Eftalia Marin

We thought the Marin hotel had the slides in the pools, as it was shown on brochure when booking. It didn’t. You could pay around 20 euros for a nice shaded area with benches in it and a table, plus electric to charge phones etc, which was needed if you go in August. The weather is humid at night but air con in the rooms was brilliant. Food wasn’t our taste. Literally the same food every night! And forgot with it being a Muslim country this isn’t any bacon in the morning!! We went with 3 teenager girls and the locals would openly watch them which we found horrible. I’ve been to different parts of the turkey over the years and everything has massively increased in price. We did do the safari day trip which was absolutely amazing and great value for money! Make sure to take your big water guns for that! The island that all the other hotels use is massive but we found we could never get to see a show as you had to be there mega early to even get a seat. Apart from certain bars on there you have to pay for everything, which can be costly when you have a few kids with you. Overall it was okay but we would never go there again, it wasn’t worth all that money for us (£6k) for 7 nights.

Entertainment wasn’t great, activities wasn’t long enough. Baran from the entertainment team was very nice and helpful.

Absolutely disappointed with our stay at Eftalia Marin. Myself and my son both ended up with food poisoning during the holiday which completely ruined the experience. The food was awful, repetitive and often cold by the time it was served. There was hardly any entertainment or activities for children either. The same mini disco was played every single night with the exact same repetitive songs — nothing exciting or varied for kids at all. To make things worse, cocktails weren’t even included and you had to pay extra for them despite it supposedly being an all-inclusive resort. Overall, this was one of the worst holidays we’ve had and definitely not worth the money. Would never return and would not recommend to families expecting decent food or entertainment.

Excellent, clean hotel. Cannot fault it. Everything is kept spotless, there is so much to do you in the hotel and the island on top. Entertainment is great and the staff are so friendly. I can’t wait to return again.

