etc. They regularly ran out of certain food and plates and you had to wait, and it was difficult to get drinks. It was the same with the bar service - queing at busy times with often only one person serving. There were no free ice-creams for children (a first for me on an all-inclusive basis) - and buying them was really expensive. You also had to usually find someone to open up the kiosk when you wanted one.
We had a normal hotel room which was very basic but OK (not 5 star certainly). The air conditioning control did not work, so we had to settle for cold or hot at night which was a nuisance. We were also directly above the bin stores - and even being on floor 10 - when these were emptied early in the morning it did disturb us.
One day they had a wedding and guests were unable to use one of the favourite pools from lunchtime onwards, which I thought was a bit cheeky.
Our transfer to the hotel took us 4.5 hours, which was a nightmare. I would also like to warn people about the mosquitos - they were out in abundance, and we were all bitten loads despite always spraying ourselves.
The beach was very nice - with shaded areas you can sit under - but the sea was very murky and not too pleasant.
The hotel had no facility at all for cashing money on a credit card, so be aware of that - you have to go into the town by taxi to do that.
I would generally like to advise anyone with children above the age of around 6 to be aware that this hotel does not really cater for them and they will have to make their own entertainment. Having said that - the shows in the evening were very good and highly entertaining.
-
- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Goldtrail
" Surmeli Efes is about 5 miles from... "
Submitted By: Miss C Taylor
Surmeli Efes is about 5 miles from Kusadasi itself. It is an excellent hotel and the staff are extremely friendly, if you have any problems just speak to them and they will do everything they can do to help you. There’s lots of space and its a great place to have a relaxing holiday, if you want to visit the town there are Dolmus’ (local buses) departing frequently from opposite the security lodge and they cost approximately £2, or taxis are available from the same point.
Take Euros and Pounds NOT Lira, we made the mistake of listening to the travel agent at home who said it was better to take lira. Its NOT they tend to rip you off a little bit and you’ll get better value for money in Euros. Most things are priced in Euros anyway.
The hotel is spotlessly clean, we stayed in the main hotel on the 4th floor, there was a separate section which we found out was for families with children under 5. The room we stayed in was quite large compared to other hotels I’ve stayed in. The maid came everyday and changed the sheets and towels, and the water from the fridge was also replaced daily free of charge. The sea view from the balcony was lovely at sunset, but the door was very heavy to slide.
Our holiday rep, Omer from Med Hotels was great. If you don’t receive a letter soon after arrival with a time your rep will be there to speak to you, go to reception and ask them. There is also a board with all the details about trips etc. to the right of the entrance to the main restaurant. We went on a boat trip, jeep safari and ½ day at Ephesus. All were well worth going on. The jeep Safari was a great day out and so much fun, and I’d recommend the ½ day for Ephesus if you want to go. The tickets just looked like receipts and we had a panic one day. My partner got some bad bites (I didn’t have any the whole holiday) and we had to find our travel insurance and in the process left the tickets on the bed, the maid came and changed the sheets and we didn’t see them again, thankfully the trip runners said that a signature was just as good so it doesn’t really matter if you lose your tickets.
The sea is not crystal clear, but its clean and warm and there are pedalos and kayaks that you can use for free, if you need the paddles then ask. You can get clean towels for the beach everyday from the entrance to the indoor swimming pool, which is also great if you want to use it. Tokens were meant to be used to get the towels but we just went and asked and they gave us the towels. There are some lovely staff there and are happy to help if you ask. The animation team also try and get you involved; we had a go at beach volleyball one day which was good fun. The poolside can be a bit slippy if you don’t walk on the slip resistant mat around the edge of the pool. The 3 pools were spotlessly clean and we always found 2 sunloungers together whenever we went to the pool.
The bars served all sorts of soft drinks, and all local spirits were free e.g. vodka, amaretto, whisky, brandy, raki. A word of warning if you try raki its quite potent and the locals sometimes mix it with water. The measures are very generous, and the bar staff made some fantastic cocktails, if you asked them for a bit of this and that to make your own they’d do that for you. My partner made some great ones that way.
