5-star all-inclusive in Kemer, Turkey for £14.81 pppn - and no solo supplement
timmillea
Posts: 13 Forumite
Because of the unusual political situation at the moment, Turkey may not be everyone’s preferred destination but the country continues to provide the best five-star all-inclusive hotels available on the planet for the money.
I have long-loved (since 1999) the Sunrise Queen in Side. For a number of years it has been part of the Crystal group chain of hotels and because of this, I tried her sister hotel, the Crystal De Luxe in Kemer. While the Queen is simply extraordinary, the De Luxe is still a well-above-average Turkish 5-star hotel with stylish rooms, great food, a la carte options and quality service. And Kemer is such a beautiful part of the World in winter - the scenery is breathtaking.
The Crystal De Luxe is currently available at super-discounted rate via AlphaRooms.com. AlphaRooms are not usually the cheapest but this time they have a significant advantage over any rate available elsewhere. The Crystal De Luxe is available this coming winter at £14.81 pp per night and with no single supplement! Note that the hotel does not have single rooms, these are twin or double rooms for solo-occupancy at zero supplement.
In the winter, the snow-topped mountain views of Kemer so near to the sea to me are better than the sea view so I would certainly not pay the extra to face toward the sea.
This is not the 'English coast' of Marmaris and Bodrum with English Breakfasts etc. and which pretty much close for the winter. This is southern Turkey with a different climate, culture and vibe. It is much more international and Brits need to be aware that they will be in a tiny minority of travellers.
I lived on this coast for 4 years 2004-20008 and I can confidently say that you would have to pay me lots to be there mid-summer ever again!
I regard the ‘winter’ weather on the Antalya coast as sublime. It is sunny and warm - like the best British summers. Until at least the end of December, people are still sunbathing on the beaches. They re-appear in strength in March.
The winter season and hence above pricing is deemed to be 1st November to 30th April. The actual winter lasts around 6 weeks from around mid-January when the still-warm sunshine is mixed with showers and cloud.
Direct flights from Manchester and Gatwick to Antalya are available throughout the winter with Thomas Cook, flights to Antalya with the surprisingly good Pegasus Airline are a bargain from Gatwick and Stansted via Istanbul. Shared airport transfers are around £8pp each way with Hoppa.com using whatever discount code they show on their home page.
When I see similar quality holidays in the Sunday Times Travel magazine priced in the thousands, I cannot help but laugh. Then I know to keep quiet in these hotels because no-one has paid remotely as little as I.
å
I have copied my (rather lengthy) TripAdvisor review below.
If you book, please let me know - we may meet up!
Looking forward to my winter,
Tim.
_______
This is my personal review of the Crystal De Luxe mostly written during my stay 24th November - 8th December 2015.
Location
On the other side of a miniature park from the pebbly beach and within a couple of minutes walk of the central cross roads of Kemer, the hotel's location in Kemer is hard to beat.
On the same road but on the opposite side of the Main Street of Kemer there is one of my favourite shops, Sali Pazari, as well as three supermarkets: Carrefour, Migros and Bim. I mention the latter as they can augment a rather austere minibar offering. Busses to Goynuk, Beldibi and Antalya can also be found near the supermarkets.
There is a post office just at the crossroads - a recommended place to exchange money.
It is also a short walk to the marina served by the water bus service to/from Kaleici (10TL each way, 3 times per day, 45 mins journey time).
The location therefore has the benefit of both beach and town on the doorstep.
Orientation
The hotel building has a U-shaped footprint with the North wing of the U longer than South wing. The main reception and lobby area are in the connecting West side.
Aside from the lobby reception area, there are four main public interior spaces. To the right of the reception from the main entrance, there is the bar occupying the whole ground floor of the 'South wing' with an outside terrace popular with smokers. Beneath this is are the doctors, hairdresser, spa, gym, 'vitamin' bar and indoor pool. I managed to get in and out, past the spa reception without being accosted. That is unusual and an extra mark.
To the left of reception in the North wing is a corridor with the three indoor a la carte restaurants, only one of which is ever open at a time at the moment, leading to the main buffet restaurant. Beneath these are a games room with billiards, 'air hockey', table football and a few pay-for amusements, a little Turkish coffee area where they had live traditional music one night and the nightclub. In all it is a good set of amenities for the compact size of the hotel.
