Image of Phaselis Princess

Phaselis Princess

2 of 2 hotels in Tekirova

4 out of 5 from 45 reviews
5 stars

45 Reviews

Traveller Rating

  • Excellent
    15
  • Very Good
    16
  • Good
    6
  • Average
    6
  • Poor
    0

Review Overview

  • Cleanliness
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Service
  • Location
Paul Busby
Quaint hotel offering great food!
14 years 3 months ago
We stayed here in August 2010. We are both teachers and have a 15yr old daughter. Having had mixed experiences of Turkey in the past, we did our homework very thoroughly before going ahead with our booking, reading all the reviews. Overall, we think we made a good choice.

Terrific food and most of the staff are friendly, polite and helpful. This prides itself as being an ultra-all-inclusive hotel where you are offered everything you would ever need starting from breakfast and continuing with a variety of meals and snacks available right through the day and into the evening. The guests appear to be mainly Russian and English.

The heat here is a wet heat due to the close proximity of the mountains. Temperature was 33 degrees on most days with the sea and pool only a few degrees lower. Plenty of space on the beach and even the pools can be accessed without the need to dash down at 6a.m. and claim a sun-bed.

Good water facilities including water-slides, waterfall, Jacuzzi-style areas and smaller shaded toddler pools as well as the main pool. It is here that the entertainment starts at 10am and an enthusiastic entertainment manager who, with his team, provide games and, in the evening, shows of varying standards. There is a late-night disco that is discretely placed underground and inaudible to other guests. This is excellent for teenagers who have been lucky enough to meet like-minded people. A variety of water activities (including scuba diving) can be booked on the sand /shingle beach.

If you get the chance, would recommend the white-water rafting at Koprulu canyon. It is a 3hr 30min coach ride each way but well worth it. Allow 12 hours for the whole day (7 till 7) and take a change of clothing.

Closer to home is the Sea to Sky, trip where you visit the Roman ruins of Phaselis, just 20 minutes up the coast from the hotel. Take swimming gear as you have an hour to swim in the two bays that surround this historical site. That’s followed by lunch in the beautiful Ulupinar region where you can sit (Japanese- style) on low platforms constructed over a tree-shaded river and linked by walkways. The day ends with a cable-car journey up to the 6040 foot Tahtali mountain that overlooks the hotel. This is the second longest cable-car run in the world. Brilliant!

If you are brave enough to go for the Turkish bath & sauna in Antalya, allow 4-5hrs for this. Unforgettable but very much a matter of personal taste! The hotel also offers an in-house sauna & massage facility.

Curiously, everyone in the area is happy to take Turkish Lira, Euros, Dollars or Sterling. Be warned that the last three are valued equally and the Lira is worth half (2 Turkish Lira = 1 Euro = $1 = £1) so you must work out what is best for you. There are several cash machines within 10mins walking distance of the hotel offering multi-currencies.

Minor reservations: The hotel, built in 1989, is located 2 hours from the airport and is designed in a typical 1920’s & 30’s Art Deco style worthy of an Agatha Christie novel. Consequently, some may feel it is outdated. If you are expecting 5-star luxury rooms, you may be disappointed. The service and exterior facilities may be worth 5, but the rooms are no more than 4-star.

Internet is confined to the lobby area only and rooms have basic terrestrial TV with 2 English-speaking news channels plus one other. The sea view is great, but the other side of the hotel will be quieter and cooler more suitable for families with younger children. Air conditioning works reasonably well but does not extend to the corridors or lifts and barely manages to cope in the restaurant area in high season. Be wary of going to the linked & cheaper Phaselis Orange Apartments (10 minutes’ drive away). You will be dependent on a regular coach service to and from the main Princess hotel and it really isn’t worth the saving or the hassle.

However, this is a quaint hotel in which to stay that offers great food and has friendly staff. Once you have paid your up-front charges (not forgetting the £10 visitors visa once you are in Turkey), you could stay here without spending anything at all and still have a great time.

