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So, remembering that “debt is red”, and reading other people’s travel stories is, of course, easy and pleasant, but you still need to share your impressions about hotels, I decided to fulfill my “duty” and write a review about the Zen Phaselis Princess Hotel 5* (village Tekirova), which we visited in October 2011.
I myself, dear fellow tourists, really like to “study” reviews and travel reports, for which I am very grateful to everyone, because I always choose hotels on my own, trusting your impressions and even emotions. But to make it myself - I always somehow put it off for later... Briefly - I rarely succeed, deployed - I'm afraid to bore you with a long story . . I always want the review to be not only informative, emotional, but also useful in all respects. So, I'll try, especially since they write quite a bit about this hotel, sparingly and contradictory.
I must say right away that we ventured to go to Turkey in October for the first time, before these were “tested” and reliable months - June and September. In June 2011, they already “checked in” in Turkey - for the sake of a 3-year-old granddaughter, they paid a decent amount for a two-week vacation at the Club Boran Mare 5 * hotel in Goynuk (but believe me, it was worth it, an excellent family hotel! ). We didn't plan to take any more vacations in the calendar year. My husband and I had 2 weeks left from the vacation, the harvest from the garden was already hidden in jars... And the word “vacation” haunts me: I “wander” on TO sites, read about travels... And what do I see ? ! Prices for tours are falling right before our eyes! The leaders of discounts are Anex, Tez Tour; Pegasus steadfastly holds positions, having 5-6 sorties a day (stupid! ); Coral and MoreTravel are running out of flights for the dates of our vacation... The offers are tempting: 3 * All for 8-9 nights from 14 thousand. But, to be honest, it’s scary for a three-ruble note... 8 nights - 34 thousand. I take note, track further, as an "experienced detective" and after 3 days - oh, a miracle! – already 25 thousand!! ! for two! UAll, for 9 days/8 nights! Against such a price, and the husband could not resist, he postponed his construction work in the country (persuaded! ). I book a tour by phone with my favorite agency, as a bonus I also get a 10% discount (80 dollars, fuel surcharge, turned out to be free! ) And enjoy the anticipation of the upcoming vacation! Still, Tez Tour brought a “fly in the ointment” into my nirvana - for 1 thousand dollars for 8 days he began to offer hotels just super: Marty Mira, Fantasia de Luxe, Orange County, Corinthia, etc. ! But - the deed is done, the bridges are burned... On October 16 we fly to Zen Phaselis!
About tour operator ANEX. It is customary to scold him. But I have no complaints about him. 3 times flew - and always everything is OK! Advantages: good price for the tour, excellent departure times (early morning - there, late evening - back); this time they flew out of Koltsovo at 3.00, back from Antalya - at 22.30. The return flight was delayed by 2 hours, we warned about it in advance and picked up from the hotel later. The airline is U-Tair, a reliable rated carrier. That's just drove us today to Antalya 5.5 hours!! ! (with the usual flight time of 4.30) To our bewilderment, the crew replied: headwind, gentlemen! Meeting, transfer - everything, as usual, without incident. 2 large buses were “loaded” from our flight to the Phaselis Hotel! Why so many, they found out later: this hotel was really bought by an Azerbaijani (rumors on the Internet were confirmed! ), For 30 million dollars, Anex rented it for 10 years. Therefore, the lion's share of tours to the hotel is sold by Anex (information from the guide). And at the reception, along with Moscow, London and Berlin time, the clock shows the time in Baku!
The road to the hotel is familiar, not tired at all, the views outside the window are breathtaking and caress the eye. I love Kemer!! ! Here is the Mouse Island, snow-white yachts, and the same white sea! Yes, yes, the Turks themselves also call the Mediterranean Sea the White Sea, so it seems at times (especially in the early morning) due to the high concentration of salt in the water. We passed the tunnel of Desires, Bildibi, Goynuk, and here it is, new to us, still unfamiliar village. Tekirova!
Settlement. It was already 9 am at the hotel. You understand, with so many tourists, the settlement had to wait. Moreover, later it turned out that due to the closing of the season, only the main building is open. The bracelets were put on immediately, sent for breakfast. When everyone “dispersed” around the territory, I went to the empty counter, putting the treasured 20 bucks into my passport. Having hardly pushed them into the administrators (they didn’t want to take them! ), Within 1.5 hours I got a room on the 3rd floor on the sunny side with a view of the main pool, a side view of the sea and mountains (this view is from almost all rooms). The Turk quickly dragged the suitcases, did not really let him see the number, extended his hand with a hint. Gave 1 dollar. He grimaced contemptuously, threw the bill on the bed, said "$5". I wanted to give a penny, but they gave bucks . . The laws of hospitality, damn it... (tourists have already described this situation in reviews). I want to warn you right away that in the high season it is better to take a room on the other, shady side, to the pool with slides. Even in October, during the day, the room heated up to exhausting stuffiness. The air conditioner only hummed with annoyance that it could not cool anything.
