THE MARILIS HILL RESORT HOTEL & SPA

DON'T GO HERE! They overbook the rooms way too much. We arrived at 14:00 and had to wait untill 02:00 to get in our room. They promises discount at the Spa for the inconvenience, we didn't get is. They promised us champagne and after asking about 15 times we received it. Very bad customer experience

Avoid at all costs If you've booked cancel and get your money back. Arrived at 9pm no rooms sat and waited all night until 10am the following day The bar only had beer and no other drinks and there was no food Staff really really rude not helpfull and just lied

Hotel is well located and good service, more workers do not speak English otherwise very good cooperation. Foods are in variety, plenty to drink (soft/alcoholic) Clean pool. Service in rooms are very good. Nearby, there is a big shopping bazaar.

The service is great, thet answer every question, ask if everything is okay, no problem with comunication. Room is always clean, no need to worry that something is missing, beds are very comfortable, food is great, especially live cooking at dinner. And the bar by the pool is the best drink bar!

BASICS first // Who went: two adults, two older teenage boys and a nine year old girl. How long for? One week (2-9 sept 2024) How much did it cost?: from Glasgow flying Corendon Air, including return private transfers and extra luggage, £500 each all inclusive. The headline // absolutely not 5* as you would expect it in the UK, but at the prices we paid we didn’t expect it. For us it was an upgrade from the 3* place we booked in Cyprus last year for more money. Facilities // The room: we stayed in a family room called a garden view room on lower ground. Initial impression: to get there you walk through the spa and the lower ground smells damp. However on entering the room we were delighted. We had two adjoining rooms. One with a double and single (with wardrobes, a dressing table and access to the patio / garden via glass doors and mossie net), and the other two singles and the bathroom. The main room was clean and actually beautiful. Certainly the nicest room we have ever had on a cheap all inclusive. The bathroom had a good shower, lots of power but it leaked a bit. The seal around sink and some of the edging was getting tatty. Each room had a button to press to clean room. Again, never had any such thing on a cheap holiday. After a few days we came to the conclusion it was used as a means to replace towels and toilet roll but not clean. Big negatives? Plates and glasses left in corridor for an extended period - but there were signs saying don’t take food to the room. Big positives? Air con was so good we had to ask for extra blankets The restaurant: lovely big indoor and outdoor (by the pool) area. We began the holiday eating outside but when it reached 46 in the day it was still nearly 40 at night and was too hot. Food at breakfast included salads, meats, fresh bread, eggs and some continental / Eastern European dishes. Also pancakes every day, toast, Nutella, jam etc Coffee machine and juice machine Food at lunch was an expanse of salads, plenty of fruit, usually something like chips and about 8 hot dishes like curry, goulash, stuffed peppers etc. always with fresh bread. Food at dinner was similar to lunch with an array of desserts and usually a barbecued item cooked outside. Drinks could be got from the lobby bar or from the juice / coffee machine Big negatives: fabric seats were a bit dirty at times due to food spillages and wet bums and air con wasn’t awesome Not a menu for typical Brits. I read some people saying the fruit wasn’t fresh. I actually watched them picking it one morning and adding it to the plates, before a British family turned their nose up at it. That’s just a symptom of us refusing wonky fruit in the UK. Fruit only looks UK fresh for minutes in a sweltering country. Alcoholic cocktails weren’t great. Queue for ice cream each day was massive in baking heat. No snacks that we could find unless we went to beach bar. Big positives: the dining room was lovely, and was cleaned and floor polished twice a day. We loved the variety of food and for us trying new foods is part of it all. Never a shortage of tables. Soft drinks all good, non alcoholic cocktails good, standard spirit and mixer all good. Fridges with cartons of chilled water available all round the hotel and poolside. The pools: main pool beside hotel and restaurant looks stunning. Is a bit deeper than the smaller pool but - as reviews will tell you - needs to be re tiled. Hundreds of little tiles are loose. Fine for swimming not great for any pool games. The second pool, around the corner from