Lovely hotel, clean and the food was great

Sunis Efes Royal Palace Resort – Overall Review Overall, we had a reasonably pleasant holiday at Sunis Efes Royal Palace Resort. While we would personally rate it closer to a good 3.5–4-star hotel rather than the advertised 5-star standard, there were many positives and we enjoyed our stay. The hotel is exceptionally clean, offers a wide range of facilities, and the staff in several areas were genuinely excellent. There are some areas where improvements could be made, but overall we left having had a nice family holiday. Rooms & Housekeeping We stayed in Rooms 2214 (car park view) and 2224 (partial sea view). The rooms were modern, comfortable and a good size, with comfortable beds and adequate balconies. The sea view is worth paying extra for if available. The housekeeping team deserves special mention. The rooms and hotel throughout were maintained to an excellent standard, and the cleaners were attentive and hardworking. A few minor negatives were the limited soundproofing between rooms and corridors, slightly lumpy pillows, and very limited English-language TV channels, although this wasn't particularly important for us. Hotel Facilities One of the resort's strengths is the range of facilities available onsite. There is very little reason to leave the hotel if relaxation is your priority. Facilities include: • Multiple pools and beach access • Water slides • Spa and wellness centre • Sports bar • Irish bar • Cinema • Nightclub • Games room • Various sports and activities • Shops selling clothing, jewellery, leather goods, footwear, sun cream and essentials • Onsite photographer We particularly appreciated that the shop owners were friendly without being overly pushy. The jewellery store staff were especially pleasant and helpful. The hotel is also well designed with plenty of seating areas and communal spaces, so it never felt overcrowded. Entertainment & Activities The entertainment team were one of the highlights of our stay. They were energetic, friendly and especially good at encouraging our shy teenagers to get involved in activities. We enjoyed: • Darts • Air rifle shooting • Poolside activities • Evening entertainment The team were always approachable and a real credit to the hotel. The water slides were great fun, although they only operate for around four hours per day. Evening shows were professionally performed, but after a week they became somewhat repetitive, largely consisting of dance performances. We stayed for two weeks and felt that one week would probably be the ideal duration before entertainment and food begin to feel repetitive. Food & Dining The buffet restaurant offered a large selection of food and overall the quality was good. Breakfast was probably the strongest meal of the day, with the omelette station being consistently excellent. There were some interesting and unusual flavour combinations throughout the week, and most guests should find plenty of choice. That said, after two weeks the menu became quite repetitive. We also occasionally found: • Some dishes not being kept sufficiently warm • Certain popular items running out • Orange juice unavailable on some mornings • Reheated bagels on a few occasions We personally avoided seafood after one day when prawns did not seem particularly fresh and a family member experienced a stomach upset. À La Carte Restaurants Italian Restaurant Service was friendly and attentive, but the food was average rather than exceptional. While perfectly acceptable, it didn't feel particularly authentic Italian cuisine. Turkish Restaurant Again, service was pleasant, but the menu felt limited and quite similar to options already available in the main buffet. Some dishes were overly salty and the meal felt somewhat rushed despite the restaurant being relatively quiet. In both cases, we generally preferred the main buffet restaurant. Beach & Pools One pleasant surprise was the availability of sunbeds. During our stay in early June there was no need for the usual early-morning rush, and we always found somewhere to sit, even if not always in our preferred location. The beach was our favourite area, particularly for swimming in the sea. The water was refreshing and generally enjoyable, although some days brought larger waves, seaweed and a stony entrance. The cabanas looked nice but at €125 per day felt unnecessary and overpriced. We also witnessed two separate incidents where children got into difficulty in the water. On both occasions the lifeguards reacted immediately and handled the situations professionally, which was reassuring to see. Bars & Drinks The absolute standout feature of the hotel was the Irish Bar. The bartender there was genuinely one of the most talented cocktail makers we have ever encountered. Presentation, quality, flavour, service