Number. Small, bright, one large bed with a soft headboard made of white leatherette, 1 bedside table (similar to a small chest of drawers), 2 armchairs, a table, a silent mini-bar (1 liter of mineral water with gas, 1.5 liters of drinking water, 1 liter of Pepsi, 1 liter sprite - replenished daily), a built-in wardrobe with a large number of coat hangers and a complete lack of shelves, which was very annoying. Most things had to be stored in a suitcase. There is a small safe in the closet, a laptop or tablet will not fit. There are very large mirrors on two adjacent walls in the room. Opposite the bed is a small LCD TV (shows 8 or 9 Russian channels!!! ). The room is very refreshing with a bright carpet, it is clear that it is new. The bathroom is very small! I've never seen one like this before! Shampoo and shower gel are poured into plastic bottles with a dispenser and placed by the shower. Put a small bar of soap and cotton swabs. There were no problems with water. The balcony is also small, there are 2 plastic chairs, a folding table and a clothes dryer. In general, my fears about the “age of the rooms” were almost not confirmed, everything is quite worthy (if you don’t find fault, for example, with slots in the baseboards! ).
Info-meeting with guides. At first we decided - we will not go! Again, only excursions will be “sold”, but something pushed, it turned out, not in vain. The meeting turned out to be really "info" in a good interpretation of the word. A formidable-looking guide (like his name is Ali, who was constantly in the lobby) began something like this: “I know that many have already run to Oleg (the local travel agency and the hotel entrance) to find out about excursions. I suggest the following: we will organize for you any excursions at its prices and even cheaper. The end of the season, it makes no sense to “break” prices. ” At this point, the topic of excursions was “closed”, and the guides did not remember more about them during the entire time of our stay. We did not take excursions, because. This is not the first time in Turkey, and we have already seen a lot. There were few days, and I wanted a simple relaxation. At the meeting, we learned a lot of interesting things about the village. Tekirova, its difference from other areas (more "regime", because there are summer residences of high-ranking officials of Turkey and other states), as well as details about the Phaselis hotel. They handed over the vouchers right away in order to get a stamp on them (it was recommended to leave the hotel only with them, again because of Tekirov’s “regime”). In general, the impressions about the guides of Anex in this hotel were only positive.
Hotel, territory. I will dwell in more detail on the types of rooms that you need to know when booking a hotel. Standard rooms are located in the main building, standart rooms (pay attention to the last letter) in the two-story annex building, opposite the main building (they are also called "economy"). And God forbid you to book the so-called apartments (apart), rooms in a "barn" type building 1.5 km from the hotel! Former building for staff accommodation, which has a tiny pool and a "zoo" with real chickens and cockerels that roam freely throughout the territory. There is no catering there, no bar, the mood also disappears! Tourists are brought to the hotel by bus and they, poor fellows, “hang out” in the main territory all day long!
Phaselis Princess Hotel is not new, born in 1988, one of the first built in the village. Tekirova, the territory is compact, quite well-groomed, but not as “licked” as in Boran Mar (comparisons with this wonderful hotel haunted me all my vacation! ) It was possible to walk only along one route, around the main building. Pleased with tangerine and orange trees with many ripe fruits, trimmed shrubs, interesting cacti, palm trees. Lots of cozy nooks for privacy. It's just not clear why a small hotel has 5 (! ) Tennis courts, which are almost always empty? And why is there only 1 tennis table that is constantly busy? A Turkish riddle... There is a playground, quite large, paved, well equipped, fenced with a chain-link mesh (reminiscent of a large cage), during our stay it was all the time at the castle (? ), Next to it is a karting track (also in a “cage” on the castle). To be honest, all this caused bewilderment, I meet this for the first time. Or right here it’s time to voice the phrase that had to justify some of the “jambs” of the hotel: “Closing the season - something is already“ off!
Pools. There are four of them: 2 for children, on both sides of the hotel, the main one, on the sunny side, and another large one - with slides, a waterfall and a jacuzzi - on the shady side. There are two slides: one is straight, rather gentle, children can easily ride on it, the second is a rather steep “serpentine”. The slides are very beautifully designed, as if "hiding" between stone boulders and plants. Jacuzzi, a waterfall from a stylized cave, which decorates the pool, and slides worked by the hour. A very convenient entrance to the main pool (by steps), the area around the second (shady) pool is immersed in greenery. Imagine how cozy it is here in the sweltering heat! Nearby is a stylish bar in the form of an old yacht. The pools were practically empty, the water in them was quite invigorating in October, everyone swam in the sea.
