EFTALIA OCEAN HOTEL 5 *

It was a very good place to go, as a picky eater I ate every day they have food for everyone. There’s markets downstairs and about a 5 minute walk away too. One person I’d love to mention is the cocktail bartender - Victor (English ver name) He was amazing to me and my friend always made us laugh, having a good time at night and made me the most delicious Pina Coladas 🙂‍↔️ I’d say the only down side is locals that come in at night sometimes and go to the beach bar down at the bottom. -Libby

Went there with great expectations because we have been in the area before (eftalia village) but this hotel is nothing like 5* . Room was nice but the food every second day same thing. Obviously you can find something to eat but its very poor. This hotel is for quantity not quality. No organisation during dinners ,sooo chaotic. Swimming pools have been disgusting. Been there 11night but no one day or evening see someone to clean it. At the evening you can see all dirt just blegh. Another thing if you have any food allergy or food intolerance its not hotel for you. They have no idea or interest to help you or prepare food for you (gluten free). Drinks you buying yourself . The island was great, the intertaiment was there just okay. The beach was so dirty. Everywhere mess from cigarette, I mean everywhere. The sea was full of plastic garbage. We thought the first time it was some storm deep on the see but no.during all 11 days sea was full of wee plastic dirt. So disappointed from it.

Great hotel staff can't do enough for you the island is great plenty of food places and drink places can't fault anything Elif is the best of the summer gang.

A week in to another fantastic holiday at Ocean, this is our fourth visit, fantastic hotel , we love to spend our time on the island daily, the entertainment team are fantastic and ensure you have a great holiday, special shout out to Ismail, Berke, Reggie, Big, ATA and the rest of the team. Always welcome us back each year like friends, it’s the best place, I’m sure we will return agsin.

First off, this hotel is not all-inclusive despite being billed as one to me at the time of booking. I totally understand that some exceptional items or luxuries would fall outside of the all-inclusive concept, but there’s so much you have to pay for that it simply cannot be called an all-inclusive hotel. As for the 5-star rating, if you’ve stayed at a 5-star hotel before (including ones in the Antalya area), you’ll very quickly discover that this feels like a 3.5-star hotel at best. The hotel isn’t terrible, but the all-inclusive billing and star rating set your expectations, and those expectations will not be met at the Eftalia Ocean. My advice is, if you’re getting this heavily discounted and with a free child place, it’s worth considering. However, for anything even close to full price or a small discount, you’d be better off looking elsewhere—in fact, you’ll drive past lots of better options on your 2 to 2.5-hour transfer from the airport! Pros: - The Spa: It was lovely and better in quality than the rest of the hotel. Once you’ve negotiated a hefty discount, it’s also not bad value. - Eftalia Island: This area is good. It's a short walk away, has a couple of pools, and features a good water park. - The Beach: It is nice with lots of shade, and if you get there early, you’ll get a cushion (they don't have enough for everyone). It was a bit dirty, though. - Water Sports: There are loads of options—we paid £110 for a tandem paraglide and a speedboat ride around the bay. - The Lobby: It's nice with lots of seating and great air conditioning. That said, the queue for the lobby bar will be big, as it’s one of the few bars that offers beer, wine, spirits, and a couple of not-very-nice pre-mixed cocktails included. - The Rooms: They are really good. I wouldn’t bother upgrading, though, as the ones they will try to sell you are noisy. The mini-bar was always filled but the curtains don't cover the windows (take an eye-mask) and the bedding was terrible. Cons: - Hidden Extras: Expect to pay for loads of extras: cocktails, ice cream everywhere except behind the pool between 12–2 PM, spirits at many of the bars, drinks in the on-site pub, a glass of orange juice at breakfast, etc. You really need to spend time learning where the included stuff actually is. - Crowded Pools: The pools are incredibly busy with far too many sunbeds. We didn’t manage to get by the pools on Eftalia Island at all, and the main hotel pool fills up very early. Expect to be literally shoulder-to-shoulder with other sweaty guests while on your sunbed. They really are that close together. - Constant Selling: You’ll be sold to—a lot! I had the tattoo guy ask me a couple of times every day whilst chilling out if I wanted a tattoo. Plus, staff are always going around trying to sell you stuff that you probably thought was included, like fruit juices, etc. - Main Restaurant: The single restaurant is really busy and only open for a couple of hours, making it chaotic. There’s a fair bit of choice, but it's the exact same every day which is a big shortcoming for a hotel claiming to be 5-star. - The A La Carte Restaurant: Not much to say other than it’s just not an A La Carte restaurant. It's a set menu featuring the exact same food that is served for lunch and dinner in the main restaurant. I guess it makes a welcome change from queuing up and fighting over food in the main restaurant, though. All in all, despite having a nice week off work, I couldn't recommend the Eftalia Ocean unless you’re comparing it against other 3-star hotels and getting a major discount. Carefully read other reviews before booking, as a lot of them are requested on-site by the animation team (who are actually decent—they’re called the "Summer Gang"), but those reviews don’t reflect the hotel as a whole.