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Recommended
Wright
15 years ago
Phaslis Princess.
The hotel was due to close for the winter on the Tuesday, however, thisngs closed down a week before so many of the functions that we had paid for were no longer available.
The rep was trying to sort things out but only after complaints were made, being proactive wuld have made a difference.
Rooms were small and showing their age, the bathroom was especially small in comparrison to other hotels we have used
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Travel operator: Thomas Cook

Matt
15 years 1 month ago
We stayed at the princess orange appartments but had the option to eat and use the main hotels pool, entertainment etc, the appartments themselves were in a poor state, so basic cant believe i paid all inclusive for this! had alot better self catering appartments in the past (and you know how bad they can be) the food at the main hotel i couldnt complain about, its was about what i expected, it was more the russian guests who dont know how to queue and just filled there plates as if it was there last meal on earth! The staff will always serve the russian guests before you doesnt matter that you have been waiting they will always take priority, and the entertainments great if you speak russian it all worked around them the uk guests didnt get a look in e.g films in russian bingo in russian and shows done in russian.
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Travel operator: thomas cook

William Hamilton
15 years 1 month ago
18 of us just returned on the 28th sept, 10 adults and 8 children between 5 and 16. hotel room was the only fault,1 double and 2 single beds in 1 room no privacy between adults and children.hotel was faultless everything was more than we expected.
food was fan dabby dozzy 4 meals a day nice selection,
location and surrounding area was spectacular from the sea. picture postcard with the cable car mountain behind the hotel. staff were very pleasant especially the boys in the pool bar who we got to know during the week, ask them for one of their turkish football team specials (cocktails).the nightly entertainment was ok there were about 75% russians nearly every night but then there flight is only 1 hour. i would go back to this hotel as a couple or with young children not teenagers.its a pity the crew flying back were not the same crew we had coming out ,enough said.
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Travel operator: thomascook

Recommended
Dee And Eduardo Ferrandez
15 years 1 month ago
we have just returned from a two week stay at the phaselis princess tekirova would we go back most definitely.The hotel was very clean rooms could be better only in the fact that there are not many doubles mainly three single beds and wardrobes quite small.In every other aspect it was a fantastic holiday.We would like to thank all staff as they were fantastic and work very hard for you to enjoy.The entertainment staff were so professional and Omar and his wife Dede are so concerned about everyone.If we have left anyone out we are sorry but it was a great experience and yes we would go back. Thanks to all
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Travel operator: thomas cook

Recommended
Sanderson
15 years 2 months ago
We stayed at the Princess orange apartments which has one bedroom & a pull out sofa bed in the main room there is only air conditioning in the main room so it is wise you leave the bedroom door open.
The staff here are absoultley brillant & love kids & are always pleased to help you in any way they can't do enough for you.
The apartments only serve food during the day & you have to have your evening meal at the main hotel which there is plenty to choose from so you shouldn't go hungry,the apartments also had a hairdryer & a fridge which was replenished daily with water & fanta.
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Travel operator: Thomas Cook

Recommended
Lucy-Jane
15 years 2 months ago
BEWARE, THIS IS NOT A COMPLAINT!

We went to the Princess orange apartments in September 2009 and was all-inclusive, and I have to say a FANTASTIC HOLIDAY!

Our flights had changed and had arrived in the afternoon, but after speaking to others many arrived early morning we were the lucky ones! Once we got there our bags were taken up to our room straight away and was showed around our room which was very nice of the staff. After we had got settled into our room we headed downstaires to the bar and was offered food to eat even though the food bar was closed.

After getting to know the apartments we headed to the big hotel, it's either a 10/15 minute walk or a 2/3 minute bus ride. The buses run around every hour, and the only downside we found was the buses at night were 9:00, 11:00 and 12:00 it would have been much better if there was a bus at 10:00 seeing as we went to have our tea at 8:00, 8:00 till 11:00 is a bit too long. The bus driver of this bus is really nice, and we became friends with him in the two weeks!!

Breakfast at the apartments is 8:00 whilst 10:00 and they do love their eggs! Scrambled,poached,omlets,fried etc. It is a continental breakfast, there is also cereal aswell though!

In the daytime at the apartments there isn't tonnes of sunbed's (I got my daughter to get the beds early!!) but once your down there it is lovely, the sun was full beam on all the sun beds around 11:00/12:00 o clock, so if your hoping for a tan there's a hint! around 11:00 all the food started, at this time is was chips, hot dog and slices of pizza, then later on in the day the spag-bol. One thing though, they are tight on their servings, but still delicious!!
The pool here isn't excessivly large, but its an alright size and keeps the kids entertained, they do also have a small baby pool for the little ones. The staff at the apartments were amazing, we became friends with them all and they can't do enough to help! There is a dartboard and you'll get a game and half with them! They're experts on the dart board! I tried and tried, but never beat them.