Sea beach. The sea is the main miracle for which I fell in love with Kemer so much! Affectionate, warm, transparent, calm, sometimes just brilliant-crystal! Who here wrote about garbage, floating bags and feces ?? ? For the entire period of our stay, I did not meet even a blade of grass in the sea !! ! Entry into the sea is convenient, small pebbles mixed with sand, but the depth starts quite quickly, after 5-6 meters. The bottom is large pebbles, sometimes cobblestones (where it is deep), but I did not meet smooth, sharp stones. There was no pier, they said, washed away in a storm that swept along the Mediterranean coast in early October. It's a pity, swimming from the pier is always quite convenient. I was rescued by my old battered “corals”, so I did not experience any discomfort due to pebbles (free foot massage, again, good! )
The beach itself is small, 30 meters wide and 150-200 long, sandy, but the sand is not as clean, crystalline and “elite” as in Boran (here, I compare again! ), But also nothing, interspersed with pebbles. There are a lot of sun loungers, but they are arranged quite heap. Some of the sun loungers and mattresses have already been stacked, the textile “caps” have been removed from most of the fungi (the end of the season, they were also “turned off”! ). There are wooden decks, there are several tents that become VIPs in the "high" season (waiters bring drinks, fruits, etc. for a fee). There is a kind of "outdoor gym" - on the grass there are several antediluvian metal simulators that are popular with vacationers. There are changing rooms and several showers.
Towels are issued right on the beach on cards, they are quite good: large, plain, blue. Sometimes there are "retirement" torn copies, but they are changed unconditionally. We changed towels more than once a day for clean ones, no one even said a word against it.
There is a bar on the beach: tea, beer, wine, tomato juice from boxes (mmm! ), As well as a shady snack bar where you can have a bite after 12: salads, baked vegetables, spaghetti, even dumplings (especially large ones! ) , hot dogs, fries. Hot dogs, however, are very primitive and did not arouse my desire to try them: a bun is taken, a wet sausage is removed from a pot of boiling water and put into a bun. All! Bon appetit! The interior of the snack bar is reminiscent of a school cafeteria: white walls, white tiles, the same distribution of vessels. . In general, simple and tasteless. The constant assortment included fruits: apples, oranges, pears and tangerines. About tangerines, it must be said separately - VERY DELICIOUS and juicy, the flesh is dark orange! It can be seen that they were recently plucked directly from the tree, with twigs and leaves! At first I was confused by the green color of the peel, but it turned out that even with such an “immature” appearance, a wonderful taste is hidden inside!
Here, next to the snack, they also make very tasty pizza, the filling is simple - only slices of tomatoes and cheese, but the dough! Peerless! Moreover, the chef starts making pizza-blanks from 10 in the morning, prepares the daily norm, lays it out in rows, and then only throws it into the ovens! Who did not have time - he was late!
Grandmother with gozlime settled here, I don’t remember how long she “served the priesthood”. The cakes were delicious, however, as elsewhere in Turkish hotels. A great addition is a cold ayran in the machine, pour it yourself into disposable cups and drink as much as you want!
I was disappointed with the situation with the issuance of ice cream: in the bar of the main pool from 15 to 15-30. And that's it!! ! Only 2 types, the taste is not very good.
On the beach there are also water sports, the range, as elsewhere. There are no catamarans, only kayaks - single and 2-seater, free of charge. The advantages of the closing of the season - it was possible to "bargain" everything at very low prices. But it was necessary to swing quickly - after October 20, these entertainments were also “turned off”!
Bars, restaurants. We found only 1 main restaurant in full "combat" readiness. There are a la cards, but they have already been “turned off”. I was only able to look at them. An info-meeting was held in one, the atmosphere is very simple, without frills and design, in the absence of tables it resembled an ordinary conference room. Barbecue restaurant: located in a cozy open meadow, fenced on all sides by shrubs, simple wooden benches - everything that has not yet been put away for storage. Apparently, the restaurant does not function in bad weather, they did not find any protection from precipitation!
The main restaurant is on two levels, but the tables with food are located only on the first floor, which is not very spacious, in my opinion. There is also an open terrace under the roof and an open area with tables, where the function of the roof is performed by a textile awning, which, if necessary, unfolds and collapses. But it does not save from rain and wind. So, if you didn't have enough tables downstairs, grab your plates and up the stairs! Everything was enough for our stay, including tables. Therefore, access to the 2nd floor was blocked.
I will try briefly about food: no frills, a lot, tasty, not very diverse. Chicken in several forms, meat in the form of goulash, fish baked, stewed and barbecued, dumplings, and some other options. Soup of two types. Like oatmeal in the morning. From fruits: green and red apples, pears, plums, oranges, tangerines, chopped melon, green and black grapes (very large, tasty, ate like nowhere before! ). The complete absence of watermelons (??? ). What O-chen surprised: tasteless pastries and desserts! The assortment is small, some everything is not very fresh, soft, not very tasty. The assortment of dry breakfasts is also small and monotonous. In coffee machines - 3 types of coffee, there is cocoa. For lunch and dinner, bottled wine (white, rose or red) and water will be placed on the table (at your request). Perhaps in season the food is more varied, but we had more than enough. I was constantly pleased by the absence of queues in restaurants, the bars, one might say, were “empty”. The most "huge" line in the lobby for imported drinks, which was observed for 9 days, 3 people And there were almost no imported drinks, only martinis. And tequila, whiskey, Baileys - everything is Turkish, although the quality is not bad. As is wine. Cognac is disappointing. How can one not remember the excellent Turkish "Napoleon", which was served in other hotels!
