Royal Holiday Palace — Hotel in Aksu

An absolutely amazing holiday for our first wedding anniversary in August!

Points that are outstanding:

Facilities: the hotel has everything and is perfect for a couple holiday or for kids. The private pier is beautiful and perfect to get a sunbed on on the hotter days. There are a range of activities going on all the time and the entertainment crew are always trying to get everyone involved. The hotel is enormous so like us you may see parts of the hotel for the first time days after you've been there! Staff attentiveness: they are all amazing... Special mentions below. There is table service for drinks during certain hours by the pool too which is great. Cleanliness: pool and all areas. For the size of the pool there was not one thing floating around or lying around the pool area. All empty cups lifted regularly too. The cleaners are so friendly and rooms cleaned to a high spec Food/ drinks: I particularly enjoyed the omelette station in the morning and pasta station at dinner in the buffet. The teppinaki and Turkish restaurants are also a must as an a la carte add on! There are lots of food spots throughout the day to get a snack when buffet is closed. Good range of cocktails available in the all inclusive too... The mojitos were my favourite! There are small bottles of water chilling all round the hotel so you can stay hydrated easily. The decor is stunning and the design of the hotel is beautiful... Never fails to wow you each time you look around. Outdoor facilities: HUGE pool area and plenty of space for everyone. We were there during full capacity and most sunbeds will be taken early. If you're an early bird I'd suggest getting down there before 8am to get a good spot and then getting your breakfast. Guest relations: I became quite sick 4 days into my trip. I reported my illness to guest relations who told me to ask if I needed anything. When trying food again I asked for some plain rice which they sent up free of charge. My husband had also requested they acknowledge our anniversary so they set up a special table in the a la carte restaurant for us. They are always available and there to help. Location: Nearby to shops and can taxi to other restaurants... Would highly recommend the Terrace steakhouse if you're venturing out (5min taxi). It was amazing!

Points to consider: A HUGE disappointment was that the majority of the a la carte restaurants weren't open for our whole trip. This was one of the selling points when booking as we're big foodies, so we were really shocked as the hotel was full capacity. They only had one designated a la carte option available each night and often it was the same the next evening as you had the night before. A very strange system. The buffet has plenty of options but I found everything was quite oily so you became limited in what you had to avoid this. Gluten and dairy free options are limited. I was surprised that there was no designated area for guests so I found myself limited in what I could eat, having intolerances to both. I had a very upset stomach 4 days into my stay and was bed bound for the next two days. I would recommend being very careful around ice and water as this is the only thing I could put it down to. The heat was reaching 46° when we went (Aug) so was very hard to sit out in. I would definitely recommend going during a cooler time of year if possible. Bring mosquito repellent as they are everywhere in the evenings! The WiFi is very poor around the pool areas. I ended up purchasing a Turkish data add on to my phone for the week.

Special mentions: Abdullah the a la carte chef who is BRILLIANT craic! Zafur from the buffet who was the hardest working waiter I've ever seen. Gorteck our waiter in the a la carte restaurants. Elif ustun, out waitress every morning at breakfast... She ran to get me soya milk every morning and remembered our drinks orders every day. Such a brilliant waitress.

All things considered we had an all round 5 star experience and would recommend to couples...

I'll start this review by saying that I appreciate that a three star review might look a bit mean - but I'm afraid I don't think it deserves a higher score. There's no doubt that the building, its location, the facilities and grounds are impressive. We had a lovely family holiday here and I'm sure most people would have an equally enjoyable time. But sadly there is an element of style over substance and I don't feel that the hotel provides a five star experience.

The bedroom (superior sea view) was a great size, with plenty of storage , a well appointed bathroom and a cracking view from the balcony. It was nice that the mini bar was restocked daily with water, soft drinks and local beer. However, the bed itself - arguably the most important feature - was far too firm and the pillows bordering on useless. Getting comfortable each night took a bit of time. I appreciate there was a pillow menu, but you shouldn't need to pay and upcharge for basic comfort. The TV was also low quality and largely unwatchable, but you don't go to a beach resort in Turkey to sit in the room watching the news, so that hasn't impacted my rating at all. The air conditioning was a bit inconsistent and the room never felt "cool" given the air temperature outside..it wasn't uncomfortably warm, but I'm not sure I'd want to have the same experience in the height of summer.