The Phaselis Princess hotel was a fantastic hotel, the food is absolutley fabulous, it was slightly repetitive but delicious! Including the puddings, was my favourite!!

The Phaselis pools were extremely clean and kept the kids entertained for hours, throughout the day the entertainment team had things going. In a morning around 10:00 was the darts, then around 12:00 was water sports and because there was different nationalities they had friendly competitions between the nationalities which was fun! The only downside i experienced with the pools here was all the floor was marble, firstly if you have wet feet DO NOT RUN! I myself slipped and i smacked my knee, it does hurt, and secondly because of the marble in the latter half of the day the marble does get hot, i advice a pair of cheap flipflops around the pool!! The bar around the pool is very nice, they have bottles water (we had lots of them!) alcoholic drinks (vodka, whiskey, rum, brandy, rose wine and larger) they had some cocktails and coffee/tea aswell. The staff at the bar's were extremely friendly, some do serve the russian first but most of the time are excellent!

The phaselis beach is GORGEOUS, it is shingle and does hurt your feet, but me personally I love beaches! Once I entered the sea I was in heaven, if your interested in basic snorkling buy your own mask and snorkle and get in the sea. Me and my sister headed into the sea and I have never seen so many fish in such shallow water, the water was at my waist (i'm 5'4) and the fish were everywhere, it's such an amazing experience I totally advice it! Aswell as the basic snorkling there is free banana boat rides about 2:00 in the afternoon, there is other watersports but beware, not all are free. As well as the banana boat at around 10:00 in the morning there is water-skiing, but aparently from our friend from the apartments the water-skiing isnt too good, and isn't as recommended.

Outside the Phaselis hotel there is a man called Jimmy, you cannot miss the man. He's legend, he sells boat trips (much cheaper than the Thomas Cook ones!) we took one of his boat trips which were about 3 times through the week. We were the only english on the boat trip but it was FANTASTIC! I definitly definitly advice it. One of our friends at the apartments went on the Thomas Cook boat trip and said it was a total waste of money.

There is a lot of russian in The Phaselis Hotel, but ignore the other reviews they are definitly not as bad as they have been made out to be, actually alot of them were alright with us. Some of them are a bit funny in queueing for food, but it doesn't matter there is tonnes of food to go round.

The entertainment on a nighttime is a must. The childrens disco is around 8:30 and it is the same everynight but they have a certain song which is very catchy and sadly got stuck in my head! The other entertainment is bingo-bango, but these are on only certain days of the week. The hotel does have their own ampi-theatre which had fantastic entertainment but one thing becareful sometimes because the entertainment can be a bit graphic for the younger generation.

The shops in the small town are good, if you like your designer-bags, these shops are A MUST! My mum and sister were terrible for it! The bags were gorgeous, they are obviously not real but as close too! My mum and sister ended up coming back with 5 bags between them! There is plently of souveniour shops, spoilt for choice! There is some clothing shops, they are nice but not my cup of tea! The only problem with these shops are the owners stand outside and do try and convince you to come in, you will hear the line 'ASDA price' alot! When we were there, they were more interested in the american dollar and the euro, they weren't interested in the turkish lira which shocked us, but they still accept it and you can barter with it!

On a sunday, there is a market, which is really good. It sells all sorts, some really good turkey tops! We got a pair of Victoria Beckham jeans and a Diesel skirt for
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Travel operator: Thomas Cook

Recommended
Megan Cass
15 years 3 months ago
Our family stayed in the princess orange apartments up the road from the hotel,and got the curtosy bus everday from the apartents to the hotel the bus was air conditiond and promt and very reliable,eventhough it was a very plesent walk from the apatents to the hotel which took about 20 mins.The apartents were well air-conditioned well cleand and kept very tidy ,the staff vere helpfull and very friendly.The food in both the apartments and hotel was lovley and of a very high standerd.The entertainment team vere excelent and the shows of an eavning were very enjoyable.Bar servise in the hotel was very good with no waiting time. The beach was beautiful and there were many activities to do there the watersports were very fun and again of a very high standered.
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Travel operator: Thomas Cook

