Your rating of this hotel:
7.0
from 10
Hotel ratings by criteria:
Rooms:
6.0
Service:
8.0
Cleanliness:
7.0
Food:
9.0
Amenities:
7.0
General impressions
Quite a decent hotel for Turkey with good food, normal staff, spa. Located in direct line of sight from the entrance to the national park and the Cave of Zeus - great places for nature lovers and hikers. The reserve has mountains, exotic vegetation, several well-equipped beaches, and a developed network of roads. Every evening in the hotel - live music. There is no animation, and there is no need. Two modest pools. Excellent Tuborg beer and local wines. Inexpensive shopping and a good local bazaar right there in the village, a decent selection of discount branded items in outlet centers near Sö ke. Nice resort town of Kusadasi. An abundance of inexpensive and tasty fruits, local wines and good olive oil. But - the cold sea in September, renting bikes is crazy, and even going to the "gym" is pointless. But a great free hammam. Fans of the free Internet will also be satisfied.
Hotel
The architecture of the hotel is nothing special, a T-shaped mid-rise building. The territory is not that very small, but not big. Two pools (one outdoor, the other small indoor in the spa). The outdoor pool was used only 1 time: not interesting, rest for stupid sloths and children. Yes, and unheated water is not very comfortable. Next to the pool there is a wide grassy area with sun loungers, tables, mats for lying, etc. In general, it looks pretty nice. The pool is carefully cleaned by hand every morning with a “vacuum cleaner”, and when the children broke the steel partition, it was promptly repaired in the evening.
Also outside the hotel there is a small parking lot for rental bikes, but I strongly do not recommend taking them: these are cheap teenage full-suspension bikes that seem to have never been serviced: there was not even a pump (! ) to pump up the tires; I am generally silent about the wrenches for tightening bolts.
It is clear that the gearshift mechanisms are worn out and half-broken, not adjusted, the brakes barely work, and on eight wheels - driving such a miracle on a steep road can be life-threatening. We foolishly still tried to ride these bikes to Millipark - and were very sorry, it was the torture of the Spanish Inquisition.
It's funny that chickens and chickens are constantly grazing on the territory of the hotel, no one is trying to drive them away. And, of course, the ubiquitous cats, they are just everywhere.
Inside the hotel, the number of "positions" is quite large. Firstly, these are two modern “soft” elevators, which also go to the “basement”, where the spa and gym are located, which are discussed below. Spacious bright dining room with a bar and several rooms, including outdoor tables. Spacious lounge with carpets, sofas and a separate bar (although I did not see it working, but this is not necessary with the presence of two other bars).
Quite advanced free Wi-Fi (for customers without their own device, paid access from the hotel computer) - modems hang in different parts of the hotel, so a subnet with good reception (up to 6 in total) can be found almost everywhere, including in a restaurant . It must be said that the passwordless (! ! ) net from the nearest fish restaurant is caught even on the beach of the hotel. The password for the hotel Internet can be obtained at the reception. The speed is average, in principle it allows you to make video calls via Skype, but sometimes the video may be interrupted. For a simple conversation - more than enough. By the way, you will quickly see that some sites (not just the ones you think of) are not accessible in Turkey. Censorship.
Games room with table tennis and volleyball court behind the hotel. Balls and a ball for the game are given without problems. Massage chair (somewhat worn and paid).
The hotel also has a small boutique, but for obvious reasons I don’t see the point of buying anything there.
About the gym, you can immediately say that there is nothing to do there. Very poor equipment, and what is, barely serviceable. This is a big negative for the hotel.
But the spa is already something worthy of attention. It occupies almost the entire "basement" floor, consists of several massage rooms, an aromatherapy room, a vitamin bar, a couple of saunas, an excellent hammam with an indoor pool. A Turkish bath attendant, the "manager" of all this household, is constantly on duty on the floor. He also conducts massage, scrubbing and other paid procedures.
Hammam, who does not know, is a Turkish bath, a kind of spacious marble room with “wash basins” and ladles for dousing in the walls and a central “bed”. It's not hot there, like in a sauna - just warm and humid, you can sit for hours. Here the attendant performs washing and other paid water procedures.
Simple access to the hammam and swimming pool - completely free at any time of the day. The sauna seems to be paid, but we went in a couple of times and so - no one disturbed us. Showers, toilets - all this is also there.
Number
The room is the most ordinary, with a free safe (although we used it, but somehow stupidly, often leaving money, phones, and an expensive SLR right on the table / in the drawer - no one, of course, was going to steal anything) , a small LCD TV (completely unnecessary, because it “sees” only about 10 channels, of which one is Russian news and, for some reason, Israeli for Russian-speaking Christians).
An ingenious system with a smart room key: it also turns on electrical appliances and lighting, and in the door lock, if it is not closed, an alarm goes off.
The door in the closet was broken (didn't close), and that's okay.
