Park Marina Hotel

The harbor views stretch out beautifully, and the restaurant was exceptional. The hotel itself was good too. There was a bit too much room perfume, and no hotel parking lot, but parking on the street or at the restaurant worked out fine.

For the price, it’s clean and well located.

The food was a separate problem. This isn’t all-inclusive in any meaningful sense: there was almost nothing to choose from, what they served was poor, and the dishes were dirty. The owner’s dog was in the dining room, which felt completely unsanitary. There was no air conditioning in the dining room or lobby, awful in 40°C heat. Internet also costs extra. My room was filthy, the bedding and towels were terrible, and the toiletries looked frightening. Hot water was scarce, and when it came through, the pressure was so weak I had to wash like a cat with its paw. The air conditioner pointed straight at the bed, but you couldn’t manage without it. The tiny balcony had puddles from the unit, and the mirrors in the halls and stairwell looked as if they hadn’t been cleaned in years. It was all pretty alarming. I arrived late and wasn’t given anything to eat. I had to carry my suitcase up to the third floor myself, and the receptionist didn’t speak Russian. The staff at reception were often nowhere to be found, and the doors were left wide open, so anyone could walk in and take things. They should know Russian, since most of the guests bringing them money are Russian-speaking. This was my fifth trip to Turkey. I’ve stayed in three-star hotels before and they’ve been decent, so I have comparisons. Travel agents recommending this dump so strongly is beyond me. Don’t be taken in by the inflated reviews or the lower price. I’d rather pay more and relax than suffer in this hostel. It isn’t an all-inclusive hotel, just a pathetic imitation of one.

The little pool was clean and pleasant, and the location was good. That’s where the good points stopped for us. The food was okay but there was hardly any choice: one side dish, one meat or chicken dish, watermelon as the only fruit, and syrup cookies for dessert. We had to keep asking for things in the room. The fridge, which had been promised when we booked, only arrived the next day and barely worked because the outlets shut off when we took the key out. Wires stuck out where outlets should have been. The sink gave only a thin stream of cold water, and the shower leaked badly with a head that wouldn’t stay put. Hot water was available in the daytime, but after 9 pm it was cold. They said there was no water problem, just not enough of it. We got two towels placed on top of three, and two sheets over three small ones. The receptionists spoke only Turkish and couldn’t understand English. The balcony was tiny with nowhere to hang clothes. Of the three rooms I’ve stayed in Turkey, this was the worst. You can’t even get a proper shower here, so I wouldn’t recommend it.