Genc Yazici Hotel Uludag

The food was the one part of our stay that worked well. The buffet had plenty of choices, from salads and appetizers to meat, pasta, rice, and desserts, and even picky kids could find something. The chefs and waiters were kind and did what they could. But on Valentine’s Day, dinner was suddenly delayed until 7:30, then served at the tables instead of as a buffet. No one had told guests about the change, so we could have planned our afternoon differently. My husband is lactose intolerant, and there weren’t many suitable appetizers. A waiter kindly offered him food from the kids’ buffet. We paid 34,000 TL for two nights over Valentine’s Day, and the online price had looked good. Still, this was my first stay at Genç Yazıcı and will be my last. There’s no hotel parking. Since Uludağ is so crowded, we had to pay 3,250 TL for the weekend in a paid lot. Street parking might be possible if you find a space, but it didn’t feel safe with cars sliding and snowplows working all day. Our room wasn’t ready until 2 PM, though they politely let us use another room to change while we waited. The wait wasn’t worth it. Everything felt old, the walls were cracked, and hot water took a while to arrive. Water pressure was okay, and there were towels and shampoo. The TV needed fixing, and while the minibar was stocked, a small Coke cost 300 TL. Bring your own drinks, snacks, and water. The elevators stopped working on our second day, and we were on the fourth floor. After skiing, climbing those stairs repeatedly was miserable. They said the elevators would be fixed right away, but they weren’t. Management kept blaming government agencies and didn’t post even a simple apology or bring in a private repair company. It made things difficult for everyone. There was a guitar player and singer for Valentine’s Day. He was decent, and the volume let us talk, but he only sang in Turkish, which didn’t take tourists into account. The hotel also offers tea, coffee, and simple pastries at 5 PM, though having too much spoils your dinner. The men’s downstairs toilets were clogged. A set of stairs had collapsed and been replaced with metal ones. Between that and the cracked walls, I had serious panic attacks. With Kervansaray, the most luxurious hotel in Zone 1, burned down and Parnassius next door closed, hotel choices are shrinking. Genç Yazıcı needs a change in management, with someone sensible running the place.