Whilst the room was kept clean each day we were asked on three or four occasions to leave the door slightly open by the housekeeper as she "didn't have a key" for our room. She was always working in the room next door when she asked and it wasn't a massive concern, but really isn't a question that we should have been asked.

We all found the food in the hotel underwhelming. It wasn't that it was bad, just that it wasn't particularly good either. On the face of it there was plenty of choice at every meal, but it didn't vary much and all felt a bit lacklustre. A lot of the food would often be "warm" rather than "hot" by the time you got back to your table. However, the fresh produce - like grilled meat, salads and fruit - were generally of good quality and tasted great.

The chaos of the main buffet led to us eating in the "speciality" restaurants for 3 nights. The Teppanyaki was a fun experience with a great chef, excellent waiter service and plenty of good quality, well prepared food. For the price it was solid value, but the one criticism is that we were almost served too much food. The portions (and prices) could easily be a bit lower. The seafood restaurant was also pretty good quality and portions generous for the price. The Mexican, however, wasn't worth the money and the food was every bit as disappointing as the main restaurant. I'm not sure anyone preparing the food had ever been to Mexico!

The staff were generally friendly and welcoming - many of them being eager to have a chat and ask how we were. We'll tip where the local culture expects it. This was our first time in Turkey and whilst most staff were discreet there were some who were much more direct in expecting tips for the most basic of service. We were directly asked whether we had "some pounds" on more than one occasion, which jars a bit for the British. We may have expected this if we were in the local town, it was just a bit of a surprise to have it within the hotel too.

The outdoor areas were great - the pool is huge and never felt crowded. It's not heated, so it is very "refreshing" when you first get in. The waterslides were good fun, and a nice addition, but could use some better management of how the inflatable rings are shared out. The beach and pier were both lovely extra features to have as part of the complex.

There are plenty of bars around the hotel and getting a drink was never a problem. The choice of drinks was fine and in line with expectations of a Mediterranean resort.

Overall, this is a good hotel but not a great hotel. The building and its location have the wow factor, but it's a little lacking in terms of comfort...

I just came back from a 7 nights stay at this fantastic establishment. I must say, first of all, that the biggest asset of this resort is the staff. Always friendly, willing to help, doing their best to please you as guest. From reception staff to bartenders, to waiters and cleaning personnel, to animation team and live cooking, everyone is doing a great job making you feel brilliant. As location, the resort is about 15 minutes away from Antalya and the airport (great for a vacation with children, as we all know that "are we there yet" is always an issue with them). Also, in close vicinity there are bazaars and shopping areas for those that want and need them. The hotel itself is imposing, really living up to the "Palace" name. Columns, marble, modern but also classic oriental interiors. The rooms are absolutely great, spacious and with stunning views. The beds and pillows are comfy, the cleaning is fantastic and the minibar is always refilled, as well as the bathroom supplies. A/C was almost always on in our room and we had no issue whatsoever with it or the bathroom. The restaurants are huge, there's room for everyone and the food is simply fantastic. One can always find there something different to eat and I've seen people "playing it safe" and getting fast food every day. So that's also available. There are also some poolside places to eat, like doner kebab, pizza, fresh fruit, sweets, baked potatoes, waffles and pancakes and whatnot. I honestly recommend the Pide & Gozleme traditional place, those ladies are doing an absolutely fantastic job, at some point it makes you feel like trying to get a bit of everything even if you can't do it anymore. There is even a midnight snack place, if one feels inclined to eat after midnight. There are four bars (one in the Lobby, two by the pool, one on the pier), where the bartenders work like crazy all day long to serve cocktails, beer, juice, all with a smile on! The beach is clean and there is place for everyone, the pier is also a great place to lay in the sun. The pool is absolutely huge, there are numerous places to stay (maybe for some you need to wake up early), there's a little waterfall, a small bubble pool, there's a waterpark with 5 slides that kids and grown-ups adore. There's also a children's pool, with some slides and a mini-club where one can leave the kids all day under supervision. The animation team does a great job to keep all people active and entertained, without being too pushy if one is not in the mood. There are always games and activities these guys are doing at the beach and by the pool. Every evening there is a new show at the Colosseum, varied and entertaining for both adults and kids, followed by live music or some other activity (Bingo, Karaoke) at the Pool Bar. All in all I totally recommend Royal Holiday Palace for a truly...