Air conditioning is an absolutely necessary thing, but it would be nice to have instructions for it.
I had to figure out exactly how to set up the desired mode (and there are a lot of them and in a variety of combinations) by typing. This model has not been found on the Internet. Also, do not forget that the air conditioner will not turn on until you close the balcony door. There is a mini-fridge, of course.
The bed is good, large, the sheet is smooth "silk", two thick "waffle" blankets, everything is clean.
Between the bed and the window, they managed to cram even a fairly large and comfortable easy chair. There is also a soft round bench. There were two plastic chairs on the balcony, but, alas, we didn’t have a table: we used the table in the room.
Bathroom - as usual in inexpensive hotels. Shower cubicle - with closing hermetic doors, water pressure is very good, the temperature is up to hot. Several branded bottles of shower gel and shampoo. Hairdryer, telephone - all this is present. No problem with toilet paper.
The trash can in the bathroom, as almost always in hotels, is tiny and not at all designed for the fact that you will eat fruit in the room, drink brought drinks, throw away packaging from things, etc.
Which number to choose - see for yourself. For example, rooms with sea/mountain views without closing the balcony door are very noisy due to the proximity of the pool and evening music.
Staff
In general, the staff is good, polite, smiling, ready to listen to a request, wish or help. At our request, the receptionist called and clarified when the minibus (dolmush) we needed would pass nearby, or even ordered it for a certain time. He can also call a taxi. Remark: don't even try to speak Russian, this is not a "Russian" hotel. Basic English or German will suffice.
The young waiters in the dining room are impressive - they are very agile, you barely have time to finish your meal, they are already cleaning the dishes, instantly changing the stained tablecloths, deftly carrying whole mountains of dishes and at the same time they are well trained. The bartenders are also quite good.
As for tips: we left on the bed a dollar from the nose every 2-3 days. The maid at the meeting politely thanked, but it is difficult to say whether this affected the quality of cleaning. Linen and towels were changed quite regularly, the floor could have been washed better. I also wished that the mirror in the bathroom was cleaned at least occasionally.
In recent days, change was poured into the tip box at the reception, which caused genuine amazement and many warm thanks from the staff. As they say, a trifle, but nice.
Contingent
Pretty diversified. Romanians, Germans, Dutch. Lots of Poles. As we were later told in confidence, the hotel is "Turkish" and "not for Russians", which was only half confirmed.
There are really a lot of Turks resting there, and although at the beginning there was only one couple of ours, by the end of the rest the “rule” was completely refuted - almost a fifth of all the guests were already Russian. By the way, the old hackneyed tale about "uncivilized, always drunk and fighting Russians" was also refuted. If anyone was boozing and rowdy, it was completely brainless Polish teenagers and adult Germans and Dutch, who seized on "for three whole days" to free alcohol. All Russians behaved very decently and did not stand out among the normal public.
And the Turks on an all inclusive vacation, it turns out, perfectly use not only beer, but also much stronger drinks. Here are the Muslims.
Nutrition
As already mentioned, this is a big plus for the hotel. The food is quite varied, tasty, dishes often change. Particularly large selection for dinner.
In addition to main courses, tasty vegetable soups are constantly offered daily. In general, the emphasis is on vegetable dishes (although lovers of meat and fish will not be dissatisfied) - there are a lot of them, and often you don’t know what to choose. A very decent selection of different kinds of salads, sauces and just fresh chopped vegetables in different combinations. Crazed with abundance and freebies, fresh guests often pick up huge plates and leave half as a result. While children in Africa are starving.
Fruit selection is not very large, but quite sufficient: watermelon, apples, pears, grapes. To whom it is not enough - go to the nearest shop at the central intersection, there is nothing there. And whoever is not too lazy to go to the local bazaar will get a prize at all.
Sweet-toothed people are also not offended: starting from lunch, there are always at least 6 types of cakes - “impregnations” and all kinds of biscuits, as well as a huge chic biscuit-cream cake, several sweet “fillings” - from honey to jam from rose petals. Well, of course - yoghurts, muesli with milk, etc. Very strong ready-made Turkish tea from "titanium", quite decent drinks from instant coffee in the machine.
Fresh Turkish bread with a crispy crust and the softest white flesh is a delight and an indispensable component on the table. The Turks themselves love it very much, it is sold there at every corner.
In general, there are absolutely no problems with food, any guest will be satisfied.
Beach
Beach towels (beach towels) are issued at the reception on the day of arrival for free, but do not forget to specifically ask for this.
The hotel itself (although it is not fenced in anything) the beach is located about a hundred meters from the hotel, right next to the houses of local residents.
The beach is very small (although there was surprisingly enough space for everyone - and there were no lovers of "filling the place"), sandy. But you can’t go straight into the sea here: a concrete breakwater and a bottom made of stones, walking on which is very painful; it hurts to look at those who want to make sure, especially at the slightest wave. Therefore, they enter from the pontoon, which, however, is not a problem at all and is even convenient due to the presence of inclined gangways with steps and railings.
