Если вы решились поехать с малышом If you decide to travel with a baby

Dolphin nerd without embellishment through the eyes of a mother with a small child. There were so many positive comments about Botanika on the Internet as an exclusively family-oriented hotel and almost the best in Alanya that I would like to add something that, unfortunately, is recognized on the spot. And what is still worth knowing before the trip.
Beach.
Pebbles are too aggressive even if you are wearing special slippers. By the 3rd day, the desire to endure the agony of entering the water and moving along the beach completely disappears. This is especially true for those who are used to the sandy beach, like me. And the child (1y9mes) who saw the sea for the first time because of all this completely stopped looking towards the beach. Attempts to bring him into the sea always ended in a scream. By the way, I heard from the staff that Botanica has the deepest entry into the sea in those places and in general the depth is the largest in this area - 5 km, hence the water temperature is much colder than in neighboring hotels and in Botanica, the sea simply does not manages to warm up. And all the parents "caringly" try to dip the baby into the coldest water, from here coughing and snotty children are all over the place

I was in Alanya on the municipal sandy beach - not a single pebble and the water is just like milk (cannot be compared with the cold sea Botanica) and the children there on this beach go into the sea with pleasure and build sand castles. I dwell on this in particular detail, so that parents with kids think seriously when taking their kids here. Why they should choose this or another hotel and what the child will really lose.
As for the baby running along the Botanica beach, especially on the pebbles (since it is supposedly very useful for the child’s legs), under the scorching sun the stones become so hot that it is impossible to stay on them, the only way out is to buy a small inflatable pool and put it next to the sunbed, but since this is a popular product at the local bazaar in Alara, we could not buy it on our trip - there was none. So, comrade parents, buy in advance in Russia.
As an option, climb into the sea from the pier, but at the time of our arrival there was a storm the day before (as I understand it, a frequent phenomenon here) and the pier was dismantled. Despite the calm weather, it was restored only on the 4th day. But such a paddling pool always hung around the ladders from the pier that such an entry did not particularly please the adults.
Sunbeds.
Do you want to be the owner of a nice sunbed in a convenient place on the beach or in a hotel? - then your fate is to occupy him at 5.6 in the morning, and then guard him until 8 in the morning, otherwise German hotel friends, coming to the sunbeds occupied until 8 in the morning (according to the rules of the hotel, sunbeds are not occupied until 8 in the morning), they simply throw off your things and brazenly arrange themselves. As a result, by 10 am (when you usually go out with your child to sunbathe after breakfast), there is nothing left but to wind circles on foot around the picturesque hotel.
Pools.
On the territory of the hotel there are 2 children's small pools, an awning is installed, so that the kids are comfortable. The diameter is about 6 meters, the depth is 40 cm. BUT these pools are terribly chlorinated and then the eyes of the kids become inflamed, and if there is an allergy or diathesis, then all this is greatly aggravated by bleach There are no slides with fountains inside the pool, there are only the simplest slides on the shore.
Kitchen.
We chose the hotel as having a special children's table.

The children's table was constant from day to day (like groundhog day) and included semolina porridge (very good), oatmeal, diluted dry mashed potatoes, boiled chicken and overcooked vegetables (broccoli, carrots, Brussels sprouts). The blender is standing nearby, but none of the staff wash it after use, it’s not very pleasant to cook in what was before you. In addition, I observed how parents used the blender for older children, mixing adult food for them, including strong spices, sauces, ketchup and mayonnaise, etc. With an unwashed blender, such a set of products for babies is just a blow to the stomach; Friends went to a nearby hotel to visit, so there is a special kitchen for mothers, where they themselves can prepare food and formula for babies, and dishes can be ordered in advance, very convenient, and the dishes are correspondingly clean.
There was no special sour milk for babies. Juices are also all oriented towards adults and mostly from packages. So take children's juices on the road.
From such a food "variety" the child generally refused to eat and switched to simple, unpretentious carbohydrates - bananas and bread; Since we really did not want the child to die of hunger, my husband and I made such a compromise and fed our son with bread and bananas. I tried, of course, to shove these tasteless vegetables into him, but my son raised such a cry that the whole hall hated me, because everyone was very sorry for the poor child, who was mocked by his mother and did not give him another tenth piece of bread
The conclusion was sad for us, but objective - in such a heat, we must bear in mind that the taste preferences and appetite of children change a lot and you cannot expect that everything will be like at home. And therefore, it makes no sense to bother at the hotel solely because of the baby food available in it. Bananas and bread - there is in any hotel; Well, you can always take a diluted formula or baby milk with you. If you treat children with local fruits, even the local doctor advised us not only to wash them with boiling water, but to cut off the whole skin in order to avoid intestinal infections.
If you need to dilute the mixture, ask for a kettle at the reception upon arrival and you can boil and defend local drinking water in it, which is always in the mini bar (free of charge). But the advice is to first boil it with soda, since many compatriots mercilessly boil hot rollers in it; Or take a kettle.