Alcoholic drinks are brought by waiters, and, both in the restaurant at dinner, and when you are sitting in the lobby "at a laptop" , they themselves come up and offer. You can take it yourself in bars, no one will be offended. Pour as much as you ask. I once asked for a glass of tequila (for two with my husband, so as not to run), they poured it without question.
Several bars worked during our stay: in the lobby, by 2 main pools (the bar where the slides were obviously superfluous), a bar on the beach, a bar in the restaurant (during lunches and dinners), a terrace bar (worked from 16 hours, Real Turkish coffee was brewed there.
As a thank you, we gave Winston, L&M cigarettes to the waiters, which immediately made us their best friends! At the end of the rest, one of the waiters came up and asked if there were any Russian cigarettes to "buy". Offered $5 a pack! I was ready for a “bulk” purchase - a couple of blocks (keep in mind, future hotel guests, an excellent “home business”! )
I would like to say about the waiters that they were all friendly, calm, not in a hurry, they were not annoyed by anything, just bunnies! However, like all the staff of the hotel! (I emphasize this because many tourists complain about poor service at the end of the season) The only negative is the clothes of the waiters! I’m not talking about some kind of uniform - everyone is dressed in various second-hand “rarities”, as if presented by the “salvation army”: incomprehensible T-shirts, shirts, elongated pullovers, trousers similar to our tights... In general, there is something for the manager to work on hotel.
And again about cleanliness. Along the open terrace of the restaurant grow some bushes, grass, and there is garbage! dead trees! (I got the impression that everything has been accumulating there for years! ) In general, a good subbotnik will not hurt (again, I remember Boran Mare - "Grand Prix" for the ideal cleanliness of the territory !!! )
SPA and fitness. Free of charge: a good gym, Turkish bath, dry sauna, wet sauna, pool in the form of a font (about 2x3). We did not use massage services, etc. , but the tourists said that everything was fine. The staff always greeted us with a smile and very friendly.
And about the Turkish corporate party. On Friday after lunch, the hotel began to "movement": banners were hung everywhere, banners of the standard type "ANEX TOUR". Svetlana answered our questions about the guest relation: “season closing, summing up, corporate Anex Tour”. Toward evening, guests began to arrive: in minibuses, private cars. Mostly families, with children, even with babies. Our "sleepy" hotel immediately somehow "came to life", filled with people and children's voices. We suddenly remembered that we were in Turkey, and not at our dacha : )) The solemn event began at 7 pm and took place on the 2nd floor of the restaurant, so nothing prevented us, tourists, from eating an evening meal, except that the music sounded loudly, the voices of the presenters, amplified by acoustic equipment and friendly applause (apparently, they were presenting awards and gifts), the dinner menu was pleasantly surprised by some variety and new dishes, as was the breakfast of the next day. This is understandable, "their" have arrived! The Turks “walked” culturally, dispersed rather quickly, we did not hear night screams under the windows, although we waited ) Many left that same evening, not staying the night. In general, an exemplary corporate party! We, Russians, don’t know how, our soul demands fun and expanse, the brakes are “released”, and... “Tagil rules” !! ! Here we have a lot to learn!
SUMMARY. The hotel is good, solid 4 points, amazing nature, breathtaking views! The attitude towards tourists is the most cordial and friendly. If you don’t particularly find fault (for example, with cigarette butts at the snack bar, some torn mattresses on the beach, the absence of seafood on the menu, etc. ), then it’s quite possible to relax, especially at the opening and closing of the season. There are doubts about the “high” season: if all the buildings are occupied, and vacationers from the “apartments” hang out right there, the hotel will look like a big anthill! There are definitely not enough sunbeds on the beach for everyone! We rested very spaciously, at the same time more than 15-20 people did not fall into the field of view! The complete lack of animation for us was only a big plus.
The hotel is well located: right from the hotel you go to the main street of the village. On Saturdays, a large bazaar comes (go all straight, without turning anywhere, 400 meters). The prices there are much lower than in local shops. We bought good summer jeans for my husband there for $25 (the original price was $90) and our favorite pomegranate sauce (already from a fresh harvest) for $2 a bottle.
The weather in October also turned out to be very comfortable: the rain was only the first 2 days, and then - small and short-lived. On other days - in the afternoon up to 35 degrees, they managed to burn out !!! ! (that’s what they obviously didn’t expect), I had to buy a protective cream. The sea is very warm! 24-26 degrees! There were no waves at all! It was cool only in the evening, at 6 o'clock, when we got out of the water, and the sun was already setting and a light breeze was blowing.
In general, we will go to Turkey in October for sure! Thanks to all the staff at Zen Phaselis Hotel for a wonderful stay! Thanks to everyone who read to the end! On May 22, I’m flying to “open” a new Hedef Beach Resort 5 * hotel in Alanya, I will definitely share my impressions, so see you on the site again!
