Park Galleria Hotel

We have just returned from Icmeler in Turkey where my husband & I stayed for a week at The Galeria Park Hotel. The location of the hotel is excellent, next to restaurants, shops, bars and only a 5 minute walk to nice beach.
The hotel staff are all really friendly and helpful. The maids clean the bedrooms and change the hand/bath towels daily, they even leave the fresh ones on the bed in pretty flower and heart patterns which is a nice touch.
My only negative points on this hotel is the lack of any entertainment, apart from a CD playing by the bar. It was advertised as having partial entertainment which included a turkish night and belly dancing but we saw none of this? My other negative point was the variety of food available. I had read the reviews beforehand so wasnt surprised by this. The breakfast was the worst, only cornflakes available or german salami and cheese strips, there were no toast facilites although a few days there was also sloppy scrambled egg or boiled eggs. Lunch was bit better, mostly meatballs or small burgers with either fries or noodles. Dinners were mostly chicken dishes with again either fries or noodles. The mid afternoon tea/coffee and biscuits were nice! Puddings were very sweet and mostly covered in sweet sickly treacle-like juice. Having said that there were plenty of reasonable eateries in area so we ate out a few times for a change. Overall the food was nice, just hardly any varierty. Please remember that food in Turkey is not served piping hot as they consider this an insult but it is cooked properly and served nice and warm.
The pool was nice and there always seemed to be plenty of sunbeds available.
Our room was in the main building and had adequate space for double bed, a further single bed and dressing table with tv on top. Bathroom was spacious and shower always had plenty of hot water. We had small balcony overlooking hotel next door.
I would recommend this hotel, it was nice for a 3 star, but if you are a fussy eater I would either book elsewhere or take extra money for eating out.
The day trips through reps are lots more money. We booked a boat trip through Johnny who runs a family boat business and can be found down on the walkway alongside the beach. He charges 20 turkish liera (about £9 each) for a day trip around the whole bay and has photos of everything for you to look at before booking. They pick you up from your hotel, when you arrive at the boat you choose a lounger on the top of the boat plus a seat/table downstairs. Lunch is freshly BBQ'd on board & was totally gorgeous. Fresh melon for afterwards. The lunch is included in the price, the payable extra's are icecreams and drinks but they were standard price and you werent harassed to buy any extras which made a nice change. They make 7 stops in local bay areas where you can get off & swim in the clear, warm sea. Because the boat only holds 30 people it was able to go inland more whereas the larger boats couldnt. The rep offered us a similar trip in large boat for £30 each and Im told food cooked on larger boats is frozen & not fresh.
Ladies - book an eyebrow trim at the turkish barbers, they do a great job and only charge about £2-3. My hubby fancied a proper turkish shave & another barber convinced me to have an eyebrow trim while I waited. Forget tweezers, it was like 2 pieces of cotton being twisted to quickly pull all the unwanted hairs from the whole area, even the tiny one's you dont see! Hubby was impressed with his foam shave too and afterwards they flash a flame across your face to eliminate all tiny facial hairs, hubby says you dont feel heat from flame, honest!
My hubby also treated himself to a turkish bath which consisted of heating the skin on marble to relax skin and muscles, scrub to exfoliate dry/dead skin cells, a body massage with oil then a swim and drink afterwards. Massage was only about 15 mins although they said it would be 30-40 mins. Again we booked this through local company direct and saved a fortune without going through rep. Hubby paid about £9 and whole procedure lasted about 2.5-3 hours.
Icmeler is a great resort, it has everything you need but if you are young and want a heavy nightlife then book Marmaris which is just down the road. Buses run very frequently from several stops in Icmeler to Marmaris and only cost 2 turkish lierer (about 90p). You can also just flag one down in passing. Marmaris marina is quiet and very pretty, it is just around the corner from the shops on the front. It boasts lovely tavernas, which serve fresh fish dishes, and overlook all the lovely yaughts. It is not over pricy and you can enjoy a cold drink in a very relaxing atmosphere.
Be prepared to barter for goods, you can generally buy most things 25% of price they originally ask for. If you really want something walk away if they wont reduce price much & they will often run after you and accept your last price offered. Wednesday market in Icmeler is great fun for bartering! Pls remember most designer bags, shoes and D&G clothing items available are copies so dont offer too much!
Happy holidays!
x