During the meal in the common room there are always highchairs for children, this is not a problem. Only they are of such a design that they periodically develop from especially active children, so do not leave your child unattended in a high chair while you go for food. Well, if you have bactericidal wipes with you, once again wipe the table at this chair, the waiters wipe them with common rags; Well, about fruits - there is a wide variety - plums, apricots, apples, oranges, melons, bananas, cherries, watermelons. The only thing missing was strawberries. We were told that it was not the season. Although it was sold at the local market throughout our holiday;
Number.
For some reason, I expected that the room would have carpet (I saw it in the pictures), but they explained to me that not so long ago the hotel was reconstructed and now there is linoleum, the little one had to put on socks so as not to catch a cold, but he slipped in his socks; so I ran mostly in sandals.
A crib was also given out upon request upon check-in. In fact, this is an arena, but very comfortable and safe. They also give out special children's underwear, a mattress, a blanket and a pillow (children's underwear is also periodically changed).
Cleaning in the room is purely Turkish and does not involve washing the age-old dust under the bed. So either use a cloth yourself, or look for a maid and promise her mountains of gold so that she can master this feat. Although if your maid does not speak English and Russian, this is not easy to do. Another interesting fact is that the maids like to clean from one to four in the afternoon, respectively, during the children's daytime sleep, it is very inconvenient. Therefore, either skip cleaning, or negotiate with the maid for a tip, so that she does the cleaning at a convenient time for you.
Laundry was also a discovery. Although we went to the local village for powder (since children's clothes, panties and T-shirts have to be changed very often), we did not succeed in drying the first batch of laundry on the balcony. The hotel has very high humidity, and given our shady building, the sun on the balcony was enough in the morning for several hours and it was clearly not enough, and by the next day the linen was already damp with a specific rotten smell; so take as many clothes for the child to put on, and put in a bag, I take out a new one;

Yes, regarding the hotel buildings. For small children, our Tropics building is very suitable, the quietest, especially if the window is on the shady side (not on the neighboring hotel). But the shadow side, as I wrote earlier, immediately has the problem of non-drying things - choose for yourself; Still, the Rosa building seems to be well located, but there are windows to the hotel amusement park, and this is a stable noise background until 22.30. And of course, don’t settle for the Park building for any money, where under the windows there is a terrace for eating food (these are always noises and smells during cooking and music). To the dignity of the Botanist, they listen to your wishes for accommodation in the building with the baby. We were given several keys to different rooms in different buildings so that we could make our choice. And all this even without material motivation; By the way, I heard that the square rooms are the largest in the Park. But even in smaller buildings, taking into account the children's bed, there is still enough space.
In terms of soundproofing, I read here that you can hear everything that is said in neighboring rooms, mentally prepared for the worst. But I didn’t notice anything like that, although families with children were our neighbors. Everything is within the normal range. By the way, even the volume of the TV in the hotel is fixed and you need to reprogram the remotes if you want it louder;
As for the air conditioner, we didn’t even turn it on at night - there was no sweltering heat, but the possibility of catching a child’s cold was much higher. I wouldn’t say at all that it was hot in the room, as if it wasn’t Turkey outside the window.
In general, the number itself does not pull on a five-star;
Entertainment.
Children's animation Botanica is really impressive. Mainly due to the shock work of the chief of children's animation. But one is not enough for everyone. The rest of the girls in the mini-club are very passive and mediocre. And the animation is designed for children at least 4 years old. Up to 4x - animate yourself. In the kids club you will not stand on ceremony - entertain the baby yourself. The mini club has balls, pencils, oil paints and construction kits. But all this was clearly not subjected to any sanitary treatment. Although the places of accumulation of children are a continuous exchange of bacilli, the younger the child, the easier he picks up any garbage. Therefore, whether to play in a miniclub with yearlings - think more than once and better take bactericidal wipes if you have already decided.
The older children were delighted with the animation. Both in the morning and in the evening they were busy with thematic programs. And during the day they could even sleep on the second floor of the miniclub, while the linen on the beds is always fresh.
The only thing I heard other parents complain was that children's animation should be divided by age, because 5-year-olds are embarrassed to dance and play with much older children. Maybe that's a smart idea.

The water park is mainly for children over 3-4 years old. There is one slide where mothers slide down with yearlings, but the current on the slide is so weak that often such parents just get stuck and move down very slowly, almost dragging themselves. Agree with the kid to linger on the hill for so long is not at all safe, someone can always crash from behind.
Luna park. There are no complaints here. Great! We especially liked the attraction "The Train", where the accompanying animator loves children and constantly comes up with interesting tricks for them and the children get along well with him.
Health care.
A doctor is on duty at the hotel, but not for insurance, but for a “symbolic” 50 euros. If it comes to calling a doctor, first use the services of a doctor under an insurance policy. We had the Ingosstrakh company and the operator TEZ TOUR. I was surprised at the speed with which the issue was resolved. A call from the reception to the Antalya number indicated in the insurance, where the Russian-speaking operator asks you about everything and offers you to wait in your room. After 15 minutes, the doctor from the reception calls the room and says that he is already standing at the entrance to the hotel and offers to go with him to the hospital for an examination. The doctor speaks tolerable Russian. The hospital is a 5-minute drive from the hotel, where everyone will be examined and immediately given free medicine and taken back to the hotel.
The only significant minus is that they don’t flirt with diseases there like in our hospitals and offer antibiotics right away, and this is the killing of the entire intestinal flora; So you can take a first aid kit with you in case of all misfortunes and, knowing the diagnosis from the doctor, try to taxi yourself;
The territory of the hotel.

This is what I would like to end with. This is really a great advantage of the hotel. There is a lot of vegetation, everything is growing very well. It's a pleasure to show all this to the kids. Picturesque. Hence the special atmosphere in the hotel, there is no heat like on the street, wonderful fragrant air. But the glades are too decorative and fenced off, so if you have dreams of running there with a baby, then they look at it very askance. From living creatures for 2 weeks we saw only self-moving guinea fowls (there was no peacock). That's all.
In general, when leaving on a trip with a very small baby, think carefully about everything, what do you want from the trip and whether the Dolphin Botanist with its pluses and minuses will suit you in everything.
I hope my observations will be useful to someone in the preparation of the trip.