Sunshine Holiday Resort

We had a wonderful fortnight at Sunshine Holiday Resort. A great resort for families and really good value for money. I suspect some negative reviews were down to people expecting 5 star luxury for budget prices. We paid a budget price and this review is based on what we could reasonably expect for the price we paid. Rooms: We were given a room with 2 bedrooms (1 with double bed and 1 with 3 single beds) and 2 bathrooms. The room was a good size and perfect for our 2 adults and 3 children. It's fair to say the room was a little bit dated but it was very functional and we really just slept and showered there so the fact that it was a bit dated never had any negative impact on our enjoyment. The air conditioning worked very well - there was a unit in each room. The beds were extremely comfortable so we all got an excellent nights sleep. Showers did leak however again, didn't impact our enjoyment of the holiday. Our room was cleaned regularly and we were supplied with clean towels, sheets, toilet roll, soap, bottled water etc. Food: Food was excellent and one of the highlights of the holiday. Breakfast had a great selection of cereals, yogurts, meats, cheeses, bread and all the things you'd expect from a continental breakfast. Hot options included Turkish style tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs and sausages. There was always chefs cooking fresh omelettes, fried eggs and pancakes, all of which were lovely. Lunch was a great selection of hot foods and exceptional selection of salads. Dinner always had grilled meats and fish from the BBQ area, and the variety was excellent including lamb/chicken donner, sushi, cous cous, a number of Turkish delicacies that I can't name but were all delicious plus freshly made Turkish pide bread with different fillings every night. We had 14 nights and did not get bored - every night there was something different to enjoy. I can't emphasise enough how good the food was. The food was european/turkish which was a huge positive for me as however there was excellent, perfectly cooked chips and more basic foods available for the less adventurous traveller (fussy people may get a bit bored but I always say, if you want boring UK or Irish food, stay in the UK or Ireland). There was always amazing pilaf rice and meats is various sauces available, all of which were delightful, beef in lemon sauce was particularly good. We ate in a 5 star hotel in Side before and the quality of the food at Sunshine Holiday Resort was far superior. Snack bar involved a bit of queuing but the food was decent - fairly standard burgers, chips, chicken nuggets plus a limited selection of salads. Drinks: Great variety of soft drinks and plenty water available. Tea and coffee were excellent. Fruit juice at breakfast was drinkable but in all honesty, not great. I can't really comment on alcohol as I only drank 1 glass of red wine however it was a very, very nice red wine. Staff: Staff were excellent and always working hard to provide a great service. All the staff were friendly, helpful and really went out of their way to make sure we had an amazing holiday. Restaurant staff, gardeners, receptionists, managers, pool staff bar staff, cleaners are all amazing, professional and vary hard working. We felt really welcome and highly commend all the staff at the hotel. Pools: There were 3 lovely pools, most of our time was spent at the family pool with the water slide. The water slide was open for around 3 hours a day, which was more than adequate, the queue was never long and the slide was great fun. Sun beds did get taken fairly early so you had to be an early riser to be guaranteed sun beds. The pool staff were exceptional and worked tirelessly to keep the pool areas clean and tidy. Empty glasses and litter were removed almost instantaneously, there was always someone mopping away excess water and the pool area was deep cleaned every morning and night. Location: Beautiful location with stunning scenery. View from the restaurant is stunning. I enjoyed the 25 min walk to Hisaranou but I could understand what some people would see the hotel as being a bit out of the way (it was a positive to me that it was a bit off the beaten track as there were some lovely walks in the mountain nearby). The hotel is built on the side of a hill so it isn't suitable for people with reduced mobility however the upside of this is the stunning views. There is a shuttle bus to the hotel's private beach at the blue lagoon and it does take around an hour to get there in the morning due to the bad traffic jams. The journey isn't great but when you get to the blue lagoon, it is worth the journey. Lovely warm, shallow water in a stunning location - I would recommend suffering the long bus journey down to sample the blue lagoon. It only takes 10 minutes or so for the bus to take you back to the hotel. Entertainment: Good entertainment with Turkish night, acrobats nights, etc. Our kids enjoyed the kids club, games and disco. The entertainment started a little bit late for us as we were all tired quite early however on the nights we did stay up, we really enjoyed the entertainment. Overall: Amazing hotel based on what we paid for the holiday. Perfect for families with young children however due to the hillside location, the paths are steep and there's no lifts. Food and staff are amazing. We had a brilliant holiday and didn't want to leave. I think many of the negative reviews are unfair - if I'd wanted to take photos of broken tires and obsolete electric cables, I could have wasted my time doing that but no-one I know of was electrocuted nor did the odd broken tile here or there spoil my enjoyment (this is a hotel in an earthquake zone, so I forgive the odd broken tile). Taking 3 children on holiday is expensive and it can be difficult to find hotel rooms big enough - Sunshine Resort Hotel provided us with a large family room at an affordable price so for families with a limited budget, you will struggle to find a better hotel. Thank you to everyone at Sunshine Resort Hotel for a truly magical holiday. All our family have wonderful memories of this holiday and we are all very grateful. If you are thinking of booking, don't be put off by the negative reviews, I think this is a lovely hotel for the price. I've provided as honest a review as I can and I've highlighted some things to be aware of before booking, i.e the hotel is not best suited to people with reduced mobility but other than that, it is an amazing hotel - the positives greatly outweigh any negatives. The food is exceptionally good!!