Hotel Ambrosia

The breakfast was the biggest letdown. There was very little choice, the food was poorly presented, and some items had no labels. The salads didn't look properly washed, the French toast seemed overcooked, and stirring tea with a wooden stick didn't feel like five-star service. I work in the restaurant industry and own a restaurant in Germany, and the food struck me as well below expectations, at times like cafeteria food. I'd give breakfast 0 out of 10. We came for a wedding weekend expecting a five-star stay. Check-in was efficient and the lobby looked presentable, but nobody helped our group with the suitcases and formal clothes. The room felt dated, and the door wouldn't close properly. I included photos of some of these problems. At the beach restaurant, my father and I waited five to eight minutes without anyone greeting us or bringing a menu. I fetched one myself, then went inside to order drinks. Our ashtray request was ignored, and items were taken away without replacements. Lunch was enjoyable, but we were surprised we couldn't put it on our room bill. The weather was cool, so we hoped to use the spa and jacuzzi, but they were closed, and the indoor pool was under maintenance. The hotel had no luggage help on arrival, and these facilities made me question whether the five-star rating was justified. I don't feel comfortable recommending it. I hope management looks into the service, facilities, and food standards.

I stayed in room 226, where there was a dead plant outside and the hand-towel rail kept falling off. The hairdryer didn't work either. The shower never got properly hot, even at full setting, maybe 37 degrees, and about half the showerhead sprays were blocked. After we arrived at 3:15 pm, our room wasn't ready; we were told to wait 15 minutes, and the staff seemed indifferent. There was just one bath towel and no hand towels, so I had to ask. Dirty plates left outside our room weren't collected until about 24 hours later. Getting towels was a problem too. Around 4:30 pm I went to reception and was told to come back in ten minutes, but there still weren't any. Guests should be able to swim when they want. At 7:20 am we had to ask for the gym lights to be switched on, and the equipment was broken or rusty and hadn't been maintained. At the pool there was no music or drink service. Around 4:30, a staff member took all the pillows and also the towel I was using. He asked before taking a pillow, so he knew I was there, but still took my towel while about 12 people were by the pool. That shouldn't happen while guests are using the area. One of the swings in the sea was broken. I called reception at 10:30 pm to ask for a blanket because the one in the room might fit a king single but not this bed. I called four times again at 10:54 with no answer, and still had no blanket at 11. Another call got no answer; someone finally picked up at 11:02 when I asked them to send it right away because we were trying to go to bed. I've stayed in many hotels around the world and never found people so cold. I'd heard people in Turkey were kind, but I couldn't see that here. They barely looked at you, and nobody even said good morning.

The staff were friendly and helpful, and the hotel was clean and in a great location. I stayed for ten days in May 26.

The Turkish bath was a real problem: we found out during the session that there was no hot water, and nobody had warned us. We had to take the whole bath in cold water, yet were still charged the full amount. Most staff also didn't speak English, so communication was difficult. Room cleaning was inconsistent, management seemed disorganized, and requests took too long to deal with.