Sural Resort Hotel

The gardens are beautiful and the beach is good, and I want to thank Ismael, a very friendly waiter who speaks quite a bit of Polish. He was a real help. The rest of my stay was a huge disappointment. We booked a five-star hotel for our tenth wedding anniversary and couldn’t wait to go home. I’ve stayed in better four-star places, and this felt more like three stars. The hotel seemed geared toward German guests. Music and entertainment were in German, and staff would start speaking German even after we said we didn’t understand. Aside from reception, people didn’t understand or speak English, and service was often unhelpful and unfriendly. I ordered rum and coke and got only coke. When I asked for two, I got coke with two ice cubes. The entertainment was boring. The food was about quantity, not quality. Much of it tasted the same, with sausages and minced beef repeated often. The pool was absolutely freezing. I paid for a seaside room but was put in building 7, a long walk from the sea and restaurant with no sea view. After complaining the next day, I was moved to building 2. The rooms are very basic and need updating. The hotel is old, the windows dirty, and our shower was blocked. In room 74, tissues were stuffed behind the light switch to hold it in place. That was dangerous. If you don’t speak German or the local language, you’ll feel bored and left on your own. I wish the language preference at some hotels had been made clear, as I’d have booked somewhere else. I came to Turkey for Turkish music and experiences and got neither. I’ll return to Turkey, but not to this hotel. I’ll research the language situation next time.

The beach was a real highlight, with fine sand, plenty of sunbeds, showers and foot-rinse stations, and it was kept in good condition. The grounds were lush and tidy, rooms and public bathrooms were clean, and the Wi-Fi was strong. Food tasted good and the drinks were okay. There were also many water stations and bottled water in the minibar each day. I stayed for a week on an all-inclusive basis, at about €950 per person, but the value didn’t match the price for me. The bathroom only had a fixed overhead shower, so a handheld one would have been more practical. There was no contact directory by the in-room phone, making reception inconvenient to reach from so far away. Sound insulation was poor, and we could hear plumbing and hallway noise. The soft drinks tasted like cheap generic brands. Better quality options, along with those room improvements, would make a big difference.

The pool was lovely, with enough sunbeds throughout the day, and it was only a few minutes’ walk to the sea. The grounds and paths were beautiful for an evening stroll. The hotel is well located near shops and local restaurants. Our room was okay, with a comfortable bed and a nice balcony, though the rooms don’t feel five-star and could use an upgrade. The food wasn’t great. Breakfast was the same every day, and I mostly felt like eating the fruit.

The terrace was a lovely place for breakfast and dinner, with a beautiful garden view, and we especially liked the grill area. Food was varied, and I enjoyed the wine, though most of the alcohol seemed local. The beach restaurant could have been cleaner, but dinner at the Al-carte Turkish restaurant was unforgettable. We stayed in 2023 and came away with mixed feelings. Everything was satisfactory if you didn’t look too closely, but the dated interiors and buildings gave me the impression of being in Anapa in 1995. They could definitely use a design update. There are two large pools, slides and a kids’ pool called the “frog pool.” The beach is a pleasant walk away. It’s sandy, and the sea sometimes had large waves, but they were visible, so there was no problem. Sunbeds were always available, though sometimes other people’s towels were on them too. Our room was clean and had a side sea view. The bedding and towels were clean, but quite worn and overwashed, and could have been replaced. For a trip to Side, the dolmuş goes straight to the old town and back. It takes around 20 minutes and costs about €3 per person.