Fabar Aparthotel

1 reader found this review helpful

Like so many others, we booked and then read the reviews, horrified! How wrong we were! Greeted by friendly staff with a free drink we were made to feel welcome immediately. Our room was clean and quite spacious for a self catering apartment, yes there isn't a toaster or microwave buy surely this wouldn't spoil ones holiday ???? Yes we had to pay for our air con but most apartments charge for this!! During our stay our rooms were cleaned daily to a very high standard and always smelled wonderful.
The pool was a good size, clean and tidy and lying there was a lovely way to meet other families.
But what made our holiday so fantastic was the bat staff! What friendly and helpful lads they were, nothing was too much trouble with no hassle at all! We spent many a night sat at the bar chatting to Ibo, Musa and Koray- we couldn't fault them in any way at all- fabulous guys ! Speedy was always at hand with advice and a smile!
We absolutely loved our holiday at the Faber and would recommend it to anyone, evendown to the lovely farewell as we left- all the guys coming out to wave us off!

Me and my partner went to turkey in may this year, it was my first time at this appartment and in turkey. Firstly when we arrived we felt dirty so we wanted a shower the shower did not work correctly and was dripping water out the side!.It was our 4th day into our hoilday and our rooms had not be touched by the cleaners!. I complained to the manager and she repiled to me i will get somebody up straight away well that didnt happen the next day she got the cleaner in and the cleaner left the room without leaving us clean towels! we had, had the same towels for 5 days and this was disscusing. The staff of the appartments were fantastic i could not fault them. We went to turkey for 13 nights i disliked every moment of it!

We arrived around 3.30am at the advertised Faber apartments in icmeler where we shown to our room in almost darkness and was not given a welcome pack.
On awakening the following morning we found there was no hot water and we were informed by the family next door that if you complain at reception they would install an electric shower for us as the apartment manager was aware of a problem with the hot water.
This we did and they did indeed fit an electric shower for our family. the only problem was it was fixed to the shower door and the water supply was fed from the original shower then the shower head was fed back to the shower rail on the opposite wall which meant that when getting in the shower and shut the sliding shower door you were pushed up tight to the other shower door.
You could only shower if you left the shower door open and then spend fifteen minutes mopping up or be a contaushonist. As the management were trying to help, I tried to complain but they pretended not to understand.
Apart from the lack of lighting and the badly fitted shower the first week, we then discovered that there was not as advertised a toaster microwave or satellite t .v when I asked at the bar the waiter who spoke perfect English informed us that just before our arrival they were downgraded from a four star apartment to a three star apartment and as such the manager ordered the staff to remove all toasters and microwaves.
However the second week our pool area was turned into a building site they started to erect a new bar area with electric leads running from everywhere. We could not use the pool toilets as the floor area was covered with power tools and timber. Moreover, even when returning to our rooms the noise went on until seven or later power tools and hammering. Other guest complained at reception only to be given the I speak no English speech when I finally got someone from reception to listen they told me it would only be one more day.
The next day my grandson was playing around the children’s pool when he did the splits falling to the ground we later found a screw imbedded in his croc shoe. Moreover, we were afraid to use the pool area again as because of the new bar there was very little area for the children to play around the baby pool because they now squashed the sun beds into a double row leaving only a foot space around the pool.
In addition, the builders had now moved to the front of our apartments to erect another bar but as stated earlier our only source of lighting was the street lighting, which shone through the smoked glass windows so to find your apartment door you had to feel along the walls. As the builders had covered all the windows with Formica boards to hang, advertising boards etc.
Again, the days went by with the sound of hammering and power tools.
On returning home to the apartment one night because of the bad lighting I stopped at the door opened it with my electronic card key in trotted my 2 year old grandson only to find it was the wrong apartment my key had opened someone else’s door. The couple’s who’s apartment it was were quite taken back to find us standing in their kitchen. The next day when telling other people staying at our apartment what had happened we were told that all the card keys opened all the doors. And as such there is no security in these apartments.
Then after all this the day before we were due to return home I ordered room service for breakfast but when we went to eat it there was a horrible smell off the sausage and what I can only describe as rancid meat I took the food back but was still charged for it.