Room
My first room, 1254, is tucked right into the corner on the South wing facing North across the balconies of the rooms on the West side. The balcony is set into a terrace of gravel extending around 6 feet beyond it. I had made special requests at the time of booking for a high floor and sunny balcony. All I could see was gravel and across other balconies. Being North-facing, low down and in the corner also made it rather dark.
For my second week, I moved to room 1469 which is in the South wing again but this time on the top floor facing South and was therefore a huge improvement. In all other regards, these two rooms were identical.
The hotel website quotes the room size at 27 sq m. This is sufficiently spacious without being overly generous. I had double and single beds each with bedside cabinets with single drawers. There is a single easy chair and small table by the patio doors. The rest of the furniture is fitted comprising a cupboard housing the mini bar, dressing table and luggage rack. There is the usual double wardrobe (just 10 hangers) and cupboard with 5 shelves, one of which is occupied by the safe, opposite the shower room.
A hotel of this age would have been built with bath tubs so the retro-fitted walk-in shower reflects this in size. The shower floor is slippy. Toiletries comprise: small bar soaps, hair conditioner, body lotion, cotton buds and pad, shower cap, sanitary bag and nail file. There are liquid soap dispensers next to the wash basin and in the shower. There is a extending, wall-mounted, shaving/makeup mirror, hair dryer and the usual telephone in case you feel the need to chat on the loo.
The mini bar is supplied with Pepsi, Pepsi light, 'Fruko' lemonade, four small bottles of water and a single very small bottle of sparkling water. Unlike the Crystal Sunrise Queen, there are no beers, chocolate bars, crisps or nuts. Similarly there is no kettle, facilities or supplies to make hot drinks. Slippers are provided but not bathrobes. I have never had one without the other and found this odd.
The floor is carpeted. Free wi-fi reception in my room is excellent.
There is various signage. One to place on the bed to request a bedding change, another to hang outside for maintenance requests - my first shower head had an incurable droop - another informing me that to change pool towels (provided in the room) between 5 and 7pm daily and finally the room service menu. Again, unlike the Sunrise Queen all items carry extra charge. Examples are: cheese plate 9TL, mushroom omelette 11 TL, grilled steak with vegetables and rice 22TL and beer/raki/glass of wine/whisky all at 9TL. These are all very reasonably-priced and probably set before the Lira weakened of late.
Overall the room is well-decorated, comfortable and attractively lit. There is nothing exceptional about it positive or negative. I get the feeling all five star hotel rooms in Turkey are becoming clones. I miss features like a sink in which to slaughter a goat or a window from the bathroom to the sleeping area so that you can see your loved one on the loo. It is certainly a step down from the Crystal Sunrise Queen in terms of the offering but perfectly adequate and on par with most Turkish five-stars.
Room advice if you were booking at the Crystal De Luxe, would certainly to be to ask for one of the top two floors (3 & 4), pool-facing in the North wing if you want sunshine or land-facing in the same wing to avoid the sunshine but have views of the mountains. All rooms on the top floor should have partial sea views except those in the West side facing inland. Still, views of the stunning mountains at Kemer may be preferable to a semi-distant sea view.
Food & Beverage
I will spare the full forensic approach and just report that the buffet food was the usual excellent Turkish five-star experience. Nothing stood out exceptionally either way from other Turkish five stars.
Service at the buffet restaurant is efficient, generally being greeted at the table within a few seconds of arriving with places reset and drinks orders taken and delivered promptly.
There is a live cooking station for every meal. This is meat or fish except at breakfast when it is (always) omelettes and pancakes. Whenever the offering here is special, I found a long line of hungry people queuing that I did not have the patience to join.
Aside from meat and fish, there is a huge variety: two different soups everyday, salads and salad ingredients, cold veg dishes, hot veg dishes, at least half a dozen different types of cheese, breads, pastas, and always chips and mashed potatoes. There is a spice section and a dessert bar I have not even looked at.
Labelling is not great. Only a minority of things are labelled and the labels are not always that informative. If you need reading glasses take them to the buffet just so you can study the food to make your choices.