Overall, we’ve had a really good stay at Eftalia Marin, with a few frustrations that stop it being perfect. We originally booked a standard room for a family of four but were offered an upgrade when we arrived at the hotel. Because we came in the shoulder season (May), we managed to upgrade to a duplex swim-up room for an extra £200 for the full 2 weeks, which was absolutely worth it. The room itself is a little worn in places, but it’s clean, spacious and very practical for a family. Having two floors has been brilliant for us because the kids get their own bedroom, bathroom and balcony upstairs, which gives everyone a bit more space and privacy. There is loads of storage space with plenty of wardrobes, drawers and places to hang clothes, which makes a huge difference on a two-week stay. The terrace is huge, gets the sun all day and comes with sun loungers, so it almost feels like having your own private area. The swim-up pool has also been amazing for keeping the kids entertained without having to constantly move around the resort. Housekeeping has been excellent throughout the stay. The room is cleaned every day, towels are changed every second day, and the amenities are constantly topped up including tea, coffee, water, soft drinks, soap and cotton pads. Overall, we’ve found the room really comfortable and would highly recommend upgrading on arrival if you’re offered the chance. The hotel itself has two main shared pools. One is much quieter and better suited for relaxing, with its own bar and toilets nearby. The other pool at the front of the hotel has more of an activity atmosphere with music, games, entertainment and a snack bar, so there’s a good mix depending on what kind of day you want. One thing worth noting for families is that all of the non-baby pools are quite deep — around 1.5m throughout. There isn’t really a shallow end and deep end setup, so younger children or weaker swimmers will definitely need armbands, floats or a swimming vest. Food has consistently been of a high standard with plenty of variety. They run themed nights including Asian, Turkish, Italian and Mexican, and there’s always a good selection of fresh salads, grilled meats and comfort food for fussier eaters. Our kids have found something to eat every single day without any issues. You get one à la carte meal included per stay (not per week), but it’s worth noting that the only free option is the Mexican restaurant. The steak restaurant costs extra. Unfortunately, our experience at the Mexican restaurant felt like something out of Fawlty Towers. To book, you have to queue between 9am–10am the previous day, and you also need to pre-order your food at the time of booking. The choices were very limited — chicken fajitas, steak fajitas or the kids menu. My husband and I ordered one of each fajita option while the kids had the children’s meal, and we were given a booking time of 7:10pm the following evening. As soon as we arrived, there was a strange ammonia-type smell in the restaurant. It wasn’t overpowering, but definitely noticeable. We tried to ignore it and carried on. We were seated but never actually given menus. The waiter took our drinks order, then came back multiple times to reconfirm it and repeatedly tried to hand my husband a beer despite him ordering wine. For starters, we were simply asked whether we wanted “spicy or non-spicy soup” with absolutely no explanation of what either soup actually was. My husband and I went for the spicy option, which turned out to be something resembling watery chilli con carne. Very odd. I believe the non-spicy option was chicken and vegetable soup. Next came a small baked wrap with cheese and salsa, which was actually quite nice. The fajitas then arrived with what can only be described as two tiny triangles of wrap each — basically half a normal tortilla cut into quarters. The food itself was okay but pretty bland. The kids meal consisted of chicken goujons, mini burgers, chips and onion rings, although the burgers were unfortunately raw in the middle. We also noticed several other tables leaving with large amounts of food untouched. Dessert was definitely the highlight of the meal — a chocolate lava cake with churros, which was genuinely very good. To top off the surreal atmosphere, the waiter kept wandering around the restaurant carrying a guitar, although it quickly became clear he had absolutely no idea how to play it. The whole evening had a bizarre, chaotic energy that genuinely felt like being trapped in a Fawlty Towers episode. If we returned to the hotel, we would honestly skip the à la carte entirely and just stick with the main buffet restaurant, which was consistently far better in both quality and organisation throughout our stay. The all-inclusive drinks are decent enough for beer and wine, although the local spirits definitely seem on the weak side. I ordered a double vodka lemonade and could barely taste the vodka. Cocktails are available, but they cost extra at around €10 each. The main downside for me has been the constant upselling. Even when you’re trying to relax by the quiet pool or swim-up area, staff regularly come around asking if you want cocktails, spa treatments, photographs or to book partner restaurants outside the resort. It feels very commission-driven and can become a bit repetitive and intrusive after a while, especially when you’re just trying to switch off and relax. The Island is definitely one of the highlights of the resort, especially for families with children. There are multiple pools spread across the complex, including activity pools, children’s splash areas and several larger swimming pools, alongside a really good selection of water slides for both younger kids and older children/adults. There are also plenty of bars and snack areas dotted around, so you’re never too far away from drinks or food. There are a number of shops on the Island selling clothing, beach items, inflatables, bags and souvenirs. We actually found the prices for kids’ clothes surprisingly reasonable and very similar to the shops outside the resort, with decent quality as well. Most of the shops happily accept pounds, euros and Turkish lira, which makes things much easier. The Jet2 bar is open every evening from 8pm–11pm and seems to be the only place on the Island where spirits are included as part of the all-inclusive package. Entertainment throughout the day is centred around the animation pool, where the entertainment team run games, competitions and activities which create a really lively atmosphere without feeling too over the top. In the evenings there is entertainment both at the hotel itself and over on the Island, including the kids’ mini disco followed by shows in the amphitheatre. We were genuinely impressed by the quality of the evening entertainment and thoroughly enjoyed showtime every night we attended. One final thing worth mentioning is the location. There honestly isn’t a huge amount around the local area outside of the resort itself apart from a few bazaars, shops and restaurants, so after a while you do start to feel quite confined to the hotel and Island complex. For a one-week holiday this probably wouldn’t be an issue, but over two weeks we definitely found things becoming a little repetitive by the end of the stay. Overall though, the hotel, room quality, pools and food have been really good, and the swim-up upgrade genuinely made the holiday for us.