Kriss Hotel

Just got home from this hotel this morning. It is definitely on the small side but with a big welcome. It isn`t 5 star but doesn't pretend to be. What it does do it however it tends to do very very well. We were a day late checking in (due to Easyjet cancelling the flight we had sat on for 4 hours) so arrived the following afternoon rather than the previous night. Manager was instantly welcoming and had said he had tried to call out travel agent to see if there was an issue (without much luck) and instantly presented us with 2 bottles of chilled water before we had got past reception - which was a lovely touch. Anyway - breaking the hotel down into sections: LAYOUT: Think of basically a rectangle, reception at the front, 2 blocks of rooms either side , and then on the back right hand corner the dining area, swimming pool at the back in the middle, and bar back left. ROOMS: Reasonable sized room - big enough to put luggage down and still leave plenty of room either side. Air conditioning was included and very effective which could prove to be very welcoming. Shower was incredibly powerful - it did have a tendency to cool down after a couple of minutes when there was demand for hot water. But No one minds a lukewarm shower in 30 degrees heat! There was a sometimes strong sulphur smell in the bathroom - however that is beyond the control of the hotel. Small balcony - you could stand on it, but no room for table or chairs, but handy enough for drying towels. RESTAURAUNT Attentive staff. Buffet style selection - could normally find something to eat, but selection was a bit limited. Better to eat out as a rule, but there if you need it. However did find it wasn`t the best quality, but what you would expect for the price. This isn`t a moan, just ensuring people aren't expecting 5 star food at 2 star prices. BAR It had beer! That is always a good start ! Especially if it is cold plentiful and drinkable - which it was. Also had wines , some spirits (Vodka, Raiki, Gin and some more - but not a spirit drinker). Head barman especially never seemed to take a day off! Open from about 10 in the morning until 11pm at night. Sometimes if my beer was running low a new glass would magically appear on the table! There is a seating area with about 6 tables and chairs - under a tree that did drop its flowers on you, which meant the barman was always busy sweeping the leaves off the table. But the tree looked pretty, and provided some shelter from the sun if you needed it, and some tables where the sun would shine through. I have been to some all inclusive hotels where they tried to limit the amount you could drink by creating queues and small glasses - non of those problems here. At last orders for example no issues if you want to "park" a few drinks to carry on with! POOL: Deep pool all the way round. Not so deep you couldn`t touch the bottom if you are a reasonable height (so if you are 6 foot no issues, if you are under 5`8 you may struggle), and not deep enough to dive deep into it, but fine to jump in. Good temperature as well. One set of slightly rickety steps to exit (but safe) and also a "seating" ledge as well as a smaller paddling pool style extension. LOCATION: On a quiet road. There was a shop within 5 minutes walk and the beachfront within 10 minutes walk. Near enough the mosque you can hear the 5 times daily call to prayer (but no so near it was intrusive). Also about 15 minutes walk to the pharmacy if you need it WIFI: It had it! Not the strongest signal in the rooms - generally fine in the bar and dining room area. Wouldn`t be fast enough to stream, but for normal use was fine. STAFF: The most welcoming staff you will find anywhere - couldn`t do enough for you - especially the manager and head barman. They will try and give you a later checkout if you have a later departure as long as their occupancy allows it (And no charge for this). The staff are the reason I've rated this 5 stars. OVERALL: Google describe this as an "unfussy" hotel - which is accurate, but had everything you need for a break in the sun. Of course you can find hotels with better facilities, and those on the beach, but you will pay extra for these. With this hotel you get what you pay for and have it topped off with super staff. If you are the type of person who takes photos behind the toilet to post on tripadvisor, then probably best booking elsewhere. If your requirements are clean, a bed, a bar and sun and a pool though, go ahead and book. ORTAKENT: Plenty of bars and restaurants along the seafront - most attached to hotels, but no issues to eat or drink there. Not everywhere has English menus, so you may end up guessing. Not everywhere will have English speakers but can normally get by. Quietish resort but lovely sea. May be an idea to take jelly shoes or similar as the beach can be quite pebbly. Prices are very reasonable, but duty free purchases best made in resort as considerably more expensive in the airport (drink prices in the airport also very expensive - 9 euros for a small bottle of beer - in resort you will pay about 60 Turkish lira for a large pint bottle - which is about £3.50). Watersports are available but these can be expensive.