Sile Gonen Hotel

Really nicely presented hotel. Check-in took an hour and a half, and the pool was still being repaired. Fair enough, I think it was early in the season for them.

The view’s good, the area is okay, and parking is free and easy to find. Breakfast is generous and good. Other things were less impressive: the Wi-Fi works, but it’s bad, and extra drinks cost a lot. English was poor among the staff except at reception. Cleanliness was not great, as is usual in Turkiye. The wine culture was awful. For the price, it’s not bad.

The big pool and the hotel’s location near the beach were nice. Our room was comfortable and clean, and breakfast was decent, with a coffee machine available. I hope they add an ironing facility to the rooms in the future.

The room and housekeeping were good, and the doorman was nice. At breakfast, the tea man was especially thoughtful and kept coming over to pour tea; the egg cook and manager were nice too. But for four days and three nights, I often felt unwelcome in the dining room. Staff usually just watched us without smiling or saying good morning, even when I smiled first. Some were on their phones while working, and nobody came to check on guests. Most couldn’t speak English, though that wasn’t my main concern. The tomatoes were sometimes washed and sometimes still had dirt on them. I wouldn’t recommend dinner here. The Caesar salad was one of the worst I’ve had: they used French dressing, added too much, and I couldn’t taste the salad itself. The kebab was a bit over-grilled, but okay. The spa was okay too. It was disappointing that only the tea man smiled; the others seemed forced to be there, and I didn’t feel much hospitality or customer care.