There is no shortage of variety but I discovered the best selection was only available early on as the specials not replenished. If you prefer not to eat with the vultures the pickings will be correspondingly thinner.
Fresh orange juice without charge - a mark of the Crystal Group - is available at breakfast but it could not have been harder to find (far left corner as you walk in, beyond the last coffee machine).
The buffet restaurant lighting is better than average with down lights only used on the main traffic routes through the restaurant with the remainder of the lighting being provided by more atmospheric wall-lights.
There is a range of textures from old brick, through tiles and wood which also add to the ambience. There is a massive selection and the presentation is very good. Anyone who complains about the lack of variety is probably choosing to eat the same thing each meal. Overall, the buffet experience is hard to fault.
I was disappointed at the only a la carte restaurant I tried - Mexican. There had clearly been a lot of trouble taken with the decoration and ambience, it was truly a beautiful place to sit with atmospheric lighting and appropriate background music at the right level but the food was below par and the service impossibly slow. I walked out after waiting almost an hour for my main course. There were only around ten people in at the time.
The bars have a limited range of drinks included: passable house wines, beer (no dark), vodka, gin, brandy and soft drinks. Rum, whisky and anything imported are extra.
There is some at-table service in the bars but the beneficiaries appear mostly to be German guests who tip per service or groups of Turkish men. Turkish men also took priority at the bars on numerous occasions when it was blatantly obvious other people were in front of them. Their habit of shouting out their order and the bar staff slavishly deferring to them needs attention. Queuing is a British institution and such rule breaches are intolerable to us.
The snack bar is currently at the pool bar and this was my favourite place to relax and socialise during the day. Food-wise between 11:30 and 4pm there was (vegetarian) pizza, chips, doner meat, rice, borek, fried mixed veg, salads, breads and that was about it. Sadly, this was replaced during my stay by a fixed menu to order and this had few takers. I was told there is 24hr soup in the buffet but I never visited outside the published midnight snack hours of 11:30-12:30.
No review of mine would be complete without mentioning cutlery. First, it goes as read that there are no soup spoons. I have only every encountered one Turkish hotel with soup spoons (Concorde) and even there they were like gold dust. The usual dessert spoons are provided instead. Secondly the table knives are an odd contemporary design in which the (solid) handle is twisted 90 degrees to the blade. They are odd to hold and put down on the table or plate, they have a tendency to rotate blade-up or blade-down. I have a feeling that if I eventually mastered these knives I will no longer be able to use more conventional ones. There were little details too such as putting inappropriately-sized spoons with various foodstuffs.
Entertainment
There are the same animation-organised daily events as you would find in any hotel on this coast: gym, boccia, darts, and the DJ at night. This lack of originality irks.
The night club is dark, loud and furnished reminiscent of a 1970 youth club. At least it has a bar. There was sporadic live music - mostly laid on for Turkish conference guests during my stay who were themselves lively and entertaining. Otherwise the nightclub is the domain of the DJ with the usual DJ personality issues - self-love and ignorance of any music other than what they consider cool. It is rather like being told by a self-styled wine connoisseur to like vinegar. I rarely stayed for more than a drink in the nightclub when the DJ was active.
I came across a new phenomenon - a depressed animator. I am so used to members of the animation team being manic, hyper and in-my-face. It was startling to come across one who is quiet, polite, speaks excellent English and is missing Marmaris terribly. He even looks sad from a distance. He confessed that his German is not so good and perhaps explains why he was so keen to speak to me - one of few native English speakers in the hotel at the time. He ran the boccia and was a picture of utter deflation ever to be on the losing side. Thank you Cemil, your personal woes always made me feel happy in comparison.
I always avoid the shows put on by the animation team because each one makes me a little older. So I offer no comment there.
Summary
This is a good quality Turkish five-star hotel in an unbeatable beach/town location in Kemer. It is compact but still has the full range of expected amenities. It is unfortunate that I had an appalling check-in experience.
For the price I paid, £123 for two weeks (all-inclusive, hotel only with Travel Republic), I would be crazy to have any complaints. The above comments are intended to place this hotel in the context of others I have stayed at especially for those who may be paying rather more.
