My Ella Bodrum Resort & Spa

Five Stars on Paper Only. Filthy Rooms, Appalling Standards and a Complete Lack of Respect for Guests. I travel extensively and have stayed in many hotels around the world, ranging from modest accommodation to luxury resorts. However, I can honestly say that I have never experienced such poor hygiene standards, such indifferent service and such a complete lack of respect for guests. This hotel advertises itself as a five-star resort, but in my opinion, it barely deserves three stars. Cleanliness, or rather the complete lack of it, was by far the biggest issue. From the moment we arrived, our room and bathroom were visibly dirty. This was not a matter of a few overlooked details or an occasional lapse in housekeeping. The overall condition of the accommodation suggested long-standing neglect and consistently poor cleaning standards throughout the hotel. The daily “cleaning” routine was almost unbelievable. The housekeeper would simply drag a damp, dirty mop or cloth across the middle of the bedroom floor, then use the same one in the bathroom, including wiping the shower tray! Other surfaces were barely touched, let alone properly cleaned or sanitised. This cannot reasonably be described as proper housekeeping, particularly in a hotel claiming to offer five-star standards. The bed linen looked either poorly washed or simply dirty. On several occasions, I was given dirty towels, including towels with visible stains that appeared to be blood! This is completely unacceptable in any hotel, regardless of its star rating. Even leaving generous tips for housekeeping made absolutely no difference. On our very first day, immediately after arriving, I tried to report the dirty room to reception. Unfortunately, the receptionist could not understand what I was saying in English. I therefore sent an email directly to the hotel explaining the problem. I never received a reply. There were also problems with the facilities. The water from both the taps and shower was barely lukewarm, and the air conditioning in our room did not work. Fortunately, the weather was not particularly hot during our stay, so the lack of air conditioning was not a major inconvenience for us. Nevertheless, functioning air conditioning and properly heated water should be basic expectations in a five-star hotel. Customer service was another major disappointment. Most members of staff appeared indifferent and uninterested in helping guests. Communication was extremely difficult because almost nobody seemed able to speak English. For an international resort advertising itself as a five-star hotel, this is astonishing. One particularly upsetting incident involved our friends, whose perfume went missing from a toiletry bag in their hotel room. Despite reporting the disappearance, they received virtually no meaningful assistance or concern from the hotel. They were eventually given an appointment with a woman named Yeliz, who worked in the glass-fronted office opposite reception. Her attitude during the meeting was shockingly dismissive and unprofessional. While our friends were trying to explain the situation, she repeatedly looked at her phone, replied to messages and smiled to herself, appearing completely uninterested in their concerns. The only solution she offered was to ask someone to help them look for the perfume. This was almost insulting, considering that the perfume had disappeared from a toiletry bag inside their room. There appeared to be no serious attempt to investigate what had happened. I cannot say with certainty what happened to the missing perfume, but the way our friends were treated when reporting the incident was completely unacceptable. The lack of empathy, professionalism and basic respect was genuinely shocking. The rest of the hotel was hardly any better. The poor cleanliness standards were not limited to the bedrooms. Many communal areas were also visibly dirty and poorly maintained. The beach was another huge disappointment. It was dirty, neglected and extremely unattractive. Frankly, it barely deserved to be called a beach. We did not want to sit there even once during our entire stay. The bar service was also disappointing. By approximately 3 pm, a large proportion of the cocktails and other drinks were already unavailable. For an all-inclusive resort, this is simply ridiculous. The food itself was reasonably acceptable, although extremely repetitive. Almost the same dishes were served every day. The coffee from the machines, however, was absolutely dreadful and practically undrinkable. Towards the end of our stay, we heard that the hotel was experiencing financial difficulties and that some staff members had allegedly not been paid for two months. I cannot independently verify this information, but if true, it might partly explain the apparent lack of motivation among staff and the general state of neglect. However, it certainly does not excuse the unacceptable hygiene standards or the treatment of guests. Were there any positives? Yes, but unfortunately very few. I would particularly like to recognise Kawa, who worked at the hotel SPA. He was exceptionally kind, helpful and professional. The massages were very enjoyable and the SPA was one of the few genuinely positive experiences during our stay. Kawa was also one of the very few members of staff who spoke English. He repeatedly helped us communicate with other employees, effectively acting as our interpreter. His kindness, professionalism and willingness to help were greatly appreciated. He is a real credit to the hotel. I would also like to mention an older, short gentleman with grey hair who worked in the main restaurant and at the beach bar. Unfortunately, I do not know his name. He usually wore a white shirt. He was incredibly hardworking, attentive and genuinely caring towards guests. It was obvious that he took pride in his work and made a real effort to look after people in the restaurant. His dedication stood out in sharp contrast to the general standard of service elsewhere in the hotel. These two gentlemen deserve genuine recognition. Another pleasant aspect was the partial sea and pool view from our room, along with the relaxing sound of the waves and cicadas in the evenings. Unfortunately, these small pleasures could not make up for the numerous negative experiences. Overall, I strongly advise against staying at this hotel. A five-star rating should represent a certain level of cleanliness, comfort, safety, professionalism and customer care. Unfortunately, this hotel failed to meet even basic expectations in several of these areas. What concerned me most was that the problems did not appear to be isolated incidents. The dirt, poor maintenance, inadequate housekeeping and dismissive attitude towards complaints seemed to reflect a much deeper and more widespread problem with the way the hotel was managed. There are many more things I could mention, but this review is already long enough. I travel frequently and certainly do not expect every hotel to be perfect. I am perfectly capable of overlooking minor inconveniences. However, dirty towels with what appeared to be bloodstains, completely inadequate cleaning, unanswered complaints and disrespectful treatment of guests are simply beyond acceptable limits. This was, without question, the worst hotel experience I have had in all my years of travelling. I would never return to this hotel, and I cannot recommend it to anyone. Five stars on paper, but nowhere near five-star standards in reality.

Please take this food review seriously. They abide by no health code, the food is cold, sat for hours with no records of temperature checks . Ruined my holiday.

Amazing service, staff all so friendly and made the holiday so much more enjoyable!

Had 7 days here for my birthday. The sunset at the hotel is amazing. We went on Ronaldo,s boat and as it was my birthday he sorted out cake and everyone on the boat sang happy birthday to me. 😂 if you are coming to this hotel I’m sure you will see him around or hear him chatting with all the guests. Also did jet skiing and paragliding which is located in the beach Murat was very helpful with sorting the water sports would defo recommend.

Having travelled all over the world in many nice hotels and some not so nice I have to say this was probably the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in. Filthy dirty, questionable food, poor service and miserable staff which can kind of be expected given that they haven’t been paid but isn’t what a holiday maker expects when they’ve paid for a five star experience. Everything is incredibly rundown and in disrepair. I can’t believe some of the reviews that are incredibly positive because no one in their right mind would enjoy staying here. About three hours into our day I contacted TUI to ask what could be done as there was no chance we were staying there for the full week. Fortunately the next day the rep was incredibly helpful and although he is very busy moving numerous other travellers, he managed to secure us new accommodation in Gumbet that we were delighted with and met with our expectations. This isn’t just a grumble there were coach loads of people leaving. The hotel needs to be condemned or at least some very serious changes made, not that I would ever consider staying there in the future.