A “minibar” has been operating on the beach since about 9 am - hired local teenagers pour (free of charge) chilled water, soda or beer (Tuborg in bottles) for those who wish. It is clear that the latter is in especially high demand among vacationers; Gentlemen, Polish teenagers did not part with a sweet bottle at all.
The beach offers a pleasant view (especially at sunset) of the mountains and forests of the neighboring Millipark and the Greek island of Samos.
In the morning here you can see the boats leaving the cruise from the local "port".
But the sea in September, as mentioned above, is chilly, the Poles entered by crossing themselves - apparently, the beer was not warm enough, and nothing stronger was poured on the beach. Of course, the body still quickly gets used to it, but lovers of the warm sea may not like it.
Sights visited
Guzelcamli village
This, if anyone forgot, is where your hotel is located : ). Quite a cozy "semi-resort" urban-type settlement, interesting in terms of seeing how the locals live. As everywhere near the sea, it consists of many "villas", that is, country houses with all amenities and a mandatory system of solar water heating. The houses are small, often three-story, that is, on each floor there is a little bit of everything - here is a kitchen, here is a living room, and here is a bedroom.
Almost always there is a large balcony (sometimes its area is comparable to the area of the room), often even with the ability to put a barbecue. The Turks are very fond of sitting on the veranda in a long rocking chair. Especially often they can be seen on the balconies of the whole family in the evenings. In general, they know how to live.
Entire neighborhoods, the so-called sitesi, are built up with such "villas", each with its own name and, often, its own fenced area with internal paths illuminated at night. Sometimes there is a “communal” swimming pool inside such a quarter, and houses are invariably buried in greenery and flowers - it is not customary to plant potatoes near the house, it is not necessary, and the land plots are tiny, they are purely for decoration. On many of these houses there are signs “for sale” or “for rent”, but so many of them have been built that they will be sold for another 100 years.
Every site free from melons and plantations (mainly olives and tangerines) is built up, which occupy almost all land here. Abandoned lands were not seen; if the site is empty, then it is usually also sold for development.
The town itself is small, life is focused in the center. A very convenient network of minibuses-dolmush, traveling to all the surrounding cities and villages, always with a price list posted in the cabin that is understandable to everyone. Moreover, local residents are always willing to give information or advice, show the way. Very friendly people.
In the evening, walking around the town is completely safe even on the most remote streets - however, there is not much to do there, because it is dark and empty. In the central cafes and restaurants, the Turks like to sit on the street, recklessly playing a game like dominoes unknown to me or watching football matches, because football is very respected here.
There are many stray cats and rather large dogs, which, however, are completely non-aggressive.
In the center there are many small shops and shops, there are also supermarkets - quite convenient for buying small things. And, next to the center, somehow on a morning walk, quite unexpectedly, a real Turkish (not for tourists) bazaar was opened with a huge abundance of the freshest and cheapest fruits, vegetables and spices.
By the way, tangerines and pomegranates grow right on the streets, and no one forbids picking and eating them. By the way, the local pomegranates are sweet, in contrast to the sour meat sold in the homeland.
It is most convenient not to change money (by the way, we did not see exchange offices in the village), but to withdraw it from the card. To do this, in the center, literally a hundred meters from the hotel, there are as many as three ATMs of different banks, the menu even has Russian. In Kusadasi, Soke, etc. , of course, there is no shortage of either exchangers or ATMs.
It is possible to pay in foreign currency in some places, but this is not accepted, and it is unprofitable - there are Turkish liras, period.
Advanced bourgeois tourists immediately rent a car or a scooter, but keep in mind that in addition to money, you need to have a license. They won’t even give you a scooter without a license, it’s checked. By the way, almost silent electric scooters are becoming more and more common.
One evening, while walking near the cave of Zeus, we accidentally got to a real Turkish wedding, which was played on a green meadow, which is under the auspices of a local restaurant, the old man whose owner we met on the last race. It is curious that at the wedding there is light, and music, and toastmaster, and there are many guests, but all the tables are empty, no treats are provided - you must come already full or order yourself on the spot.
Millipark
A wonderful place that has already been written about a lot.
Here you can just walk, breathing the air saturated with many exotic plants, you can swim on one of the beaches, or you can climb the mountain.
True, the issue of delivery of the body is acute. I already wrote about the sad experience with hotel bikes. In principle, you can ride a minibus (they often go there) - just keep in mind that the minibus does not go throughout the entire peninsula, but, as I understand it, up to the second or third beach. You won't get much walking in the heat. It’s possible, like us, who bravely rushed to storm the Canyon by taxi, but it’s not cheap, although we must pay tribute: there are excellent brand new Renaults in the taxi, and the taximeter works properly.