I mentioned the company at the start. As this is necessarily a subjective review, I will say a big hello and massive heartfelt thanks to fellow guests Kam, Natalie, Emil, Christophe and Sergei. I love life-changing company and they were. They were the best of times....
If this review has been helpful, please help the wider Trip Adviser community by giving it a helpful vote below.
Tim.
Booked
Crystal De Luxe Kemer, March 2016
Palmworld, Side, March 2016
Done
Crystal Sunrise Queen, Side, December 2015
Crystal De Luxe, Kemer, November 2015
Narcia Hotel, Kumkoy, 2015
Sentido Roma Beach, Gundogdu, 2015
Side Miami Beach, Side, 2015
Arcanus Side resort Hotel, 2015
Crystal Sunrise Queen, Side, 2015, 2 times
Majesty Mirage Park, Goynuk, 2014
The Colours West, Gundogdu, 2014, 2 times
Royal Atlantis Resort, Gundogdu, 2013, 2 times
Side Yesiloz, 2013
Diamond Beach, Gundogdu, 2012
Sunberk, Side, 2012
Concorde Lara Beach, 2011, 2 times
Limak Lara, 2010
Lara Beach Resort, 2010
Sentido Perissia, Side, 2009-2010
Palmet Resort, Kemer, 2009
Viking Nona, Kemer, 2009
Viking Star, Kemer, 2009
Amara Wing, Kemer, 2009
Royal Wings, Lara Beach, 2008
Argos, Antalya, 2008
Xanthe Resort, Evrenseki, 2008
Linda, Side, 2008, 3 times
Grand Seker, Colakli, 2007
Marina Residence, Antalya, 2006/2007, 2 times
Kemer Resort, 2005
Turkiz Hotel, Kemer, 2004/2005, 2 times
Marina Kemer, 2005
Club Voyage, Belek, 2005
Club Voyage Sorgun, 2005
Kremlin Palace, Lara Beach, 2004
Kaya, Side, 2003
Hillside Ma Biche, Goynuk, 2002, 2 times
Kaya Belek, 2002, 3 times
Sunrise Queen, Side, 2000-2004, 6 times
Hemera, Side, 1999
Show less
I have long-loved (since 1999) the Sunrise Queen in Side. For a number of years it has been part of the Crystal group chain of hotels and because of this, I tried her sister hotel, the Crystal De Luxe in Kemer. While the Queen is simply extraordinary, the De Luxe is still a well-above-average Turkish 5-star hotel with stylish rooms, great food, a la carte options and quality service. And Kemer is such a beautiful part of the World in winter - the scenery is breathtaking.
The Crystal De Luxe is currently available at super-discounted rate via AlphaRooms.com. AlphaRooms are not usually the cheapest but this time they have a significant advantage over any rate available elsewhere. The Crystal De Luxe is available this coming winter at £14.81 pp per night and with no single supplement! Note that the hotel does not have single rooms, these are twin or double rooms for solo-occupancy at zero supplement.
In the winter, the snow-topped mountain views of Kemer so near to the sea to me are better than the sea view so I would certainly not pay the extra to face toward the sea.
This is not the 'English coast' of Marmaris and Bodrum with English Breakfasts etc. and which pretty much close for the winter. This is southern Turkey with a different climate, culture and vibe. It is much more international and Brits need to be aware that they will be in a tiny minority of travellers.
I lived on this coast for 4 years 2004-20008 and I can confidently say that you would have to pay me lots to be there mid-summer ever again!
I regard the ‘winter’ weather on the Antalya coast as sublime. It is sunny and warm - like the best British summers. Until at least the end of December, people are still sunbathing on the beaches. They re-appear in strength in March.
The winter season and hence above pricing is deemed to be 1st November to 30th April. The actual winter lasts around 6 weeks from around mid-January when the still-warm sunshine is mixed with showers and cloud.
Direct flights from Manchester and Gatwick to Antalya are available throughout the winter with Thomas Cook, flights to Antalya with the surprisingly good Pegasus Airline are a bargain from Gatwick and Stansted via Istanbul. Shared airport transfers are around £8pp each way with Hoppa.com using whatever discount code they show on their home page.
