Cullinan Belek

Stayed for 10 night in July as a family of 4 with 2 teens having stated 4 nights in the Maxx Royal just before.

Greeted with Chandon Brut and chocolate coated strawberries and welcomed but then left at reception for quite a while not knowing what we were waiting for but when we asked we were told to use the facilities until our family room was ready. No map or explanation of what was where, but we enjoyed exploring and the clear set up worked really well.

Family room consisted of 2 rooms and a shared long balcony. We had a double and twin set up. The bathrooms were open with a shower cubicle and separate toilet cubicle (and bidet) and the sink was in the main area. We don’t like this set up as we had to keep getting dressed to go from the toilet to the shower then apply body lotion etc. Personal preference, I guess (preferred the rooms at the Maxx).

The hotel layout was a real bonus as we were able to sunbathe around the 16+ Azure pool and jacuzzi which was beautiful and quiet, while our older teens went to the waterpark and joined in other activities. Everything seemed close enough to get to easily.

Due to us falling in love with the Azure pool, we didn’t use the activity pool or L pool as they were much more crowded. The indoor pool was really big with sunbeds and cabanas, a sauna, shock pool and vitamin bar which were all free to use. There was also a little tunnel to the outdoor heated pool.

The beach was near the football court and Yamas restaurant and although it was pretty with plenty of sunbeds and the pier also with sunbeds and cabanas it was too stony to use so we only went in the sea once.

My son loved the activities: football, darts, boccia, volleyball for over 16s were on daily and were quite well attended. They also did paragliding which they enjoyed.

The evening shows were ok, our favourite was the Cirque show. Mainly dancing but there was a show aimed at younger children with various characters.

There were 3 à la carte restaurants included for lunch at no cost, Hasir, Sapore and Yammas although having seen the lobsters with their claws tied up ready to be eaten in the glass cabinets, my daughter was too distraught to return! All had the same lunch menus, as did 7/24 which was complimentary (recommend the steak). The buffet was plentiful and along with many other restaurants had a pretty outdoor seating area. We paid to eat at the Italian and Nori and enjoyed both. Service was very good and the cost was approx £25-30pp for dinner.

Chandon Brut was my drink of choice and I loved the Moet and Chandon Bar which was open between 4.30-6pm daily, serving champagne (white and rose) and canapés. Our favourite bar was the Noble Irish bar. Service was the best, and they had a cocktail guy going around making smoky cocktails. There were screens showing sports outside. Inside was really beautiful and cool (as was the games room with a bowling alley, pool tables and free arcade games, including Grid, which kept my husband happy).

The spa was a bit of a letdown, they tried to upsell my daughters facial without confirming with me and when my daughter checked with me, I asked only for a basic facial and they were obviously disappointed and according to her were quite rough and abruptly. She didn’t enjoy. My masseuse was good but reception staff were rude and it was difficult to communicate in English.

Overall, a really fab holiday and I would highly recommend!

We returned to the Cullinan with mixed feelings this time.

The room was looking very tired and is now in need of refurbishment, which was disappointing given the significant increase in prices.

That said, the food, restaurants, bars and service were all five-star. The staff throughout the hotel continue to be exceptional and are a real credit to the Cullinan. Over the years we’ve got to know many of them, and they are one of the main reasons we’ve returned so often.

Unfortunately, the administration side of the hotel wasn’t up to the high standard we’ve experienced on previous visits.

Having stayed at this hotel many times, we are now considering trying one of the other five-star hotels in Belek later this year. We may well return to the Cullinan in the future because we love the golf courses, but we hope the rooms will have been refurbished by then.

We’ll certainly miss the wonderful staff we’ve come to know over the years. It’s just disappointing that the prices have continued to increase while the rooms have remained unchanged.