Crystal Palace Luxury Resort 5* Crystal Palace Luxury Resort 5*

Rested with my son 8 years from 04.07. 2012 to 11.07. 2012.
I have been resting in Turkey for 12 years, I have been to various 5 * hotels in Kemer, Belek and Side.
The hotel was chosen based on reviews, and quite spontaneously.

DEPARTURE:
Transaero company. Flight UN9149. Departure from Domodedovo.
Departure - on time, without delay.
Meals on board are not very good, so it has become a tradition for us to eat at the airport.
Powdered omelet and rubber pancakes have been “full” since the last time, so they immediately abandoned these “frills” and asked for one dry ration.
The stewards decided to make their work easier - they gave out everything at once, at the same time dry rations, and soft drinks, and tea.
This time, during the flight, the children were not given gifts from Transaero, only on the way back they were given a book about the planes and the safety rules for them.

However, in June, with exactly the same flight, this “option” was present in the form of a suitcase (with felt-tip pens, a board game, stickers) both on the way there and on the way back.
TRANSFER TO THE HOTEL:
Approximately 1 hour from the hotel, our hotel was the first "on the list". We arrived at the hotel around 10:30.

SETTLEMENT:
We met without any "honours" - Champagne, Turkish delight, and other delights. The transferman entrusted us to the hotel guide Lesya, who helped us arrange the documents for settling. We were offered to go for breakfast (continental breakfast at the hotel from 10-11), and after breakfast the porter took us to block E (who would doubt? ) on the 4th floor. We got a room with a view of the hillock, the generator (which buzzed when the lights went out) and the back rooms of the hotel, in which the staff rested during breaks. After looking at the number, at first I was determined to exchange it, but then I decided not to bother with this issue, and not to waste time and nerves in vain, because.
Arrived for only a week.
ROOM:
The room is small.
For two with a child, we had one double bed, there was no extra bed. But we had enough, we did not feel any tightness.
In the room: bathrobes, slippers, bath accessories (shower gel, body lotion, shampoo and hair conditioner) + toothpaste with brushes, combs, nail files, razor + shaving cream, shower cap, cotton pads, cotton buds, and even sponges for the body.
Mini-bar: nuts (roasted peanuts), chocolates, a liter bottle of water, Pepsi, Fanta, sprite mineral water.

TERRITORY:
The territory of the hotel is small, compact - so there is nothing special to paint. I will only note that landscaping is actively taking place on the territory - pines and mountain ash are planted.
A river flows through the hotel, which then flows into the sea. The road to the beach just goes through this river on the bridge. The river itself is dirty.
However, the river is full of fish and turtles.
On the bridge in the morning they put a basket of bread, and everyone can feed the living creatures.

BEACH:

Actually, we looked after this hotel in June, when we rested in the neighboring Amara Beach, and went to swim at the wonderful Crystal Palace beach, which we really liked then.
There are plenty of sunbeds on the sea, you can always find a free one.
The sand near the sunbeds is equalized in the morning. But the sand itself cannot be called clean - dry twigs, sticks, pieces of paper, cigarette butts, unfortunately, are very common.
The sea is clear in the morning. But in the evening there are already a lot of people in the sea, the water becomes cloudy, it often storms and brings garbage.
For children, entering the sea is just perfect - a sandy spit and quite shallow (an adult will be about waist-deep, even if you move 50 meters from the shore). Since it often storms, children like to "ride" on the waves.
I did not like that stray dogs ran along the beach. This was previously encountered in Amara Beach.
Is it really impossible to somehow get rid of these dogs and drive them off the beaches of 5-stars?

POOL AND SLIDES:
Loved the pool and slides. Maybe for someone it matters - the music by the pool is mostly Turkish
The slides are excellent, beautiful, the joints are even.
The son especially praised the "rainbow" slide - he said that you slide down it just "like clockwork. "
There was always a lifeguard on the hill. However, according to his son, one of the rescuers treated his work carelessly - that is, he allowed both children and adults to slide down almost five people at a time, and was also indifferent to the fact that some children rolled down the hill on their knees ...
The pool is great too. My son and I often swam in it. But I want to warn you that the water is quite heavily chlorinated. Therefore, those with sensitive skin may be irritated by chlorine.
From 5 am there is already a “battle” for sunbeds by the pool.
For those who like to sleep, it will probably be problematic to take sunbeds by the pool. And although there is a complaint from the hotel that it is forbidden to reserve sunbeds, they still take it.

