Crystal Prestige Elite

We stayed at the Crystal Prestige Elite Hotel in August 26 for 10 nights. A family of 4 staying in a 'duplex room'.

Hotel- very large and impressive hotel, situated in Goynuk. Quite an impressive building but perhaps a little tired in places. Air Conditioning in communal areas felt a little laboured.

Rooms- The duplex room was great for our family of 4. The childrens bedroom on the bottom floor and the adults room on the top floor allowed privacy. Rooms were generous in size, again very old air con system, just about managed to keep the room cool enough. Daily room cleaning was very good.

Food- The lunch time food at the pool bar was great, particular highlights for us were the chicken doner and the ice cream dipped in chocolate. Dinners were also very good, lots of choice and we didnt get bored during our 10 nights. The salad bar was a particular highlight.

Drinks- mostly branded spirits, Balllatine and Johnny Walker Whiskey, Havana Club rum and Smirnoff Vodka available in most bars. The 'Prestige Bar' has an even more expansive selection and is worth a visit. We also enjoyed the ice coffee served in the Cafe and at the pool bar.

Pool and Slides The main pool is a little unusual in shape being a ~200m 'V' shape. It was enjoyable and never felt crowded. Depth ~1.4m with no shallow end. There was always plenty of sun loungers so didnt need to get up early to find a good pool side spot for the day. The sun loungers were however not the most comfy. The kids really enjoyed the slide park which was very well manned by the life guards There is another pool down by the beach which i think was a little more shallow and has activities hosted by the animations team. Beach- nice sandy beach with warm clear seas, plenty of sun lounger availability.

Entertainment Typical resort based entertainment with shows starting at 21:30 each night. We didnt go to many as the nights were very warm and preferred to be inside

Things I think would improve the hotel. 1.) More comfy sun loungers 2. More interesting indoor bar, such as a sports bar with pool tables and football on the telly 3. Modernised air con system throughout 4. Better staff training for bar staff. As there was a big disparity in the quality of the drinks served.

What can I say about Crystal Prestige? To be honest, in my opinion, the hotel does not quite live up to a five-star standard. I’ll start with the rooms. They already look quite “well-lived-in” and clearly need updating. Overall, the hotel gives the impression that it could really use a proper renovation and refurbishment of some of its areas. The hotel grounds are large, with outdoor pools, water slides, and various relaxation areas. However, the condition of some of the facilities raises concerns. In some places, the pool tiles were broken or damaged, which could potentially cause injuries. Some sun loungers had broken or damaged legs, making them unsafe to use. What was particularly unpleasant was using the pool ladders when getting out of the water. Some of the steps were unstable, and it was genuinely scary to climb them because you couldn’t be sure they would hold your weight. For a hotel that presents itself as a five-star property, I believe these kinds of issues are unacceptable. There is also another rather strange detail: there are no clocks anywhere on the hotel grounds. If you want to know what is happening, where it is taking place, and at what time, you constantly have to check your watch or phone. It’s unclear why the hotel couldn’t install clocks at least in the main areas. The food is also rather average — nothing particularly special. The selection of fruit, for example, left a lot to be desired. The main options that I actually wanted to eat were mostly watermelon and melon. But even for those, you had to go to the main building, as they were hardly available outside, near the pools, or at the other bars. In hot weather, it would be nice to have fruit readily available in the relaxation areas rather than having to make a special trip to the main restaurant. If you want decent drinks, it’s better to go to the Prestige Bar. However, there is a catch: the bar operates only during certain hours, so you can’t use it whenever it’s convenient for you. The biggest downside for me was the smoking everywhere. And it really doesn’t matter where you are — whether you’re in the adults-only area or even near the children’s pool. All children’s activities are also accompanied by people smoking nearby. In my opinion, this is a very serious issue to consider before booking the hotel, especially if you are travelling with children. I would really like to see at least the children’s areas completely free of tobacco smoke. The entertainment programme is fairly standard, similar to what you would find at many other hotels. I would also like to mention the music separately. Judging by the repertoire, the hotel seems to be more oriented towards a local clientele. Turkish music is fine for the first few days, but by the fourth day you start spending less time relaxing and more time counting down the days until you leave. At the same time, music is only played during certain hours, so you can’t simply spend the day relaxing by the pool with some pleasant background music. The kids’ club, however, really deserves special praise. You can see that the staff were chosen with care: they genuinely like children, know how to engage them, and really make an effort to provide them with an interesting and enjoyable experience. This is probably one of the hotel’s biggest advantages for families with children. I also want to give special credit to the service staff. There are no complaints here: the employees are friendly, polite, and attentive. You can see that they genuinely try to help and make your stay more comfortable. Overall, the hotel does have its advantages: large grounds, swimming pools, water slides, a good kids’ club, and friendly staff. But at the same time, there are too many things that negatively affect the overall experience: the condition of the rooms and some areas of the property, broken tiles, unsafe sun loungers and pool ladders, the lack of clocks around the hotel, the limited selection of fruit, and, most importantly, smoking everywhere. If a hotel positions itself as a five-star property, I would expect to see that level of quality in every aspect — not only in the service, but also in terms of safety, the condition of the facilities, food, and the overall organization of the holiday experience. So, before booking Crystal Prestige, I would recommend thinking carefully about how important these issues are to you. Personally, I was left with the feeling that the hotel still has some way to go before it can truly provide a full five-star experience.