Selectum Family Resort

This hotel does not meet a real 5-star standard. Based on our experience, it is at best a 3.5–4-star hotel. We have stayed in other 5-star hotels in Turkey before, so we know what this category should look like, and this was a major disappointment.

To be fair, there are some positives: the resort looks nice at first sight, the pool area and beach are pleasant, there is a lot of natural shade from trees and greenery, Wi-Fi works very well across the resort, and the room had a spacious bathroom, good shower pressure and individually adjustable air conditioning.

Unfortunately, the negatives strongly outweigh the positives.

The biggest issue was hygiene. We saw cockroaches during the day — one directly in our bathroom, which I documented with a photo, and another on the public toilets. For a hotel claiming to be 5-star, this is unacceptable.

Food was one of the weakest parts of the stay. The buffet was extremely repetitive, with almost no real variation. Most meat options were chicken in different forms or minced meat. Beef was practically missing, lamb was missing, and for a 5-star seaside hotel I would expect fish, seafood, shrimps and similar items to be available regularly, not only during a themed evening. The children’s food corner was also very poor — mostly processed food, fried onion rings, overcooked porridge and similar unattractive options. Nothing looked truly appealing, tasty or suitable for children. Between main meal times it was also very difficult to find proper food, fruit or a light snack.

Access to drinking water around the pool is poorly handled. The pool area is huge, but free water is basically available only at the pool bar. In temperatures around 38°C, especially with children, this is not enough. A resort of this size should have multiple fridges, water stations or self-service points.

The hotel also has serious organizational and information problems. There are almost no useful information signs, no visible clocks around the resort, and if you want to know the time, air temperature, water temperature or humidity, you basically have to walk along the beach to the neighboring hotel, where they have a large digital information board. In this hotel, these basic details are not easily available.

The kids’ area repeatedly started around 30 minutes later than scheduled, and its opening hours were not clearly displayed. Signs to the à la carte restaurants were confusing, and even the hotel map had numbers 20 and 22 mixed up.

The evening show was another problem. The beginning and ending had extremely aggressive strobe lighting, with fast flashes of strong light into the audience. It was unpleasant even for a healthy person. I did not notice any clear warning for people sensitive to flashing lights, migraines or epilepsy. In a family hotel full of children, this feels badly handled and irresponsible.

Good coffee was available only in one place in the entire hotel; elsewhere it was very poor.

Reception service was also disappointing. I asked the reception to order a taxi to Belek center and was told they do not do that / it is not possible. This is the first hotel reception I have ever experienced where ordering a taxi for a guest was apparently not possible. For a 5-star hotel, this is absurd.

The technical condition of the main building is questionable. On the main corridors between rooms, on several floors, the floor felt visibly uneven. There were bumps under the carpet and the floor seemed to slope to one side. You can feel it while walking.

The whole hotel feels extremely focused on Russian-speaking guests. At times it felt like a “state within a state” — physically in Turkey, but atmospherically almost in Russia. Russian is spoken almost everywhere, including by many staff members. As a guest of another nationality, I did not feel fully welcome or part of an international 5-star resort.

I also have serious doubts about how some positive reviews are collected. During our stay, staff were actively approaching guests and asking them to write reviews, and in my experience they were standing next to guests while the review was being written. I do not know whether any reward is offered, but this method feels inappropriate and puts pressure on guests.

Overall, this was a very disappointing stay. The hotel looks good on the surface, but the actual experience does not match a 5-star standard: cockroaches, weak and repetitive food, poor children’s food, lack of water points, poor information, delayed children’s services, aggressive strobe lighting without warning, questionable technical condition, and services that simply do not match the category.

I would not recommend this hotel to families expecting a real 5-star experience in Turkey. We were influenced by the many positive reviews, but after staying here I feel it is important to warn others: this is not a true 5-star hotel.

We have just returned from a family holiday at the Selectum Family Resort, Belek, and overall we had a very enjoyable stay. While we would not call it true five-star standard, it does offer good value for money and is a resort where families can have a great holiday. We would rate it as a solid 4-star hotel.

Check-in

Check-in was smooth with no issues at all. The reception area is pleasant enough but lacks the grand “wow factor” you often expect from a five-star resort. Our luggage was taken to our Garden Room promptly, which was appreciated.

One thing that would have helped enormously was being given a resort map on arrival. Instead, guests are directed to use a QR code for information. Unfortunately, we found the app rather limited, particularly when trying to find out what daily activities were taking place.

Room

The Garden Room was much larger than we expected, with two single beds and one double bed, making it ideal for our family. Space wasn’t an issue.

The room was cleaned every day, with fresh towels, bedding and a fully restocked minibar. The walk-in shower was excellent, the supplied toiletries were good quality and the air conditioning worked brilliantly throughout our stay.

The beds were very firm, which may suit some guests but wasn’t ideal for us. Storage was the room’s biggest weakness. The open wardrobe was quite small, there were very few drawers, and with four people we ended up storing clothes on shelves and even keeping some in our suitcases. We were also only given one pillow each initially, although Guest Relations quickly supplied extras when requested.

