Haydarpasha Palace

My Honest review 11th September We have just returned from 7 nights here and honestly we had the best time. I was so worried about going after the negative reviews, we even looked to change but we didn’t have an option as it was so close. Room- On arrival at 11pm we were greeted by a porter who took our luggage to our room for us. Check in was quick and easy. We had a double room with a side sea view overlooking the pool. The room was cleaned daily, we did leave a little tip each day and did receive towel animals on the bed which really excited my daughter. Fridge restocked daily for free. Slippers in room. The sheets were rough waffle material but apparently you can ask for different ones. The only thing I would say is if your kids go to bed early perhaps ask for a room on the back as they do have a party around the main pool a couple of nights which is very loud and goes on until 11.30pm. That didn’t bother us though as our daughter slept fine. Pools- we did choose to put towels down at 8am, grab breakfast and then go to the pool as we found an ideal spot. But there was never an issue to get sunbeds. They are quite packed in as expected with such a big hotel and so many guests. We mainly used the big pool as my daughter preferred bobbing around in her float. But the little slides were really good for the kids and we also used the big slides a few times. Never overcrowded and so good. I did see the kids pool taped off once, not sure if due to poo but it was open again within a few hours. Also the pool toilets were clean the whole time, I couldn’t fault them at all. Yes they’re very wet on the floor but that’s because everyone is wet from the pools! Food & drinks- there is a lot of food on offer. A lot of course are Turkish dishes, we are quite fussy eaters but always found something enjoyable. The bbq outside cooking lamb, beef, etc was a win. Also a fresh pasta station. The desserts were so good. Yes it was very busy at dinner time but that’s expected in such a large hotel and we always found a table. At lunch we preferred the snack bars, there’s one at the poolside offering jacket potatoes, waffles, meats, salads etc. then at the beach one you can order burgers and steaks to your table. The doughnuts there were so good! There was always chips, bread and pasta available if you have a fussy child like ours. We couldn’t believe the cocktails and mocktails available, so much to choose from and they were so nice. Slushies and milkshakes available too, all included in the all inclusive. Ice creams available from both snack bars and inside. Also the patisserie is open late so you can always get biscuits and cakes. Cleanliness- the staff work tirelessly to keep the place clean. Yes the lifts did often have smears and hand marks but they’re gold mirrored and the amount of children and adults using them wet from the pool, it’s expected. As said our rooms cleaned daily, the pool area they try to clean as best as possible but there are a lot of people! The staff were friendly and we had no issue with anyone rude. The only difficulty is the smoking, a lot of people do smoke around the pool but unfortunately it’s one of those things. Also sometimes there was a smell of smoke in our bathroom which was from a vent I believe. We didn’t use the beach as my daughter loved the pool so much. Hotel facilities - our daughter loved the fairground rides, we went on them every night and the fact they were free was amazing too. There’s light up electric cars that again were a huge win, you do have to pay for these though. There’s an arcade with bowling which was a great win on the day we had to leave. We didn’t pay to keep the room on as we didn’t have to check out until 12, we just left our luggage in the reception luggage room, had lunch, played bowling then went. The evening entertainment was good, twice while there they did a pool party which was loud but very good. Our daughter loved dancing to the music. They have kids disco each night at the amphitheatre which was quite repetitive, but they also had acrobat shows after, a singer on most nights in the lobby bar which we preferred. Kids club - my daughter was too young for this and she didn’t want to go, but I know they do t shirt making, colouring, games, all sorts. The team work very hard. Overall we had an amazing time. We have said we would like to return again next year. This was our first time to Turkey and honestly we had the best time. Speaking to others they did say this hotel was better because you could get cocktails included and food available 24/7. We did a private transfer to the hotel and would definitely do that again as it was much quicker, on the way back we did the coach and it took nearly 3 hours due to traffic and a short stop half way. I would definitely recommend private. I personally wouldn’t class this as a 5 star hotel, more 4 star but as I said we had a great time and would definitely return.

Really really enjoyed our time at thr hotel alk the staff wete amazing Will definetly be tetirning mext year!

Wonderful time! Great and friendly staff. Great food and fun Times.

