Serenis Hotel

Location is bad. Staff is bad! Drinks is bad. Rooms is so old. Beach is far from the hotel.

The hotel is say isn’t 5 star. The hotel it’s self is maybe about a 3-4, the rooms are a bit old fashioned and the mattress is very thin, however it done us for the week. We had no problem with house keeping and new towels were given when asked for between visits. The food was average, the grill meat and rice was very good, however we didn’t enjoy any of the desserts through the week. The food was a bit repetitive, however the grilling station outside was very nice . The shuttle bus to the beach was a very good touch along with the bar and food on the private beach too. The only bad experience I had with staff was the first night there we’d been there about an hour and I was going downstairs in the lift by myself without my partner and a member of the service staff came into the lift with a trolley and asked me if I was single, this made me feel uncomfortable as I saw this member of staff throughout the stay. Other than that the staff and service were amazing. The entertainment was nothing special, the entertainment team are very pushy to buy things like tombola tickets and to go out to clubs as they get commission this was very annoying as you’d tell one person no and another one would come 5 minutes later and this was happening daily and throughout the entertainment at night also, the same goes for the smoothie bar place which isn’t included in all inclusive but is on the hotel property and on the private beach, the staff were constantly going round with leaflets and wouldn’t take no for an answer if you didn’t want one. You only get free WiFi in the lobby if you want it in the room you need to pay and it’s quite expensive.

We stayed at Serenis for two weeks as a family of four (two adults and children aged 15 and 8). Sadly, this was our one big family holiday and it was a huge disappointment. Our first impression wasn’t great. We arrived late due to flight delays and witnessed a waiter shouting at colleagues, barging past guests and storming into the kitchen screaming. Not the five-star welcome we expected. Our room had a dirty sock wrapped around the smoke detector, clearly left by previous guests to conceal smoking or vaping. Housekeeping missing this was concerning. We paid £3,000 out of term time and peak prices are closer to £5,000 - this standard is nowhere near worth that. The staff were mostly lovely and hardworking, although one waiter clicked his fingers at us to get our attention, which was rude. Several staff even told us other nearby hotels were better. Cleanliness was a major issue. The communal toilets smelled awful, bins weren’t emptied frequently enough and my partner’s feet turned black from walking barefoot in our room. All four of us also became ill with vomiting and diarrhoea, something we’ve never experienced on previous trips to Turkey. The food was repetitive and the drinks poor quality. The hotel also seemed obsessed with upselling. We were constantly approached to buy extras, even being told the all-inclusive drinks we had already paid for were “rubbish.” The spa was especially disappointing. I teach massage, reflexology and hot stone therapy professionally, so I know what good treatment looks like. There was no consultation, reflexology wasn’t performed despite being paid for, hot stones lasted minutes, and the therapists chatted throughout the treatment. Afterwards, they repeatedly pushed us to book more treatments and even suggested a massage for our 8-year-old. The rooms are poorly designed too. Only one area had air conditioning, so we had to sleep with doors open to circulate air. The walls are paper thin and despite complaining at least seven times about noise from neighbouring rooms, nothing was done. The hotel advertises coffee machines, sea views and pool views on Booking.com. We had no coffee machine and a road view. Sea and pool views should be clearly stated as subject to availability. The Turkish bath was also advertised as free in the hotel booklet, but every time we asked we were told it was only available as part of a paid package. That is simply misleading. Collecting pool towels from the spa became something I dreaded because every visit involved another sales pitch. Everything felt geared towards getting more money from guests. Entertainment was average, although the foam party was enjoyable - we only found it by chance due to poor communication about activities. That said, I do want to praise many of the staff. They work incredibly hard and speak multiple languages. One waiter in particular deserves recognition after spotting a young child choking in the restaurant and rushing to save him before anyone else realised. He quietly went back to work afterwards. A true hero. Unfortunately, one exceptional employee cannot make up for the many shortcomings. Serenis falls well short of the five-star standard it advertises and I would not return or recommend it. I also think Booking.com should take greater care when reviewing properties they advertise. I’ve always trusted them, but after finding advertised room features and complimentary facilities didn’t match reality, I’ll certainly be looking at other booking options in future.