Повторное посещение отеля спустя год. Return visit to the hotel after a year.

FOREWORD /REASON FOR CHOOSING THE HOTEL AGAIN: rested in this hotel for the second time. First time in June 2017 (from 06/03/2017 to 06/17/2017) The second time - from 04.07. 2018 to 18.07. 2018, composition: 2 adults and a child 7 years old. All my reviews about the rest in this hotel, and in other hotels of the Antalya coast of Turkey, you can read on this Internet resource.
The hotel was chosen again for the reason:
1. an adequate pricing policy of the tour operator TUI, which exclusively sells this hotel, in the Republic of Belarus 2018 and later. Although, if we compare the pricing policy in Belarus in 2017. and in 2018, it differs in the direction of increase;

2. beautiful sandy beach 650m. and the entrance to the sea, as well as a large and green area of ​ ​ the hotel 220 thousand. sq. m. Since we were going to go in the season and we are lovers of a beach holiday near the sea, and not near the pools, we understood the need for the hotel to have enough space on the beach, sunbeds, umbrellas. And in June 2017, the hotel could boast of this.
Since we rested at the hotel for the second time, I will try to make a comparative description without hiding anything. Let's start with the pros and move on to the cons.

OBVIOUS BENEFITS:

GEST RELATION WORK: excellent both in the 2017 season and in the 2018 season. The Russian-speaking manager Tatyana Oskan does a great job. This person is really in his place, and not just sitting out his pants and waiting for his return home. She not only does her job perfectly, but does it from the heart. She appreciates every vacationer, regardless of what country he came from or what nationality he has. It was very nice to meet Tatyana again - a person who perfectly combines work with household chores (she brings up two children, one of whom is only two years old). I wish her good health, kindness and prosperity! And the chief manager of the hotel appreciates such employees as Tatyana and encourages them.
HOTEL TERRITORY: no change cool, green, large, well-groomed. I will not dwell on it in detail, since it is described in great detail in my previous review. I will only say once again many thanks to the gardeners and staff, not only for the beauty, but also for the environment.

BEACH / WEATHER: as I wrote above, the beach of this hotel is one of the criteria for choosing it again for a vacation this year. I confirm that during the season there were enough sunbeds and umbrellas for everyone. If you look at the sea, then on the left side of the beach, sunbeds and umbrellas are additionally set up. Last year, at the beginning of June, there was no such need. Even if you decide to sleep longer, you will always find places on the beach. Let not on the first line, but you will find it. There are no sprats in a barrel or slaughter for shade. Here they do not listen to conversations and strangers do not spontaneously begin to participate in them. Sun beds are in 6 rows.

The weather was excellent, the water in the sea is very warm, there was no rain at all. For several days during the day the temperature reached +38 degrees, but during the hottest hours we rested in the room. At night, the air temperature was about + 26 + 28 degrees, so you won’t sleep much with an open window, like in June, but of course it’s the high season.

ALA CART RESTAURANTS: this year we managed to get into 2 ala carte restaurants (fish and Turkish). I think the ability to register only in the application is not very convenient, since many people book in advance for everything. We liked both visits to the fish and Turkish a la carte. We even recognized some of the waiters who worked here last year. The food is delicious, the service is excellent, the wine is decent.

EXCURSIONS: the child really wanted to visit the Discovery Park in Side (Manavgat) - a dinosaur park, which additionally has a mini-zoo, a terrarium, shows of crocodiles and fur seals.
There is also the opportunity to photograph a child with a parrot, a crocodile, a lizard and a small lion. Our TUI guides offered to go there from 8.30 to 15.30 only on Tuesdays and Saturdays. It turns out that you spend the hottest time in open areas. We thought for a long time and decided to visit this park on our own at a convenient time for us, and not for the guides of the TUI tour operator. Thus, eliminating the transportation of other tourists to hotels. I think 100% that they did the right thing. There, at 18.00, the crocodile show begins and it is not as hot as in the afternoon. Our son who loves dinosaurs loved the dinosaur park. I noticed that most of the park is boys than girls. Regarding transport: we went back and forth by taxi with a taxi driver from Belek, whom we had previously found, bargained and agreed that he would be waiting for us during our stay in the park. If you go with a tour of the TUI, then the cost of tickets will be 65 dollars.