We read all the previous comments and warnings but still went ahead and booked the Galeria Park in Icmeler for 2 weeks. We went with the expections of a similar standard to the adjacent Oylum which we visited last year. This was also a 3 star on an all inclusive budget package.
When we arrived at 7am our room was not ready which was a dissapointment in that it was booked from the previous day at 2pm. We were offered a temporary room across the canal in the so called dungeons. This was a bit unfair but they were no way 3 star. Dark, depressing but functional and perhaps suitable for those who just want a bed for the night. This area needs alot of updating. Thankfully we were moved 6 hours later to the main building which is in a different class. Hats off to the staff who moved us this quick. Air conditioning is standard plus the cleaners came everyday and at least changed the towels.
The food. Well if you don't like continental and turkish breakfast you'll have to eat out. It's basic but ok. Lunch again is basic and turkish. Could get very boring after a week ! Forget this place if you or your kids are fussy eaters or don't like salads. Dinner is also mainly salads. Fresh and plentiful and safe to eat. We had no problems with the washed salads or ice in drinks. Limited selection of hot food but properly cooked. Recommend Amigos across the road for a cooked breakfast for 5 Ytl if you get bored. In fact there's just so many places to choose from to eat out. Just be wary of the buy one get one free scam on drinks ! It's not as it seems. We got stung at Antiks.
The drinks. We went on an all inclusive basis. Soft drinks are pepsi and local lemonade. Bottled water is free plus they put a bottle in your room everyday. The wine is watered down but the beer is good. As you near 11pm don't take the mick with getting the drinks in and you'll get served.
The pool is large enough with loads of loungers. Almost enough for all. We still had to get up at 7.30 to get one though. Not much entertainment for the kids. The staff are great and give you loads of respect if you make an effort with some turkish. Get them on side and you'll enjoy your holiday more. Don't forget they work 16 hours a day and 7 days a week so give then some slack.
The resort itself has definately got busier and noisier over the last year. Sometimes unbearably loud with adjacent bars fighting to see who can get the loudest. Yes the loud music stops at midnight but other than that Icmeler has now become a Marmaris or Benidorm. Sadly we won't be visiting Icmeler for a third time. It's lost its identity !
In summary you pay for what you get with no complaints other than very basic food. Most people we talked to couldn't understand all the previous complaints.

We had a great holiday at this hotel. We went all inclusive for a week and we couldn't fault anything. Everyone knows before they go that All Inclusive food can get a bit repetitive and might not be what you are used to at home but we loved this place. We are going back next year for 2 weeks and I can't wait.
The rooms were clean and tidy, the staff were friendly and helpful, the pool was nice and if you don't like the food you can eat at the two sisters which is the adjoining restaurant very cheaply. I would recommend this hotel to anyone.

2 readers found this review helpful

Well, first of all i have to make it clear that Turkey is a great place for holidays. Nice beach, sand, sunshine so on. everything we miss in London is available there.
And if I am asked to criticise the hotel, ermm...... well the best thing about the hotel is that the members of staff are very friendly. I have sooo much respect to Mr Selman who is the manager (there is another manager but that man never smiles. never says hello and i did not like him for real!), Osman (great chef), Hido, Omer, Gokmen(as I promised my brother), Derya (the receptionist - thanks for the help), Cuneyt, Mehmet (The catman:) - thanks for teaching me poker), Ercan, Mehmet (ex-receptionist - he is really safe), the young lady who cleaned my room and everyone else I forgot now.
The food was not bad but could be better. However, it was alright for a 3 star hotel. Drinks were ok.
The area I cut two points is the location of the room. If you do not stay in the main building then sorry mate. The rest would not possible able to meet your expectations. I did not like my room although it was very tidy and clean.
Overall. it was a nice holiday. I liked staff rather than hotel itself. They work harder than what you can expect. I had some nice time and recommend it to everyone who wants to have a good holiday with quite low budget.
Thank you very much for reading my comment.

After booking and reading the reviews on this hotel my friend and I were sceptical about what we were letting ourselves in for. On arrival we were told that our rooms were not available until the following day and were shown to a apart hotel a stone throws away which we could only describe as a hovel but were promised rooms with views of the pool on our return which we got, from there in it got much better. Clean rooms every day, fantastic air con, beautiful weather, very helpful staff and reps, lovely pool and al-fresco dining. Ahhh FOOD!! You get one choice or starve but dining outdoors was a delight. BE AWARE when the pool jet thingys come on at 7.30 leg it or you could find yourself at the back of a very long queue with people pushing and jostling for position. We chose to eat out every morning and some nights as food is very cheap especially at Richards Place 2 doors away( I promised I would give them a shout). On the whole it was a great holiday and the Galeria Park is located in a good position. I would go back to Icmeler again maybe even this hotel!!!

all i can say is that the people who have put 10/10 must not have had holidays to compare it with. We actually caught the hotel manager putting a review of hotel on when we were there surprise surprise. worst hotel i have ever stayed in and i have been to some places and hotels in my time. Only good thing i can say is it was clean and the staff were very friendly. The name the locals give this hotel is the galaria park hospital, what more can i say. Ismeler as a resort is fantastic would certainly go back to resort, turkish people are fantastic.