Exceptional care for guests with celiac disease – thank you! ❤️ We spent 7 wonderful days at Haydarpasha Palace in Alanya with my mother, who has celiac disease, and our experience was truly exceptional. From the very first day, we were warmly welcomed by Daria from Guest Relations, who was incredibly kind, attentive and understanding. She immediately took my mother’s dietary needs seriously and introduced us to Chef Mustafa Gulsoy and Chef Fahrettin Guray Balli. We would like to give these three wonderful people a very special thank you. Both chefs went above and beyond to prepare delicious gluten-free meals for my mother. Even more importantly, they understood how essential it is for someone with celiac disease to avoid cross-contamination and were extremely careful throughout the preparation of her food. This gave us something incredibly important during our holiday: peace of mind. My mother was treated with such kindness and attention that she truly felt like a queen. ❤️ She enjoyed her meals without fear or stress, and during our entire 7-day stay she experienced no health problems related to her celiac disease. For anyone travelling with celiac disease or food intolerances, I know how difficult it can sometimes be to find a hotel where you feel genuinely understood and cared for. At Haydarpasha Palace, we never felt like my mother’s dietary requirements were a problem. Instead, the staff treated them with patience, respect and genuine care. Daria, Chef Mustafa and Chef Fahrettin — thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your professionalism, kindness and attention to detail made a huge difference to our holiday. If you have celiac disease or food intolerances, I highly recommend considering Haydarpasha Palace and discussing your individual dietary requirements with the hotel before your stay. We came for a holiday, but we left with wonderful memories and, most importantly, with the feeling that my mother had been truly looked after. Thank you, Haydarpasha Palace, for making my mother feel like a queen. ❤️ We hope to return one day! ❤️

So we visited as two adults, two kids on June 26. This isn't as luxury as what you would expect a hotel of this many stars to have. There's good and bad to everything, so sorry if this is long. So bad first; - The room, we picked the duplex room, which just isn't worth the money. Upstairs always smelt musty and like an attic, the curtains didn't fit the odd shaped window, the fridge didn't close. The balcony was old wooden furniture that stained your clothing If it was wet, there was paint peeling everywhere, a tiny rusty metal drying rack. Downstairs was fine but you couldn't use both showers at once because the water went freezing. Getting the rooms cleaned and the fridges restocked was a hit and miss, couple of days it was good and the rest I don't even think it was swept, we had to go down to reception at least twice to ask for the mini fridge to be restocked. - The food was mostly terrible for choice. One day out of seven we manged to get chips and chicken nuggets for the kids (and this included both snacks bars) The rest of the time there just wasn't any out, if there was fries they would douse them in cajun seasoning, which just tasted like raw herbs that no kid would eat. We asked multiple times to various people if we could just get a plate of chicken nuggets and you would have thought we asked for the golden goose egg, it was like Misson impossible. - The arcade and bowling was all extra money, and its a tiny little place in this corner of the hotel, not worth the advertisement for that. - The spa staff constantly trying to sell you something, it became really irritating, at the pool, going for food, getting a towel etc just all the time. - The cocktails are terrible, they are premade from a bottle and are not nice, they throw some grenadine in and thats it. There's also no self service so its queuing at every bar constantly for even soda (people just don't know how to use a queue like the British do) - The nighttime entertainment was a hit and miss, the acts brought in were sometimes good, but the mini disco was average, but the bingo, god some nights it went on for over an hour, the say every sentence and number in english, Turkish and about 3 other languages, its just so long, and its an extra cost too. The seating bit to watch the nighttime entertainment is a bit of a shambles, having to grab a pillow (which was hit and miss if it's clean) then sit on a concrete slab even with the thin pillow isn't the most comfortable thing. - The worst one of all: The lifeguards, if you could call them that? Especially at the slides, they are not bothered! They're down looking on their phones, the don't stop people from swimming/standing at the bottom pool bit where the slides come out (this seemed to be a popular meeting spot for people and I honestly don't get why!) So this means people coming down the slides are bumping into them with their feet or ring etc. The don't manage the people coming down at all, so it could be one after another without a proper time in between or people doubling up on a single ring then getting hurt when they come out. The good; - No sunbed wars, you could come down whenever you like and always find beds. You pick up and drop off towels at the spa, which is right by the elevators so its handy. - The pool was a good size! The pillow bouncy thing was also great. - The daytime entertainment was good, inflatable pool thing, two foam parties, aqua aerobics etc. - The latenight snack cafe thing was good, juice, chips, cakes etc. - The location next to shops and bazaar's is handy (the regular heckling from the men to try to get you to come in and buy) - The pasta bar at dinner was amazing, cooked fresh in front of you, really good. So overall the holiday was fine, not worth the money paid, after a 5 hour flight and 2 1/2 hrs in a taxi, I wouldn't return again, its just not as luxury as what it makes it out to be.