Calista Luxury Resort — Hotel in Serik

We visited this hotel from the 2nd till the 16th September. The following review is my honest opinion with no judgements made without reasoning, my wife and I are frequent travellers and visit Turkey twice a year at very similar hotels so a good comparison is given.|Check in|The check in was excellent with no issues, we were greeted by a lovely lady that helped complete the paperwork as all hotels but she then personally took us to our room and explained all the room features.|Room|The room is a standard garden view room that from a size perspective is bigger than most standard hotel room, we was in block 3 at the front of the hotel. The room comes with touch control lighting and AC also controlled by an app. The rooms have coffee machines with integral hot water for tea, mini bar with beer, soft drinks, energy drinks, snacks and water. It also boast and iron and ironing board. A pillow menu is also available with no fuss |Bathroom|The bath room was large with a separate bath and shower, the toiletries were Molten Brown and these were very nice. The extras include Colgate toothpaste, tooth brushes, sewing kit, ear buds etc., please note that friends that also travelled with us had the same room with no separate shower but they were moved once they highlighted this to the front desk with no issues.|My only disappointment is that the rooms have coffee did run hot and it was explained to me that the front blocks were on a centralised chilled water system, this shouldn’t matter if they were working at 100% as this is my field of expertise but they did try to improve this but to no avail.|Restaurants|The main buffet restaurant is smaller than a number of hotels we have stayed in around Belek and Lara but a good overall spread of different foods etc. again a slight criticism is that although cooking for the masses the food could have been hotter, I appreciate hot food can become cold relatively quickly so it paid to wait till they loaded fresh food before collecting your meals. There were a lot of flies within the restaurant that also can put some people off certain food stations like sea food and sushi stations, they did have small fans to deter them but not on every station.|The staff in all restaurants are excellent and on hand to help or supply drinks where needed.|Outside BBQ|This was available every evening but again at times was not as hot as hoped but the same reasons as above also stand as they cannot keep all food hot all the time. |All restaurants table areas were clean, plenty of seating was available with no felling of over crowding.|Harmony restaurant 24/7|This restaurant was excellent in every way, the food was cooked to order, was hot, service was top notch and drinks also very good. AC was not always on but switched on as soon as you asked.|Garden restaurant|This was a nice outside restaurant but the only criticism was that although 90% of the food was hot and freshly cooked the chips are cooked on mass and more often than not a little cold. A recommendation is to cook the chips on order too as people would not mind an extra few mins wait.|Beach restaurant |This was the biggest disappointment for us, it was a small cooking station that with the volume of people was not suitable for the area, with no seating, paper plates and one cook only it was the one area that people generally complained openly about.|Pools|The pools were excellent with ample beds that were the best we have ever used, even the hotels like Titanic Marden palace, Voyage etc. have nothing on these. The slides are very good and the activities at the actual activity pool were good, Maria and cecelia who are the fitness instructors are excellent. There are fridges with water and soft drinks around but the ladies do come around on skates and they are also excellent at their job.|Games room|The games is located at the base of building 2 and has two pool tables, one Russian pool table and various arcade games, it also boasts a three lane bowling alley. My only issue with the pool table area is that it is very hot and although they did try to repair the cooling in this area they could only apologise as it was not working when we stayed for the two weeks, their is. O bar in that area so you do need to bring them down with you that is a disappointment as most hotels do cater for the areas with small bars. A number of the arcade games are broken and could do with good maintenance being carried out.|Pier|The pier is excellent with nice seating available, a good bar and excellent staff. Sun beds were payable on the pier only but worth it if you like the area.|Entertainment|The entertainment was ok, we watched a few shows and depending on what you like they were good but be aware they are not a daily occurrence but every other day.|Recommendations|For us the drinks were poured extremely strong and I appreciate we all go on holiday to eat loads and drink more lol but the measures if controlled more would make the drinks more enjoyable, I am by no means a prude when it comes to drink but a glass three quarters full with the spirit before the mixer was a little OTT. I appreciate you can ask for a separate glass to split the drinks but this would mot be needed. Guinness is available but only if you asked. The black bar drinks inside were measured and the staff in all areas are next level as they remember your drinks immediately, top ratings...

