Lake Çıldır

Great hotel

While the hotel itself is nice, it’s lacking features are available activities for off season. There was little to no evening entertainment, there was evening entertainment for only 2 nights out of the 7. Also, indoor pools should be heated! Especially in off season. Asked two members of staff as to why it’s cold and if we could get it warm but they replied with “I don’t know.” Both indoor and outdoor pools were freezing!! Some members of staff are alright whereas some have a stroppy face and aren’t as accommodating. The hotel is clean and gets cleaned up quick. The waitresses and waiters are all very nice and so are the cleaning ladies. Especially Kadriye! The food was good, nothing special however the flavours are a little repetitive. The beach is rather small but the deck is beautiful. There was also no free Starbucks available either! Plenty of shops outside of the hotel, as well as being able to rent a bike/buggy/quad from a man called Osman. Overall it’s nice for a short stay (when travelling in off season) but can get a little boring. 6/10.

Overall, I left disappointed with my stay. Considering the resort’s reputation and premium price, I expected much higher standards of cleanliness, maintenance, and consistency. We were initially assigned a first-floor room with multiple issues: a strong urine-like odor near the entrance, a foul-smelling shower drain, poor drainage that caused water to spread across the bathroom floor unless the water pressure was kept low, a stained face towel, and an entrance door that did not close properly until repaired after I reported it. The room also appeared more worn and had noticeably fewer bathroom amenities than the third-floor room we were moved to after requesting a change. The new room included items such as a dental kit, shaving kit, bath sponge, slippers, and wearable towels, raising concerns about the inconsistency between rooms. Both rooms had visible stains on the upholstered bed bases. After I reported them, staff cleaned the stains in the third-floor room, and they came off easily. This showed the problem was preventable and reflected inadequate inspection rather than permanent damage. I appreciate that the staff were courteous, responded promptly to my concerns, and offered us a complimentary dinner at one of the à la carte restaurants, which was a thoughtful gesture. However, guests should not have to identify basic housekeeping and maintenance issues at the beginning of their vacation. Better quality control is needed to deliver a consistent five-star experience.