"Canyon" is a specially designed official tourist trail with a separate entrance from the road, located a few kilometers from the entrance to the reserve. The trail continues uphill with a slight slope.
Very beautiful, there is something to see and photograph. Just keep in mind that the entire trail is a 6-hour walk one way (we walked a maximum of half and returned back), and clouds of flies and horseflies will not let you stop (there is a constant hum from millions of insects in the air all the time), constantly striving to bite you in any open place - they had to be driven away all the time with a branch. There is no civilization on the way, it is completely deserted, so if a wild cat rushes at you from a branch - your problems, you had to go with a group and a guide.
Along the way, in addition to beautiful mountain landscapes, you can see channels for diverting water during the rainy season, a number of animals up to wild boar (although we met only a squirrel), several sources with spring water, picturesque and scary dark corners of the forest with caves, grottoes and overhanging cliffs, a wide variety of plants (picked home an environmentally friendly bay leaf that grows everywhere here) and even ...a pool with running water, carved into the rock right next to the road. We never made it to the canyon itself...
Surprisingly, but after such a walk to the hotel itself, they walked, and nothing, they didn’t die.
Cave of Leuchtweiss Zeus
Also a wonderful place, located just a few steps from the hotel and the entrance to Millipark. We plunged there every day after the sea, there seems to be healing water. True, entering it is a certain heroism: the water is cold as ice.
But the place is quite popular with tourists; the folk trail will not overgrow there.
Kusadasi
The place is already familiar to us from previous trips, so we just went for a walk around the city, ate ice cream and drank a glass of lavazza in an expensive cafe on the waterfront (the one with red cushions on the chairs), admired the next megaliner that entered the port. Well, of course, we went to the famous bazaar. The town is certainly pleasant to live in.
shoke
How was it to visit Kusadasi and not stock up in the famous outlets! Right from the early morning, they “called” a minibus to Syoka from the reception and drove off. The outlet centers themselves are located near the city and are U-shaped complexes of large boutiques and supermarkets; each complex has its own number: 1.2, 3, etc. Inside each "letter P" - gas stations, restaurants, ATMs. Everything is thought out. The choice of goods is quite large, and discounts reach up to 80%.
There are both well-known world brands and Turkish good quality. There is even a huge lingerie store, including very sexy ones. We bought everything we wanted, and finally had a great lunch in an authentic Turkish restaurant, where we were received and served simply excellently, for which we received royal tips.
True, having passed approximately the 5th shopping complex and seeing the sixth one at a distance of about a kilometer along a bare highway without any pedestrian paths, they were somewhat confused, but boldly went forward, hung with many packages, along the side of the road under the scorching sun (do not forget the cap, otherwise you can hoard ! ). Having bought another pair of Lee jeans and a branded backpack for unloading packages with things in the last complex, we crossed to the other side of the highway and made the right decision to wait for the nearest minibus with the inscription “Soke”, and from there - straight home, to the hotel itself, because.
in Syoka there is a very convenient “station of minibuses” that go to all the surrounding cities and villages, and a special person present at each such station will kindly tell you which car to take. As you can see, nothing complicated, everything is for a person.
Aqua Fantasy
Since we have already visited almost all the other excursions in previous years, this time we decided to take tickets to the water park, since it has its own network of special minibuses that carefully collect tourists who bought tickets from all the surrounding hotels, and take them home in the evening. Very comfortably.
The water park turned out to be quite on the level, in fact, no worse than Dubai's Wild Wadi. There is also a "lazy river" that you can slowly float down while lounging on an inflatable ring, water attractions for almost every taste, including a pool with spectacular waves and a rich selection of restaurants.
True, unlike Wild Wadi, the presence of a metal key to the locker and the system of paying for additional services with a magnetic card are not entirely convenient: on some attractions they are asked to remove the key from their hands, and no one, of course, will go into the water with a card in swimming trunks.
There are no complaints about the rides themselves - everyone will find something to their liking. Let me just say that the seemingly unremarkable “blue” pipe turned out to be the most exciting, in which you fall almost vertically twice, that is, in zero gravity (ladies are not able to pass without screaming). Two pipes with darkness inside look scary only at first glance - but in reality there is nothing special. Terrible-looking "paths" along which you move out on a special mat also do not deliver anything special, except for a tub of water in your face.
The park has many separate "beaches" with sun loungers, a well-decorated area immersed in greenery.
As I said, a very good set of restaurants.
Fried potatoes with pepsi? You are welcome. Eating like a human being is also good.
There is a large percentage of Turks among the visitors - it is obvious that the water park is very popular with the locals. They look very funny when they get drunk on beer in a “wet” bar (cheap and cheerful) and try to dance on the benches to a killer DJ boom boom. By the way, this bar serves a good Sex On the Beach cocktail, I recommend it. But it's better to come in the absence of local disco dancers, because they won't let you sit quietly.
