Granada Luxury Belek

If you don’t like cats do not go to this hotel they are everywhere under the table whilst you are eating food wasn’t anything to shout about same every day staff very friendly I thought the hotel was spotless I didn’t like the fact I came out of the ladies inside toilets to see the cleaner washing toilet brushes in the sink yuk pool snack bars close to early around 4 o’clock not enough bar staff on at night maybe because it’s October

Our experience at Granada Luxury Belek was absolutely appalling and nowhere near the standard you would expect from a five-star hotel, especially considering the amount of money we paid for this holiday.

From the moment we arrived, things were unacceptable. We were given a room that absolutely stank of cigarette smoke, including the bedding. We were travelling with our two young daughters, aged just three and one, and having to sleep in a room that smelled so strongly of cigarettes was completely unacceptable. On top of this, there were guests making extremely loud sexual noises throughout the night, along with cigarette smoke coming through our air vent. When we raised our concerns with reception, there was not even a proper apology. For a hotel that claims to be five-star luxury, this was disgusting.

However, the worst part of our holiday was the way we were treated during a frightening incident around the swimming pool.

We were sunbathing with our two young children when a Turkish man suddenly began screaming at my partner, accusing him of stealing his sun lounger. We had arrived in mid-October, when there were hundreds of empty sun loungers available, and we had been using ours since 8 am. There was absolutely no reason for this aggressive confrontation.

The man began squaring up to my partner while he was holding our one-year-old baby. Another man then approached and got in my partner’s face as well. I stepped between them in an attempt to de-escalate the situation and protect my partner and our baby. The Turkish man then pushed me over onto the sun lounger where my partner and baby were.

Our daughters were absolutely terrified and crying. This should have been treated as a serious incident, particularly with two small children witnessing such aggressive behaviour. Yet the lifeguard, who was sitting nearby, did not react. The only person who showed any concern was a British lady sitting next to us.

I asked the lifeguard to call security. When an older Turkish man arrived, he spoke to the Turkish men involved but completely ignored us. He did not ask for our side of the story or even speak to us initially. When I challenged him and asked whether he intended to find out what had happened, he smirked and told me, “It’s OK, he said he’s sorry.”

Sorry? I had just been pushed over, my partner had been aggressively confronted while holding our baby, and our children were hysterical with fear. An apology allegedly given by the other person does not make that acceptable. I asked to make a formal complaint, but nothing meaningful was done. The attitude of the security staff was particularly shocking, and we were left feeling completely dismissed and unsupported.

The incident ruined our holiday and had a lasting impact on our three-year-old daughter. She became frightened of going near the swimming pools and repeatedly asked whether the men would be there or whether the police had taken them away. Imagine having to reassure your young child after an incident like this while on what should have been a relaxing family holiday. Nothing appeared to happen to the men involved, and we were left to deal with the emotional aftermath ourselves.

Throughout our stay, we also felt there was a clear difference in the way guests were treated. In our experience, some Turkish guests were extremely rude and abrupt towards us, yet seemed to receive more favourable treatment from staff. As British holidaymakers, we felt as though our concerns mattered less and that we were treated as second-class guests. I cannot speak for every guest, but this was the impression created by our own experiences, particularly the way our complaint was handled. At a hotel of this price and supposed standard, every guest should be treated with equal respect and fairness.

To make matters worse, we also experienced a sickness bug on day three of our holiday. We had read reports of illness before travelling and met several families whose children had become very unwell. The illness then affected me and my one-year-old, and my partner also became ill after we returned home. I cannot confirm the source of the illness, but it was another miserable part of an already deeply disappointing experience.

We travel frequently and genuinely love going on holiday, so we are not people who complain over every little thing. Unfortunately, this experience has been a complete eye-opener. We spent a significant amount of money expecting a safe, relaxing, family-friendly five-star holiday. Instead, we experienced a room contaminated with cigarette smoke, disturbances throughout the night, a frightening physical confrontation, an appalling response from staff, and illness that affected our family.

Granada Luxury Belek has left us with memories of fear, stress and disappointment rather than the family holiday we paid for. What upset us most was not just the incident itself, but the complete lack of care, compassion and proper action afterwards.

I would strongly advise families, particularly those travelling with young children, to think very carefully before booking this hotel. We certainly would not return, and based on our experience, we would not recommend it.