and friendliness were all exceptional. Once we discovered it, it became our regular evening destination. The standard cocktails elsewhere around the resort were less impressive, which made the Irish Bar stand out even more. Spa The spa staff were friendly and welcoming. However, the sales approach was quite persistent, which unfortunately discouraged us from booking treatments. Prices also seemed relatively high compared to similar facilities elsewhere. The steam room was out of service during our stay. Location The resort itself is located in a fairly isolated area. While this makes it peaceful, it also means that taxis or organised excursions are needed to visit nearby attractions. During our stay we visited: • Ephesus • Pamukkale (including a hot air balloon experience) • Kusadasi • Izmir • Jeep safari excursions These trips helped add variety during a two-week stay. Biggest Negative – Kusadasi Taxi Experience Our only genuinely disappointing experience involved a taxi arranged through the excursion/car rental desk beside reception (Ozdere Car Rental). We paid €100 for a return taxi journey to Kusadasi. Upon arrival, the driver dropped us in a residential area where a man arranged by the driver approached us under the pretence of helping with directions. Instead, he immediately brought us to a clothing shop called X Cross and repeatedly attempted to sell us merchandise. When it was time to return to the hotel, we were directed back to the same shop to organise our return taxi, resulting in further uncomfortable and persistent sales pressure. As a family, we felt misled and placed in an awkward situation simply to access our transport back to the resort. This experience was completely at odds with the otherwise positive holiday and should not happen to hotel guests. To be fair, the lady from Ozdere Car Rental was extremely pleasant and appeared genuinely concerned when we raised the issue. She escalated the complaint and ensured that different drivers were arranged for two later excursions we booked. Unfortunately, we never received any follow-up from management regarding the original incident. Anyone booking transport should ensure collection and drop-off arrangements are clearly agreed beforehand and should not accept being routed through commercial premises. Additional Observations • Poolside toilets could occasionally smell unpleasant, with some sewage odours noticeable nearby. • The sports bar pool table was unavailable due to broken cues that did not appear to be replaced. • Wi-Fi was generally good but occasionally patchy. • We could not find the sushi restaurant open during our stay. • The nightclub appeared largely unused whenever we visited. • Mosquitoes were plentiful, particularly in the evenings, so insect repellent is strongly recommended. • Music around the pool could be repetitive and quite loud. • The hotel does not provide packed breakfasts or lunches for excursions, which surprised us as most resorts we've visited offer this service. Airport Experience The airport was extremely busy both arriving and departing. On departure we arrived three hours before our flight and still spent approximately 90 minutes progressing through baggage drop, security and passport control. We would strongly recommend allowing at least two hours, preferably more, when travelling during busy periods. Value for Money One thing that surprised us was how expensive Turkey has become compared to previous visits. Prices in many shops, attractions and even the airport were very similar to Ireland, and occasionally higher than expected. Final Verdict Despite a number of smaller issues, we had a good holiday overall. The hotel's greatest strengths are its cleanliness, facilities, entertainment team, beach access and the excellent Irish Bar. The staff in many departments were friendly and hardworking, and there is plenty to keep families occupied. There are areas where the resort could improve, particularly food variety, some maintenance issues, packed lunches for excursions and certain aspects of service. However, none of these significantly impacted our enjoyment of the holiday. For us, the most serious concern was the Kusadasi taxi experience arranged through the onsite rental desk, which we feel should be investigated to prevent other guests having a similar experience. Overall, a nice family resort and a pleasant holiday, particularly for a one-week stay.

Amazing food superb service from the staff awesome hotel

Hotel and all staff were amazing I couldn’t recommend this hotel enough. This was Truley our best ever family holiday.

“Najlepsze wakacje”

Hotel spelnil moje oczekiwania w 100%. Zawsze przed wakacjami bardzo skrupulatnie sprawdzam opinie dotyczące hotelu do ktorego się wybieram. Tym razem hotel przewyzszyl moje oczekiwania