Eftalia Blue

Used to be a fantastic hotel came two years ago and loved it however I would not come back again now. Entertainment is absolutely terrible the kids are bored out of their minds hotel has gone really down hill

RUINED HOLIDAY — DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY I booked Eftalia Blue as an all‑inclusive holiday and paid in full expecting exactly that — everything included. From the moment we arrived it was nothing like what was advertised. Drinks — False Advertising We were never told at booking that only a limited selection of drinks are free. Premium cocktails cost up to €10 each. The all‑inclusive drinks taste like watered‑down, off squash — undrinkable. Even worse: in one part of the same hotel, we were refused the inclusive drinks and told we had to walk 20 minutes to another bar in the same hotel to get them. As someone with a disability which restricts my mobility, this is completely unacceptable and impossible for me to do regularly. Food — Unedible Breakfast and lunch were hard stone cold, undercooked, and genuinely disgusting. Nothing was fresh or appetising — all the cutlery dinnerware and cups were dirty. it’s clear standards are extremely low. Staff — Rude & Unhelpful The staff are the rudest I have ever encountered. When guests complain, they simply say “we told you” — but we were never told any of this before arrival. Other guests are saying exactly the same thing: nowhere was it made clear that most drinks aren’t actually included. Overall — Devastating Experience This was meant to be a special trip and it has been completely ruined. I feel depressed, let down, and like I’ve wasted so much money. I want to go home early. I would never return and I honestly urge everyone: do not book here. It is not worth it. You will be misled, disappointed, and treated poorly.

The hotel itself is very nice and clean. However, the shared/public toilets are dirty. The food is tasty and varied. The cakes and desserts are not really to our taste, although they looked beautiful. The pools are overcrowded. The beach and the beach bar are disappointing. The most unpleasant part of the hotel is the bars throughout the property. Most of the staff there are rude and unfriendly. When ordering cocktails with alcohol (whisky or rum), hardly any alcohol is added. In the end, we started asking for whisky neat, and at best, about 3 mm of alcohol was poured into the glass. When we asked for more, we were basically mocked. We have never experienced anything like this at any hotel in Turkey. Over the past two years, we have stayed at Alarcha, Mary Hotels and Mylome, and we have never seen anything like this. At Mylome, even all the fancy cocktails were included for free, and they also had an amazing coffee bar. The attached photo shows a double serving of the whisky we ordered.

We had a fantastic stay at Eftalia Blue and would definitely recommend this hotel! The hotel is beautiful, very clean, and well looked after. All the staff were extremely friendly, welcoming, and helpful throughout our stay. There was a great choice of food, with plenty of variety to suit everyone, and the hotel is also conveniently located close to the beach. A special mention has to go to the entertainment team. They were absolutely fantastic — so friendly, energetic, and always making sure everyone was having a great time. There was a brilliant variety of entertainment and activities throughout the day and into the evening, so there was always something to enjoy. Overall, we had a wonderful holiday and really enjoyed our stay at Eftalia Blue. We would happily return!

