MARBAS SELECT BEACH , Adult Only 14 Plus

I recently stayed at this hotel, and while it has some positives, there are several areas that could be improved to enhance the overall experience.

Location:
The location is fantastic, with great access to Icmelar taxis, water taxis, and within easy walking distance of shops and restaurants. The convenience of the location is definitely a major plus.

Service & Room:
Service could use some attention. The receptionist was unwelcoming at check-in, and there was no offer to assist with luggage. The room itself was basic, with WiFi that was slow but functional. Although the rooms were cleaned daily, it didn’t feel thorough—beds weren’t made, though towels, soaps, and shampoos were restocked. A safe was available in the room, but it came with an extra daily charge, which was a minor inconvenience.

Staff:
Most of the staff were friendly, though some were a bit too familiar, especially with female guests, which could make some feel uncomfortable.

Amenities:
The hotel is entirely self-service, so don’t expect poolside drink service. The pool looked inviting, but no one used it during my stay, possibly because it’s overlooked by the dining area and receives no direct sunlight. Indoors, the décor was quite plain, and the atmosphere felt a bit stale. Adding plants or some bright decorative touches on each floor could make the hotel feel more welcoming and warm, improving the overall guest experience.

Beach & Facilities:
The beach could use some extra attention—it wasn’t as clean as expected, and the deck chairs were placed too close together for comfort. That said, the swimming was fantastic. Oddly, despite serving wine, the hotel didn’t provide proper wine glasses. Having proper wine glasses would elevate the dining experience.

Food & Dining:
The highlight of the food experience for me was the salad bar, which was fantastic, offering a good variety of fresh and delicious options. The desserts were also varied and a real treat. One particularly enjoyable feature was the evening BBQ, which added a nice touch to the dining experience. However, the main meal selection overall was a bit underwhelming, and the lack of entertainment left something to be desired, especially compared to other hotels in the area.

Overall:
The hotel benefits from a great location, but it would greatly benefit from improvements in service, décor, and amenities. In terms of value for money, it's still pretty good.

I feel there are both pros and cons to this hotel. I will list them for anyone thinking of staying here and these are my honest opinions.

Pros -
- location is perfect, I’ve attached a picture of our hotel room view overlooking the sea. Everything is on your doorstep and there is a great strip of shops and bars within 10 minutes. As well as being directly opposite the beach, the canal is a 10 minute walk.
- rooms are basic, but are cleaned everyday by a friendly team of women. It suited us for our stay. Including a fridge, safe and air con. The beds were comfortable and we slept well.
- staff were always friendly and spoke decent English, had a bit of trouble with the WiFi but easily sorted.

Cons
- food, we didn’t enjoy a lot of the food at this hotel. We went all inclusive but only had a few meals here, the salad bar was nice. It may be personal taste as I haven’t been to Turkey before but the food wasn’t for me. There’s about 3/4 hot meal options, plenty of salads and dessert options. The good part of the food however is that they have an outdoor grill which was very nice.
- rooms, the aircon wasn’t the best, don’t get me wrong it worked, but it wasn’t very strong.
- staff, the staff were friendly, but some of the bar staff were a bit too ‘friendly’. Be careful if you’re going in a small group of girls as they may be flirty and intimidating.
- pool, the pool is right next to the dining area and is quite small, you couldn’t do much swimming, more so for cooling off, but don’t think about getting a sunbed. This hotel has about 8 sunbeds next to the pool. I suppose a good thing about being next to the beach is that you get a beach chair on the beach. However the chairs were very cramped together and always had towels on them so were reserved for people who weren’t using them.
Sales rep, we were told on arrival by reception that our ‘travel guide’ will be with us shortly, confused to this we went to our rooms, when I came down for the WiFi password a man greeted me and asked me to join him in a conversation regarding excursions. I got my friend and we sat with the rep (who we didn’t know). And he tried to sell us excursions. Just be wary of how much you pay for these trips, we didn’t book anything as he made out we had to book it there and then as we may not see him again (a lie as we saw him multiple times in our hotel). So be careful.

Personally overall, it’s not a bad hotel, but I don’t think I would stay here again. Like any hotel it has good points and bad points. Friendly staff, good location, however food and pool area let it down a bit. But I would thank the staff for helping us when we needed it :)

Update to initial comment:
Spoke to Hotel Manager first thing Monday morning, he had seen my comments and said there was another room available for us to move into almost immediately, which was good news. Member of staff took me to the room and let me view and agree the swap, this one is so much better, we still have a sea view and it’s on the second floor (rather than the fourth floor). Room is definitely more spacious, clean and tidy and we are happily continuing our holiday. I passed on my thanks to the Hotel Manager and said I was very happy.
NB. One thing I would say is if you get allocated a room on the top floor, be mindful that it may not be as expected…..
(First impressions of hotel, tired looking, needs some TLC in various areas, room is VERY small and, feels claustrophobic. Could do with a deep clean and a fresh coat of paint and maybe a few bits of furniture updated and wardrobe moved from the immediate doorway. You just about get past with your suitcase, bathroom is very tiny, no handrail by sink for towels, needs a hook or two in the wall or door so you can hang clothes whilst showering.