Quite a decent hotel for Turkey with good food, normal staff, spa. Located in direct line of sight from the entrance to the national park and the Cave of Zeus - great places for nature lovers and hikers. The reserve has mountains, exotic vegetation, several well-equipped beaches, and a developed network of roads. Every evening in the hotel - live music. There is no animation, and there is no need. Two modest pools. Excellent Tuborg beer and local wines. Inexpensive shopping and a good local bazaar right there in the village, a decent selection of discount branded items in outlet centers near Sö ke. Nice resort town of Kusadasi. An abundance of inexpensive and tasty fruits, local wines and good olive oil. But - the cold sea in September, renting bikes is crazy, and even going to the "gym" is pointless. But a great free hammam. Fans of the free Internet will also be satisfied.
Hotel
The architecture of the hotel is nothing special, a T-shaped mid-rise building. The territory is not that very small, but not big. Two pools (one outdoor, the other small indoor in the spa). The outdoor pool was used only 1 time: not interesting, rest for stupid sloths and children. Yes, and unheated water is not very comfortable. Next to the pool there is a wide grassy area with sun loungers, tables, mats for lying, etc. In general, it looks pretty nice. The pool is carefully cleaned by hand every morning with a “vacuum cleaner”, and when the children broke the steel partition, it was promptly repaired in the evening.
Also outside the hotel there is a small parking lot for rental bikes, but I strongly do not recommend taking them: these are cheap teenage full-suspension bikes that seem to have never been serviced: there was not even a pump (! ) to pump up the tires; I am generally silent about the wrenches for tightening bolts.
It is clear that the gearshift mechanisms are worn out and half-broken, not adjusted, the brakes barely work, and on eight wheels - driving such a miracle on a steep road can be life-threatening. We foolishly still tried to ride these bikes to Millipark - and were very sorry, it was the torture of the Spanish Inquisition.
It's funny that chickens and chickens are constantly grazing on the territory of the hotel, no one is trying to drive them away. And, of course, the ubiquitous cats, they are just everywhere.
Inside the hotel, the number of "positions" is quite large. Firstly, these are two modern “soft” elevators, which also go to the “basement”, where the spa and gym are located, which are discussed below. Spacious bright dining room with a bar and several rooms, including outdoor tables. Spacious lounge with carpets, sofas and a separate bar (although I did not see it working, but this is not necessary with the presence of two other bars).
Quite advanced free Wi-Fi (for customers without their own device, paid access from the hotel computer) - modems hang in different parts of the hotel, so a subnet with good reception (up to 6 in total) can be found almost everywhere, including in a restaurant . It must be said that the passwordless (! ! ) net from the nearest fish restaurant is caught even on the beach of the hotel. The password for the hotel Internet can be obtained at the reception. The speed is average, in principle it allows you to make video calls via Skype, but sometimes the video may be interrupted. For a simple conversation - more than enough. By the way, you will quickly see that some sites (not just the ones you think of) are not accessible in Turkey. Censorship.
Games room with table tennis and volleyball court behind the hotel. Balls and a ball for the game are given without problems. Massage chair (somewhat worn and paid).
The hotel also has a small boutique, but for obvious reasons I don’t see the point of buying anything there.
About the gym, you can immediately say that there is nothing to do there. Very poor equipment, and what is, barely serviceable. This is a big negative for the hotel.
But the spa is already something worthy of attention. It occupies almost the entire "basement" floor, consists of several massage rooms, an aromatherapy room, a vitamin bar, a couple of saunas, an excellent hammam with an indoor pool. A Turkish bath attendant, the "manager" of all this household, is constantly on duty on the floor. He also conducts massage, scrubbing and other paid procedures.
Hammam, who does not know, is a Turkish bath, a kind of spacious marble room with “wash basins” and ladles for dousing in the walls and a central “bed”. It's not hot there, like in a sauna - just warm and humid, you can sit for hours. Here the attendant performs washing and other paid water procedures.
Simple access to the hammam and swimming pool - completely free at any time of the day. The sauna seems to be paid, but we went in a couple of times and so - no one disturbed us. Showers, toilets - all this is also there.
Number
The room is the most ordinary, with a free safe (although we used it, but somehow stupidly, often leaving money, phones, and an expensive SLR right on the table / in the drawer - no one, of course, was going to steal anything) , a small LCD TV (completely unnecessary, because it “sees” only about 10 channels, of which one is Russian news and, for some reason, Israeli for Russian-speaking Christians).
An ingenious system with a smart room key: it also turns on electrical appliances and lighting, and in the door lock, if it is not closed, an alarm goes off.
The door in the closet was broken (didn't close), and that's okay.
Air conditioning is an absolutely necessary thing, but it would be nice to have instructions for it.
I had to figure out exactly how to set up the desired mode (and there are a lot of them and in a variety of combinations) by typing. This model has not been found on the Internet. Also, do not forget that the air conditioner will not turn on until you close the balcony door. There is a mini-fridge, of course.