When I see similar quality holidays in the Sunday Times Travel magazine priced in the thousands, I cannot help but laugh. Then I know to keep quiet in these hotels because no-one has paid remotely as little as I.
å
I have copied my (rather lengthy) TripAdvisor review below.
If you book, please let me know - we may meet up!
Looking forward to my winter,
Tim.
_______
This is my personal review of the Crystal De Luxe mostly written during my stay 24th November - 8th December 2015.
Location
On the other side of a miniature park from the pebbly beach and within a couple of minutes walk of the central cross roads of Kemer, the hotel's location in Kemer is hard to beat.
On the same road but on the opposite side of the Main Street of Kemer there is one of my favourite shops, Sali Pazari, as well as three supermarkets: Carrefour, Migros and Bim. I mention the latter as they can augment a rather austere minibar offering. Busses to Goynuk, Beldibi and Antalya can also be found near the supermarkets.
There is a post office just at the crossroads - a recommended place to exchange money.
It is also a short walk to the marina served by the water bus service to/from Kaleici (10TL each way, 3 times per day, 45 mins journey time).
The location therefore has the benefit of both beach and town on the doorstep.
Orientation
The hotel building has a U-shaped footprint with the North wing of the U longer than South wing. The main reception and lobby area are in the connecting West side.
Aside from the lobby reception area, there are four main public interior spaces. To the right of the reception from the main entrance, there is the bar occupying the whole ground floor of the 'South wing' with an outside terrace popular with smokers. Beneath this is are the doctors, hairdresser, spa, gym, 'vitamin' bar and indoor pool. I managed to get in and out, past the spa reception without being accosted. That is unusual and an extra mark.
To the left of reception in the North wing is a corridor with the three indoor a la carte restaurants, only one of which is ever open at a time at the moment, leading to the main buffet restaurant. Beneath these are a games room with billiards, 'air hockey', table football and a few pay-for amusements, a little Turkish coffee area where they had live traditional music one night and the nightclub. In all it is a good set of amenities for the compact size of the hotel.
Room
My first room, 1254, is tucked right into the corner on the South wing facing North across the balconies of the rooms on the West side. The balcony is set into a terrace of gravel extending around 6 feet beyond it. I had made special requests at the time of booking for a high floor and sunny balcony. All I could see was gravel and across other balconies. Being North-facing, low down and in the corner also made it rather dark.
For my second week, I moved to room 1469 which is in the South wing again but this time on the top floor facing South and was therefore a huge improvement. In all other regards, these two rooms were identical.
The hotel website quotes the room size at 27 sq m. This is sufficiently spacious without being overly generous. I had double and single beds each with bedside cabinets with single drawers. There is a single easy chair and small table by the patio doors. The rest of the furniture is fitted comprising a cupboard housing the mini bar, dressing table and luggage rack. There is the usual double wardrobe (just 10 hangers) and cupboard with 5 shelves, one of which is occupied by the safe, opposite the shower room.
A hotel of this age would have been built with bath tubs so the retro-fitted walk-in shower reflects this in size. The shower floor is slippy. Toiletries comprise: small bar soaps, hair conditioner, body lotion, cotton buds and pad, shower cap, sanitary bag and nail file. There are liquid soap dispensers next to the wash basin and in the shower. There is a extending, wall-mounted, shaving/makeup mirror, hair dryer and the usual telephone in case you feel the need to chat on the loo.
The mini bar is supplied with Pepsi, Pepsi light, 'Fruko' lemonade, four small bottles of water and a single very small bottle of sparkling water. Unlike the Crystal Sunrise Queen, there are no beers, chocolate bars, crisps or nuts. Similarly there is no kettle, facilities or supplies to make hot drinks. Slippers are provided but not bathrobes. I have never had one without the other and found this odd.
The floor is carpeted. Free wi-fi reception in my room is excellent.
There is various signage. One to place on the bed to request a bedding change, another to hang outside for maintenance requests - my first shower head had an incurable droop - another informing me that to change pool towels (provided in the room) between 5 and 7pm daily and finally the room service menu. Again, unlike the Sunrise Queen all items carry extra charge. Examples are: cheese plate 9TL, mushroom omelette 11 TL, grilled steak with vegetables and rice 22TL and beer/raki/glass of wine/whisky all at 9TL. These are all very reasonably-priced and probably set before the Lira weakened of late.
