Side Breeze Hotel - All Inclusive

The walk to the sea takes about 10 minutes in full sun, and smoking by the pool is supposedly banned, but people still smoke on the loungers. I don’t smoke and ended up breathing it in. The hotel feels aimed entirely at Germans: the DJ should pay attention to music at nearby hotels too, and staff largely didn’t react to the language imbalance. Restaurant staff seemed to serve Germans, even when asked not to. The animators were around but didn’t get children involved, and my first stay in Turkey turned into a really boring day. Children who don’t know German may not get much out of it. The foam party was in a 140 cm deep pool, so kids couldn’t really use the attractions. The slides had no lifeguards. The swing system wasn’t working and had been patched with a cork, leaving gaps in the door. The room fan cooled better than the air conditioning. Be careful with ice cream brought out after serving time and taken elsewhere, since it can thaw quickly in 34-degree heat. There was one bartender by the pool; I asked for a Breeze special and a Sex on the Beach and got the same drink both times. They didn’t seem to know how to mix them properly. The lobby bartenders were the nicest, smiling ones. We’ve stayed at oz side premium three times, where service is top level. For me, Breeze is a 3-star hotel, more like a sanatorium for German retirees. I don’t recommend it. NEVER NEVER NEVER.

The beach is nowhere near 200 m away. It’s more like an 800 m walk through a smelly area. The animator is very loud, everything is only in German, and the music is the same each day. Drinks aren’t cold in the evening. I stayed for two weeks, and the cleaner never touched the glass surfaces, including mirrors and windows. The shower gel and shampoo were very low quality. People came into the lobby straight from the pool and left wet marks on the chairs and sofas. The restaurant was disgusting: flies, dirty tablecloths, and dirty dishes that smelled as if they’d been wiped with a filthy cloth. The cured meat was dry and discoloured around the edges, the food didn’t seem fresh, and breakfast was the same every day. Waiters chatted among themselves while serving guests. Rules didn’t seem to matter. Kids and babies in diapers were in the adults’ pool, and people wore only bras or underwear in the restaurant. Extremely disgusting. This hotel does not deserve five stars. Either nobody checks on the place anymore, or someone was bribed to give it five.

The beach is lovely, clean, and sandy like powder, with warm water, and it’s a five-minute walk away. The staff were very nice, and they speak English, German, Russian, and Turkish. I’d definitely recommend the place. The one thing to improve is the WiFi, which could be more stable across the property.

The beach was the best part of the stay, and the 16+ pool offered a quieter escape from the constant animation noise. But you need to get up by 7 at the latest if you want a lounger, since guests rush to reserve them with towels before breakfast. The hotel seems to cater only to Germans. Customer service, animation, and food are all geared to them, and guests from other countries felt like second-class visitors and were openly discriminated against. Guest relations person Diana was especially nasty and unhelpful when someone didn’t speak German to her. Breakfast included things like sauerkraut and gherkins. Food was repetitive, with flies everywhere. For a vegetarian, there was very little hot food beyond salad and fruit. I’ve never seen a buffet with two soups and both containing meat, such as chicken soup and goulash soup. The English labels made no sense, including “chicken of lamb” (see photo). Drinks at the bars were so watered down that we had to complain. The rooms were OK, but WiFi cost €1.75 a day. This place doesn’t deserve five stars. If you’re not German, I’d avoid it. They don’t care about you and don’t deserve your hard-earned money.