Xanadu Resort

Hi all, tonight is our last night here after an 8 night stay. Thought we would post a quick review. TLDR: Outstanding. 9/10. More detail as follows: GENERAL. Maintenance is excellent. Pools, paths, gardens, all spotless. A shout-out to the maintenance staff who never get mentioned in reviews but who kept this place spotless in 37•C heat. Bins are emptied regularly, there are only a few wasps and other insects in the main areas. ROOM. We stayed in a bungalow (Julibrissin block). Clean, good maid and mini bar service. Air con was effective (we’ve had issues with air con in Belek hotels in the past). Beds perhaps slightly hard, but that’s a matter of taste. MAIN RESTAURANT. Good, with a few points to note. Firstly, all drinks are served by waiting staff. If you want to refill your own juice, beer or wine, you can’t do that here (there are machines where you can get your own coffee, but no beer/wine/juice dispensers). In general, there are enough waiting staff on duty for that not to be a problem, but it may put some people off. Two other issues worth noting. First, the serving stations are dotted about a bit: some inside, some outside. If you like to do a circuit to see what’s available before stacking your plate, that’s a bit complicated here, you have to do a weird S-shaped circuit. Second, being a Muslim country, they don’t serve so-called “haram” food like pork, bacon etc. Some Turkish hotels get around this by having a separate station for the harem food that only the non-Muslim chefs deal with. This hotel doesn’t serve it at all. So if you want pork sausages or bacon with your breakfast, you won’t find it here. However, we found their substitutes (beef bacon and beef sausages) quite good so it ended up not being a big problem. A LA CARTE RESTAURANTS. We had one meal at both the Italian and Turkish restaurants included. Both are on the beach. Food quality and service were both very good, with the exception of the steaks at the Italian restaurant which were poor when we visited. Of the other A La Carte restaurants, only the seafood restaurant has its own premises. The others (French, Oriental, Mexican?) are just alcoves in the main buffet restaurant, and you have to pay extra for them. We didn’t eat here so can’t review the food or service. POOLS AND SLIDES. There are 3 big pools (Zero pool, Ancient Pool, Secret Garden pool). The first two are next to each other and are essentially the same pool; the latter needs to be searched for but it’s worth it because it’s a hidden gem. The Ancient Pool is particularly good for adults who want to swim lengths, it’s not quite Olympic pool sized but it’s close. The slides comprise the three “white slides” (two of which are open to all, the third one of which is 16+) and the “coloured slides” for the younger children which are in the Fancyland kids park. The colourful slides were decent quality but the lifeguards were quite poor in management (my kids crashed into a younger guest because they were told to go at the wrong time) and the slides gave friction burns because there wasn’t enough water. The “white slides” got a thumbs up from my teens. ENTERTAINMENT. The quality of the shows we saw was very good. However, there was only an amphitheatre show every second night; on other nights there were only music acts in the main bar or a disco in the hula bar. This may change in August (and we were here during the finals week of the football World Cup, which may have mucked up their schedules). On our last night there was a jazz band overlooking the ancient pool which was nice. BARS. Very good. Several different bars, each with a slightly different character, good selection of drinks, premium brands, good service. SHOPS AND GAMES. The hotel isn’t within walking distance of any shops or bars, and it shows. There is a shop in the hotel, together with two pool tables and a small bowling alley, but all three are very expensive (eg pool table was 10 euros for an hour). Overall, would we come back? Yes.

We had a fantastic stay at Xanadu and truly enjoyed our family vacation. I do want to mention that our experience didn’t start on the best note. After we had fully paid for our reservation, the reception team informed us that, due to the hotel being extremely busy, they wanted us to spend the first two nights at another hotel of a lower standard than Xanadu. While they offered some additional privileges, such as access to the spa and other benefits, it was disappointing to be put in that position after our booking had already been confirmed and paid in full.

Thankfully, everything after that completely changed our impression.

The service throughout the resort was outstanding. Every staff member was friendly, professional, and genuinely eager to help. The hotel was spotless, with excellent housekeeping and beautifully maintained grounds. The food exceeded our expectations, offering a wide variety of fresh, high-quality options for both adults and children. The entertainment team did an amazing job keeping everyone engaged, and there were plenty of activities for kids of all ages, making it a true family paradise.

The pools, water slides, beach, kids’ facilities, and overall atmosphere created an unforgettable holiday for our family. It is clear that Xanadu puts a great deal of effort into providing a premium guest experience.

Despite the disappointing situation at the beginning of our stay, the outstanding quality of the resort and the exceptional service from the staff made up for it. We left with wonderful memories and would gladly recommend Xanadu to families looking for a luxurious, fun-filled, and relaxing vacation.