the main building is excellent. There are three water slides open from 10-4 each day with an attentive life guard. We sat around there every day just coming in and out the water. Big positives/ water slides, ample umbrellas and chairs, beautiful outlook onto gardens Big negatives / loose tiles on main pool (my son hurt his foot), and the stand in the heat for drinks The lobby: as well as reception there is a lobby bar and comfortable seating area. This is not well air conditioned however. Glass lifts are here to get you to all floors and from there you can access restaurant and poolside. Big negatives: air con - really needed another space for chilling out in the heat Big positive - bar open 24-7 and seating super comfy. Additional facilities: Spa - we didn’t try this but a couple who also came From the UK paid an extra £200 each on arrival for spa treatments and massages / face masks every day and recommended it to us. Market - v well stocked. Sun cream was 5 euro - but so was a packet of UK biscuits. He sold ice creams which we took full use of at night. Excursions - cannot recommend Murat the excursion organiser more. He also had the best English so sorted out some issues we had with bedding etc. We booked the green canyon tour and it was so much fun and excellent value for 35 euros a person and half price for our wee girl. The beach // The hotel’s stretch of beach is 10 mins away in an open sided mini bus which runs hourly from the hotel, for free. The beach itself is shingle. Although sandy on going into the water. Rocky in parts. The hotel has toilets that, a snack bar and bar. Music plays, mattresses for loungers are available. Big negatives: it’s nothing like the AI pictures. The bar area is tidied regularly but is shabby, and the toilets are basic. Mattresses worn and tatty. Bus is like being on a theme park ride. People crammed in. Big positives: that they have their own bit of beach. Yes it’s shingle but we read reviews and bought beach / sea shoes before we went. The snacks were excellent. Chicken wrap and chips, pizza, lots of nice salads and fruit, ice creams etc. it’s def not a 5 star beach side facility but I think it’s 5 star that on a cheap holiday we had access to the most amazing turquoise sea with drinks on tap. Location: Okucalor is about an hour and a bit from Antalya and a bit less to Alanya. The area itself looks to me to be developing. Several posher hotels near by. The hotel is opposite a massive market (the Alara Grand Bazaar). If, like my teenager you want to bring home 93 fake Tshirts then you are sorted. Going at night is better because they have more customers so less hassle trying to get your trade. Nice restaurants in there too. The market also has a chemist in there, and some food shops. Antalya airport / So… it’s lovely, looks beautiful, better than I was expecting However it’s expensive. I mean, beyond expensive. 18 euros for a subway / 10 euros for a Starbucks. We left the hotel at 5 am so muddied breakfast and we’re flying budget so no free drinks and food on the plane so had to get food in the airport. It added another 50 quid onto the holiday on the last day. Corendon air / For those who may be flying the same way we did… Flight fine but basic. Food expensive if you buy in the flight Check in horrendous. We queued for hours in Glasgow - so we had less than half an hour to get food and sorted before flying out, and it took a while though not as long on our return. However - having looked at the price it’s an absolute steal. I think if we went back we would book each element ourselves. One of the men on the plane went to Turkey for £40 each way. Overall review: We had a brilliant holiday. I would rate it 3.75 stars. Who would it suit: easy going families who dont need a lot of entertainment, looking for a good value for money week in the sun. People willing to 'go local' and experience Asia. (it is Asia by the way, which is worth noting. The average wage in Turkey is £200 a month, and far less for hospitality / market staff. So that provides a wee bit of context to the tip culture and nagging for business. We spoke to one of the staff and asked what he liked about his job, he said making people happy. What he didn’t like? Watching people have a nice holiday when he has never been able to even take a holiday, to provide for his family.) who it wouldn't suit: Brits looking for British entertainment, fish and chips and an 'ultra all inclusive experience'. Could it be improved? Absolutely. Starting with the pool. But additional English speakers would help if they want to market the hotel to the UK. Overall, we would go back. And it helped us fall in love with Turkey.