My Honest Review After reading all the reviews on Facebook and elsewhere before coming, I was honestly petrified about what we were going to find when we arrived. 🏨 The Hotel & Rooms The hotel itself is stunning. It’s really lovely, beautiful and, most importantly, very clean. However, when it comes to the rooms, I did feel that if you’re not tipping, you’re not getting much. We started off with beautiful towel art, and I still tipped, although not a huge amount because little things kept being forgotten and the standard seemed to drop as the holiday went on. One day, our towels were forgotten. I called reception and a guy brought them up, then stood at the door expecting a tip. Normally I’d be happy to tip, but in this situation, the cleaner was the one who had forgotten them in the first place! The next day, there was no toilet roll. Same situation — I called down and someone brought it up expecting a tip. The day after that, no blanket had been left. The minibar was a nice touch because you get proper Coke, Fanta and water, but after a few days they stopped restocking it. We upgraded to a two-bedroom apartment, which itself was lovely, big and spacious. We were on the 4th floor facing the Sol side. Unfortunately, it was SO noisy. There was a vent in the bathroom, and whatever it connected to meant I could hear every conversation as though people were standing right next to me. Every morning the room also smelled strongly of the kitchen. It really wasn’t ideal. I probably should have complained, especially considering we paid extra for the upgrade, but we were out all day and barely used the room, so I just left it. 👩‍💼 Staff The staff in general were friendly, lovely and always happy to help. Tables were cleared quickly, everyone was generally smiley and helpful, and I can’t fault the staff overall. 🛍️ Hotel Shop Obviously, the hotel shop is more expensive than going outside the hotel, but there is a good selection. However, I would avoid buying children’s items. Three times I bought something that broke, and I was told, “If it wasn’t broken when it left the shop, then there’s nothing we can do.” I managed to swap two out of the three items, but I was made to feel like I was being unreasonable, which I really didn’t appreciate. Someone else in our group experienced exactly the same thing. 💍 Jewellers The lovely man in the jewellers was brilliant. I bought two rings for around £100 in total and, so far, so good! 😊 👜 Clothes & Bag Shop Again, obviously more expensive than outside the hotel, but the man who runs it was really lovely and friendly. We used this shop quite a lot and ended up buying an extra-large suitcase from him. He gave us a really good deal, so I was happy with that. 🍝 Food If you have a fussy family, this probably isn’t the hotel for you. Don’t get me wrong — there is always something for someone, but we basically lived off spaghetti for all 10 days, and honestly, I don’t think I want to see another plate of spaghetti for a very long time 😂. The food is very samey. There are different choices, but a lot of it is quite bland. The English translations could definitely use some work too. One of the dishes was labelled “Pitta in Nails” 😂. Allergen information also needs improving because there wasn’t enough information clearly displayed, which I think is really important. The desserts always looked absolutely amazing, but unfortunately, they didn’t taste anywhere near as good as they looked. By around day five, we were already getting very bored of the food. That being said, none of us got ill from the hotel food, despite some of the Facebook reviews saying otherwise. Interestingly, when we ate out, someone in our group actually got food poisoning, so I think you have to be careful wherever you eat and can’t necessarily blame the hotel. 🏊‍♀️ Pools & Waterpark There is a lot of choice for children — a big pool, little pool, splash park and large slides. The kids had loads of fun! My only concern was that there were no lifeguards around the splash park, and sometimes there were some horrible/rough children around, so definitely keep a close eye on your little ones. The main pool was also closed three times while we were there because someone had used it as a toilet 🤦‍♀️. Obviously, that’s not the hotel’s fault, but it was still a shame. 🎤 Entertainment This is probably where my opinion differs from a lot of people because I used to be an entertainer myself, so I may naturally notice things other people wouldn’t. This was my 4-year-old’s first holiday, and I was really excited for her to experience the kids’ entertainment. When I was an entertainer, I pretty much knew all the children who came to the mini disco every night. I completely appreciate that this hotel is busy, but I just felt the entertainment was a bit… naff. There wasn’t a huge amount of interaction with the children. Unless you’re right at the front, it’s difficult to see what’s happening, and although my daughter enjoyed the mini disco, that’s really the only entertainment we experienced. The only entertainer I actually know by name is Garfield, and none of this is a reflection on him negatively. In fact, he’s the one I remember because he was the only one who seemed to really make an effort and had that extra bit of energy. He was off one night and, honestly, you could really tell. There was no speaking on the microphone, very little interaction, no real effort to get the adults involved, and it just felt quite boring. I’m not saying the entertainers aren’t doing a good job. I just don’t think the entertainment was particularly memorable. Maybe it’s because we’re coming towards the end of the season and everyone is tired — I completely understand that. I’ve been there myself. But my little one was desperate to get involved and was never really close to being chosen. It also felt like the same families were involved quite a lot, usually the louder families who were first up and getting involved. We was a loud family of 20 but never got a look in. We were facing the Sol side, and from what we could see, their entertainment actually looked much better. 🧖‍♀️ Spa Amazing! I had a Turkish bath and it was absolutely stunning. Spot on! I can’t fault it. ⭐️ Overall Overall, I had a good time. Would I choose Eftalia again? Probably not. We’re now ready to go home, and normally by this point I’d be feeling really sad about leaving. Our holiday has been what we’ve made of it, and we’ve still had some lovely memories, but next time I’d choose somewhere different. For me, if I’m paying extra for Ultra All Inclusive, I expect to actually get Ultra All Inclusive. You pay extra for things that I personally feel should be included. Ice creams are only available between 2–4pm, and the “ice cream” available isn’t what I’d consider proper ice cream. If you want proper ice cream, you have to pay extra. The food for me was around 4/10. The alcohol is very watered down. One of the best things was actually that the drinks machines had proper Coke, Sprite etc., rather than cheap alternatives. So, for me: Hotel itself: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Facilities: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Food: ⭐️⭐️ Entertainment: ⭐️⭐️ Staff: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spa: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The hotel itself is stunning, but the facilities and overall experience didn’t quite live up to what I expected. I honestly think this place could be incredible if they actually listened to the reviews and addressed the things people are repeatedly complaining about. Maybe I just need to research better next time! 😂 Still, we’ve made memories, the kids have had fun, and that’s ultimately what matters. ❤️