The bed is good, large, the sheet is smooth "silk", two thick "waffle" blankets, everything is clean.
Between the bed and the window, they managed to cram even a fairly large and comfortable easy chair. There is also a soft round bench. There were two plastic chairs on the balcony, but, alas, we didn’t have a table: we used the table in the room.
Bathroom - as usual in inexpensive hotels. Shower cubicle - with closing hermetic doors, water pressure is very good, the temperature is up to hot. Several branded bottles of shower gel and shampoo. Hairdryer, telephone - all this is present. No problem with toilet paper.
The trash can in the bathroom, as almost always in hotels, is tiny and not at all designed for the fact that you will eat fruit in the room, drink brought drinks, throw away packaging from things, etc.
Which number to choose - see for yourself. For example, rooms with sea/mountain views without closing the balcony door are very noisy due to the proximity of the pool and evening music.
Staff
In general, the staff is good, polite, smiling, ready to listen to a request, wish or help. At our request, the receptionist called and clarified when the minibus (dolmush) we needed would pass nearby, or even ordered it for a certain time. He can also call a taxi. Remark: don't even try to speak Russian, this is not a "Russian" hotel. Basic English or German will suffice.
The young waiters in the dining room are impressive - they are very agile, you barely have time to finish your meal, they are already cleaning the dishes, instantly changing the stained tablecloths, deftly carrying whole mountains of dishes and at the same time they are well trained. The bartenders are also quite good.
As for tips: we left on the bed a dollar from the nose every 2-3 days. The maid at the meeting politely thanked, but it is difficult to say whether this affected the quality of cleaning. Linen and towels were changed quite regularly, the floor could have been washed better. I also wished that the mirror in the bathroom was cleaned at least occasionally.
In recent days, change was poured into the tip box at the reception, which caused genuine amazement and many warm thanks from the staff. As they say, a trifle, but nice.
Contingent
Pretty diversified. Romanians, Germans, Dutch. Lots of Poles. As we were later told in confidence, the hotel is "Turkish" and "not for Russians", which was only half confirmed.
There are really a lot of Turks resting there, and although at the beginning there was only one couple of ours, by the end of the rest the “rule” was completely refuted - almost a fifth of all the guests were already Russian. By the way, the old hackneyed tale about "uncivilized, always drunk and fighting Russians" was also refuted. If anyone was boozing and rowdy, it was completely brainless Polish teenagers and adult Germans and Dutch, who seized on "for three whole days" to free alcohol. All Russians behaved very decently and did not stand out among the normal public.
And the Turks on an all inclusive vacation, it turns out, perfectly use not only beer, but also much stronger drinks. Here are the Muslims.
Nutrition
As already mentioned, this is a big plus for the hotel. The food is quite varied, tasty, dishes often change. Particularly large selection for dinner.
In addition to main courses, tasty vegetable soups are constantly offered daily. In general, the emphasis is on vegetable dishes (although lovers of meat and fish will not be dissatisfied) - there are a lot of them, and often you don’t know what to choose. A very decent selection of different kinds of salads, sauces and just fresh chopped vegetables in different combinations. Crazed with abundance and freebies, fresh guests often pick up huge plates and leave half as a result. While children in Africa are starving.
Fruit selection is not very large, but quite sufficient: watermelon, apples, pears, grapes. To whom it is not enough - go to the nearest shop at the central intersection, there is nothing there. And whoever is not too lazy to go to the local bazaar will get a prize at all.
Sweet-toothed people are also not offended: starting from lunch, there are always at least 6 types of cakes - “impregnations” and all kinds of biscuits, as well as a huge chic biscuit-cream cake, several sweet “fillings” - from honey to jam from rose petals. Well, of course - yoghurts, muesli with milk, etc. Very strong ready-made Turkish tea from "titanium", quite decent drinks from instant coffee in the machine.
Fresh Turkish bread with a crispy crust and the softest white flesh is a delight and an indispensable component on the table. The Turks themselves love it very much, it is sold there at every corner.
In general, there are absolutely no problems with food, any guest will be satisfied.
Beach
Beach towels (beach towels) are issued at the reception on the day of arrival for free, but do not forget to specifically ask for this.
The hotel itself (although it is not fenced in anything) the beach is located about a hundred meters from the hotel, right next to the houses of local residents.
The beach is very small (although there was surprisingly enough space for everyone - and there were no lovers of "filling the place"), sandy. But you can’t go straight into the sea here: a concrete breakwater and a bottom made of stones, walking on which is very painful; it hurts to look at those who want to make sure, especially at the slightest wave. Therefore, they enter from the pontoon, which, however, is not a problem at all and is even convenient due to the presence of inclined gangways with steps and railings.
