Kleopatra Dreams Beach Hotel

Food poisoning on the day before my flight put a real damper on what had been an amazing trip. I’d be cautious about the chicken, though maybe I was just unlucky. I spent my last day in the room near the toilet, hoping I’d be well enough to fly the next morning. Apart from that, the hotel matched its website and Booking.com listing. My sea-view room was great, though the lock didn’t work and the shower leaked, neither felt like a big deal to me. The hotel’s food was nice, with different lunches and some changes to dinner and breakfast. The clean, sandy beach is a three-minute walk away, and shops on the Main Street are right there too. Light sleepers should bring earplugs. There’s a small market in the hotel complex selling cheap magnets, cigarettes, and designer bags. My Loveholiday agent, Gizem, welcomed me and gave me good trip tips. I tried an inexpensive safari and paragliding, both amazing.

The main pool closing at 5pm was a downside for me. It’s too hot to spend time there during the day, and evenings are much more comfortable, so I think the hours should change. The staff worked hard and were always willing to help. The hotel was clean and modern, and we could have lunch on both arrival and departure days even though checkout was before lunch. The food was tasty and there was a lot of it, maybe too much. Dessert portions could be smaller. My son and I had some stomach trouble, but I’m not sure it was from the food. With the high temperatures, I’d avoid dishes with sauce, mayonnaise, or cream desserts. I’d recommend the hotel as a place where you feel good and are well looked after.

We left with a very bad impression of the food and the “ultra all-inclusive” package. We paid extra, but only two cocktails were included at the beach bar, and they were the worst ones. The package covered only local, cheapest spirits, not things like Aperol or Jack Daniels. We’ve had ultra all-inclusive stays in other countries where everything was included, and this wasn’t like that. The food was low quality, repetitive, and mostly Western-style, though we’d hoped for Turkish dishes. There weren’t many proper meat options. I saw “turkey stews” more often than grilled food, and there was no shish or Adana kebab at dinner any day. Only on two separate nights was there grilled chicken or fish. Worse, both my partner and I became ill almost at the same time the day before we were due to leave. We’d felt fine all week and hadn’t eaten outside the hotel. On Thursday we had breakfast around 9:30, spent time at the indoor pool, then started feeling nauseous around 14:00. By 17:00 we were both vomiting, had diarrhea, and were shaking and sweating, so we called an ambulance. The hotel’s medical staff responded quickly and professionally, and we’re grateful for that. We spent the night in hospital and were just well enough to catch a flight the following evening. In normal circumstances, we would have needed another hospital night. Travel insurance is essential. While we were on IVs and couldn’t check out, staff packed our belongings and brought them to the hospital. I truly appreciate them going out of their way to help. There was also pressure to leave reviews. On our second day, a staff member asked us some questions about hotel service. We agreed, then they asked us to post reviews on TripAdvisor and another site right away using a QR code, while they waited. We said we’d only just arrived and had no opinion yet, but still felt pushed to write something positive at the table. If this is common, it could explain the inflated ratings, since guests may comply just to be polite. The staff and hotel itself were the only real positives, which is why they earned the two stars. The poor food, package limits, and serious illness overshadowed those positives. It was our first visit to Turkey, and the experience has put us off returning. I wouldn’t recommend staying here unless you book hotel-only and eat and drink elsewhere.

The staff were kind, positive, and ready to help, and there was a doctor on site. Rooms were tidy and had plenty of space for belongings. I also tried the fitness room and was pleasantly surprised: I could do the same workout I do at my gym back home. The pool area isn’t huge, but the beach setup is thoughtful, with a snack and drinks bar and lots of sunbeds. We’d booked a room a year ahead, but due to a technical issue it wasn’t available when we arrived. A very kind receptionist moved us into a lovely sea-view studio the next day and gave us ultra all-inclusive bands for our stay, so we were happy with the outcome. There’s a snack area open from 1am to 5am, which I’d never seen elsewhere, a big plus for me. Ultra all-inclusive guests can also use the Starbucks on the first floor for free. There were shows every day at 8pm. I especially enjoyed Mongolian Circus and the Magic Show. I’d mainly recommend this hotel to couples or groups of friends.