Sunis Elita Beach Resort

Just returned from a weeks holiday at the Sunis Elita. I must admit that I had reservations about this hotel after booking it and realising that most of the glowing reviews were from people who had only contributed on Trip Advisor once, which is an obvious red flag and I would seriously doubt that they are legitimate. There were 3 adults in our party. When we walked into our room, the first thing I noticed was the noise. A loud sound of motors running. When I opened the patio door I realised that we were positioned over a bank of air con units - 13 in total, which ran day and night and made leaving the patio open impossible. It was a constant roar, like sitting on a plane as it revs to take off. The beds were rock hard - we all had hip and back pain after lying on them - tossing and turning constantly to try and get comfortable. The duvet on the double bed didn't actually cover it and there was a couple of inches either side where it didn't reach the side of the bed. More sleepless nights trying to keep warm - if one of us dared turn over, it pulled the duvet off the other. The room appeared clean until my Daughter dropped her ear bud and it rolled under the bed....it was absolutely filthy under there and totally apparent that it hadn't been cleaned or even swept for months. Housekeeping came every day to change towels and bedding as required. The food in the hotel was mediocre at best - not one meal was actually hot - everything was barely warm. I don't eat meat and the veggie options were dire to say the least. I lost 4lbs in a week! One good thing! The hotel customers are predominantly German with Eastern European and Russians. Everything is aimed at them and as a Brit I felt very left out of the nightly entertainment and the descriptions on the food often didn't make sense. The beach is shale, very steep, gets deep very fast and has large rocks underwater about 15 feet out - you can't go in without water shoes. The hotel is noisy, brash and more like a 2 star. The reception staff are unsmiling and unwelcoming. The Housekeeping, beach man and gardening staff work hard. The walls between rooms are thin, meaning we could hear the Russians in the next room having a blazing row until 2am, then starting again at 7.30am. Even though there were beds for 3 the people in the room, we only ever had 2 mugs for tea/coffee. We frequently had 3 milks and 1 coffee replenished. There were 2 chairs on the balcony - it just wasn't set up for 3 people and felt like an afterthought to just shove an extra bed in. There was an inordinate amount of smokers in this hotel and even on the beach you couldnt avoid it. Do yourself a favour and avoid this hotel. I literally couldn't wait to get home to a comfy bed, with bed sheets that fitted and some hot tasty food.

We picked Sunis Elita Beach Resort Hotel & Spa mainly for a family holiday, and overall it did what we needed it to do. It's relatively close to Antalya airport, which made the transfer painless, and the staff were genuinely friendly, especially towards our little one. That said, there's a fair bit to unpack for anyone planning a stay, so here's the honest rundown.

Pros

The food was a real highlight, plenty of variety and always something different to try, so we never felt like we were eating the same thing twice. The staff were consistently warm and welcoming, and they went out of their way with our baby, which made a real difference to how relaxed we felt during the trip. Location wise, being relatively close to Antalya airport is a genuine plus if you're after a shorter transfer after a long flight. Worth a special mention too is the spa, the massage was properly good and reasonably priced compared to what you'd expect at a resort like this.

Cons

The room itself felt dated, you can tell it's had better years, and the bathroom had a strong sewage smell each morning coming from the shower drain, most likely a missing sink trap cover. We reported it at reception but nothing actually changed, so we ended up keeping a towel over the drain whenever we weren't using the shower. Cocktails were hit and miss depending on which bartender made them, so don't expect consistency. The onsite shop is expensive, think three to four times the price of the bazaar just outside the resort for things like pool floats, beach toys or water shoes (which you'll want, since the beach is mostly pebbles near the water entry). Taxis booked through the hotel were also considerably pricier than booking online or using taxis stationed outside (where prices are similar but negotiable). The beach itself is sharp sand and mostly pebble rather than sand at sea entry, with a steep entry and fairly strong waves during our stay, something to bear in mind if you plan on spending a lot of time at the beach. English wasn't widely spoken among staff, German and Russian seemed far more common, which tracks with the guest mix and even the poolside music. Sunbeds get reserved early, roughly 80% were already claimed by pool opening time, and this was end of season. There's no iron in the room and having them press items for you isn't cheap. Room entry is by card rather than wristband, which is a minor but constant inconvenience. Lastly, the advertised baby corner was disappointing, just a couple boiled vegetables you have to puree yourself or with an oversized blender where you have to blend half a bowl for a few tablespoons. There are also 8 advertised pools, although I’m not sure where they’re getting that number from, as I could only find 5: the Main Pool, Villa Pool, Slides Pool, Indoor Pool and Kids’ Pool. For an adult visiting outside of winter and not planning to use the slides, the last 3 are pretty much irrelevant anyway.

Overall

Four stars because it covered our holiday needs and the staff were genuinely friendly, but there's enough here that people should know what to expect. We always aim for transparent, experience based reviews, and honestly we probably won't return, we're confident there are better options in the area for the same money.

The Sunis is a very large resort set in lovely mature grounds which are well kept , We stayed in one of the villas by the quiet pool , As described in other reviews the rooms are a little dated but we don't spend time in the room, Bed was comfy quite a firm mattress which we like. There a very large restaurant which can get busy at times but we had no trouble in getting a table There's an amazing array of food for every taste , We had 2 meals at the Fish & Italian Restaurants which made a nice change if only a bit rushed . All the pools are very clean & had no problem with getting a sun bed , but still a lot of reserving with towels , There's a lot of daytime activities & some good shows & entertainment during our stay inc disco on the beach & Oktoberfest, For a Treat try a message or two in the spa very relaxing , The whole hotel areas are kept very clean & tidy , Maybe a little more attention from housekeeping regarding dust in rooms , We had a fabulous time here & was good value for money , So a big thankyou to all the hardworking Staff & management , In particular Mustafa , & Bilal in the bar & The lady who was always smiling in the restaurant ,