Hotel Turan Prince

A very disappointing experience – definitely not the 5-star standard we expected

This hotel was a big disappointment. It is advertised as a 5-star hotel, but in our experience it was nowhere near a 5-star standard. I am not referring to the fact that the hotel is older and could benefit from renovation — the biggest problems were the management, organisation, cleanliness, safety, communication, and the attitude of some members of staff.

Room and check-in

On arrival, we were not informed that the hotel was over capacity and that the room we had specifically paid extra for was not available. Instead, we were simply given an old room at the bottom of the hotel without a balcony. The room smelled strongly of mould, and there were dead flies on both the bathroom floor and in the room, which gave the impression that the room had not been used or properly checked for some time.

We returned to reception and were told that there was no capacity and that we would have to wait until the following morning. We came back the next morning, as instructed, only to be told that there was still no room available. We were then told to wait until the afternoon. We did, but still nothing. Later, we were told to wait until the evening.

After a lot of going back and forth with reception, suddenly rooms started becoming available for us to view. The first room we were shown again did not have the view we had paid extra for. Eventually, we were shown another room that was better, and we agreed to move into it.

The second room itself was acceptable, but even there we found blood stains on the mattress and on the mattress protector/cover, which is completely unacceptable for a hotel claiming to be 5-star.

Health and safety

There were broken floor tiles throughout various areas of the hotel. This is not simply an issue of appearance — broken tiles are a genuine health and safety hazard.

During our stay, we witnessed a child slip in the main restaurant and unfortunately require stitches to her forehead. Seeing this happen was extremely upsetting and made the condition of the flooring even more concerning.

We also witnessed another frightening incident where a small child appeared to be in serious difficulty in the splash pool. It took some time before a lifeguard was present, which was extremely worrying to watch.

Unfortunately, our own daughter was also injured during our stay. She was going down the tunnel slide when three boys who were apparently hiding inside the tunnel collided with her. There were no lifeguards supervising the slide at that time and, as far as we could see, no one ensuring that the tunnel slides were being used safely or preventing children from hiding inside them.

We immediately ran to reception and asked for help.

We were told that the hotel would call a doctor. As the hotel advertises medical assistance, I initially assumed this meant a doctor or medical service directly associated with the hotel. Around 10–15 minutes later, a doctor arrived, examined our daughter and recommended that she be checked at hospital. We were asked whether we had travel insurance, which we did, and we followed the recommended process.

We were taken to a private clinic, which we should have been informed about beforehand. After our daughter had been examined, we were told that they did not accept our UK insurance and were presented with a bill of approximately €800. We were shocked and tried to explain that we had valid insurance.

We were also asked to sign paperwork stating that we were discharging our daughter. We were strongly advised about the potential consequences of not proceeding with a CT scan, including significant additional costs that we simply could not afford to pay upfront. As parents, this was an extremely stressful and frightening situation.

At that point, we decided to contact another hospital ourselves and explained exactly what had happened, including the situation with our insurance and the private clinic. They asked for details of our insurance company and told us they did not understand why there had been an issue with accepting our insurance.

They sent an ambulance for us. Our daughter was treated, kept overnight for observation and received the CT scan. Everything was covered by our insurance.

I am sharing this experience because I strongly recommend that other guests with children and travel insurance are very careful. If you are directed to a particular private clinic by the hotel, make sure you understand whether your insurance is accepted there and, if possible, contact your insurance company directly before proceeding.

Food

We were also very disappointed with the food. Many reviews praise the food at this hotel, so we had high expectations. Unfortunately, our experience was very different. Much of the food was tasteless, often cold and quite repetitive.

The mini fridge was refilled daily with still water, sparkling water, Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite, which was one of the few consistent positives.

Entertainment and service

The entertainment was very poor for a hotel advertised as 5-star. The entertainers often appeared tired and, in our experience, some seemed reluctant to engage unless guests were of a particular nationality or were tipping.

