Sefikbey Hotel

The location worked well for me, with everything nearby even though the hotel isn't right in the center. The air conditioning was free and effective, and I was fine with the food since I ate at the cafe. Still, the food was limited: no meat, fish, or chicken, just odd meatballs and nuggets that didn't seem to contain chicken. The zucchini and eggplant ran out within 20 minutes and weren't replaced, and watermelon was the only fruit. For the price, I can understand that. The main problem was the noise. There are two small buildings around the pool and bar, and music kept blaring past the bar's 10:00 PM closing time, often until midnight or later. You could hear it in every room, especially the ones by the bar wall. I wouldn't choose this place if I wanted to sleep early. Rooms 101 through 106 are below ground level, with entrances opening onto the corridor everyone uses to reach the grounds. The view isn't much, and there's no soundproofing. The fridge didn't work for many guests. The beach is a 20-minute walk, or you can pay $1 each way for the shuttle. Sun loungers cost extra too, and internet is $1 per person per day, with coverage mostly at reception and nearby rooms. Without the night music and semi-basement rooms, I'd come back.

We went at the end of July 2019, and the hotel's central spot in Kemer made it easy to get to the city's main attractions. The staff were helpful and polite, and our room was simple but nicely put together. It had what we needed and was cleaned every day, though we did miss having our own refrigerator. Meals were tasty, with plenty of vegetables, mostly chicken at dinner, and sausages, cold cuts, and assorted sweets at breakfast and lunch. We never left hungry. There's a private beach reached by a scheduled bus, but my wife and I walked there in about 15-20 minutes. The main drawback was the Wi-Fi: it only worked at reception, and even there it was usable only when not many people were around. For a three-star hotel, it met our expectations.

The kids were happy, which mattered most to us. We were there from July 28th to August 2nd, 2019, and Tanya checked us quickly into a four-room suite. Adults and children had separate rooms, and the shared bathroom had a shower and hairdryer that both worked. We also had a refrigerator, TV, and two functioning air conditioners. The place could use some cosmetic fixes. Broken outlets and wires coming out of the wall were annoying, and the room cleaning was only superficial. There was no internet except at reception. The bar had only soda and cheap wine. Still, there was always hot water and the pool was clean. The staff were polite in my experience, and young Ahmed was always cheering people up. The food leaned heavily toward vegetables, but we didn't go hungry. We had meat at nearby cafes for reasonable prices. We were mainly looking for somewhere to sleep, eat a little, and shop for the kids' school clothes, so the three-star level was about what we expected. We used the money we'd saved for entertainment.

We ended up enjoying our time at Şefikbey, and the beach there was pleasant: easy to get into the water, plenty of loungers, showers and changing rooms. It's about a 20-minute walk, though the hotel bus runs there at 9:10 a.m., returns at 12:00, goes again at 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., and comes back at 6:00 p.m. The city beach is closer, around a 10-minute walk. There was a beach bar, but drinks cost extra. Our room was cozy and clean, with decent furniture and good air conditioning. We had a view of the mosque from the balcony. The grounds are almost nonexistent and the pool is small. Drinks included Pepsi, Sprite, Mirinda, tea, coffee, regular and mineral water, plus chemical juices in the cafeteria. Wine, red or white, was the only free alcohol; other alcoholic drinks cost extra. Food was generally okay. Chicken was the only meat, which was still better than at the other hotel where we spent our first three days. There was soy, lots of vegetables, rice, potatoes or pasta, and cream soup every day. Dessert included sweet, juicy watermelon, colorful semolina cakes, cookies, and a really good chocolate cake. We never went hungry, and the staff were friendly and smiling. We had booked August 29th to September 4th and arrived at 11 a.m. Half an hour later, we were told there were no rooms and we'd be moved to Kirish Fan, another hotel in the chain in Kirish, about 15 km from Kemer. They said it was a much better 4* place, so we went because there wasn't another choice. I already wrote a review about it. After three days, we demanded to return to Şefikbey because staying at that dump was unbearable. If you're told there are no rooms and offered a free stay at a good four-star hotel, insist on staying here. Those first three days can ruin your holiday.