I came to 7 o'clock to take sunbeds near the slides, and I managed to take only the side seats. Although, I do not recommend taking the frontal seats in the first row - when adults slide down the hill, the water is poured over the edge of the pool and a non-drying puddle forms near these sunbeds. Yes, and lying in a place where you are constantly poured, probably not very pleasant ...
On the last day of our stay at the hotel, the servants collected all the personal items of the guests (circles, mattresses, arm ruffles), towels (not belonging to the hotel) from the occupied sunbeds and put it all on a separate table. This is to the issue of reserving sunbeds with personal items. People then looked for their things and were very indignant.
And on this day, sunscreen and children's glasses for the pool disappeared from the sunbed. What is strange, our two towels were still untouched (one of them was hotel, and the second was personal), but the cream and glasses had evaporated. Moreover, on the table where the staff put the seized things, we did not find our loss. Maybe this is a trifle, but the child was very upset because of the glasses.
And further. For some reason, the jacuzzi in the pool did not work. It's a pity!

MINI CLUB:
Communication with the mini-club somehow did not work out for us, starting from the day of arrival.
The son went to dance at the mini-disco, but the animator girl accidentally hit him on the forehead with her elbow during an energetic dance, and he said that he would not go there again. In fact, he didn't go. Therefore, there is nothing special to tell about the Mini-club.
The only thing, on the last day of our vacation, my son was already bored, and yet decided to go there.
I went to look for interest - the animator was playing some kind of game with the children in a dark, stuffy room. According to his son, he did not like the game itself, but the fact that the animator allowed them to fight with pillows at the end (there are chairs in the form of pillows). The contingent of children in the mini-club - mostly Germans and British. There were two Russian children.
By the way, near the bar on the beach there is a playground. But, unfortunately, it does not have a canopy. The slides are hot, it becomes possible to ride them only after 19 hours.

ANIMATION, ENTERTAINMENT:

We spent almost all the time at the sea and by the pool, I did not participate in adult animation. The animation took place in the part of the pool closest to the Mini Club. There was something like Water-gym, pool games, rifle shooting. Animators are calm, not imposed.
We went to the evening animation only once - to the Samba show. I liked capoeira, but samba was so-so, not “ah” and not “wow”. We have already seen all this in other hotels.
More evening animation did not go.
Instead of animation, the son chose Gameland with slot machines and a bowling alley near the Lobby. Bowling paid - 10 dollars per person. Slot machines are also paid - 9 tokens are issued for $ 10, if I'm not confusing anything. Since my son became a regular there, he sometimes got 10 or even 12 tokens for 10 dollars : -)

NUTRITION:
The food is quite normal.
For me there was no problem to find something for myself and for a child of 8 years old.
Breakfast:
Fried eggs, scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs with vegetables, french fries, sausages, fried sausage, croutons, pancakes, porridge, yogurt, a variety of muesli, hot puff pastries, stewed potatoes, various types of cheeses, several types of sausages, vegetables, herbs, a lot of different pastries, a good fruit table: cherries, watermelons, melons, nectarines, apricots, grapes, plums, bananas, apples.
Girls in wheelbarrows deliver juices in jugs (although all yuppies; only fresh carrot juice), coffee.
Orange juice must be made independently.
I recommend arriving for breakfast no later than 8-8-30. Because later the restaurant gets crowded. Queues of 5-6 people appear at the fresh squeezers. Well, to make yourself a glass of orange juice, you need to squeeze about 5 oranges. But the wringer is manual, and quite primitive. And now there is a queue and watches how some squeeze out 4-5 glasses for the whole family. You can fall asleep.
Dinner:
We always dined at the Main Restaurant.
As well as for breakfast, I recommend coming at the beginning of lunch. At 13-30 it is already problematic to find a place for yourself - either the tables are already filled with dirty dishes, or there are no set tables. But you can always turn to the waiters to clear the table and cover.