/ 1 adult and 45 USD. / 1 child. If you buy tickets directly at the box office of Discovery Park, then 45 dollars. /1 adult and 25 USD. / 1 child + the cost of the road (already here, as agreed). You can also get there by regular buses, but there is no direct flight, you need to make several transfers. Children are not comfortable. Approximate distance from the hotel to Discovery Park in Manavgat is 35 km. To the Dinopark in Goynuk (Kemer) - it is logical that it takes much longer and, as far as I know, TUI does not take you there.
The guides of the TUI tour operator very often offer an excursion to Rixos Land of Legends - a water park and theme park, which is located in Belek and is rightfully one of the best and newest not only in Belek itself, but, I’m not afraid of this word, on the entire Antalya coast of Turkey . But to be honest, we had enough of our own, quite a large and good water park, so we didn’t go there. A lot of families with teenagers went there and were satisfied.
I think that you can get there on your own, without TUI guides.

AQUAPARK/POOLS: cool. For lovers of this type of recreation - great. There are always some entertainment events near the central pool. German tourists, including those with children, love to relax there. We are fans of a beach holiday, so we spent all our time at the seaside. But she came and personally rode all the slides for adults. It's fun and you won't get bored there.

SPORTS FOCUS OF THE HOTEL: 100% excellent. As already mentioned in many reviews of tourists, and in my previous one - here is a paradise for lovers of active pastime. Mountain bikes, jogging track, water park, banana ride, zumba, fitness room, etc. , etc. Anything your heart desires.

CATERING IN THE MAIN RESTAURANT: in July 2018 it has improved compared to June 2017. The assortment of fruits has become much wider.

There were cherries (large and sweet), and watermelon, and plums (large and tasty), and grapes, and apricots, and nectarines, and apples, and oranges, and bananas (including baby), and melon (though such yourself). The number of meat dishes has also expanded. There were days of fish cuisine, when we even managed to eat king prawns and huge tuna. I saw such a giant tuna for the first time in a Turkish hotel. We must pay tribute to the chefs, they cooked it perfectly. Delicious. There were days of meat cooking, when we ate plenty of beef tongue, and lumpy beef meat, perfectly cooked. Thanks for the dinner ideas. I consider it a minus, the issuance of ice cream is only in the main restaurant at certain hours. The ice cream tray must be placed near the beach. Turkish night and sweets are also a separate topic for conversation. There is a lot to choose from and you can definitely choose what you like.
EXPANSION OF THE CHILDREN'S COMPARTMENT IN THE MAIN RESTAURANT: this fact cannot be ignored in the 2018 season, and not only geographically, but also in terms of the quality of the dishes. Well done. Not only the number of dishes has expanded, but also canned food for the smallest ones (fruit puree and vegetable puree in jars), as well as packaged juice of 200g. with a straw (depending on the days there were cherry nectar, orange nectar, apricot nectar, tangerine nectar). From side dishes: in addition to french fries, mashed potatoes and smooth vegetable puree were added. Always had pasta or spaghetti. From meat dishes there were boiled chicken, nuggets, sausages, chicken or beef meatballs. There were always plenty of fruits and vegetables. True, for some reason there are very few cherry tomatoes. It is also impossible not to note the positive changes: a blender, a microwave - everything is at hand in the children's section of the main restaurant. Always stood clean, washed.
From the wishes: the introduction of buckwheat porridge. I know German and Turkish children don't like her.

OBVIOUS MINUSES:

WORK OF TUI GUIDES IN THE HOTEL: since the hotel is exclusively sold only by the tour operator TUI, I will write about their work at the hotel. There are 2 Russian-speaking guides of TUI: Natalya Pereverzeva and Ekaterina Tolmacheva. They work at the hotel from 09.30 to 18.00. Well, I can say about them: their main business is, unfortunately, only to sell excursions, and, probably, to eat in the main restaurant on time. There is no sense from them, as well as initiatives on their part. They sit together, like Siamese twins, on their phones, looking bored. These are not qualified guides, but just student girls who do not even really know the region. Hoping that they will help resolve some situation is pointless. No impact on the reception, for example, they do not have. They are not considered at all.