There’s plenty to eat, outside the main restaurant they cook all sorts for you, every morning there were omelettes, fried eggs, pancakes and waffles which were all delicious. Meals were themed on some nights, the Turkish night was fantastic, if you try everything there’s plenty to eat. We had an amazing waiter, if you chat to them and not just treat them like someone to clear your dishes and bring you drinks they will make sure you have everything you could want. We sat outside every night with the same waiter and he would bring wine and beer and water for us every time without us even asking. And would always check if there was anything else he could do for us.
The holiday was great! We just wished we could have stayed there for longer although it was very very hot so remember to take lots of sun cream!
Take Euros and Pounds NOT Lira, we made the mistake of listening to the travel agent at home who said it was better to take lira. Its NOT they tend to rip you off a little bit and you’ll get better value for money in Euros. Most things are priced in Euros anyway.
The hotel is spotlessly clean, we stayed in the main hotel on the 4th floor, there was a separate section which we found out was for families with children under 5. The room we stayed in was quite large compared to other hotels I’ve stayed in. The maid came everyday and changed the sheets and towels, and the water from the fridge was also replaced daily free of charge. The sea view from the balcony was lovely at sunset, but the door was very heavy to slide.
Our holiday rep, Omer from Med Hotels was great. If you don’t receive a letter soon after arrival with a time your rep will be there to speak to you, go to reception and ask them. There is also a board with all the details about trips etc. to the right of the entrance to the main restaurant. We went on a boat trip, jeep safari and ½ day at Ephesus. All were well worth going on. The jeep Safari was a great day out and so much fun, and I’d recommend the ½ day for Ephesus if you want to go. The tickets just looked like receipts and we had a panic one day. My partner got some bad bites (I didn’t have any the whole holiday) and we had to find our travel insurance and in the process left the tickets on the bed, the maid came and changed the sheets and we didn’t see them again, thankfully the trip runners said that a signature was just as good so it doesn’t really matter if you lose your tickets.
The sea is not crystal clear, but its clean and warm and there are pedalos and kayaks that you can use for free, if you need the paddles then ask. You can get clean towels for the beach everyday from the entrance to the indoor swimming pool, which is also great if you want to use it. Tokens were meant to be used to get the towels but we just went and asked and they gave us the towels. There are some lovely staff there and are happy to help if you ask. The animation team also try and get you involved; we had a go at beach volleyball one day which was good fun. The poolside can be a bit slippy if you don’t walk on the slip resistant mat around the edge of the pool. The 3 pools were spotlessly clean and we always found 2 sunloungers together whenever we went to the pool.
The bars served all sorts of soft drinks, and all local spirits were free e.g. vodka, amaretto, whisky, brandy, raki. A word of warning if you try raki its quite potent and the locals sometimes mix it with water. The measures are very generous, and the bar staff made some fantastic cocktails, if you asked them for a bit of this and that to make your own they’d do that for you. My partner made some great ones that way.
There’s plenty to eat, outside the main restaurant they cook all sorts for you, every morning there were omelettes, fried eggs, pancakes and waffles which were all delicious. Meals were themed on some nights, the Turkish night was fantastic, if you try everything there’s plenty to eat. We had an amazing waiter, if you chat to them and not just treat them like someone to clear your dishes and bring you drinks they will make sure you have everything you could want. We sat outside every night with the same waiter and he would bring wine and beer and water for us every time without us even asking. And would always check if there was anything else he could do for us.
The holiday was great! We just wished we could have stayed there for longer although it was very very hot so remember to take lots of sun cream!