A “minibar” has been operating on the beach since about 9 am - hired local teenagers pour (free of charge) chilled water, soda or beer (Tuborg in bottles) for those who wish. It is clear that the latter is in especially high demand among vacationers; Gentlemen, Polish teenagers did not part with a sweet bottle at all.
The beach offers a pleasant view (especially at sunset) of the mountains and forests of the neighboring Millipark and the Greek island of Samos.
In the morning here you can see the boats leaving the cruise from the local "port".
But the sea in September, as mentioned above, is chilly, the Poles entered by crossing themselves - apparently, the beer was not warm enough, and nothing stronger was poured on the beach. Of course, the body still quickly gets used to it, but lovers of the warm sea may not like it.
Sights visited
Guzelcamli village
This, if anyone forgot, is where your hotel is located : ). Quite a cozy "semi-resort" urban-type settlement, interesting in terms of seeing how the locals live. As everywhere near the sea, it consists of many "villas", that is, country houses with all amenities and a mandatory system of solar water heating. The houses are small, often three-story, that is, on each floor there is a little bit of everything - here is a kitchen, here is a living room, and here is a bedroom.
Almost always there is a large balcony (sometimes its area is comparable to the area of the room), often even with the ability to put a barbecue. The Turks are very fond of sitting on the veranda in a long rocking chair. Especially often they can be seen on the balconies of the whole family in the evenings. In general, they know how to live.
Entire neighborhoods, the so-called sitesi, are built up with such "villas", each with its own name and, often, its own fenced area with internal paths illuminated at night. Sometimes there is a “communal” swimming pool inside such a quarter, and houses are invariably buried in greenery and flowers - it is not customary to plant potatoes near the house, it is not necessary, and the land plots are tiny, they are purely for decoration. On many of these houses there are signs “for sale” or “for rent”, but so many of them have been built that they will be sold for another 100 years.
Every site free from melons and plantations (mainly olives and tangerines) is built up, which occupy almost all land here. Abandoned lands were not seen; if the site is empty, then it is usually also sold for development.
The town itself is small, life is focused in the center. A very convenient network of minibuses-dolmush, traveling to all the surrounding cities and villages, always with a price list posted in the cabin that is understandable to everyone. Moreover, local residents are always willing to give information or advice, show the way. Very friendly people.
In the evening, walking around the town is completely safe even on the most remote streets - however, there is not much to do there, because it is dark and empty. In the central cafes and restaurants, the Turks like to sit on the street, recklessly playing a game like dominoes unknown to me or watching football matches, because football is very respected here.
There are many stray cats and rather large dogs, which, however, are completely non-aggressive.
In the center there are many small shops and shops, there are also supermarkets - quite convenient for buying small things. And, next to the center, somehow on a morning walk, quite unexpectedly, a real Turkish (not for tourists) bazaar was opened with a huge abundance of the freshest and cheapest fruits, vegetables and spices.
By the way, tangerines and pomegranates grow right on the streets, and no one forbids picking and eating them. By the way, the local pomegranates are sweet, in contrast to the sour meat sold in the homeland.
It is most convenient not to change money (by the way, we did not see exchange offices in the village), but to withdraw it from the card. To do this, in the center, literally a hundred meters from the hotel, there are as many as three ATMs of different banks, the menu even has Russian. In Kusadasi, Soke, etc. , of course, there is no shortage of either exchangers or ATMs.
It is possible to pay in foreign currency in some places, but this is not accepted, and it is unprofitable - there are Turkish liras, period.
Advanced bourgeois tourists immediately rent a car or a scooter, but keep in mind that in addition to money, you need to have a license. They won’t even give you a scooter without a license, it’s checked. By the way, almost silent electric scooters are becoming more and more common.
One evening, while walking near the cave of Zeus, we accidentally got to a real Turkish wedding, which was played on a green meadow, which is under the auspices of a local restaurant, the old man whose owner we met on the last race. It is curious that at the wedding there is light, and music, and toastmaster, and there are many guests, but all the tables are empty, no treats are provided - you must come already full or order yourself on the spot.
Millipark
A wonderful place that has already been written about a lot.
Here you can just walk, breathing the air saturated with many exotic plants, you can swim on one of the beaches, or you can climb the mountain.
True, the issue of delivery of the body is acute. I already wrote about the sad experience with hotel bikes. In principle, you can ride a minibus (they often go there) - just keep in mind that the minibus does not go throughout the entire peninsula, but, as I understand it, up to the second or third beach. You won't get much walking in the heat. It’s possible, like us, who bravely rushed to storm the Canyon by taxi, but it’s not cheap, although we must pay tribute: there are excellent brand new Renaults in the taxi, and the taximeter works properly.
"Canyon" is a specially designed official tourist trail with a separate entrance from the road, located a few kilometers from the entrance to the reserve. The trail continues uphill with a slight slope.