So, guys, solve all the problems with the reception yourself, and all the problems that may arise during your stay at the hotel - with the guest relations department (guest-relation) - with the Russian-speaking manager Tatiana Oskan or Kristina (about the work of the guest- relaying I wrote above).
On the way back, we bought an individual transfer from the tour operator TUI. On the day of departure, I personally approached Natalia and Ekaterina and specified the departure time, plus the departure time was indicated on the departure lists - 20.00. They promised everything would be fine. Being at the reception at 20.00, we did not find him. After 15 minutes, they independently dialed Natalya on a mobile phone - they did not hear an answer. They dialed Faik Yildirim, their regional manager of the TUI for Belek, on his mobile phone, he promised to sort it out.
True, I understood the situation the first time, quickly called back and said that our car was delayed for another 15 minutes, since it allegedly broke down on the road. He apologized, etc. , etc. At 20.35, the TUI guide walked into the hotel lobby with a straight face. In short, in order not to tell for a long time, I will tell you, friends, like this: we were the last to register. They stood in line and the counters closed behind them. It's good that we had a preliminary seat reservation with the Rosa Vetrov airline. Otherwise, they would sit separately.
At the end of June-July 2018, overbooking is a normal phenomenon for the TUI tour operator. Some guests of TUI Magic Life Waterward were relocated to a cheaper option - Fun&Sun Club Belek (former TUI Magic Life Club Belek), which is also sold exclusively by TUI tour operator. Moreover, many of them bought a tour by early booking. It can be concluded that this year the tour operator TUI has sold more tours to the hotel than it can physically accept.

THE WORK OF THE HOTEL RECEPTION: this, unfortunately, is the weakest link in the overall operation of the hotel. If we compare reception managers in June 2017. and in July 2018 - heaven and earth. Now they are indifferent to the problems of tourists (later, I realized that all tourists are from the countries of the former CIS), they have no desire to compromise, they have dual standards for resettlement on a national basis. It looked very funny when a big TUI bus with German tourists arrived - they turned on the music to the fullest and waved German flags. At the same time, tourists from Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Poland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and Hungary rested at the hotel. But exclusivity is only for the Germans. Receptionists to the right and left told everyone that the hotel is on the foot. Therefore, the resettlement is strictly after 14.00, and the check-out is at 12.00. But to see the Germans driving in a club car at 8.00 to their rooms for resettlement is a normal phenomenon for this reception. And other tourists - let them wait. There are also rules.
I say ambivalent standards. If this review is read by the chief manager of the hotel, Mr. Ismail, who, by the way, became one in 2018, then a huge request is not just to pay attention to this, but to take decisive action. This also applies to the general manager of the reception, who, knowing that the tourist is not from Germany, fundamentally does not talk to him, referring to her employment, despite the fact that the tourist speaks German. This is just unacceptable disrespect and incorrect behavior. For a hotel of this class, this is a shame. Your front desk staff needs training: every tourist is important, no matter what country they come from. If you, Mr. Ismail, value your guests in general, including vacationers not for the first time, and want them to return again.
I noticed several times at the reception how Russian-speaking tourists with children wanted to officially extend their room for money due to a late departure due to the fault of the airline that works in conjunction with TUI: they were simply footballed and laughed at. The hotel reservation system is not working well.
I also heard from guests, including those from my hometown, that immigrants from the CIS countries are accommodated on the first floor of a bungalow, without a balcony, overlooking the thickets, in the worst rooms and remote buildings. So, ladies and gentlemen, sell such rooms not as standard, but at a discounted price, like economy. We are personally grateful to Tatyana Oskan, the manager of the guest-relationship, with whom I have been writing off for the second year. She entered our data into the system in advance. I'm sure that's the only reason they gave us our paid two-room suite in the Bougonville bungalow. Relying on the front desk just doesn't make sense. They do not hear and do not want to hear.
Last year we lived in room 2113. This year it is 2111. The rooms are the same, so I will not dwell on it further. The body is comfortable for us personally and we liked it last year.


CONTINUED SAVINGS AT THE HOTEL: replenishment of the mini-bar only on the day of arrival, no canned hygiene products in the room, no electric kettle in the family room and no tea and coffee set, ice cream dispensed by the hour in the main restaurant, no plastic straws (they say not to polluting the environment, but it's unhygienic), intermittent wifi, the presence of a metal key to the safe (guys, finally buy new safes), insufficient central lighting in the rooms in the bungalow.

CONCLUSION: if the work of the reception of the hotel and the tour operator TUI is sane, and there is also an adequate pricing policy, then you can definitely go to this hotel for families with children.
I personally love him because of the combination of many factors. I also love Belek in particular, and Turkey in general.