Unfortunately, we noticed a similar difference in the level of attention from some waiters. The service did not feel consistent or equal towards all guests.

Another issue was the language barrier at reception. Not all staff seemed confident in English, and on several occasions we were told to wait for another colleague because the person we were speaking to could not communicate properly. This made simple issues unnecessarily difficult to resolve.

We also noticed an ongoing issue with sunbeds being reserved early in the morning, despite the hotel stating that this is not allowed. In practice, this rule did not appear to be enforced, and no staff seemed to actively manage or resolve the situation.

Public toilets

The condition of some public toilets was also disappointing. Toilet paper was frequently missing, floors were wet and dirty, there were broken tiles, and some doors did not lock properly.

Birthday experience

Our daughter’s birthday took place during our stay at the hotel. We had arranged with reception for a birthday cake to be delivered to our room at 5pm, and we were also told there would be some recognition during the kids’ disco.

On her birthday, we waited for the cake — but nothing arrived. For a 7-year-old child who had been told about the surprise, this was extremely disappointing. As parents, it was upsetting to see her waiting and excited for something that never happened.

We later attended the mini disco, expecting at least some acknowledgement there, but again there was nothing.

When we went to ask what had happened, we were told there had been a mistake on the hotel’s side. They did apologise and offered a gesture of compensation in the form of a one-day sunbed rental with refreshments. While this was appreciated as a gesture, it did not make up for the disappointment of a missed birthday surprise for a child.

Overall, this added to our feeling that the hotel struggled with organisation and follow-through on basic guest expectations.

Overall

The biggest disappointment was not that the hotel is older. Older hotels can still provide an excellent experience when they are well maintained and professionally managed.

What made our stay disappointing was the combination of poor organisation, the way our room situation was handled, cleanliness concerns, health and safety issues, inconsistent service, communication problems, and most importantly, the experience we had when our daughter was injured.

For a hotel advertised as 5-star, I expected a much higher standard of service, communication, cleanliness, safety and management.

Unfortunately, based on our experience, I would rate this hotel no higher than a 4-star property, and even then there are significant areas that need improvement.

I would not choose to stay here again and would not recommend it to anyone expecting a genuine 5-star experience.

I’ve just returned from a 10-day stay at Hotel Turan Prince and overall, we had a really good time. There were lots of things we enjoyed, but there are definitely some areas that could be improved.

I’ll start with the negatives. Personally, I wouldn’t class this hotel as a 5-star hotel I would say it is more of a 4-star.

The biggest disappointment for us was the room. We were a family of four two adults, one teenager and one child staying in one very small room, and it was honestly far too cramped for us. With a teenager as well, it was really difficult having four of us in such a small space, and there was hardly any room to move around comfortably. I did pay extra for a sea-view room, and I have to say the view was absolutely lovely, but unfortunately the room itself was a big let-down.

The main restaurant also really needs upgrading. It feels very old and dated and, for a hotel that is advertised as 5-star, I expected the restaurant area to be much nicer and better maintained. Even the mirrors in the restaurant were dirty, which was disappointing.

Another issue was the toilets next to the restaurant. Unfortunately, they were very dirty and there was an unpleasant smell. This is definitely something that management needs to address, especially as these are toilets being used by guests around the main dining area. Cleanliness in these areas should be a priority.

Another disappointment was the 24-hour cake/snack area. There really wasn’t much choice at all, especially when it came to cakes. For a hotel advertised as 5-star, I expected a much better selection. The cake and snack options definitely need improving.

The food overall was okay. Breakfast was amazing and definitely the best meal of the day. Lunch and dinner were okay, but nothing particularly special.

Now for the positives. Our room cleaner, Gonul, was absolutely amazing. She cleaned our room extremely well every day and made sure everything was organised so that we had as much space as possible to walk around, which made such a difference considering how cramped the room was. She was genuinely 10/10 and deserves recognition for how well she looked after us.