-
- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Med Hotels
" I just came back from a 2 week... "
Submitted By: Miss M Moody
I just came back from a 2 week holiday in Surmeli. I must say that the hotel was fantastic and so was the staff everybody tried to make you feel welcome. However i do feel like i should mention that i did have a problem with one memeber of the amination team. A member of their entertainment team pushed my daughter (who is 9) and obviously this really upset her and made her very anxious whenever that member of staff was around. We did make our feeling clear to the mangers of the aminmation team but i would say that the situation wasn't dealt with the way i would of wanted dealt with or should i say if an english holiday company eg. thomas cook etc was at the hotel. But luckly my daughter got over it and by the last three days started to use the chidren's club.
My daughter did enjoy the children's club and although the 3 girls who ran the club where turkish and russian and there english was limited they really tried there best. Once again however i am a child care worker and in my oppion it is not run up to english standards as my daughter is a sensible 9 years old i didn't mind to much.
The food is really good but doesn't change that much so be prepared to eat the roughly the same for two weeks, but that didn't bother us because we expcted it. If you have a fussy eaters then you might find it a problem my daughter ate chicken and fried potatos for 2 weeks, but like i said it didn't bother me.
The complex is really clean and the pools are great but be prepared to get up really early to claim sun lougers (we set our alarms for 6 in the morning to get sun lougers near the baby pool of the main swimming pool).
Overal we had a fantastic time but the daily entertainment didn't change there is not a great deal to do during the day. I would say though knowing what i know now if you are thinking about going to Kusadasi and you could afford a little more cash i would reccommend you going to Aqua Fantasy or Pine bay which are just down the road.
I know this review looks a little negitive that isn't my intention but for a couple the hotel is ideal but for a family like i said the 2 hotels down the road would probley suit you more.
My daughter did enjoy the children's club and although the 3 girls who ran the club where turkish and russian and there english was limited they really tried there best. Once again however i am a child care worker and in my oppion it is not run up to english standards as my daughter is a sensible 9 years old i didn't mind to much.
The food is really good but doesn't change that much so be prepared to eat the roughly the same for two weeks, but that didn't bother us because we expcted it. If you have a fussy eaters then you might find it a problem my daughter ate chicken and fried potatos for 2 weeks, but like i said it didn't bother me.
The complex is really clean and the pools are great but be prepared to get up really early to claim sun lougers (we set our alarms for 6 in the morning to get sun lougers near the baby pool of the main swimming pool).
Overal we had a fantastic time but the daily entertainment didn't change there is not a great deal to do during the day. I would say though knowing what i know now if you are thinking about going to Kusadasi and you could afford a little more cash i would reccommend you going to Aqua Fantasy or Pine bay which are just down the road.
I know this review looks a little negitive that isn't my intention but for a couple the hotel is ideal but for a family like i said the 2 hotels down the road would probley suit you more.
-
- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Sunmaster
loading...
The staff are very helpful and cope with the language requirements of at least a dozen countries. We had no difficulty being understood.
The entertainment team work tirelessly to ensure that everyone knew what was going on, but were never "in your face" when they approached to encourage participation.
We found the food plentiful, varied, and tasty. Our problem was making a choice, so we normally had a bit of each dish . Breakfast was again plentiful and varied, and hot dishes cooked for you were available at no extra cost.
Please bear in mind that this is a large hotel and plays host not only to coach tours, but to Trade Fairs and Conventions, so the Dining Room can become very busy on occassion. However the other facilities, such as pool and bars etc so no influx of bodies so it was business as usual.
The swimming pools were cleaned each morning before 07.30. Sunbeds could not be reserved before 08.30 and the management would remove towels placed on sunbeds before that hour. Plenty of sunbeds were available at any time of the day. Likewise there were many sunbeds available on the beach with plenty of sunshade.
In the evening an accomplished pianist played "Palm Court" type music in the Lobby Bar, while the entertainment team put on a varied show in the Amphitheatre.
The hotel is three miles from anywhere, so going for a walk after dinner involves walking along an unlit dual carriageway, and there are no local bars and shops to provide for ones needs. We didn't walk anywhere.
Advice: The hotel is about 5 miles from Kusadasi, on a gently sloping sandy beach.
Activities: Only ate twice in Kusadasi and can't remember the names of restaurants.
Good for: Beach