Very beautiful, there is something to see and photograph. Just keep in mind that the entire trail is a 6-hour walk one way (we walked a maximum of half and returned back), and clouds of flies and horseflies will not let you stop (there is a constant hum from millions of insects in the air all the time), constantly striving to bite you in any open place - they had to be driven away all the time with a branch. There is no civilization on the way, it is completely deserted, so if a wild cat rushes at you from a branch - your problems, you had to go with a group and a guide.
Along the way, in addition to beautiful mountain landscapes, you can see channels for diverting water during the rainy season, a number of animals up to wild boar (although we met only a squirrel), several sources with spring water, picturesque and scary dark corners of the forest with caves, grottoes and overhanging cliffs, a wide variety of plants (picked home an environmentally friendly bay leaf that grows everywhere here) and even ...a pool with running water, carved into the rock right next to the road. We never made it to the canyon itself...
Surprisingly, but after such a walk to the hotel itself, they walked, and nothing, they didn’t die.
Cave of Leuchtweiss Zeus
Also a wonderful place, located just a few steps from the hotel and the entrance to Millipark. We plunged there every day after the sea, there seems to be healing water. True, entering it is a certain heroism: the water is cold as ice.
But the place is quite popular with tourists; the folk trail will not overgrow there.
Kusadasi
The place is already familiar to us from previous trips, so we just went for a walk around the city, ate ice cream and drank a glass of lavazza in an expensive cafe on the waterfront (the one with red cushions on the chairs), admired the next megaliner that entered the port. Well, of course, we went to the famous bazaar. The town is certainly pleasant to live in.
shoke
How was it to visit Kusadasi and not stock up in the famous outlets! Right from the early morning, they “called” a minibus to Syoka from the reception and drove off. The outlet centers themselves are located near the city and are U-shaped complexes of large boutiques and supermarkets; each complex has its own number: 1.2, 3, etc. Inside each "letter P" - gas stations, restaurants, ATMs. Everything is thought out. The choice of goods is quite large, and discounts reach up to 80%.
There are both well-known world brands and Turkish good quality. There is even a huge lingerie store, including very sexy ones. We bought everything we wanted, and finally had a great lunch in an authentic Turkish restaurant, where we were received and served simply excellently, for which we received royal tips.
True, having passed approximately the 5th shopping complex and seeing the sixth one at a distance of about a kilometer along a bare highway without any pedestrian paths, they were somewhat confused, but boldly went forward, hung with many packages, along the side of the road under the scorching sun (do not forget the cap, otherwise you can hoard ! ). Having bought another pair of Lee jeans and a branded backpack for unloading packages with things in the last complex, we crossed to the other side of the highway and made the right decision to wait for the nearest minibus with the inscription “Soke”, and from there - straight home, to the hotel itself, because.
in Syoka there is a very convenient “station of minibuses” that go to all the surrounding cities and villages, and a special person present at each such station will kindly tell you which car to take. As you can see, nothing complicated, everything is for a person.
Aqua Fantasy
Since we have already visited almost all the other excursions in previous years, this time we decided to take tickets to the water park, since it has its own network of special minibuses that carefully collect tourists who bought tickets from all the surrounding hotels, and take them home in the evening. Very comfortably.
The water park turned out to be quite on the level, in fact, no worse than Dubai's Wild Wadi. There is also a "lazy river" that you can slowly float down while lounging on an inflatable ring, water attractions for almost every taste, including a pool with spectacular waves and a rich selection of restaurants.
True, unlike Wild Wadi, the presence of a metal key to the locker and the system of paying for additional services with a magnetic card are not entirely convenient: on some attractions they are asked to remove the key from their hands, and no one, of course, will go into the water with a card in swimming trunks.
There are no complaints about the rides themselves - everyone will find something to their liking. Let me just say that the seemingly unremarkable “blue” pipe turned out to be the most exciting, in which you fall almost vertically twice, that is, in zero gravity (ladies are not able to pass without screaming). Two pipes with darkness inside look scary only at first glance - but in reality there is nothing special. Terrible-looking "paths" along which you move out on a special mat also do not deliver anything special, except for a tub of water in your face.
The park has many separate "beaches" with sun loungers, a well-decorated area immersed in greenery.
As I said, a very good set of restaurants.
Fried potatoes with pepsi? You are welcome. Eating like a human being is also good.
There is a large percentage of Turks among the visitors - it is obvious that the water park is very popular with the locals. They look very funny when they get drunk on beer in a “wet” bar (cheap and cheerful) and try to dance on the benches to a killer DJ boom boom. By the way, this bar serves a good Sex On the Beach cocktail, I recommend it. But it's better to come in the absence of local disco dancers, because they won't let you sit quietly.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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OTHER REVIEWS ABOUT THE HOTEL
- Like a grandmother in the village
- Nice quiet hotel
- Rebooking Montenegro. I wouldn't choose Akbulut myself
- Weak
- Hotel for an amateur
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