I myself, dear fellow tourists, really like to “study” reviews and travel reports, for which I am very grateful to everyone, because I always choose hotels on my own, trusting your impressions and even emotions. But to make it myself - I always somehow put it off for later... Briefly - I rarely succeed, deployed - I'm afraid to bore you with a long story . . I always want the review to be not only informative, emotional, but also useful in all respects. So, I'll try, especially since they write quite a bit about this hotel, sparingly and contradictory.
I must say right away that we ventured to go to Turkey in October for the first time, before these were “tested” and reliable months - June and September. In June 2011, they already “checked in” in Turkey - for the sake of a 3-year-old granddaughter, they paid a decent amount for a two-week vacation at the Club Boran Mare 5 * hotel in Goynuk (but believe me, it was worth it, an excellent family hotel! ). We didn't plan to take any more vacations in the calendar year. My husband and I had 2 weeks left from the vacation, the harvest from the garden was already hidden in jars... And the word “vacation” haunts me: I “wander” on TO sites, read about travels... And what do I see ? ! Prices for tours are falling right before our eyes! The leaders of discounts are Anex, Tez Tour; Pegasus steadfastly holds positions, having 5-6 sorties a day (stupid! ); Coral and MoreTravel are running out of flights for the dates of our vacation... The offers are tempting: 3 * All for 8-9 nights from 14 thousand. But, to be honest, it’s scary for a three-ruble note... 8 nights - 34 thousand. I take note, track further, as an "experienced detective" and after 3 days - oh, a miracle! – already 25 thousand!! ! for two! UAll, for 9 days/8 nights! Against such a price, and the husband could not resist, he postponed his construction work in the country (persuaded! ). I book a tour by phone with my favorite agency, as a bonus I also get a 10% discount (80 dollars, fuel surcharge, turned out to be free! ) And enjoy the anticipation of the upcoming vacation! Still, Tez Tour brought a “fly in the ointment” into my nirvana - for 1 thousand dollars for 8 days he began to offer hotels just super: Marty Mira, Fantasia de Luxe, Orange County, Corinthia, etc. ! But - the deed is done, the bridges are burned... On October 16 we fly to Zen Phaselis!
About tour operator ANEX. It is customary to scold him. But I have no complaints about him. 3 times flew - and always everything is OK! Advantages: good price for the tour, excellent departure times (early morning - there, late evening - back); this time they flew out of Koltsovo at 3.00, back from Antalya - at 22.30. The return flight was delayed by 2 hours, we warned about it in advance and picked up from the hotel later. The airline is U-Tair, a reliable rated carrier. That's just drove us today to Antalya 5.5 hours!! ! (with the usual flight time of 4.30) To our bewilderment, the crew replied: headwind, gentlemen! Meeting, transfer - everything, as usual, without incident. 2 large buses were “loaded” from our flight to the Phaselis Hotel! Why so many, they found out later: this hotel was really bought by an Azerbaijani (rumors on the Internet were confirmed! ), For 30 million dollars, Anex rented it for 10 years. Therefore, the lion's share of tours to the hotel is sold by Anex (information from the guide). And at the reception, along with Moscow, London and Berlin time, the clock shows the time in Baku!
The road to the hotel is familiar, not tired at all, the views outside the window are breathtaking and caress the eye. I love Kemer!! ! Here is the Mouse Island, snow-white yachts, and the same white sea! Yes, yes, the Turks themselves also call the Mediterranean Sea the White Sea, so it seems at times (especially in the early morning) due to the high concentration of salt in the water. We passed the tunnel of Desires, Bildibi, Goynuk, and here it is, new to us, still unfamiliar village. Tekirova!
Settlement. It was already 9 am at the hotel. You understand, with so many tourists, the settlement had to wait. Moreover, later it turned out that due to the closing of the season, only the main building is open. The bracelets were put on immediately, sent for breakfast. When everyone “dispersed” around the territory, I went to the empty counter, putting the treasured 20 bucks into my passport. Having hardly pushed them into the administrators (they didn’t want to take them! ), Within 1.5 hours I got a room on the 3rd floor on the sunny side with a view of the main pool, a side view of the sea and mountains (this view is from almost all rooms). The Turk quickly dragged the suitcases, did not really let him see the number, extended his hand with a hint. Gave 1 dollar. He grimaced contemptuously, threw the bill on the bed, said "$5". I wanted to give a penny, but they gave bucks . . The laws of hospitality, damn it... (tourists have already described this situation in reviews). I want to warn you right away that in the high season it is better to take a room on the other, shady side, to the pool with slides. Even in October, during the day, the room heated up to exhausting stuffiness. The air conditioner only hummed with annoyance that it could not cool anything.