HI THERE ANYONE BOOKED THIS HOTEL,PLEASE DONT WORRY ABOUT THE REVIEWS ABOUT IT I VE HAD A GREAT TIME AT THIS HOTEL, BIG POOL, LOVELY AND COLD AND CLEAN WATER IN IT, WHICH THEY LITE UP WITH FOUNTAINS AT NIGHT WERE THEY SERVED TRADITIONAL TURKEY BUFFET,BASICALLY COLD SALADSLOADS OF CHOICE AT ONE TABLE, (CARROTS,BEETROOT(i lived on) THE EGG MAYONAISE THING WAS
GORGEOUS,WITH HOT FOOD, SOUP FOR STARTERS, TRY IT STRANGE STYLES BUT AGAIN LOVELY WITH FRESH SOFT BAGGETS EVEN BROUGHT BUTTER FOR IT IF YOU ASK!CHICKEN,POTATOE WEDGES,BEEF STRAGINOFF,CHICKEN KEBAB,CHIPS,LOADS OF CHOICES REALLY,BREAKFAST A BIT AGH,SALAD BUT CORNFLAKES,BREAD JAM ,COFFEE TEA,ORANGE,GRAPEFRUIT ALL CONSENTRATED WATERED DOWN.
ALL INCLUSIVE DRINKS A BIT DISAPOINTING, VODKA,GIN,WINE,RAKI.EVERYTHING ELSE YOU PAY FOR BUT DIET PEPSI IN ABUNDANCE!!ALL IN ALL GREAT ONLY A CD FOR ENTERTAINMENT THOUGH BUT THEY DIDNT WANT YOU TO DRINK THE BAR DRY ------LOL-- OH N STUPIDLY SMALL ROOM BUT YOU ONLY SLEEP THERE DONT YOU !TAKE IT IN TURN TO GET IN WARDROBE WE JUST LAUGHED!!!! HAVE A GOOD TIME WE DID

Me and my partner stayed at this hotel on a late bookin in august 2007. We loved every bit of it, food was ok but service was fantastic and people was friendly. close to beach and all local attractions. one of the best things if you have young children all the music from the local bars gets turned off at around 12am. Rooms are basic but are clean and beds get changed everyday.

My friend and i stopped at Galeria Park in June we add a fantastic time .Weather was brill hotel was very clean food basic but u wouldnt starve . Met a lot of nice people goin back next year with the family. All staff very friendly all happy too help. Free air conditioning was a god send also free bottle of water was placed in the fridge rooms were cleaned fresh towels changed every day.

There are some good things about the Hotel Galeria. The pool and the pool area are excellent, very clean with lots of sunbeds, sunshades, tables and chairs. There is also a large shaded area, with trees and shrubs, for those who do not want to spend hours in the sun. The pool bar is a very friendly place. The AI programme includes only beer, gin,vodka, raki and soft drinks, but this is normal for this class of hotel in Turkey.
The hotel consists of two buildings. The main building has very good rooms, with adequate balconies and, particularly on the "pool" side, good views. The other building, which is separated from the main hotel by a sort of canal or ditch and reached by a bridge, is desperately bad. We spent the first two nights here, in a room which can best be described as a dungeon. There were two small windows, below the level of the adjoining very smelly road and a "balcony" which enjoyed a view over a small area of scrub, which never saw the sun, with a wire fence about three feet away. The bathroom measured around 4 feet by 4 feet, including the toilet, basin and shower. It was almost impossible for us to shower and would be impossible for a larger person. We asked for a move to the main building and we eventually moved after 2 nights, thanks to the very helpful and charming receptionist and our excellent tour rep. We were not alone - most people in the annexe, especially on the road side, were desperate for a move. We had told the rep that if we could not "escape" the dungeon, we wanted to go to another hotel.
The food is simply, sublimely and consistently, awful. We have stayed at a lot of hotels in Turkey and Greece and do not expect anything wonderul, but this really dredged the bottom. We gave up on it after a couple of days and ate out in the excellent and cheap restaurants round and about. After all, the cost is not much more than B & B, so regard it as a sort of B & B with free drinks.
To summarise, if a room in the main building can be absolutely guaranteed, this hotel might be worth considering, despite the food but if there is any chance at all of a room at the annexe, forget it!