Cande Onura

We loved our holiday here in 06/2024. Our room was spacious and clean, with a great view of the pool and sea. The mattress was the best I've ever had in any accommodation, and the bed was long enough even for people over 180cm. I slept like a log. The hotel is very clean, and staff across the bars, restaurants, cleaning team, suppliers and sunbed area were friendly and quick to deal with messes. There was plenty of good food, including at the beach bar, gozlemi stall and ice cream stand. The beach right beside the hotel is extremely narrow, with only two or three rows of sunbeds and umbrellas. It's sandy, with a walkway inside for people with limited mobility, but slopes down toward the sea and feels a bit askew. After the first two days, we chose the well-kept grass area instead. It's just across the seaside promenade from the sea and beach. We took nearby public transport to Kusadasi, which was dirt cheap, and went on a boat trip with stops at three coves, swimming in crystal clear water and a light lunch. I think our travel agency was DER Turistik, and it wanted twice as much for the trip as the seller at the simple stall just behind the hotel. A tip if you want to save money.

The restaurant team kept the tables and floors clean, and they were lovely with my son. There was something to eat at every meal, though the dishes got repetitive. My husband got food poisoning on the second night after dinner. He suspected the salad, since my son and I had almost the same food but didn't eat it. We were a family of three, and check-in was quick and fine. The pool area was packed with kids, and getting a seat was hard because people left towels on loungers from the morning, even when nobody came back for two hours or more. The playground was good but could get busy. There could be another play park on the other side of the green area. The beach was dirty too, mostly with cigarette bits. The animation team didn't match what I'd read in reviews. During five of our seven days, we took my son to the miniclub, but I never saw them play with him or the other children. They mostly used their phones, moving when it was time to clean up ten minutes before closing or to take a cigarette break. The kids' disco was okay, but the dancing could have more energy and it was the same every night. There are lots of kids at this hotel, so this could be better. The GYM was a BIG LETDOWN. It was limited, with old equipment unlike the advertised photo, and felt like an aquarium with nothing but water in it. It wasn't maintained. The Turkish bath also felt falsely advertised. My husband went, but you have to sit in the bath and do it yourself unless you pay 35 euro for a massage, when they'll attend to you. On our last day, we were allowed to stay until 1pm, a one-hour extension, which we appreciated. But I found the 50 euro charge for staying until 4pm a bit dear. We were told ephesia beach resort let guests stay until 7pm because of food poisoning, but the manager was strict about our 1pm checkout even after my husband's food poisoning. That was disappointing. The stay was okay, but we wouldn't come back. Most guests seemed to be Russian, Germans or locals, and I felt they were prioritised. That may explain why vodka was the main cocktail drink.

KusDarsi town is lovely, but this was the worst holiday ever. Just two days in, my partner and I were taken to hospital with food poisoning. When we got back to the hotel, the only person who seemed concerned about us was the tui rep. We were too afraid to eat the slop, so we had to pay for meals at other restaurants. It cost a fortune. They also said there was no icecream when we asked, and the jacuzzi was only available for one hour a day, from 4-5pm.

We had a fantastic two weeks here at the beginning of July. We aren't fussy eaters and really enjoyed the food, including the snacks served during the day around the beach bar and pool. Most days we sunbathed in the garden, which gave us quick, easy access to either the sea or the pool. We could always find sun loungers and umbrellas without putting towels down at 7am. Our room was a little dated, but it had everything we needed for a comfortable stay. It was kept tidy, with fresh towels provided most days. Most staff knew enough English for us to get by, and they were friendly. We didn't have any issues.