We stayed at The Faber for 2 weeks. On arrival we were allocated a room on the 2nd floor by the stairs which turned out to be very noisy and 2 days later we transferred to an attic room which was much quieter .The rooms at best are very small and really only designed for 2 people ,the air con is only in the bed room and costs a scandalous £4 a day we supplemented this with a fan for another £20.The balconies are tiny, enclosed on 3 sides and contain the air con condenser which blows out even more hot air making the balcony unuseable. I have noted that no one has mentioned that the entrance to the `Hotel` is via the back trade entrance by the bar, the 2 main entrances being permanently locked. The only reason for this that I can tell is that you would have to walk past the bar staff who then hassle you as to where you are going etc.
the rooms are actually quite good but as there were only 2 staff cleaning all the rooms from 8.30am till 7.pm some things got missed and the room could have been cleaner.
We only had a breakfast there once so I can`t really comment on the food but the ambience was not really endearing so we ate out.
The hotel is a good 15 minutes from the beach which is worth the walk as I never saw any cleaning of the hotel pool which was murky and short of sun beds which were all covered with towels by 7 am .We did see an awful lot of people with cotton wool in their ears and that was enough for me to go down to the beach.
The Hotel reception staff are totally disinterested and spend most of their time on `Facebook` .This was confirmed on the day of our departure ,our pick up had been moved forward an hour and a half and we were not informed or a message left on the board, had it not been for my children seeing another family from our flight waiting then we would have been seriously late.
All in all we would rate the hotel at best a 2* as the rooms are not too bad but the place lacks any real facilities or character. I can only add that that the rave reviews of this hotel are from people who do not have the same expectations of a 4* hotel as we do.
Icmeler in general is a poor `Blackpool` there are too many restaurants ,hairdressers ,and people trying to sell you excursions .There isn`t much in the way of entertainment as all the restaurants use the same `belly dancer ,Michael Jackson ,`Barman` and break-dancer format and once you`ve seen it that`s it.
The beach is very good we used `Ibrahim`s beach by Yakamoz restaurant which cost £1 a bed but was very clean and Ibrahim would look after you all day fetching food and drinks.
I would visit Icmeler again but be more selective about the hotel and try to go for half or full board .Generally meals are quite reasonably priced but this price often doubles when you add a couple of drinks.

3 readers found this review helpful

The Faber Hotel is positioned in the Old Village which for us was great. We didn't want to be amongst the hustle bustle of the main strip, bars & market. It was a leisurely 10 min stroll to the beach and main restaurants. (Although there were quite a few within minutes of the Faber Hotel). Supermarkets were close by for your self catering needs (although cooking facilities were limited). Food is cheap so why bother!
Speedy, who is the Bar Manager, was very very helpful and generally the staff couldn't do enough to help is whatever way was required. We booked Turkish Baths via Speedy (which were much cheaper than prices we found locally - great fun, relaxing and a MUST). The weekly Turkish Night offered plenty of great food and a chance for quite a bit of dancing and fun for all the family - Cheese Rolls were a hot favourite for us.
The Faber Hotel provide good quality low cost accommodation and being a smaller hotel gave a real family feel.
We had read a few negatiuve reviews prior to travelling but feel that thee don't bear justice to the Faber and may be down to the individuals not taking into account the cost of what they have booked.
All in all for us a GREAT HOLIDAY - Would definitely visit Turkey again

5 readers found this review helpful

Last year was our first time in Turkey and the Faber appartments. We had such a fantastic time that as soon as we got home we booked again for this year. However this year we didn't book as a package holiday, we booked the room and transfer direct with the hotel manager, ozlam, who we carn't thank enough for her help. Just like last year we had another fantastic holiday thanks to ozlam, Speedy, Shyboy, Eddy, Slowman, Alex and Korray. We travelled with another family, who like us have two daughters. The girls, ages 14, 16, 17 & 19 had a fantastic time and are hoping to go back for the 3rd time next year. The rooms are spaceous with excellent views. The pool area is plesant, staff are friendly and always there to help, what more can anybody ask for. Icmeler is a lovely place but staying at the Faber made our holiday that much more special and we are hoping to return again next year. Thankyou to all of you for making our holiday so special xx

