VM Resort

For £23 a night, I couldn’t believe the room. It was incredible and spread over two floors, easily my favourite hotel stay. The staff were great too. Breakfast was the letdown: mostly bread with lots of butter, honey and jam. Still, the room made the price feel worth it.

The meals were tasty, and the restaurant staff always took our child's preferences into account. Everyone at V&M resort hotel was warm and helpful. They sometimes tried English while we tried Turkish, which made chatting easier. The calm setting was relaxing, and our daughter enjoyed the little play area and made friends with Sila (the chow chow dog). We’d love to come back.

We picked this place because it was near our friend’s house, and stayed a week with our one-year-old daughter. There were a few supermarkets, a large Migros, produce shops and restaurants nearby. We’d suggest renting a car in Erdemli to see nearby towns and historic sites. That was about the best of it. I can barely give the hotel one star. The room wasn’t clean when we arrived. There was dust and sand across the floor, and I took a photo of the washcloth I used to wipe it. I didn’t want our baby playing there. Some wallpaper was peeling, and although the room itself was small but manageable, there was little attention to practical details: no shelves in the tiny wardrobe, just three hangers for two adults, and all week we kept our clothes in open suitcases on the floor. The cupboard where I assume a fridge had been also had no shelves. There were only two little towel hooks despite being given four towels. The balcony was large, but there was nowhere to dry swimwear except on the chairs. Room service removed our cups, so we had to call reception for clean ones. The whole building felt worn out. Carpets weren’t properly secured, the public toilet was dark and dirty, and there was no ventilation in the corridors or elevator. By the time we reached the lobby after leaving our room, we were already sweating. The elevator was busy or out of order about half the time, and the Wi-Fi was quite poor. Food was another big problem. There were almost no changes from day to day, and hardly any healthy choices. Breakfast every day meant hard-boiled eggs, sausages, fries, bread, butter, jam, some fruit and cereal. Dinner had no healthy options either, with everything cooked in a lot of oil. There was just one fresh salad and some fruit, and no food for kids apart from fries. If you have allergies or eat healthily, this isn’t the place for you. More than that, food ran out if you didn’t arrive right at the start of breakfast, the coffee break or dinner. Plates and cups ran out too. Staff said the hotel was very busy, but they needed to prepare more and organise things better. Dinner ran from 19:30 to 21:00, yet by 20:30 there was almost no food or crockery left. We understood the beach to be public, with no shower, toilet or place to rinse off the sand. The pool was okay, but quite small for the number of guests. For our one-year-old there was nothing to do: just a tiny playground with one swing and some balls. Older kids could play ball games on a small court. There was some music in the evenings, but no special entertainment. Service didn’t feel very polite, and staff didn’t seem willing to help. We barely speak Turkish, but at a hotel I expect a kind attitude and willingness to help, whatever our background.

My two children and I ended up in hospital on a drip after using the swimming pool, which was so dirty, and we felt too ill to eat. We were also made to leave our room a day early. The food and drinks were rubbish, the staff were rude, and there was no room cleaning. The toilets smelled like drains. If you’ve booked a holiday here, please cancel. It really isn’t worth it.