Overall the room is well-decorated, comfortable and attractively lit. There is nothing exceptional about it positive or negative. I get the feeling all five star hotel rooms in Turkey are becoming clones. I miss features like a sink in which to slaughter a goat or a window from the bathroom to the sleeping area so that you can see your loved one on the loo. It is certainly a step down from the Crystal Sunrise Queen in terms of the offering but perfectly adequate and on par with most Turkish five-stars.
Room advice if you were booking at the Crystal De Luxe, would certainly to be to ask for one of the top two floors (3 & 4), pool-facing in the North wing if you want sunshine or land-facing in the same wing to avoid the sunshine but have views of the mountains. All rooms on the top floor should have partial sea views except those in the West side facing inland. Still, views of the stunning mountains at Kemer may be preferable to a semi-distant sea view.
Food & Beverage
I will spare the full forensic approach and just report that the buffet food was the usual excellent Turkish five-star experience. Nothing stood out exceptionally either way from other Turkish five stars.
Service at the buffet restaurant is efficient, generally being greeted at the table within a few seconds of arriving with places reset and drinks orders taken and delivered promptly.
There is a live cooking station for every meal. This is meat or fish except at breakfast when it is (always) omelettes and pancakes. Whenever the offering here is special, I found a long line of hungry people queuing that I did not have the patience to join.
Aside from meat and fish, there is a huge variety: two different soups everyday, salads and salad ingredients, cold veg dishes, hot veg dishes, at least half a dozen different types of cheese, breads, pastas, and always chips and mashed potatoes. There is a spice section and a dessert bar I have not even looked at.
Labelling is not great. Only a minority of things are labelled and the labels are not always that informative. If you need reading glasses take them to the buffet just so you can study the food to make your choices.
There is no shortage of variety but I discovered the best selection was only available early on as the specials not replenished. If you prefer not to eat with the vultures the pickings will be correspondingly thinner.
Fresh orange juice without charge - a mark of the Crystal Group - is available at breakfast but it could not have been harder to find (far left corner as you walk in, beyond the last coffee machine).
The buffet restaurant lighting is better than average with down lights only used on the main traffic routes through the restaurant with the remainder of the lighting being provided by more atmospheric wall-lights.
There is a range of textures from old brick, through tiles and wood which also add to the ambience. There is a massive selection and the presentation is very good. Anyone who complains about the lack of variety is probably choosing to eat the same thing each meal. Overall, the buffet experience is hard to fault.
I was disappointed at the only a la carte restaurant I tried - Mexican. There had clearly been a lot of trouble taken with the decoration and ambience, it was truly a beautiful place to sit with atmospheric lighting and appropriate background music at the right level but the food was below par and the service impossibly slow. I walked out after waiting almost an hour for my main course. There were only around ten people in at the time.
The bars have a limited range of drinks included: passable house wines, beer (no dark), vodka, gin, brandy and soft drinks. Rum, whisky and anything imported are extra.
There is some at-table service in the bars but the beneficiaries appear mostly to be German guests who tip per service or groups of Turkish men. Turkish men also took priority at the bars on numerous occasions when it was blatantly obvious other people were in front of them. Their habit of shouting out their order and the bar staff slavishly deferring to them needs attention. Queuing is a British institution and such rule breaches are intolerable to us.
The snack bar is currently at the pool bar and this was my favourite place to relax and socialise during the day. Food-wise between 11:30 and 4pm there was (vegetarian) pizza, chips, doner meat, rice, borek, fried mixed veg, salads, breads and that was about it. Sadly, this was replaced during my stay by a fixed menu to order and this had few takers. I was told there is 24hr soup in the buffet but I never visited outside the published midnight snack hours of 11:30-12:30.
