Izmir Airport: where you live and loiter. Got stuck here for a few hours. Clean with the aroma of…read morecigarette smoke. The restaurants are surprisingly pretty good. Not bad. Easy.

Bright, spacious, modern airport terminal. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon two hours before our…read moreflight back to Istanbul. We got through the first level of airport security with no one ahead of us. Turkish Airlines check-in was likewise relatively empty, and we walked right up to a gate agent. There are restrooms, seating, food outlets BEFORE going through second level of security on way to gates. Gate area is bright and airy. The Turkish Airways lounge is located at the far right end of the domestic terminal.

I had a Biblical tour and our tour guide was Hakan. He was fantastic! He has such a great…read morepersonality, professional yet easy to talk to, connect with and he adds in a bit of humor. His patriotism for Turkey made it all the more fun to connect with the places he has shown us and gives it deeper meaning. I have learned so much from this tour thanks to Hakan and his team, they have been very accommodating, on time, and thoroughly enjoyable!

Beware the visa office when you come into Turkey. Most…read morepeople will have to buy visas when you enter, however keep the following warnings in mind. 1. They only accept cash. There is no ATM or credit card facilities so make sure you are have cash 2. Use Euro if possible (even though this is not the official currency). Any other currency and they will rip you off big time for the exchange rate (e.g. 15 euro does not equal 14 pounds which is what they were charging) 3. Have exact money if possible. They will not give change if they are feeling narky 4. Non EU people are charged more even though they don't have signs up showing costs. 5. Don't expect an explanation as to why you are charged a certain rate - even though they speak English 6. Don't question them or they may not give you a visa. Shocking place. I expected government officials to be helpful in achieving a common goal, however this is not the case. Beware

There was no one in line when I went to buy my Turkish visa. I could've done the e-visa online for…read more$20, which I would've done had I known it would be $30 or €25 if you bought it here on arrival. I paid the latter. After that passport control was easy. Funnily enough, the lady didn't seem to want to take Turkish lira, which I had.

It's amazing how good our tour to the Ephesus ruins was. I feel like I owe these guys a review…read moreafter yesterday. Friendly people. We didn't have any bad experience. The tour, the guide, the food, and everything was just great. Thank you!

First off, don't believe the hype of all the media about Turkey (sadly every country these days has…read moreissues). It's a beautiful country with amazing people and so much history you can fill a book (duh!). Secondly, security is not an issue here. 24/7 security on duty w/ guards manning the entrance to the facility as well as the beach. Now on to the good stuff. Stayed here end of May/beginning of June 2017 w/my family for 1 week. Upon arrival we were immediately greeted by the staff checked in promptly and offered some fresh lemonade. We were escorted to our room on the 2nd floor. It was a 1 bedroom suite with the separate "living room" that converts two sofas to beds. Separate full bathroom for anyone staying in that room as well. The main bedroom was spacious and had an ensuite bathroom. Both were very nicely decorated. Both rooms had walk out balconies that overlooked the pool/bar deck patio and the Aegean. Next time we may splurge for the terrace rooms perhaps...however most times were spent on the beach or poolside so it wasn't a huge deal breaker for us. The hotel property was really well maintained and the staff that took care of everything were very (very) friendly. Selo- Usually can catch him walking the hotel grounds checking on guests and signing up people for the hair dresser. Everyday I ran into him we chatted for a while. Mustafa- 99% of the time we sat in his area of the dining room. Very attentive and a pleasure to talk to. Ada, Tuana & Sevim-Kids club animators. These ladies were very good with the kids! My son was reluctant at first to do the Kids Club but he was all about it after the first day. Thank you for your efforts. Cenk- One of the main entertainment guys. Tremendous help for the hotel as he got me & other guests up to play punishment darts (so much fun...you must try for yourself! & archery (which I hadn't tried before). Hasan- One of the main bar guys & handled the sheesha (nargile/hubbly bubbly) duties. Very helpful as well. Baise & Yusuf- Piano bar coffee staff (I hope you both read this review) you 2 were AWESOME & deserve a commendation from management! Yusuf always had nice things to say, knows his drinks in & out...and all around nice guy! Even made my son 'Chocolate Milk on the rocks'. Treat yourself to a mojito or a frozen drink in the evening & you will get to know him as well. Baise always had a smile on her face and made some wonderful coffee for us that we enjoyed while lounging around the lobby or the patio deck. If you're a coffee person, stop by and see her. All the other staff that worked behind the scenes to make the hotel what it is should be praised as well. The chefs, the cleaning staff (always smiling) & the grounds/maintenance staff did such an amazing job. "Kolay gelsin" to you all ! The main pool is HUGE and virtually wraps almost all the way around the hotel. Big enough that you can float around or do laps and not interfere with anyone else. Perfect! There's a kiddie pool with a little slide for the little ones. There's also another pool with bigger slides opposite the kiddie pool. Love this as the main pool was more for the adults The beach is just the perfect size for the hotel. Enough parasols and loungers for everyone. There's even a 'silence zone' on the pier. There you can go and lay out in the sunshine and not be bothered by splashing or any loud noises. Just the waves breaking against the pier and the bartender on site setting you up with an ice cold beer from the tap. Water was crystal clear and shallow enough to wade out very far out. To the right of the main beach (next to the pier) there's a coral reef and a steep drop off that you can snorkel if you wish (just mind the sea urchins). It's the Aegean and there's all types of wildlife...crabs, fish, starfish & of course the odd octopus here and there. Met some wonderful folks on holiday there & hopefully will see them sometime on a return trip in the future. Visit this hotel, you won't be disappointed. Even during Ramadan when 99% of the locals don't eat, drink or smoke from sunrise to sunset, NO ONE on the staff batted an eye to assist us whenever we made a request. Incredible! See you soon Only CONS I have: UPDATE THE WIFI SYSTEM FRESH WATER POND (beautiful idea, but poorly executed as it's a breeding ground for Mosquitos).