Elif Hotel

Just returned home from The Elif Hotel end of May 2008. The hotel is very basic and is need of some updating. The rooms are spacious and VERY clean. Shower had plenty of hot water everytime used and the room had FREE air conditioning. We were on the first floor (three floors in total), which was ideal, but I wouldn't like to be on the ground floor. We were on a bed & breakfast basis - Turkish breakfast which consisted of boiled egg, feta cheese, cucumber, tomato, olives, bread, jam and drink of your choice, which we enjoyed every morning. We only had one other meal in the hotel which was OK but as there are plenty of other Very Good restaurants nearby we decided to eat elsewhere. The hotel is under new management (since May 2008) and has nothing to do with the Blue Rainbow hotel as stated in many brochures. The Elif hotel is situated in a prime spot, right on the beach front and all the rooms have a sea view. Sunbeds on the beach are free if you go to the section of beach directly opposite the hotel - but the waiters in the hotel will tell you as they are between the hotel and the beach all day and will bring your drinks to the beach if you like. All of the staff at the hotel are lovely and friendly and will do anything for you. As stated above, the rooms were spotless and the cleaner was excellent. Although the manager is new, I feel that he has a lot to learn and things could be organised a lot better as the hotel is not used to it's full potential, but I would still use this hotel again.

Stayed in the Elif for a 10day holiday with my husband and inlaws. Although the breakfast was a bit hit and miss it actually made the hoilday as it gave us all a bit of a giggle, the rooms were unremarkable exceptioally clean and the cleaner was very good making the beds and decorating them with flowers etc. The views from our rooms were beautiful and we have requested them this year again. The staff were very friendly in the hotel and were helpful anytime of the day or night. The staff in the resturant at the front of the hotel are friendly but the food is a little to be desired but there are plenty of nice places to eat nearby. As a family we throughly enjoyed are holiday so much so we are all going back this September for 2 weeks taking our youngest daughter and her boyfriend and maybe next year with our grandchildren. Turkish people are some of the nicest people we have ever met, have been to several locations in Turkey including Olu Denis and I have to say Icmeler is one of the friendliest I have stayed in and hope to going back for a long time to come.

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Had best room in hotel, 401. Basic but very clean with outstanding views of bay. Very little draw space but OK. Plenty of hot water and clean towels. However, its up 6 (six) flights of stairs. 58 steps!!!!.
Problems started when we went for breakfast. First morning only 4 (four) cereal dishes available. Orange juice was yellow but that's about all. Butter had been left out and put away that many times it was rancid. To cool milk, staff put ice in the milk in the jug. Bread was cut but not all the way through, consequently guest had to maul the slices apart. Cups for tea, some had handles some not!!. THE ELIF DOES NOT SHARE FACILITIES WITH THE BLUE RAINBOW NEXT DOOR. ITS CHANGED HANDS AND IS A SEPARATE ENTITY!!!!
Second morning very similar. Staff had to be coerced from in front of the TV or off the pool table. Only one task could be completed at a time.
Third morning. surprise 12-14 cereal bowels. Trouble was only 4 spoons. I should say that the last time I used a sugar bowel similar to that in the Elif was on a wet Sunday morning on our local car boot. Milk jug had been rescued from similar car boot and had numerous shrapnel wounds.
Breakfast room was run by restaurant at front of hotel.
Cleaners were great, very friendly. To approach front entrance at night you have to transverse the Valley of Death, however, @ 12PM it all shuts off and its OK.

This hotel is basic but very clean and staff are very friendly and helpful. The hotel is not very big so you are not overcrowded by the pool. At breakfast there is plenty of choice.
I would definitely stay there again. The bar at the front is a bit expensive but they were very friendly as well and very professional.

