Acanthus Cennet Barut Collection - Ultra All Inclusive

I always like to leave honest reviews on here, so here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly of this hotel. THE GOOD: The pool, all the restaurants (including the buffet), the rooms—every facility was beautifully clean and very well maintained. The hotel never felt crowded, and we never had an issue getting a sun bed by the pool, which was a huge plus. The staff were absolutely lovely. Our favourites were: • Ali, who manages the pool towels. He made us laugh daily, always greeted us with a high five, and had our towels ready each morning. A real credit to the pool area. • Mehtap, a waitress at the pool, was so kind and friendly. My husband kept trying to learn Turkish, and she was incredibly patient and helpful. • Alper, the evening pool bar waiter, was also amazing—he made me special cocktails to try and enjoyed helping my husband with Turkish phrases. The QR codes on the parasols at both the beach and the pool were brilliant—you order your drink, and it arrives immediately. At Maison de Plage, there’s a self-serve ice cream station and a fridge stocked with fresh fruit—such a great touch in the heat. We were a bit worried about there being too many children (like on a previous trip to Belek), but this hotel was different. There’s not much for kids to do, so the few children around were very young, and there was no splashing or noise disturbance at the pool. Our room was amazing. We had a side sea view, and it was absolutely perfect. We could see so much of the sea from our balcony. We were celebrating our honeymoon, and the hotel went all out—our bed was beautifully decorated, and we were left sparkling rosé, chocolates, macarons, etc. The mini-fridge was restocked daily and always had plenty of water. THE BAD: We brought a lilo with us, which was perfect for relaxing in the pool. However, on our second-to-last day, it was taken away. Despite hunting for it, we never found it again. Another guest mentioned that management had removed and destroyed all lilos from around the pool to maintain the “aesthetic.” This was really frustrating—we paid for it and would have liked to keep it until we left. A full-length mirror in the room would have been the final touch. I’m only 5’3”, and it was hard to see how my outfit looked. THE UGLY: The lights in the courtesy room are motion-sensor based and were an absolute nightmare. They timed out after about 10 seconds unless you kept moving constantly. I ended up having a full meltdown while trying to brush my teeth and get ready in the dark. It was so stressful I had to leave the room to calm down. Please fix this—getting ready to leave is stressful enough without doing it in pitch black. Overall: This is a fantastic hotel. The staff are genuinely friendly, the facilities are spotless, and there’s very little to fault. We had a wonderful time and would definitely recommend it.