Bosphorus Sorgun

We stayed at Bosphorus Sorgun as a group of 8 friends. What was supposed to be a holiday ended with 6 of us becoming seriously ill, hospital visits, an official food poisoning diagnosis, health authorities coming to the hotel to take samples, a formal complaint to the authorities, and finally being forced to leave the hotel late at night while still sick.

The first person in our group became ill on the morning of 16 August after having eaten the chicken döner the previous day. At that point, we had no reason to connect it to the food, so five more of us ate the same chicken döner at lunchtime on 16 August.

About five hours later I developed severe nausea and bloating. By the evening I had a high fever and was shaking uncontrollably in my room. My wife took me to a private hospital. After returning to the hotel, my fever came back and I vomited four times during the night. Several of our friends developed the same symptoms: fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and extreme weakness.

The following day we went together to Manavgat State Hospital. My official e-Nabız medical record states the diagnosis as “A05.8 – Food poisoning, other specified.” The incident became an official case, we filed a complaint with the gendarmerie, and local health authorities later came to the hotel and collected stool samples from us.

What made the situation even more confusing was the hotel management’s response. We were told that the chicken döner had been removed from service until the end of August, while at the same time management insisted that there was nothing wrong with the food and that only our group had experienced a problem.

If there was absolutely nothing wrong, why was the chicken döner removed for the rest of the month?

Before going to the hospital, at around 11:00, we told management that we did not want to stay another minute and requested a full refund so we could leave. At around 14:00 our request was rejected. We then asked only for a refund of the final night, but both the hotel and Jolly told us that because it was already after 12:00, a refund was impossible.

After returning from hospital, at around 19:00, suddenly the previously “impossible” refund became possible and we were told that if we left that evening, the final night would be refunded.

By then, three of us had temperatures above 39°C, we had just returned from hospital, and the other couple staying with us had a baby under one year old. We were in no condition to pack everything, find another hotel at night and move. We clearly stated that we did not accept the early check-out and that our reservations were still continuing.

Despite this, a check-out was apparently processed without our knowledge or consent.

At around 22:00 we received a call from a Jolly representative asking when we would vacate the rooms because we had “already checked out.” We repeatedly explained that we had never agreed to check out. The response was essentially: “There is nothing we can do. The hotel will not accommodate you.”

Later, security staff began repeatedly appearing outside our room. Worried that the situation would escalate further, we finally left at around 23:00, still sick and with high fevers.

Even without the health incident, we would not return to this hotel.

The common areas are extremely hot and poorly ventilated; outside the guest rooms there is almost nowhere that feels cool or comfortable. Our bathroom/toilet was separated from the room by partially frosted glass and there was an unpleasant sewage smell in the room.

Queues at the bars were constant. The quality of many alcoholic drinks was far below what we expected from an “Ultra All Inclusive” hotel. Some staff working behind the bars did not even know basic cocktails or drinks listed on the hotel’s own menu. Cleanliness in common toilets, dining areas and snack bars was also very poor, and cats were regularly walking around the dining area.

But the biggest problem is not the rooms, the bars or even the queues.

The real test of a hotel is how management behaves when something serious goes wrong.

We became seriously ill, went to hospital, received an official food poisoning diagnosis, health authorities came to the property and took samples, and we filed formal complaints. Instead of receiving support, we felt as though we had become the problem.

Jolly was equally disappointing. We booked through them expecting support if something serious happened, but when we needed them most, we were simply told there was “nothing they could do.”

My strongest advice to anyone considering this hotel is: do not rely only on the overall rating and positive reviews. Read the most recent 1- and 2-star reviews carefully.

We saw some of those negative reviews before booking and assumed that every large hotel has a few unhappy guests.

I wish we had taken them more seriously.

The animation team is great, we had the best experience with them.