No review of mine would be complete without mentioning cutlery. First, it goes as read that there are no soup spoons. I have only every encountered one Turkish hotel with soup spoons (Concorde) and even there they were like gold dust. The usual dessert spoons are provided instead. Secondly the table knives are an odd contemporary design in which the (solid) handle is twisted 90 degrees to the blade. They are odd to hold and put down on the table or plate, they have a tendency to rotate blade-up or blade-down. I have a feeling that if I eventually mastered these knives I will no longer be able to use more conventional ones. There were little details too such as putting inappropriately-sized spoons with various foodstuffs.
Entertainment
There are the same animation-organised daily events as you would find in any hotel on this coast: gym, boccia, darts, and the DJ at night. This lack of originality irks.
The night club is dark, loud and furnished reminiscent of a 1970 youth club. At least it has a bar. There was sporadic live music - mostly laid on for Turkish conference guests during my stay who were themselves lively and entertaining. Otherwise the nightclub is the domain of the DJ with the usual DJ personality issues - self-love and ignorance of any music other than what they consider cool. It is rather like being told by a self-styled wine connoisseur to like vinegar. I rarely stayed for more than a drink in the nightclub when the DJ was active.
I came across a new phenomenon - a depressed animator. I am so used to members of the animation team being manic, hyper and in-my-face. It was startling to come across one who is quiet, polite, speaks excellent English and is missing Marmaris terribly. He even looks sad from a distance. He confessed that his German is not so good and perhaps explains why he was so keen to speak to me - one of few native English speakers in the hotel at the time. He ran the boccia and was a picture of utter deflation ever to be on the losing side. Thank you Cemil, your personal woes always made me feel happy in comparison.
I always avoid the shows put on by the animation team because each one makes me a little older. So I offer no comment there.
Summary
This is a good quality Turkish five-star hotel in an unbeatable beach/town location in Kemer. It is compact but still has the full range of expected amenities. It is unfortunate that I had an appalling check-in experience.
For the price I paid, £123 for two weeks (all-inclusive, hotel only with Travel Republic), I would be crazy to have any complaints. The above comments are intended to place this hotel in the context of others I have stayed at especially for those who may be paying rather more.
I mentioned the company at the start. As this is necessarily a subjective review, I will say a big hello and massive heartfelt thanks to fellow guests Kam, Natalie, Emil, Christophe and Sergei. I love life-changing company and they were. They were the best of times....
If this review has been helpful, please help the wider Trip Adviser community by giving it a helpful vote below.
Tim.
Booked
Crystal De Luxe Kemer, March 2016
Palmworld, Side, March 2016
Done
Crystal Sunrise Queen, Side, December 2015
Crystal De Luxe, Kemer, November 2015
Narcia Hotel, Kumkoy, 2015
Sentido Roma Beach, Gundogdu, 2015
Side Miami Beach, Side, 2015
Arcanus Side resort Hotel, 2015
Crystal Sunrise Queen, Side, 2015, 2 times
Majesty Mirage Park, Goynuk, 2014
The Colours West, Gundogdu, 2014, 2 times
Royal Atlantis Resort, Gundogdu, 2013, 2 times
Side Yesiloz, 2013
Diamond Beach, Gundogdu, 2012
Sunberk, Side, 2012
Concorde Lara Beach, 2011, 2 times
Limak Lara, 2010
Lara Beach Resort, 2010
Sentido Perissia, Side, 2009-2010
Palmet Resort, Kemer, 2009
Viking Nona, Kemer, 2009
Viking Star, Kemer, 2009
Amara Wing, Kemer, 2009
Royal Wings, Lara Beach, 2008
Argos, Antalya, 2008
Xanthe Resort, Evrenseki, 2008
Linda, Side, 2008, 3 times
Grand Seker, Colakli, 2007
Marina Residence, Antalya, 2006/2007, 2 times
Kemer Resort, 2005
Turkiz Hotel, Kemer, 2004/2005, 2 times
Marina Kemer, 2005
Club Voyage, Belek, 2005
Club Voyage Sorgun, 2005
Kremlin Palace, Lara Beach, 2004
Kaya, Side, 2003
Hillside Ma Biche, Goynuk, 2002, 2 times
Kaya Belek, 2002, 3 times
Sunrise Queen, Side, 2000-2004, 6 times
Hemera, Side, 1999
Show less
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"Everything is relative"
"Everything is relative"
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