What a brilliant hotel, it’s a bit basic, but for value, cleanliness and position the Elif is up there with the best.
There is nothing the staff wouldn’t do for you. The rooms are cleaned every day, the towels changed every day if you wish, then made into a flower design and covered with petals and placed on your bed for a nice surprise.
All floors have a sea view except ground floor but we were on second floor with a brilliant view of the whole bay.
Outside are the swimming pools, bigun for the biguns, litlun for the litluns, bigun is not to deep so the swimmers who don’t like to get out of their depth can have a good time and the litlun is only half metre deep so is safe for the litluns with supervision, plenty of shade as well.
Next thing is the Elif restaurant, can’t say a bad thing about this place. Food is second to none, the staff cannot do enough for you, and I have never seen anybody including the boss work so hard or dance so much for you, nothing but nothing is too much trouble.
Icmeler is a lovely place with plenty to do, nice beach, buses to get you about, water taxis to and a good selection of trips to go on.
As you may have guessed we had a lovely two weeks that will I am sure be repeated at sometime in the future and I hope this all helps you.

Stayed at the Blue Rainbow August 2006 (HB).
Really fantastic time. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Food ok. Hotel spotless, location for the beach and town is ideal.
Used the Elif bar mainly at night, and for the occasional meal, first class service throughout.
Have booked in the Elif (B&B.) for Aug 2007.
Every bar, shop, restaurant you go into is met with much the same friendly greeting; nothing appears too much trouble for any of the locals.
Music and entertainment shuts down at midnight, but that’s not much of a problem as you can stay drinking until the morning if you want to.
Nice beach, good water sports available, plenty of trips on offer, although some are quite long.

Elif hotel is very clean and staff are superb from the cleaners to the reception.
Hotel is basic but comfortable and very clean we had top floor room with stunning 360 degree views and roof terrace.
Breakfast was served at Blue Rainbow Hotel next door buffet style with a Turkish/German veal chips cake etc; you could really eat well enough but full English breakfasts was about £1 at nearby cafes and bars.
The Elif bar at the front of hotel was independently owned but prices were high and the staff although friendly tended to hassle you to eat there so spent most of the holiday avoiding them.
The Lion bar facing the Blue rainbow was the best for entertainment and staff never hassled you the floor shows by Scorpion and the waiters is not to be missed as true highlight to your holiday and can not wait to go back to Icmeler and the Elif Hotel.

The staff at this Hotel were the friendliest and helpful I have experienced
Rooms are basic but comfortable and cleaned every day by the maids who go out of there way to add little extras (bed covered with flowers and towels sculptured into swans).
Nothing is too much for reception staff we were upgraded for free to the roof apartment the views were spectacular as is from each room as all sea facing.
Across the road from Elif is the Lion Bar (best entertainment in Icmeler) We spent a lot of nights out eating etc; but always ended up back at the Lion where you must experience the floor show by Scorpio and the waiters for a true Turkish mixture of culture and modern dance.
The Belly dancing show by Scorpio is A1 and the street dancing and acrobatics by all staff is not to be missed a must do for any visitor.
Can not wait to go back as first time to Turkey and Icmeler.

This year was my family's first time in Turkey, and we absolutely loved it. The Hotel Elif was absolutely fantastic, very clean, very friendly staff. It was also situated in the best possible area, right near the beach, but still next to the bars and over the road from a decent store too! The area was good for everyone, as we went with a 6 year old, 9 and 11 year olds, 16 and 18 year olds and 35 year olds. That covers a lot of age groups, and every single one of us loved our holiday.
The Elif bar really made our holiday perfect, the staff were simply amazing people, so friendly! The Turkish night was a lot of fun, wouldn't miss it for the world!
We also really enjoyed the breakfasts at the blue rainbow hotel, we were a bit worried initially about them being Turkish breakfasts, but they where generally what we'd eat at home and they were delicious!
I'd give this hotel a 10/10 and recommend it to anybody of any age group!

The Elif Hotel is in a great location! Close to everything you need and the beach was a stones throw away (literally).
Our room had a beach view, and was very clean and comfortable with bath/shower and free air-con. Staff were all very pleasant. Breakfast was at the Blue Rainbow Hotel, with a Turkish breakfast served every morning.
The staff at the Elif bar are excellent! The food is great and one of the cheapest places to eat too! Its was also the staff there that made our family holiday to Icmeler so fantastic.
The scenery in Turkey is one of the best we've seen so hopefully we will go back next year!