The housekeeping team were friendly, trustworthy and did an excellent job looking after us.

Food & Drink

The resort has one main buffet restaurant, three à la carte restaurants and several snack bars.

The buffet offers plenty of choice, but after a few days the menu becomes quite repetitive and seemed aimed more at Eastern European and Middle Eastern guests than at British families. The kids’ selection was poor, which was disappointing for a family resort. Overall, the quality was generally good, but there was not enough variety for a longer stay.

We preferred eating outside, where there are lovely shaded seating areas. Unfortunately, the smoking area is outside the restaurant doors, which wasn’t ideal. The non smoking section was sandwiched between restaurant and bar smoking areas!

Breakfast was slightly disappointing as there was no granola, seeds or nuts available, and the coffee throughout most of the resort was fairly poor. The exception was the small riverside coffee hut, which served excellent coffee.

When the buffet closes, the 24/7 restaurant remains open. The burgers tasted more like kebabs, and surprisingly the pizzas, which appeared to be one of the most popular choices during the day, weren’t available in the evening.

The resort advertises three à la carte restaurants, but guests only receive one visit during their stay. As we were travelling with children who didn’t fancy the Turkish or seafood restaurants, and the Italian wasn’t available during our visit, we unfortunately didn’t get to experience any of them.

Pools & Beach

The pools are undoubtedly one of the highlights of the resort. They were spotless, beautifully warm and very enjoyable to use. However, there are only two bars by the pool, so drinks service could get busy at times.

The sunbeds are very close to the pool, and it was not always easy to find sunbeds after lunch. That said, the pool area itself was attractive and well maintained.

The beach is sandy approaching the sea, although entry into the water is quite stony. Very few guests seemed to use the sea while we were there, although water sports are available. Sunbeds under shaded areas were plentiful and it is a lovely relaxed area.

The children’s water park was probably our biggest disappointment. The slides are only open for around four hours each day and close at 4:30 pm, despite it still being warm and daylight until around 8 pm. We mentioned this to both Guest Relations and the Kids Club as we felt longer opening hours would significantly improve the experience.

Entertainment

The Kids Club deserves special praise. The staff were excellent, friendly, enthusiastic and well organised, with plenty of activities running throughout the day.

Each evening begins with the children’s disco, followed by around 45 minutes of entertainment which was generally above average. On some evenings there was also a live band performing outside until around 11:30 pm.

Staff

Most staff were Turkish or Russian. There was a daily language barrier, which occasionally caused confusion and incorrect food or drink orders. However, everyone remained friendly and with the help of Google Translate and plenty of smiles, everything was soon sorted.

The bar staff were particularly efficient, whereas restaurant service could be slower at busy meal times, so we often collected our own drinks directly from the bars.

Atmosphere

The hotel has a lovely relaxed atmosphere and we felt completely safe throughout our stay. There was a genuinely international mix of guests which created a pleasant multicultural feel around the resort.

A lovely touch from the hotel was helping celebrate our granddaughter’s 11th birthday by delivering a birthday cake and a bottle of wine to our room. Small gestures like that really are appreciated.

We would also like to mention the resort photographer Ozzie, who was very friendly and likeable, offering some great photos at competitive prices.

Overall

Compared with another five-star resort we stayed at last year, we’d personally rate Selectum as a strong 4-star resort rather than a full five. It gets many things right, particularly the pools, Kids Club, lovely gardens, good overall value and a friendly atmosphere.

The areas that could be improved include extending the water park opening hours, improving the outdoor non-smoking dining areas, providing more storage in the rooms, offering greater buffet variety, improving the kids’ food selection and being a little more generous with late check-out. We were quoted €20 per hour to keep our room after midday despite the hotel not being full and our transfer not leaving until 8 pm.

Despite these criticisms, we had a really enjoyable family holiday and felt the resort offered good value for the price we paid.

Would we return? Probably not. There are simply too many excellent resorts in Turkey for us to revisit this one. That said, we certainly don’t regret choosing Selectum and made some wonderful family memories there.

This hotel absolutely does not meet the declared 5* standard nor the Ultra All Inclusive concept. We travel regularly to Turkey and 5* hotels and have always been completely thrilled and satisfied. As a family with two small children, we were looking for a premium resort for a quiet holiday, but we were met with absolute shock and a hygiene hell. We had to resolve everything on the spot through an official complaint protocol with the travel agency and several times with the customer service department, where we were first offered another a la carte visit and on the last day, they asked my husband to delete a review (Tripadvisor/Google)!

We spend quite a bit of time choosing according to our requirements – quality and variety, amount of food, beach and sea access quality, etc., and reading a lot of reviews before we choose a holiday. We really didn't expect such a disappointment from so many positive and praiseworthy reviews! When reading the reviews while already there, we had the impression that the other guests must be eating elsewhere. The holiday was not the cheapest, which makes us regret it even more.