Number. Small, bright, one large bed with a soft headboard made of white leatherette, 1 bedside table (similar to a small chest of drawers), 2 armchairs, a table, a silent mini-bar (1 liter of mineral water with gas, 1.5 liters of drinking water, 1 liter of Pepsi, 1 liter sprite - replenished daily), a built-in wardrobe with a large number of coat hangers and a complete lack of shelves, which was very annoying. Most things had to be stored in a suitcase. There is a small safe in the closet, a laptop or tablet will not fit. There are very large mirrors on two adjacent walls in the room. Opposite the bed is a small LCD TV (shows 8 or 9 Russian channels!!! ). The room is very refreshing with a bright carpet, it is clear that it is new. The bathroom is very small! I've never seen one like this before! Shampoo and shower gel are poured into plastic bottles with a dispenser and placed by the shower. Put a small bar of soap and cotton swabs. There were no problems with water. The balcony is also small, there are 2 plastic chairs, a folding table and a clothes dryer. In general, my fears about the “age of the rooms” were almost not confirmed, everything is quite worthy (if you don’t find fault, for example, with slots in the baseboards! ).
Info-meeting with guides. At first we decided - we will not go! Again, only excursions will be “sold”, but something pushed, it turned out, not in vain. The meeting turned out to be really "info" in a good interpretation of the word. A formidable-looking guide (like his name is Ali, who was constantly in the lobby) began something like this: “I know that many have already run to Oleg (the local travel agency and the hotel entrance) to find out about excursions. I suggest the following: we will organize for you any excursions at its prices and even cheaper. The end of the season, it makes no sense to “break” prices. ” At this point, the topic of excursions was “closed”, and the guides did not remember more about them during the entire time of our stay. We did not take excursions, because. This is not the first time in Turkey, and we have already seen a lot. There were few days, and I wanted a simple relaxation. At the meeting, we learned a lot of interesting things about the village. Tekirova, its difference from other areas (more "regime", because there are summer residences of high-ranking officials of Turkey and other states), as well as details about the Phaselis hotel. They handed over the vouchers right away in order to get a stamp on them (it was recommended to leave the hotel only with them, again because of Tekirov’s “regime”). In general, the impressions about the guides of Anex in this hotel were only positive.
Hotel, territory. I will dwell in more detail on the types of rooms that you need to know when booking a hotel. Standard rooms are located in the main building, standart rooms (pay attention to the last letter) in the two-story annex building, opposite the main building (they are also called "economy"). And God forbid you to book the so-called apartments (apart), rooms in a "barn" type building 1.5 km from the hotel! Former building for staff accommodation, which has a tiny pool and a "zoo" with real chickens and cockerels that roam freely throughout the territory. There is no catering there, no bar, the mood also disappears! Tourists are brought to the hotel by bus and they, poor fellows, “hang out” in the main territory all day long!
Phaselis Princess Hotel is not new, born in 1988, one of the first built in the village. Tekirova, the territory is compact, quite well-groomed, but not as “licked” as in Boran Mar (comparisons with this wonderful hotel haunted me all my vacation! ) It was possible to walk only along one route, around the main building. Pleased with tangerine and orange trees with many ripe fruits, trimmed shrubs, interesting cacti, palm trees. Lots of cozy nooks for privacy. It's just not clear why a small hotel has 5 (! ) Tennis courts, which are almost always empty? And why is there only 1 tennis table that is constantly busy? A Turkish riddle... There is a playground, quite large, paved, well equipped, fenced with a chain-link mesh (reminiscent of a large cage), during our stay it was all the time at the castle (? ), Next to it is a karting track (also in a “cage” on the castle). To be honest, all this caused bewilderment, I meet this for the first time. Or right here it’s time to voice the phrase that had to justify some of the “jambs” of the hotel: “Closing the season - something is already“ off!
Pools. There are four of them: 2 for children, on both sides of the hotel, the main one, on the sunny side, and another large one - with slides, a waterfall and a jacuzzi - on the shady side. There are two slides: one is straight, rather gentle, children can easily ride on it, the second is a rather steep “serpentine”. The slides are very beautifully designed, as if "hiding" between stone boulders and plants. Jacuzzi, a waterfall from a stylized cave, which decorates the pool, and slides worked by the hour. A very convenient entrance to the main pool (by steps), the area around the second (shady) pool is immersed in greenery. Imagine how cozy it is here in the sweltering heat! Nearby is a stylish bar in the form of an old yacht. The pools were practically empty, the water in them was quite invigorating in October, everyone swam in the sea.
