The Marilis Hill Resort Hotel and Spa

Overall rating: 3/10

Oh dear, where do I start?

From the moment we arrived, our experience was extremely disappointing.

Day 1 – No rooms available

On arrival, we checked in only to be told there were no rooms available for us. We were then expected to share a one-bedroom apartment with two other families — 10 people altogether sharing one apartment.

This was completely unacceptable, especially for a holiday we had booked and paid for.

Day 2 – Delays and no acknowledgement

The following day, there were still delays in getting our rooms. What was most frustrating was the complete lack of acknowledgement or apology for what had happened.

We were told there would be no refund and that we should contact Loveholidays ourselves. While we were standing at reception, we also witnessed two other families complaining about exactly the same issue.

Day 3 – Inconsistent treatment

I asked reception again whether there was absolutely anything they could do to compensate us, as I wanted to avoid having to go through Loveholidays. I was told there was nothing they could do.

However, shortly afterwards, I saw another family being given €20 back for having to share a room with another family. This made the situation even more frustrating, as it appeared that different guests were being treated differently for essentially the same problem.

Day 6 – Loveholidays

I eventually contacted Loveholidays. On Day 6, they emailed me to say that the hotel was not engaging with them regarding my potential refund.

At this point, the whole situation was extremely disappointing.

Wi-Fi

The Wi-Fi was very poor throughout our stay. It was bad in both the room we initially had to share and the room we were eventually given. It was also poor around the pool area.

We often had to sit in the lobby or outside our room just to get a decent connection.

Pool and safety

There was no lifeguard by the slides or pool, which was concerning.

We witnessed people climbing up the slides and standing directly in front of them. We also witnessed a child being rushed to hospital following a slide incident.

I found the lack of supervision particularly worrying, especially in a hotel that is marketed as a family resort.

The hotel also advertises a pool area that, when we went looking for it during the rain, was empty and we were actually asked to leave.

Entertainment

The entertainment was nothing like what was advertised or shown in the pictures. In my opinion, it was some of the worst entertainment I have experienced on holiday.

Food

The food was rubbish during the first couple of days. After a few days, we started thinking it wasn’t quite as bad — although perhaps we had simply got used to it.

The breakfast, however, was something we definitely did not get used to.

There were no beans, sausages, bacon or mushrooms, and very little variety. At a hotel advertised at this level, I would expect a much wider choice, including a full English breakfast alongside other options.

The beach

The beach was another major disappointment.

We were under the impression that the hotel was located on the beach. Instead, we had to get a bus to reach it. The bus itself felt like it was not particularly roadworthy, which made the journey uncomfortable.

The beach was man-made, and the pebbles were extremely uncomfortable. The children complained that the pebbles hurt their feet when entering the water.

Most families seemed to stay for no longer than around 45 minutes before leaving.

Location

The surrounding area was also disappointing.

If you want somewhere where you can walk out of your hotel and immediately find shops, pubs, bars and clubs, I would definitely recommend Marmaris instead.

In Okurcalar, there is nothing comparable nearby. The location felt very isolated, which was not what we were expecting from a resort holiday.

Restaurant

The hotel advertises a restaurant on the resort, but this was not accessible to us during our stay.

The positives

I do want to mention that the bar staff and housekeeping staff were very nice. They were friendly and helpful, and they were one of the few highlights of our stay.

Overall

My overall rating for this hotel is 3/10.

I am honestly unsure why this is described as a “resort” or marketed as a 5-star hotel. The experience did not come close to what I expected from a 5-star resort holiday.

The problems with the room allocation, lack of communication, poor Wi-Fi, pool safety, entertainment, food, beach and location made this a very disappointing holiday.

In future, I will definitely be much more careful about where I book. I won’t simply book somewhere because it has the words “resort” and “5-star hotel” attached to it. I would strongly recommend researching the hotel, location and facilities very carefully before booking.

Location wise is great if you’re into the Bazaar shopping etc because this hotel Is in between 3 Outlets. Room is spacious but the pillows are not great, maybe it’s just my preference. Noise level - they constantly blast the speakers with all sorts of music by the pool area. If you’re trying to chill, that is not the place for you. Cleanliness - not great! And I mean everywhere, rooms, common areas, restaurants etc. Service - cannot accept that a so called 5 stars all inclusive hotel can’t provide us with decent cutlery, they had plastic cutleries that broke at the first try. Eating area could be larger. In fact the whole hotel needs an upgrade, looks well dated. Food - no variety. Staff - some are cool, big shout to Yusuf. Do not think I’ll go back, if you wanna go it’s up to you, you’ve been warned.