Lunch assortment: French fries, grilled vegetables (eggplants, tomatoes, zucchini, onions), kebabs, chicken (in different interpretations), grilled fish, meat, pasta, fresh vegetables of various types, greens, there were soups (we did not eat) . There is also a diet table - boiled beef, boiled chicken, mashed potatoes. Fruits: watermelon, melon, cherry, peaches, bananas, grapes, figs, i blocks, nectarines. All fruits are ripe and fresh.
I don’t eat sweets, but my son praised desserts.
Drinks are served by the waiters, but you can go yourself. My son used to go to the bartender himself.

Dinner: Dinner from 18-30 at the Main Restaurant. Dinners are themed. Everything is also good, I will not repeat myself - there is a variety for every taste. I want to try everything, but it really doesn't work : -)
The child took fruit out of the restaurant in his hands. Not with plates, of course - 1-2 pieces of nectarines, for example. Although this is officially prohibited by the hotel's complaint, no comments were received on this matter.
I would like to note that in the restaurant, many cooks and waiters work without gloves. Only those employees who deal with fruit are wearing gloves. But the employee bringing the dishes (plates, coffee cups) was WITHOUT GLOVES. And it wouldn't hurt.
For example, for comparison, in Amara Beach (neighboring hotel) ALL restaurant staff work with gloves and even at the entrance to the restaurant the girl who meets visitors sprays everyone's hands with an antiseptic. I believe that this experience could be taken into service by Crystal, because a huge number of people take the same spoons in trays, and then eat cherries with the same hands, or make fresh juice ...
A-LA-CARTE:
We visited 3 A la carte restaurants: Fish, Chinese, Italian.
Most of all we liked the Chinese restaurant. Delicious food, excellent service. My son loved the fried bananas for dessert.
The waiters (unfortunately, I have a bad memory for names - a guy with blue eyes and a girl) are very kind, courteous, they work great - well done!
The Fish Restaurant was also good.
In the Italian restaurant, for dessert, my son ordered fried ice cream, and perhaps this dish made the greatest impression.
Two restaurants were booked in the terminal, one was signed up with Jayla (Jayla, thanks! ).
I recommend making an appointment immediately upon arrival, as restaurants are in demand and places may not be available.

By the way, in the Hotel Concept, a printout of which is issued at the reception, it is indicated that you can visit one A la carte for free during your stay. Wrong information! You can go to A la carte at least every day - this is a free service. Anyway, we didn't pay anything (except for tips to the waiters).
SPA:
Good SPA center.
Sauna towels can be borrowed from the SPA reception.
You can also exchange beach towels there (but we changed towels from a servant in a booth near the slides).
I liked the smiling German woman working at the reception in the SPA.
Every day we went to the Bio-sauna (50-60 degrees), the sauna (90 degrees), the steam room, the Salt room (it's very cold there), swam in the indoor pool (the water is cool, which is very refreshing). The indoor pool is not always open, the lights are often turned off there. The jacuzzi is located near the indoor pool and is very weak. We can say - almost does not work. The water in the jacuzzi is cold.

MAINTENANCE, SERVICE:
In general, I liked everything. The waiters are polite, helpful and attentive. They will always offer drinks, take away the dishes.
The porter was also polite and accommodating.
The maid- cleaned, cleaned, changed, wiped the dust. Until 12-30 the room was always cleaned. True, I hung a sign on the door "I will ask you to clean the room" and left a tip every day.
The minibar was replenished regularly. She also left a tip.
HOTEL GUIDE:
Hotel guide-Lesya.
Lesya held a meeting the next day after arrival - she provided the necessary information, did not tire with long stories about the hotel and excursions. Information about the time of departure from the hotel was provided in a timely manner.

Summary: In general, we were satisfied with the rest, the hotel can be recommended for visiting.
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD REST TO ALL!