We also had a hammam and massage as a family, and this was honestly one of the highlights of our stay. The women who did our massages were absolutely amazing 10/10. They were very good at what they did, and we were really happy with the whole experience and service. Gokhan was also especially helpful. I would definitely recommend the hammam and massage.

The games/arcade area was also good, especially for the children and teenager, and was another part of the hotel that we enjoyed.

Overall, we had a really good holiday and enjoyed our 10 days. There are definitely some lovely things about Hotel Turan Prince, and we came home having had a good time. However, I do think it is more accurately a 4-star hotel rather than a 5-star. The rooms, restaurant, cleanliness of the public toilets and the 24-hour snack/cake selection all need improvement. With some upgrading and more attention to these areas, the hotel could be so much better.

Also there’s loads of shops outside hotel which was good.

We’ve just returned from staying at Hotel Turan Prince in Turkey, and unfortunately it was one of the most disappointing hotels we’ve stayed in.

The whole place feels tired, dated, shabby and generally unloved. The rooms look as though they’ve been given a quick cosmetic makeover rather than properly refurbished. The woodwork has simply been painted over poorly, and the workmanship in the updated bathroom was seriously shabby.

Cleanliness was one of the biggest issues. Our room did not feel as though it had been properly deep-cleaned after the previous guests. The mirrors were filthy, and the general standard of housekeeping was nowhere near what you would expect from a hotel of this supposed standard.

The beds and pillows were horrendous — genuinely like sleeping on bricks. To make matters worse, the fourth bed wasn’t even a proper fold-out bed. It was simply a tiny, rock-hard sofa that was completely unsuitable as a proper bed, especially when the room is being sold for four people.

The pool area was just as bad. The floors around the pool were dirty, and underneath our sunbeds there was a pile of dried ham along with a couple of false nails, which says everything about the level of cleaning.

The sunbeds themselves are coated in a shiny plastic material that makes you sweat profusely, and as far as we could tell, they were never wiped down once during our stay. The poolside tables were regularly covered in spilled drinks and sticky residue and, again, appeared to be left without being cleaned.

The pool towels were also dreadful. Many were covered in stains — and you honestly dread to think what some of them were. They were old, worn and far too small to properly cover the sunbeds.

The restaurant/food hall was another major disappointment. It had a very unpleasant butcher-shop type smell, there were flies around the food, and some dishes were so poorly presented it was difficult to even work out what they were supposed to be. The decor is dark and depressing, and the floors were regularly covered in dropped food.

Overall, the dining area felt dirty and badly maintained, which made meal times far from enjoyable. The cocktails were appalling too.

The entertainment and pool activities were also disappointing for a family hotel. The majority of the pool games seemed aimed at adults, which was extremely frustrating for children who went over expecting to be able to join in, only to find they couldn’t.

Possibly the most disappointing part of the hotel, though, was the attitude of the staff. They seemed completely demoralised. We barely saw a smile from a single member of staff during our stay, and several came across as rude, uninterested or as though guests were an inconvenience.

Reception was particularly poor. The staff were unhelpful and dismissive and appeared to have absolutely no interest in customer service. At times they would suddenly seem unable to understand English when you raised an issue, and generally looked as though they hated being there.

Checkout summed the whole experience up perfectly. Be prepared to carry your old, wet beach towels to reception while also trying to manage all your suitcases. If you don’t, you may find yourself being angrily spoken to from behind the reception desk in another language, which was completely unnecessary and incredibly unprofessional.

Overall, everything about this hotel feels unkept, tired, dated and depressing. There seems to be very little pride in the condition of the hotel, the cleanliness or the level of service being provided.

I genuinely cannot understand the rating this hotel receives. Based on our experience, I would consider it 3-star at best.

There are far better places to spend your hard-earned money. I certainly wouldn’t recommend Hotel Turan Prince, and we would never return.

Don’t waste your money — at times it genuinely felt like they should have been paying us to stay there rather than the other way around.