Sea beach. The sea is the main miracle for which I fell in love with Kemer so much! Affectionate, warm, transparent, calm, sometimes just brilliant-crystal! Who here wrote about garbage, floating bags and feces ?? ? For the entire period of our stay, I did not meet even a blade of grass in the sea !! ! Entry into the sea is convenient, small pebbles mixed with sand, but the depth starts quite quickly, after 5-6 meters. The bottom is large pebbles, sometimes cobblestones (where it is deep), but I did not meet smooth, sharp stones. There was no pier, they said, washed away in a storm that swept along the Mediterranean coast in early October. It's a pity, swimming from the pier is always quite convenient. I was rescued by my old battered “corals”, so I did not experience any discomfort due to pebbles (free foot massage, again, good! )
The beach itself is small, 30 meters wide and 150-200 long, sandy, but the sand is not as clean, crystalline and “elite” as in Boran (here, I compare again! ), But also nothing, interspersed with pebbles. There are a lot of sun loungers, but they are arranged quite heap. Some of the sun loungers and mattresses have already been stacked, the textile “caps” have been removed from most of the fungi (the end of the season, they were also “turned off”! ). There are wooden decks, there are several tents that become VIPs in the "high" season (waiters bring drinks, fruits, etc. for a fee). There is a kind of "outdoor gym" - on the grass there are several antediluvian metal simulators that are popular with vacationers. There are changing rooms and several showers.
Towels are issued right on the beach on cards, they are quite good: large, plain, blue. Sometimes there are "retirement" torn copies, but they are changed unconditionally. We changed towels more than once a day for clean ones, no one even said a word against it.
There is a bar on the beach: tea, beer, wine, tomato juice from boxes (mmm! ), As well as a shady snack bar where you can have a bite after 12: salads, baked vegetables, spaghetti, even dumplings (especially large ones! ) , hot dogs, fries. Hot dogs, however, are very primitive and did not arouse my desire to try them: a bun is taken, a wet sausage is removed from a pot of boiling water and put into a bun. All! Bon appetit! The interior of the snack bar is reminiscent of a school cafeteria: white walls, white tiles, the same distribution of vessels. . In general, simple and tasteless. The constant assortment included fruits: apples, oranges, pears and tangerines. About tangerines, it must be said separately - VERY DELICIOUS and juicy, the flesh is dark orange! It can be seen that they were recently plucked directly from the tree, with twigs and leaves! At first I was confused by the green color of the peel, but it turned out that even with such an “immature” appearance, a wonderful taste is hidden inside!
Here, next to the snack, they also make very tasty pizza, the filling is simple - only slices of tomatoes and cheese, but the dough! Peerless! Moreover, the chef starts making pizza-blanks from 10 in the morning, prepares the daily norm, lays it out in rows, and then only throws it into the ovens! Who did not have time - he was late!
Grandmother with gozlime settled here, I don’t remember how long she “served the priesthood”. The cakes were delicious, however, as elsewhere in Turkish hotels. A great addition is a cold ayran in the machine, pour it yourself into disposable cups and drink as much as you want!
I was disappointed with the situation with the issuance of ice cream: in the bar of the main pool from 15 to 15-30. And that's it!! ! Only 2 types, the taste is not very good.
On the beach there are also water sports, the range, as elsewhere. There are no catamarans, only kayaks - single and 2-seater, free of charge. The advantages of the closing of the season - it was possible to "bargain" everything at very low prices. But it was necessary to swing quickly - after October 20, these entertainments were also “turned off”!
Bars, restaurants. We found only 1 main restaurant in full "combat" readiness. There are a la cards, but they have already been “turned off”. I was only able to look at them. An info-meeting was held in one, the atmosphere is very simple, without frills and design, in the absence of tables it resembled an ordinary conference room. Barbecue restaurant: located in a cozy open meadow, fenced on all sides by shrubs, simple wooden benches - everything that has not yet been put away for storage. Apparently, the restaurant does not function in bad weather, they did not find any protection from precipitation!
The main restaurant is on two levels, but the tables with food are located only on the first floor, which is not very spacious, in my opinion. There is also an open terrace under the roof and an open area with tables, where the function of the roof is performed by a textile awning, which, if necessary, unfolds and collapses. But it does not save from rain and wind. So, if you didn't have enough tables downstairs, grab your plates and up the stairs! Everything was enough for our stay, including tables. Therefore, access to the 2nd floor was blocked.
I will try briefly about food: no frills, a lot, tasty, not very diverse. Chicken in several forms, meat in the form of goulash, fish baked, stewed and barbecued, dumplings, and some other options. Soup of two types. Like oatmeal in the morning. From fruits: green and red apples, pears, plums, oranges, tangerines, chopped melon, green and black grapes (very large, tasty, ate like nowhere before! ). The complete absence of watermelons (??? ). What O-chen surprised: tasteless pastries and desserts! The assortment is small, some everything is not very fresh, soft, not very tasty. The assortment of dry breakfasts is also small and monotonous. In coffee machines - 3 types of coffee, there is cocoa. For lunch and dinner, bottled wine (white, rose or red) and water will be placed on the table (at your request). Perhaps in season the food is more varied, but we had more than enough. I was constantly pleased by the absence of queues in restaurants, the bars, one might say, were “empty”. The most "huge" line in the lobby for imported drinks, which was observed for 9 days, 3 people And there were almost no imported drinks, only martinis. And tequila, whiskey, Baileys - everything is Turkish, although the quality is not bad. As is wine. Cognac is disappointing. How can one not remember the excellent Turkish "Napoleon", which was served in other hotels!
