Hotel Riviera Zen — Hotel in Alanya

EXTENDED REVIEW RIVIERA ZEN HOTEL

Rooms: the rooms are in short just stunning. Perfect condition, new beds, sleeps amazing and awesome design. The cleaners are the best and clean every day. This is really comfortable.

Food: I love the Turkish traditional food, and luckily every day there were several traditional dishes you can choose, even though the options are limited. The veggies don’t feel as fresh and tasty as I am used to in turkey and also the yoghurt and water had a strange taste to it. The water gave me bad breath and by purchasing my own water this issue was solved. The salad game of the hotel is weak. Sushi was awful.

Service: If you are looking to encounter the real Turkish hospitality in “Hotel Riviera Zen” you will not find it there. Nobody looks friendly and the English is bad. When we arrived nobody greeted us with a smile. “Elif” is the only employee that looked and welcomed you with a friendly face.

There is this chief that constantly walks around and everyone seems a little afraid of him. He never really smiled always looks sort of grumpy and he is not happy when you arrive to late at the restaurant or stay to long in the pool. Feels a little like a security guard. Unsettling. He does not posses the quality of true hospitality. However if you need something, he will help you kindly.

Welcoming guests with a smile is not something they practice at Riviera Zen hotel. Only “Elif” understands this concept. She was the only one that made us feel welcome in the restaurant wich brings me on the next subject. I wanted to tip Elif for her outstanding service however the tips are taken by the hotel. I don’t like that. If someone really stands out, they deserve that reward. The hotel taking the tips is obviously someone filling its pockets.

There was this guy next to the lobby reception desk counting his dollar bills. Every once in a while he walked in the restaurant to also eat. I was always like, who is this money counting guy walking trough the restaurant and eating here. One time I saw him dining with the sous chef in the restaurant. Very awkward. I don’t feel better than anyone but employees eating in the diner they serve seemed a little strange to me. And also that unfriendly accountant or whoever he was. Not 4 stars. Not luxury. No class.

About the guy that brought our bags to the room. He waited and practically begged for money. One time he even tried asking me if he could carry my bag of water, so he could ask for money again. Very creepy. Wich reminds me of my first morning in the hotel.

The first morning we accidentally took juice that apparently wasn’t included in the all inclusive deal. So the waiter came up to us telling us if we were aware we had to pay extra for that. Didn’t say Goodmorning, didn’t welcome us in the hotel. Or anything that has something to do with hospitality. That was not a nice way to be welcomed at breakfast.

Also about the waiters. There was a waiter that never spoke to anyone. All of a sudden a girl from Germany arrived at the hotel and he started asking her where she is from and if she is enjoying, while she was trying to put food on the plate he was disturbing her. I immediately realized he was flirting so I said jokingly he never asked me this kind of question 😂 he than later came to the table and said “is she beautiful or not” so I was right, he was flirting very disgusting while on the job. He did this with another girl to I saw that later this week. He had a certain type.

Than there was this other waiter. I tried to tell him that the combination of Baklava and Ice cream is so good. He answered me saying “it’s like Viagra” wich puzzled me and I thought was so nasty. I decided to just forget about it and finish my meal. That was by the way the same waiter again that was drinking beer while he was working at the Bar.

About the hotel 🏨 it wont get more than three stars because of the lack of hospitality, unprofessional behavior, and the food options and quality. Its needs to be fresher.

3* Stars for Hotel Riviera Zen Thank you for...

A Disappointing Stay at The Riviera Zen Hotel||Our recent all-inclusive package holiday to The Riviera Zen Hotel in Alanya, Turkey, booked through Thomas Cook, was unfortunately a deeply frustrating and disappointing experience from start to finish.||The issues began immediately upon arrival. The airport transfer was an astonishingly long three hours. This extended journey included an unwelcome stop at a row of shops where we, as first-time visitors, were clearly taken advantage of, being charged the equivalent of £15 for a single ice cream cone! The return transfer was even worse, clocking in at four hours, with the driver attempting the same exploitative shop stop, thankfully unsuccessful this time.||Upon finally reaching the hotel in the early hours, exhaustion led us to promptly fall asleep. We awoke to what we initially thought was still darkness, only to discover it was well into the afternoon. This disorientation was due to our room's severe lack of natural light – the balcony faced directly onto a wall of another hotel. To get a room with adequate light, we were forced to upgrade for an additional £20 per night. With no Thomas Cook representative on-site and unable to reach them, and my partner understandably distressed, we felt we had no option but to pay, adding significant unexpected costs to our holiday.||What followed was a series of frustrations. Our "all-inclusive" package proved to be anything but. Many types of alcohol were excluded, and even basic beverages like orange juice incurred extra charges. By the end of our stay, these hidden costs far exceeded the initial price of our package deal, leaving us feeling thoroughly scammed.||The hotel also appeared to cater predominantly to German guests, making us feel like second-class citizens. Securing a sunbed was a daily battle, with towels placed before dawn by other guests, a practice the hotel seemed to condone. Even the television channels were exclusively in German, with no English options available. While the staff were generally polite, it felt as though their hands were tied regarding these issues.||During a recent heatwave, the hotel pool was almost unusable due to overcrowding, primarily with German and Dutch guests. Venturing to the beach offered little respite, as we were charged for everything, including non-alcoholic drinks, by the hotel.||On a positive note, the food was consistently good and adequately seasoned. However, this was one of the very few highlights in what was otherwise a holiday we couldn't wait to end. We left Turkey with no desire to return, feeling utterly exhausted and convinced that this entire experience was a...

We stayed at the Riviera Zen Hotel in Antalya for 5 days, and unfortunately, our experience was far from what we expected or were promised.||From the moment we arrived, things felt off. Despite already paying for a room, the staff insisted we pay for an upgrade upon check-in. It felt like a scam from the start.|To make matters worse, we arrived late and hungry, and were only offered a piece of bread and a plum. That was considered a “late-night snack” in their all-inclusive package — we were starving. ||Speaking of scams, beware of a tour operator named Yusuf and his colleagues. We were scammed by them and would strongly advise future guests to avoid booking anything through the hotel or its associated contacts.||The hotel staff, particularly the man running the hammam/spa, was relentless. He asked us every single day, multiple times a day, if we wanted a treatment — despite our clear and repeated “no.” It felt invasive and pushy. I had to eventually explain to him that it is always going to be a no as I cannot participate in any spa activities and to stop asking me. ||Now let’s talk about the food. In a word: atrocious. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all equally bland and tasteless. We ended up eating out for most of the trip despite paying for all-inclusive. And it’s not really all-inclusive — orange juice cost us 100 TL, and cocktails or mocktails were not included. My husband was literally chased down for payment after grabbing a drink we assumed was part of the package. Every time we picked something up, we had to ask, “Is this included?” It completely defeats the purpose of a relaxing vacation.||The entertainment was non-existent. One belly dancer performed for about 10 minutes on a Saturday night. That was it. The pool was always overcrowded, and the layout of the hotel was poorly thought out and uncomfortable to navigate.||The only positive thing I can say about this hotel is its location — it’s close to shops and a variety of outside restaurants (which you’ll need, because you won’t want to eat at the hotel).||Also, be warned: despite what you might think, this hotel is a full 2-hour drive from Antalya Airport, not a quick trip at all.||Based on this experience, I will not be returning to Turkey, and I certainly won’t be recommending Riviera Zen Hotel to anyone. If you’re reading this — do yourself a favor and...