Hygiene and pests – During our stay, we routinely encountered cockroaches – not only in the hallways and the dining room, but we found one in our bathroom! The peak of it all was the rat droppings we found on our balcony. For a hotel that profiles itself as family-friendly, this is inexcusable and a health hazard. When we addressed this with the customer department – no reaction, they just kept pushing another a la carte restaurant.

Dining (Fake Ultra All Inclusive): The food was a huge disappointment. 95% of it was vegetarian food and cheap buffet vegetables. Quality meat (beef, let alone steaks) was absolutely missing. When trying to resolve this with the guest relations department, the answer was – "I'll ask the manager." Lamb meant just bones with a minimum of meat. Food is shamelessly recycled – chicken wings from dinner can be found the next day mixed with vegetables. If you want fresh fruit and vegetables during the day, you're out of luck. When the main restaurant is closed, you have one station with gozleme (a pile of dill), a fish hot dog, and a tortilla/hot dog with a sausage.

The dietary corner was a disaster – meat floating in water just like the other 3 bowls of vegetables (this rotated for lunch and dinner, the exact same thing).

Pre-prepared foods???? Onion rings, "potato" croquettes, and fried schnitzels. If I want to have this on the menu, it should only be fresh, and yes, it is possible. They just shouldn't skimp on everything.

Children's food: The kids' corner sometimes offers unidentifiable food, but mostly frozen pre-prepared foods (fried schnitzels, potato croquettes).

"24/7" restaurant: The advertised non-stop restaurant is a deception; it is open in specific time blocks. The bar around the corner from the restaurant, which is not visible at all, is probably 24/7. The selection of about 10 items is always the same. The coffee across the hotel is very subpar. They put a high-quality coffee machine in a mini stand down by the bridge leading to the beach, not in the main dining room. My husband brought me a "hot chocolate" that I spat out after the first sip because it was something incredibly disgusting. If I want other "restaurants," then let everyone choose from a buffet. The a la carte restaurant (Italian) I understand that pizza is not a specialty of the local chefs, but making a margarita with fresh tomatoes and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar? Carpaccio? 3 mini slices... The best part of that evening was the appetizer and dessert (main restaurant, patisserie in the hotel – the exact same).

False description of the beach: The hotel promises a sandy beach. Reality? The beach is pebbled and the entrance to the sea is also full of pebbles, which is very uncomfortable for small children. The entry over the pebbles is about 2 meters and then it immediately gets deep (we are tall, so we easily touched the bottom, but others won't be able to just stand around in the sea).

Children's world and animation: The children's park regularly opened even with a 40-minute delay. Moreover, it has absolutely nonsensical opening hours (open only from 10:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00). I asked about the opening hours twice at the guest relations department and once at the reception. Only on the penultimate day was there a change to 10:30 – 12:00 and 14:00–16:30. I don't know why they put up signs saying there is no lifeguard at the children's section when there was never anyone there anyway.

Staff: Unwillingness to accommodate and a huge problem with English. The main language of communication here is Russian. Unwilling staff – a waitress brought us drinks (cans) without glasses; when we politely asked her for glasses, she brought one, and when we repeated again that we wanted glasses (plural), she almost scolded us that she had to go back again. Guest relations department????? One young lady was very helpful and tried to accommodate us, and even spoke English. The others? Having such arrogant people supposed to help clients with a problem or question is hell. We wanted to order a taxi at the reception – they don't do it, and we have to go to the guest relations department – 3 people had to handle it, and they also told us the wrong price, which we fortunately verified with the hotel taxi. When I called to ask why the kids' corner wasn't open? A simple question so they could understand – 3 people passed me around, then they ended the call. I called again and then got the information that they would find out the situation and call back. Unfortunately, a person won't wait in the room all day, you don't carry your mobile phone with you all the time, so we found a letter under the door telling us to come to the guest relations department. They even asked my husband to delete one review!

The biggest peak of the hotel's hypocrisy was on June 29th, when it was almost uncomfortable how the hotel functioned. Suddenly the man at the towel stand had gloves on. Lots of staff everywhere, cleaning was going on (restaurant windows were washed, mopping), suddenly there was a sign with the opening hours of the water world, a supervisor in the dining room. Waiters themselves came and asked what we would like to drink. They constantly replenished the food, even the guest relations staff went around asking people to write reviews and stood by them until they submitted it, advising them. The water world for children was half closed for 3 days, supposedly a technical error. Evening programs are not for people sensitive to light, epileptics, etc.

There were no information boards anywhere – opening hours of the water world, clocks don't exist, so you orient yourself only according to what closes and opens.

The complex is older, but beautifully maintained, the receptionist was amazing and explained and showed everything. The rooms are spacious, although not completely clean (the sink faucet was dirty our entire stay; when we complained about the mess and insufficient cleaning – we have small children – they just wiped the mirror). The gradual pool for children was great. The pool and surroundings are great. The problem is the toilets, finding them is quite a challenge. The bridge to the beach is no problem at all, the beach right up to 2 meters before entering the sea is beautifully clean, tidy, adequate shading. Wifi works great everywhere, it is stable.