Alcoholic drinks are brought by waiters, and, both in the restaurant at dinner, and when you are sitting in the lobby "at a laptop" , they themselves come up and offer. You can take it yourself in bars, no one will be offended. Pour as much as you ask. I once asked for a glass of tequila (for two with my husband, so as not to run), they poured it without question.
Several bars worked during our stay: in the lobby, by 2 main pools (the bar where the slides were obviously superfluous), a bar on the beach, a bar in the restaurant (during lunches and dinners), a terrace bar (worked from 16 hours, Real Turkish coffee was brewed there.
As a thank you, we gave Winston, L&M cigarettes to the waiters, which immediately made us their best friends! At the end of the rest, one of the waiters came up and asked if there were any Russian cigarettes to "buy". Offered $5 a pack! I was ready for a “bulk” purchase - a couple of blocks (keep in mind, future hotel guests, an excellent “home business”! )
I would like to say about the waiters that they were all friendly, calm, not in a hurry, they were not annoyed by anything, just bunnies! However, like all the staff of the hotel! (I emphasize this because many tourists complain about poor service at the end of the season) The only negative is the clothes of the waiters! I’m not talking about some kind of uniform - everyone is dressed in various second-hand “rarities”, as if presented by the “salvation army”: incomprehensible T-shirts, shirts, elongated pullovers, trousers similar to our tights... In general, there is something for the manager to work on hotel.
And again about cleanliness. Along the open terrace of the restaurant grow some bushes, grass, and there is garbage! dead trees! (I got the impression that everything has been accumulating there for years! ) In general, a good subbotnik will not hurt (again, I remember Boran Mare - "Grand Prix" for the ideal cleanliness of the territory !!! )
SPA and fitness. Free of charge: a good gym, Turkish bath, dry sauna, wet sauna, pool in the form of a font (about 2x3). We did not use massage services, etc. , but the tourists said that everything was fine. The staff always greeted us with a smile and very friendly.
And about the Turkish corporate party. On Friday after lunch, the hotel began to "movement": banners were hung everywhere, banners of the standard type "ANEX TOUR". Svetlana answered our questions about the guest relation: “season closing, summing up, corporate Anex Tour”. Toward evening, guests began to arrive: in minibuses, private cars. Mostly families, with children, even with babies. Our "sleepy" hotel immediately somehow "came to life", filled with people and children's voices. We suddenly remembered that we were in Turkey, and not at our dacha : )) The solemn event began at 7 pm and took place on the 2nd floor of the restaurant, so nothing prevented us, tourists, from eating an evening meal, except that the music sounded loudly, the voices of the presenters, amplified by acoustic equipment and friendly applause (apparently, they were presenting awards and gifts), the dinner menu was pleasantly surprised by some variety and new dishes, as was the breakfast of the next day. This is understandable, "their" have arrived! The Turks “walked” culturally, dispersed rather quickly, we did not hear night screams under the windows, although we waited ) Many left that same evening, not staying the night. In general, an exemplary corporate party! We, Russians, don’t know how, our soul demands fun and expanse, the brakes are “released”, and... “Tagil rules” !! ! Here we have a lot to learn!
SUMMARY. The hotel is good, solid 4 points, amazing nature, breathtaking views! The attitude towards tourists is the most cordial and friendly. If you don’t particularly find fault (for example, with cigarette butts at the snack bar, some torn mattresses on the beach, the absence of seafood on the menu, etc. ), then it’s quite possible to relax, especially at the opening and closing of the season. There are doubts about the “high” season: if all the buildings are occupied, and vacationers from the “apartments” hang out right there, the hotel will look like a big anthill! There are definitely not enough sunbeds on the beach for everyone! We rested very spaciously, at the same time more than 15-20 people did not fall into the field of view! The complete lack of animation for us was only a big plus.
The hotel is well located: right from the hotel you go to the main street of the village. On Saturdays, a large bazaar comes (go all straight, without turning anywhere, 400 meters). The prices there are much lower than in local shops. We bought good summer jeans for my husband there for $25 (the original price was $90) and our favorite pomegranate sauce (already from a fresh harvest) for $2 a bottle.
The weather in October also turned out to be very comfortable: the rain was only the first 2 days, and then - small and short-lived. On other days - in the afternoon up to 35 degrees, they managed to burn out !!! ! (that’s what they obviously didn’t expect), I had to buy a protective cream. The sea is very warm! 24-26 degrees! There were no waves at all! It was cool only in the evening, at 6 o'clock, when we got out of the water, and the sun was already setting and a light breeze was blowing.
In general, we will go to Turkey in October for sure! Thanks to all the staff at Zen Phaselis Hotel for a wonderful stay! Thanks to everyone who read to the end! On May 22, I’m flying to “open” a new Hedef Beach Resort 5 * hotel in Alanya, I will definitely share my impressions, so see you on the site again!
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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