Gloria Serenity Resort - All Inclusive

We were four friends visiting Türkiye for the first time and had an incredibly bad experience. One guest had arrived from abroad for a meeting. When we tried to go up to the room for a preliminary discussion, they wouldn't let us in for an hour.

The greenery around @gloriahotels Antalya makes for a peaceful escape. You can hop on a buggy whenever you like and enjoy the landscape in comfort. For dinner, Riverlanding is a seafood restaurant by the river. There are fresh mezzes, and you can pick your fish from the display. The staff are attentive, and the meal fits the quiet riverside setting. At Gloria Hotels & Resorts, every detail is meant to make the stay memorable.

After more than 15 years visiting Gloria Golf and Serenity, including an annual trip for the last 3 years, I had a very unpleasant beach experience this year. It was impossible to find a free sunbed at any time of day. Guests left towels, books or swimming goggles to reserve beds all day, even when they only came for a couple of hours. There's a sign at the beach entrance saying this isn't allowed, and that belongings left to reserve beds will be taken to guest relations. I relied on that policy and went to a row of about 15 empty loungers with things on them. Staff said I could use one, removed the belongings and changed the towels for me. About 30 minutes later, a group of guests, Ukrainians in this case, came back and said the beds were theirs. They became aggressive, pushed me and even sat on me while I was on the lounger. With my child there, I felt unsafe. The beach managers came over but said they couldn't do anything, even though the hotel had posted its own policy. With nowhere else to sit, I had to leave the beach. The same thing happened repeatedly every day. Communication was difficult because very few staff speak English. The à la carte restaurants that used to be included with a reservation now cost extra, despite the resort advertising itself as all-inclusive. After so many years of loyalty, I was left without support or protection as a guest, and the hotel didn't enforce its own rules. It truly ruined what should have been a relaxing family holiday.

We were a family of five with grown-up children, staying five nights in garden villa 3414 during the last week of May 25. The villa was clean and modern, and the hot tub was a hit. Service was great throughout, the buggy shuttles were handy, and the food was excellent everywhere we ate: Tetrasomia main restaurant, Estela, Traces, romana trattoria, Kul and route 66. The pier, beach and pools were lovely places to relax, with helpful and attentive staff. We played golf three times and enjoyed both the new and old courses. They were in good condition and quite challenging. The golf club's food and service were first class too. When my son left things in our golf buggy, staff quickly retrieved them even though the buggy had gone back out on the course. The chocolatier and ice cream parlour were great, and we went every day. Entertainment was decent overall. It's a good luxury experience. The big disappointment was dining. On my visit 3-4 years ago, the à la carte restaurants were a highlight, with great atmosphere and top-class food, though reservations could be hard to get. The new concept is a disaster. Apart from Estela, all the à la carte restaurants now charge a supplement of 20€-75€ per person, which adds up fast for a family. The restaurants seemed mostly empty, like guests were voting with their feet. We ate at Kul, the Turkish à la carte, on our second night. The food and staff were lovely, but we were the only people there. With no atmosphere and the staff having no other guests to look after, it felt uncomfortable and weird, so we didn't go back. We don't enjoy dining in empty restaurants. The recent changes have made the overall Gloria Serenity dining experience much poorer. It feels like management put money before the guest experience, which is sad because it used to be so good. We also tried the free one-hour tennis and padel courts, but rackets cost 15€ each per hour, cash only. So an hour for four people actually costs 60€, which seemed disingenuous. Bowling is 8€ per player per game. We really enjoyed our stay, but I'd hesitate to return until the dining concept changes and the à la carte restaurants have guests and the lively atmosphere they used to.