Recommended
Andrew Lunt
15 years 5 months ago
This Hotel is Fantastic and the Staff cannot do enough to help and made our stay very enjoyable. The food is themed and of a continental nature but there is enough variety to suit just about most needs and there are a number of stands where the chefs will cook speciality dishes etc.
We were given a family room in an annex part of the hotel grounds on the other side of the hotels tennis courts , the room was a little dated but very spacious with a Kitchen and breakfast bar and lounge arrangement and was cleaned daily
I came to the Hotel with my Wife and two children and also my sister and her boyfriend ( they stayed in the hotel, which was better furnished but much smaller ) and we had arrived in the second week of May and found that none of the AlaCarte restraunts or bars were open other than the main restraunt and lobby and pool bar ). The first week the hotel was very under capacity and was quite and low key. but as we went into our second week the restraunts opened as well the beach bar and grill and the outdoor bars and even the Turkish Water pipe bar and Nightclub ....
the slow build up actually suited my party as we had a quite low key first week but still with kids club and entertainment but by the second week the hotel took on a new life and was busy and very entertaining.
Now for the negative points ( although they are more like niggles than problems ), I was told by a lovely couple from Dortmund, that the make up of the hotel is 10% british 10% German and 80% Russian . Due to the size of the hotel we had more than enough British company to not feel too disenfranchised, but unfortunately I do have to bang on about the Russians as they dont appear to have any manners or sense of decency and do not appear to think twice about bypassing any form of queue or order and didnt flinch when they would load their plates as full as they could with strawberries or melons etc and then just leave them to waste while no one else got a chance. The Police had to be called out on a few occassions to take a russian away behaving in a loutish and Juvenile manner ( in one instance , the police took away a russian who was being lewd and sexually provocative to a young teenage Gordie girl then actually asked her to take a top off then capped it by throwing a Table tennis bat at her ). As I am typing this it sounds a lot worse than it was and these are only niggles as the russians stayed to themselves and really did their thing in parellel with us brits without actually engaging or bothering us , and any real trouble was dealt with very well by the Hotel staff ( who I thought performed fantastically and professionally and were made our stay enjoyable ).
the hotels shop is grossly over priced but there is a Supermarket outside the gate and turn left on a corner about 30 seconds from the gate. directly outside the gate is a resteraunt called ALI BABA, we decided to go her for our anniversary meal as a change from staying in the All Inclusive... I cant stress enough that I think this place should be avoided at all costs as they trumped up a fantastic bill of 186 lira for four starters and main courses and a round of beer, Tomato soup and a kebab times four did not add up to anything like their bill off their own menu and after much arguing ( mainly from them for being offended by us asking how the bill broke down ), we ended up buying our way out of the agro and were happy to go back to our hotel (for me it spoilt our anniversary and left a sour taste ).
Its a nice walk down the road in Tekirova with some nice shops and the shop keepers werent that pushy at all . We went with Thomas Cook but didnt see too much of our rep so couldnt really say if she was good or bad ( seemed OK ) but on our departure we were instructed to meet our Airport Transfer at 9pm for journey of just over an hour to the airport for a flight that was due to depart at 2am , this meant we arrived at the airport 1 hour before the check in desks even open and 5and a half hours before our flight actually departed ( flight went at 03.20am ), this I thought was ridiculously early and was hard on my 3 year old in particular as they is very limited seating.
ON REFLECTION , We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and are definately going back to Turkey again, the staff at the hotel are fantastic and hard working and the cleaning is obsesive and thorough. there are plenty of bars and resteraunts and facilities to keep anyone occupied for two weeks and shopping in nearby Kemer is VERY good indeed , the only reason I have said I would not go back to The Princess is because of the Russians ( BUT IF YOU HAVE BOOKED ALREADY AND ARE READING THIS , ITS ONLY A NIGGLE AND THEY DIDNT HAVE ANY INTERACTION WITH MY PARTY ) ... and also I like to try something new .....
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Travel operator: Thomas Cook

Recommended
Neil Namb
15 years 5 months ago
we stayed in princess orange apartments which were basic but clean and functional (spent little time in room anyway)
A bus conveys passangers to and fro Princess Phasalis hotel several times per day (but not as often as needed - especially if you are travelling with children). The staff, food and facilities are very good at this hotel.The evening entertainment is OK. There is always plenty of tasty food and unlimited drinks if all inclusive. Some local cuisine. The waiters are very helpful, polite and occasionally humerous.Although the food is good and abundant, the Russians tend to take far more than they need and waste it - try to take your meals at least half an hour before restaurant closes.The Russians are also quite rude (push in queues etc)but are generally docile and gave us no problem. Nevertheless, if you have teenage children advised to know where they are at all times.
Turkey is rich in history and culture, and if you can bear the heat it is well worth taking the excursions on offer (roughly
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Travel operator: thomas cook

Recommended

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