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.

Been to turkey 3 times and this hotel is the best the entertainers are fantastic Mehmet is one of the best so polite and goes out of his way to make you feel welcome