St Nicholas Park Hotel

We arrived very late at night to a very quiet hotel. My initial thought was that the room is not at all what was in the pictures on Jet2 and we had to ask for the 5th bed that was advertised although this was sorted instantly. Once I was awake and had a proper look at the room I was quite pleased with it even if it was not at all what I was expecting. It was on the top floor in the roof so the ceilings were very sloped on one side but the actual size was huge. The biggest downside was the bathroom. You have to bend right over to brush your teeth and I whacked my head a few times moving to the toilet ( if you’re a man standing then good luck) but other than that we had a big balcony and so much storage space and loads of room to move around. The eaves proved useful to store the suitcases and pool floats out of the way. The pillows are rock hard and small though but I like a firm mattress. The aircon in our room was so good we were cold. All of the blocks seem quite close together so nothing is too much of a walk and the views of the mountains are stunning.

The food was very tasty but limited. We previously stayed in their sister hotel and there was a larger selection of hot food there. Breakfast could be improved although what we did have was tasty it just lacked choice. The hot food is eggs. There’s two types of boiled egg (actually one because they cook themselves in the shell to the same point 😂), eggy bread, scrambled egg, fried egg if you ask, scrambled egg with tomato and omelette. Sometimes there are mushrooms or cooked veg, Turkish sausages and very hard baked beans. There’s pancakes to keep the kids happy and chips. I did enjoy the eggs but there really could be more variety. The cereal station had yoghurts and various syrups and there was fruit, salad, cheese, cold meat etc but the BIG problem with this hotel is wasps so you can’t really enjoy a nice yoghurt with strawberry compote because there’s wasps swimming in it. They are in everything. I realise the hotel is in the forest and the restaurant is open plan so it’s hard to deter the wildlife but we did notice that there are wasps nests in the hotel rooftops as we watched them flying in and out of one spot in the restaurant and another by our room, management didn’t seem to understand what we were trying to tell them. They could do with nets over the food as guests just leave the clingfilm off and a lot of the food isn’t covered at all. Lunch and dinner were both fine. There’s plenty of choice on the salad stations and more of a variety of hot food which I thought was delicious. The kids just ate at the snack bar. I especially enjoyed the Turkish themed night. That food was delicious and I wish there was more of it. The desserts are amazing but we took to grabbing them first before the wasps settled in for the night. Soon lots of guests were doing the same. Nets would work a lot better. The staff did try harder towards the end but there must be better solutions for next year.

The grounds are pretty and the main pool has great daytime entertainment. On one day they had a dance class which was great fun. The entertainment team were very funny. The kids pool was great for the slide but you don’t get the entertainment there. The main pool is so slippery all around so you are definitely best to wear footwear when walking around but they keep it very tidy.

The biggest negative is the sunbed wars. We all know they exist when going on holiday but this is the first time I’ve ever seen them so extreme. I wake up naturally by 6am so that was normal for me on holiday but I like to sit on the balcony enjoying the peace until the kids are up. I have never witnessed such selfishness and pathetic behaviour. Firstly people chance it at around midnight on their way back from the bar but if they don’t do that then they are down there at 5am at least. One family nabbed 13 beds each night and then 2 of them were already out there by the time I woke up at 6 to lay on their beds and doze there. There were so many beds that were gone by 6am but you wouldn’t see the occupants until late afternoon. There are signs around the pool stating that any beds unused after and hour would have towels removed but this was never enforced. As a family of 7 we never got more than 3 beds together. It doesn’t help that the majority of them are in the shade so there’s real competition for some of them. Management did go around the pool one night and tell people to remove their stuff but as soon as they walked off they all ran back and put it back down again. If you want a lie in and a sunbed then go to the slide pool. It’s just a bit of a distance to go and get drinks but to be fair you need to walk down steps from the main pool for the bar so it doesn’t make much difference. They do bring round cocktails in the afternoon which is a very nice touch. It would help if there were also beds by the pool with the volleyball net. That area gets the sun all day and is by the bar so I’m sure a lot of people would prefer that area. It wouldn’t be too hard for the hotel to push the tables to the side for the daytime and put sunbeds there and reverse it for the evening entertainment.

Location is really good. We timed the walk to town and it was 8 mins without the youngest and 12mins with her. There are a few ways you can go so you end up either at the top of bottom of town. The walk to the top of town takes you to Red bar and Dory’s shoes. Follow the road coming out of the hotel and turn right at the little roundabout and just keep walking round. It is narrow with taxis racing past so we preferred the other way. To go to the bottom end where glam bags and hmckebab are then go left ant the roundabout and then right down the first road until you get to some steps which take you onto the strip. Taxis take forever to turn up and we beat my parents everytime we walked while they were still waiting for a taxi.

The shop is a bit expensive but not as much as other hotel shops I’ve been to. The lady is there is lovely and was so pleased when I tried to say please and thank you in Turkish. She was very sweet.

The staff on reception are wonderful and try their best to help with anything.

Would I return? Yes for the location and the price for something perfectly acceptable. It is a 3 star although at the higher end of that. There is nothing grand about it. It’s clean, well located and has its own little charm. As a single mum who will be holidaying alone with the kids from now on I am looking at returning next year as I feel comfortable here.

This hotel has its pros and cons, on arrival check in was a breeze but if you have booked a sea view room make sure you get what you paid for its very hit and miss.If you want a sun bed in the prime spots be prepared to get up at about five am as the sun bed wars are mental the management should be doing better in preventing this. The rooms are clean and tidy but the bathrooms are very small. Food cannot be faulted so much choice and very well cooked and presented. Pool area very good maybe a little to much shade. Not enough for kids if you have them and the entertainment lacks. Great location just a short five minute walk to the strip but definitely a cab back. the most disappointing thing about this hotel is that the all inclusive alcohol is absolutely dire the beer is warm and all the spirits taste the same and woe betide if you want ice there's always a shortage of it so if you want an icy cold drink on a blazing hot day forget it.Would i go back ,not really.

The hotel is conveniently located close to the city center. The staff are very friendly, helpful, and solution-oriented. The food is very good for a three-star hotel. The swimming pools are suitable for both adults and children. The air conditioning in the rooms works perfectly and performs very well. The complimentary treats and snacks offered throughout the day are especially enjoyable for children.