We’ve just returned from an unforgettable 10-day stay at Calista Luxury Resort during the October half-term, and it was nothing short of wonderful. From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed with smiles from the hostess and we were all offered drinks and chocolates, while we sat down to check in. We arrived late at 9:30pm and we were shown on the map to go to Harmony, a 24 hour restaurant. When we arrived there was plenty of space in there and the food was presented well and of a good quality. ||The resort truly lives up to its “luxury” name — beautifully designed grounds, immaculate facilities, and a stunning beachfront that made every day feel like paradise. The hotel was full the first week we were there and the staff were clearly overstretched and the service did dip but once guests started to leave they were back on form and the overall mood was better. || Our room was fairly spacious, clean, and incredibly comfortable, with thoughtful touches that made us feel right at home such as spare toothbrushes, toothpaste, sanitary products, shaving items and even nail clippers. We lived in block 5 which is a series of family rooms. Our room had one queen bed and alongside were 2 single rollaways. The cleaning lady was very conscientious and kept the room tidy every day and topped up the toiletries and refreshed the towels. Anything you need she would bring to you and nothing was too much trouble - many thanks to her! |Just be mindful the music outside doesn’t stop until about midnight. ||The food was nice and consistent everyday. We particularly like the outdoor cooking with fresh fish and grilled meats every night alongside the main buffet in the restaurant. There are 6 other restaurants to visit but 4 of them, there are extra charges to go. This should be made more transparent upon arrival and on website to avoid disappointment. The snacks and poolside treats were delicious. Burger/ snack bar and fruit bar both down by the beach were a huge hit! The staff tried their best to accommodate preferences, despite language barriers and the service was there when prompted. However the staff always offered drinks at the table and cleared away used dishes. ||The entertainment and activities were another highlight. Whether relaxing by the pool, enjoying the spa, or joining in with the daytime activities, there was always something to do. The evening shows were great, and the atmosphere across the resort was vibrant but never overwhelming — perfect for both relaxation and fun.||Our children had the time of their lives. The kids’ club team were fantastic — friendly, enthusiastic, and great at keeping little ones engaged and happy. Although we didn’t use the kids service much because our children are football mad and they thoroughly enjoyed the on site PSG football camp. It lived up to expectations and our kids kept asking to go back. The coach was outstanding and he really knows how to train and communicate with the children. So a big thanks to Coach and keep up the great job! This trip gave us the perfect balance of family time and a little well-deserved relaxation while the children were at football or kids club. ||A special mention to the guest relations staff — every person we met was helpful, and professional. Their attention to detail and genuine care for guests made the holiday extra special. Do not be shy to ask for what you need they try their best to help. ||We’ve already said we’d love to return — the kids want to see their Coach again and use the Hammam spa. If you’re looking for a luxury escape with super service, fantastic food, and an atmosphere, Calista Luxury Resort is a perfect choice. Truly a five-star...

We had very high expectations for this hotel. It looks great, but the customer service on the front desk is shockingly poor. Off-season with less guests and less facilities should help with providing a quality service for all. Upon arrival, it took a while for anyone to come out and assist with our bag. Even then, no one helped to take in the small bags whilst we had kids with us. First person checked us was pleasant and professional as well as being able to converse in english. We were given a welcome drink whilst sitting in the huge lobby area. We looked around and were impressed with the ambience and aesthetics and looking forward to our stay. Then we were led by someone from front desk who didnt speak English. But there didn’t seem to be a welcoming nature which transcends languages. She didn’t attempt to show us around the suite which had the modern tech to control various things in the room. The hotel also gave us a room which was in a building away from main restaurant. This became a problem when it was raining constantly trying to take 2 children in a pushchair outside. We later on had issues dealing with front desk for a few requests which were just shrugged off. All these issues were mentioned via the WhatsApp system. But felt there was no attempt to help in issues we faced or a resolution when it came to our lack of hot water for example. Everything was then discussed with guest relations on the penultimate day. Olesya, tried to make amends and offered to cover our transportation to the airport. But this was plastering over the cracks. Even as we went to depart on our last day to check out at the receptions desk, it is customary for the hotel to chat and ask about our stay, leave with a smile. Instead we were met with a shrug by taking our keys and that’s it. We were glad to leave! It’s very expensive compared to others around. This felt like wasted money due to lack of any sort of great customer service that should come with this type of resort. Calista Resort needs to train and invest in front staff to serve not only turkish and russian guests but english speaking guests. Good customer service means going the extra mile, as well as to be helpful. The extortionate transport costs is only outdone by the scam taxis working around the hotel. Not Calista’s issue but leaves a bad taste when you are charged 800 lira for a 10 drive! If the hotel lowered their prices then no one would use the taxis. They don’t even offer shuttles to Theme park or any other POI. The hotel looks good, yes, and the restaurant staff, plus the children’s play area staff are really good and helpful. The food was also tasty and had some variety. But there is no excuse for the lack of 5 star customer service. A...