A five-star rating should mean more than an impressive building and facilities. It should mean cleanliness, safety, professionalism, and staff who take guests seriously when something goes wrong. Sadly, that was not our experience at Granada Luxury Belek.

Beautiful hotel, amazing staff, but sadly not worth the money

We have recently returned from Granada Luxury Belek, and although the hotel itself is stunning, we unfortunately came home feeling disappointed overall.

Arrival and first impressions

On arrival, the bellboy was absolutely amazing! So friendly, welcoming and attentive. He remembered our daughter every time he saw her, which was such a lovely personal touch and really made us feel welcome. First impressions were great.

Our room

Our room was spacious, nice and a good size for a family. However, cleanliness was a let-down. We had to go to reception several times to request the room to be cleaned again and to ask for fresh towels, as the cleanliness was not up to the standard we expected from a hotel of this level.

We also had to request our minibar to be refilled, despite not having the Do Not Disturb sign activated. Most concerning was the cot bed, which was ripped and, in our opinion, dangerous for our little girl. Even the cleaning staff agreed it needed replacing, yet we still had to chase this up.

Food and restaurants

Unfortunately, the food was one of our biggest disappointments. The main buffet food was often cold, lacked flavour and seemed to be the same day after day. However, the steak à la carte restaurant was absolutely OUT OF THIS WORLD and a real highlight of our stay!

We absolutely loved the baby restaurant. It offered a great choice for little ones and was a fantastic facility for families travelling with young children.

One thing we really disliked was that people attending conferences and meetings were also able to use the restaurants despite not being hotel guests. This made it difficult to find tables and even get to the food at times. For a hotel of this size and price, this was frustrating.

Pools and splash park

The pools were amazing, and there was plenty to enjoy. However, the splash park was a major disappointment. We found the artificial grass dirty and noticed broken equipment, which we felt was dangerous and an accident waiting to happen, particularly with young children using the facilities. This really needs attention.

Entertainment

The evening shows were incredible, and the performers were fantastic. However, the shows started far too late for families with little ones. Once the main show finished, everything seemed to shut down, with the entertainment and atmosphere disappearing almost immediately.

The Backstreet Bar was an option afterwards, but we found it far too small and loud for young children. It would have been lovely to have more family-friendly entertainment and somewhere to enjoy the evening after the main show.

The staff – a real credit to the hotel

The restaurant staff, lifeguards and cleaning staff in the restaurants were absolutely fantastic. They were friendly, welcoming and always went out of their way to make sure our daughter was happy. They remembered her every time we went out, which made us feel so special.

A special mention to the staff who kept giving her multiple straws to keep her entertained! 😂 These little touches made such a difference and are memories we will take away with us.

The beach staff were also incredible, and the food at the beach was amazing. We genuinely wish we had spent more time there and eaten there more than once!

Reception staff and customer service

Sadly, reception was a massive let-down. We repeatedly found that staff would tell us something would be done, only for it not to happen until we went back and chased it up several times. This became frustrating and took away from the relaxing holiday we had paid for.

Another issue was the beach cabana. We agreed to pay €100, and this amount was clearly noted on the receipt. However, when it came to paying, we were told the charge would be made in Turkish lira, which would have meant paying more than the agreed €100 due to the conversion. We had to stand our ground, as we expected to pay the amount agreed and documented on the receipt. This was unacceptable and left a sour taste.

Illness during our stay

Unfortunately, we all ended up with a sickness bug during our holiday, which was a massive disappointment. We also spoke to several other guests who told us they had been unwell during their stay.

We cannot say for certain what caused the illness, and we do not want to make assumptions, but it was certainly concerning and had a significant impact on our holiday. Combined with our experience of the food, it left us with serious concerns.

Our overall verdict

Granada Luxury Belek is a stunning hotel with incredible pools, fantastic entertainment, some wonderful restaurants and staff who genuinely made an effort to make our daughter happy. The staff we encountered in the restaurants, at the beach and around the pools deserve a huge amount of credit.

However, the inconsistent room cleaning, problems with the cot bed, condition of the splash park, disappointing buffet food, issues with reception and the fact that we all became ill overshadowed the positives.

For the amount of money we spent, we expected a much higher standard of cleanliness, food quality, maintenance and customer service.

Sadly, we personally would not return, mainly because of the food and our experience of becoming unwell. It is such a shame because the hotel has so much potential and some truly lovely staff.

We came away disappointed, feeling that the hotel looked far more luxurious than the overall experience we received. For us, it simply wasn't worth the money.