Sumela Garden Hotel

The only things I liked were the beach and sea. The water was clean and pleasant, and in early September there was plenty of space and no trouble finding sunbeds. The rest of our week at Sumela garden hotel was a disappointment. The room didn’t resemble the photo and felt past its best, like the rest of the older hotel. It looked clean at first, but I was bitten in bed and woke with more bites the next morning. That continued for the whole stay. The bathroom didn’t look as if it had been cleaned either. Meals were a disaster: little choice, cold, unappetizing food, and the only thing I could really eat was dessert. Even the salads had less choice after the first days. The cupboards, cutlery and tables were dirty. Cats wandered around the restaurant, which made me uneasy about hygiene. Everything was buffet style, and guests had to push and scramble to get food. I know staff can’t control guests’ attitudes, but some coordination would help. I didn’t manage one proper meal all week. The noise was awful too. On Sunday, the DJ announced a disco at dinner, with the stage right beside the hotel. I thought quiet hours would start at 10:00 p.m.; the disco went to about 10:30 p.m. Then the hotel across the road started its own at 22:40. We also had very “empathetic neighbors above us.” Music carried on late into the evening and early morning all week, so bring earplugs. Buy them before travelling, since the pharmacies there don’t sell them. We went to a nearby shop when I was already hungry, only two days into the trip. Be careful with the shops, especially hotel shops that make money from tourists. Prices seemed similar to ours, but we paid €4 for 5 liters of water since tap water in Turkey isn’t potable. One coconut cost €9, and it was broken, so we threw it out. I wouldn’t use the pool again. After going in once, I had female problems. A nearby pharmacy didn’t understand me and sold allergy medicine, despite my using a translation app. I only got the right medicine at a second pharmacy. I don’t recommend this hotel.