7 readers found this review helpful

On arrival we were given a small ‘room’ in the attic on the 4th floor with no pool view and no seating/dining area to speak of. The room was very small for four people, and with no balcony/seating area we were unable to extend the living area into any outside space.
The bed for the children (a double sofa bed) collapsed several times during the course of our stay. It was broken in two places and we were informed that collapsing ‘was normal’.
The air conditioning (charged at £4 per day) was limited to the main bedroom only. It could only be used during the times the room was occupied via the key card. This meant that the room never got cooler than 30 degrees and was particularly hot during the day when we would have hoped to let the children rest or have lunch in the apartment.
Most nights, the children could not sleep on the sofa bed due to the continual collapsing problem and lack of air conditioning. More often than not, four of us were forced to sleep in a double bed which was totally unacceptable.
The half board option was a joke. On arrival we were handed a menu for the week which comprised: Monday – Chicken Curry; Tuesday – Beef; Wednesday – bbq; Thursday – meatballs; Friday – Fish and chips; Saturday – Spaghetti; Sunday – Chicken. On the half board basis, there was no other options for children, nothing for vegetarians, no starters or desserts, no drinks (not even water) and a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude. The portion sizes were small and the meal was basic and bland.
When we asked about varying what was on offer, we were informed that we would have to pay extra money – even for water, green salad or fruit. On the evening of the bbq’s we were asked to pay a non-optional upgrade to fit in with the rest of the guests who were staying on a room-only basis.
During the course of the holiday we were treated as second class citizens compared to all the other guests because we were not paying per meal (ie no service charge).
Due the above, we were forced to ‘upgrade’ on several occasions for a better meal or ‘choice’ and consequently we were completely ripped off… a single rasher of bacon at breakfast was charged at 5 Lire – and yet the other guests were only paying 6 Lire for a full English breakfast. We received no receipts and came to the conclusion that the ‘chargeables’ were pocketed.
The Farber is loud, vulgar and poor quality. We would not recommend it for a family holiday.

7 readers found this review helpful

I am sorry to say that on my first visit to Turkey my holiday was ruined by staying at the Faber Hotel.
I just did not like this hotel because of the clicky pool atmosphere created by the staff sucking up to anyone who parted with the most money on food and drinks. I find all the 'high fives', loud music on request and all the other rubbish they come out with very false.
We felt alien to this place by the end of the 2 weeks and just couldn't wait to leave.
Go to Turkey. Go to Icemeler. Avoid the Faber.

5 readers found this review helpful

Went to the Faber with Jet2 have to say although dubious about the booking with them I have to say the company as a whole and their organisation were second to none.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the Faber Apartments we experienced exactly the same reception from the staff as Ray. We arrived on the friday night and were put in the attic room with two double beds I have a daughter of 17 and a son of 15 and they expected them to sleep together so we complained and they did move us. The double bed settee in which myself and my husband were to sleep was broken we reported this to reception on three seperate occaisions over three days nothing was done so I rang the Jet 2 agent Christianne she was brilliant and had it sorted within 5 minutes. The hotel staff came and had ago at us for ringing the agent and from that day on we were effectively sent to Coventry by a majority of the staff. During our stay we found the shower tray did not drain the shower head was broke and the key mechanism broke on a number of occaissions. The apartments are supposed to be self catering but the microwaves have been removed and there isn't even a toaster we assume this is a ploy to get you to spend your money at the pool bar.
We have been to Icemeler 7 times and this was by far the worst place we have stayed in.
Icemeler is a fantastic place and we will be returning next year but needless to say not to the Faber.

7 readers found this review helpful

Read lots of highly complimentary reviews about the Faber apartments before booking. Have since found the less enthusiastic reviews to which I am going to add mine. The good points are that the apartments are very well furnished and spotlessly clean with good housekeeping services,the pool is deep and well maintained and the sunbeds are comfy (if you can get one - most of the Brit brigade when we visited were out as early as 6am claiming their territory with towels). When we arrived we were told that we were a day early and to "come back at noon tomorrow". We later heard of many others who had also been told this - some had slept by the pool the first night. Apparently this is a common event at the Faber apts. (How many tour operators book a 13 night holiday?!). If you are given an "attic" room instead of a proper apartment make sure you complain loudly until you are moved. New arrivals are commonly filtered through the substandard, tiny, boiling hot attic rooms and are left there unless they can be very assertive. Some guests rave about the staff here and even get a staff ovation as they leave. Staff are very good at making people feel special .... but only if you spend a lot of your money on pool drinks and eating most meals in the restaurant. If you wish to get out and explore other eateries the staff will ignore you. Finally - noise. Pool bar staff play top volume dance music out to the pool most of the time. When asked why they said "to wake everyone up". In reality this meant that if the music is loud enough to stop guests enjoying any form of relaxation (inlcuding chatting or reading) they are left with only one option, to wander into the bar and .... spend more money. Bar staff are on commission and this has a profound affect on the pool area. Sometimes they swap music for loud, live football commentary. Lastly, we ate at the restaurant once to try and placate the staff but in our opinion the food was poor. All six meals were low standard and the "chicken plank" was exactly as described! Many Brits seem to love the Faber and it's nice to hear that they have had a good time but these apartments were not for us.