Raymar Resort & Aqua

The sea worked well for those of us who can swim, though it wasn’t very suitable for children. The pools were spacious, and the pirate-themed kids’ pool was the standout. We had two rooms for five adults and one child: a roomy family room with two single beds by the entrance, then a toilet, and a separate room behind a door with a balcony, plus a standard double. For our son’s birthday, the hotel surprised us with drinks and fresh fruit in our room. They also organized the a la carte fish dinner very well, and there was a children’s menu. It was our first holiday in Turkey, and we all had a very nice time. The staff service and welcome massage, which was a gift, were lovely. Activities ran throughout the day and varied from hour to hour. There was plenty of food, and lots of variety. Most of us liked it a lot, though one person wasn’t keen on the food, which is just a matter of taste, and we weren’t fans of the sausages.

Our family room, 510, was very dirty when we arrived. The toilet hadn’t been cleaned, there was hair everywhere, including visible hair on the toilet, and the shower gel and shampoo bottles were dirty and empty. They still haven’t been replaced, and there’s only a large bottle of something. The room has stayed dirty for a week, with barely any cleaning. We hardly see the cleaner, and the staff often act as if we owe them, despite having paid a lot for the holiday and regularly leaving tips for everyone else. Some staff aren’t at their stations or refuse to make drinks. A family we travelled with, including three children, had to wait for a room and ended up in 107. There was no light, the TV didn’t work, and the balcony couldn’t be used because of the air-conditioning and very loud noise. They were told to call the SOS number, but the phone cable had been cut. Their room was changed to 252 the next day. My son was sick and vomiting this morning, but a worker at the door wouldn’t let me bring soup to his room, even though I saw other guests taking food to theirs. My friend’s child had an unclear wound, and when the hotel doctor examined her, he didn’t even have basic ointment. Our child is vomiting, and other tourists we spoke to have vomiting and diarrhea too. The dishes and toilets are very dirty, and basic cleanliness just isn’t being maintained. We chose Raymar hotel (Manavgat) carefully, hoping it would meet our expectations on our first holiday in Turkey with friends who have visited several times. It could be a great hotel, but the staff and cleaning need fundamental improvement. It definitely doesn’t feel like a five-star hotel. They should look at five-star hotels in Europe and learn from them. We’ll share our experience publicly in Lithuania. We also ask the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Health, the local municipality, and all responsible institutions to investigate the serious issues, carry out the necessary inspections, and review the hotel’s current licenses.

The kids’ clubs were the only decent part of our stay. Everything else felt mediocre, filthy, and smelly. I honestly have never posted a review before, but this was shocking. I’ve travelled and stayed in many hotels, including in Turkey at least five times. Turah Prince World was a real five-star hotel. It’s concerning that this place keeps advertising itself as five stars after the new management took over. I suspect the rating may date from before it closed and reopened, and the pictures look like old ones. This feels like false advertising, and the health and safety conditions put people at risk. Food and dining were awful. Staff prepared food without proper clothing like aprons or hairnets, and flies were always on it. Tables were unkempt, and the plates and cutlery were filthy. Some staff had strong body odour. People kept complaining about allergic reactions and severe diarrhea. Watermelon was usually the only fruit available, while the other fruit was often rotten. Nearly every toilet was broken or covered in faeces, and the bathroom smell was suffocating. The room toilets smelled of blocked drains too, so you had to go back to your room to use one. In the rooms, showers had wooden floors and mould, with water stains coming through from other rooms. Housekeeping wouldn’t change the beds unless we removed the sheets ourselves, and they didn’t sweep or mop, so slippers were needed indoors. You had to ask for cleaning, bin emptying, or toilet paper unless you tipped. Pool areas had poor signs, with no depths marked, especially where slides drop into the water. There were many near-drowning incidents. Regular staff would just blow a whistle, laugh, or pretend not to notice. A few times, faeces came up through the pool drains, but when I told a staff member, nobody closed the pool or got the children out. I’m surprised there haven’t been reports of drownings or serious food poisoning. Some entertainment equipment was worn out, and certain activities cost extra. The grass looked like it hadn’t been watered for months in the heat. On some nights no staff came to work, so there was nobody to serve drinks. The staff seemed to speak Turkish and Russian only. That’s not a problem by itself, but basic English should be expected in a supposed five-star hotel. When I tried to correct staff, some drank from my drink, smelled it, then laughed. Around 80% of guests were Russian. That’s no issue, but staff seemed to turn a blind eye to guests being rude and aggressive, pushing and cutting lines, even in front of children. The IKEA placemats instead of tablecloths were something I’d never seen in any hotel, and seemed completely unhygienic. The decor was horrendous, with dark, morbid lighting that made it look like they were trying to save money while continuing to charge through false advertising. I could go on and on.

The room was cramped, old, and noisy, so my family and I couldn’t sleep at night. The food was very poor quality, and we couldn’t eat at the restaurant because it was dirty. My brother got sick. The staff couldn’t speak English, and the five days there were a disaster that ruined our holiday. I’ve never been this disappointed with a hotel. It’s a complete nightmare, and I can’t imagine how it could be rated five stars. If you want somewhere to relax, stay far away.