Paloma Grida

"This is the best family hotel I have ever stayed at in Turkey. My daughter fell in love with the Polly Kids Club, where children can not only play but also make beautiful crafts. In the amphitheater we saw excellent shows (three different circuses, dance shows, and so on). Also, this is the first time I can say that the food at an "all inclusive" really matters. On this vacation, my wife, daughter, and I ate food that was not only excellent in taste but also healthy."

"The hotel grounds This is not one of those hotels where you have to walk kilometres to get from one end of the resort to the other. Its relatively compact layout gives it a cosy, almost boutique-resort feel. There is a good selection of swimming pools, with both shallow and very shallow sections as well as pools of regular depth. There is also a separate paddling pool for the youngest children. The entire hotel — both the common areas and our room — was spotlessly, almost clinically clean. If you happened to see a piece of litter on one of the paths, it was most likely either the result of strong winds or, unfortunately, the very poor manners of a certain group of guests from one particularly large country. At the bistro, for example, we repeatedly saw people smoking and simply throwing cigarette butts next to the chairs they were sitting on instead of using the ashtrays provided. Our check-in in the middle of the night was extremely quick, probably helped by the fact that only two rooms were checking in at that time. Our luggage arrived at the room just a few moments later. The food was very good, although I do have a few comments, which I will come back to later. Swimming pools The pools are very clean. Every evening they are thoroughly cleaned by the staff as well as robotic pool cleaners. There are also swimming pools reserved for guests staying in specific room categories: the Lake area and a number of swim-up apartments. We did not use these. After walking around the entire resort, we came to the conclusion that the location of our room was almost perfect. It was approximately in the middle of the complex, in a quiet location in Building 7. The large Kids Club is also located in this building, but it caused absolutely no disturbance because it is on the opposite side and on the lower-ground level. Our room – Superior DZG1, room 7125 I can definitely recommend the Superior room (DZG1) that we stayed in — room 7125. It is certainly about twice the size of a standard room; we had an opportunity to see one of those as well. I do not know whether there is any difference in bathroom size or layout. In the Superior room, the bathroom is cleverly divided into three functional sections: the toilet, washbasin area and shower. The furnishings and equipment in both the room and on the balcony are exactly what you would normally expect from a hotel of this standard. One particularly clever feature is the system showing whether the guest is currently in the room and whether they would like housekeeping or prefer not to be disturbed. The system takes care of everything automatically. Thanks to a door contact sensor, it knows whether you are in the room or have left, and displays the appropriate icon next to your room number outside. Inside the room there are also two buttons: one activates the “Please clean my room” indicator and the other “Do not disturb”. A brilliant solution. One thing to keep in mind: if, for whatever reason, you leave the “Do not disturb” indicator on, neither housekeeping nor minibar service will enter the room. The employee will take a photo showing that the DND sign was active and post it in the appropriate WhatsApp staff chat as proof that they attempted to provide the service but were unable to do so. Simple, transparent and exactly the kind of solution one should expect in the 21st century. Lake rooms and suites When booking through our travel agency, we did not have the option of choosing a different room category. The rooms around the Lake area look interesting, particularly for people who prefer spending their time by a pool rather than on the beach. You have a dedicated pool bar, a quieter and more intimate environment and very attractive surroundings. Paying extra for the larger Lake suites, however, would seem rather pointless to us. Apparently they are not available to families with very young children, which is entirely understandable given the risk of a child falling directly from the terrace into the pool. We did not actually enter these rooms, but from what we could see through open doors and windows, they appeared considerably larger and consisted of more than one room. However, the whole area is an oasis of almost absolute silence and tranquillity — to the point of feeling virtually deserted. There is something rather strange about seeing a lifeguard watching over a completely empty swimming pool for hours while sitting directly opposite the windows of the suites. We also saw the separate dining area reserved for Lake Suites guests: empty, silent, with staff rather sadly waiting for somebody to appear. It creates a very unusual atmosphere. For people actively looking for complete peace and quiet, this may be perfect. For us, however, it felt slightly strange. Guest Relations and the hotel app If you need information or want Guest Relations to arrange something, you can use the chat function in the hotel app, which redirects you to WhatsApp. At the beginning of the conversation, you provide your details and room number. Between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. this method proved extremely effective and almost immediate. It is also convenient for matters that do not require an instant answer. The chatbot appears to remind you of the Guest Relations opening hours at the beginning of every conversation. We used this system to report a problem with a bathroom door that would not close properly. We sent a short video showing exactly what was wrong. Later the same day, we received confirmation that the problem had been fixed — together with a video from the technician showing the completed repair. Interestingly, we had reported exactly the same problem the previous day in person at the Guest Relations desk and had even shown them the same video. Nothing happened. Apparently, having something in writing still makes a difference. >>>> Employees who deserve special recognition Quentine Restaurant – Serhat Serhat speaks very good English and is also learning Polish on his own. We also heard him communicating in German and Russian. He is a person of exceptionally high personal culture: patient, extremely polite and genuinely friendly. Ordering your favourite drinks is never a problem. We later discovered that some of the drinks we requested were not actually available at Quentine, which meant that Serhat had to order them elsewhere and patiently wait in line for them, for example at the Beach Bar. Serhat represents the very best values of hospitality and the hotel industry. I would not be surprised if, on our next visit, we found him managing a restaurant. I strongly recommend that the management keep him in mind when considering future promotions. Beach Bar – Ali Bayram Polite, courteous and genuinely attentive to guests’ preferences. I suspect you could order almost any drink that can reasonably be made and Ali would make it for you. He always remembers which ingredients you like, which you do not, and even the proportions you prefer. His service is professional and extremely efficient, but at the same time he is always happy to have a conversation or share a joke. Photo Studio – Faisal Exceptionally kind and patient, with a particularly good approach to children. Faisal selects the photographs for the presentation himself. We ended up with 151 photos, and they were so good that we bought every single one of them. The quality of the photography, choice of locations and overall professionalism mean that I have no hesitation in recommending him. If you are considering a professional photo session during your stay, ask for Faisal. Main Restaurant – Fedakar Fedakar will look after you like royalty. He is exceptionally helpful, attentive and observant. He will remember you and greet you warmly whenever and wherever you meet around the resort. The way Fedakar performs his duties is so outstanding and distinctive that I actually approached his managers in the restaurant to make sure they were aware of what an exceptional employee they have. >>>> Staff atmosphere Something else that immediately stands out is the relationship between the employees themselves and the way managers interact with their teams. There is a genuine atmosphere of friendliness and camaraderie. In some hotels we have previously stayed at, you could almost physically sense the pressure, supervision and constant monitoring of employees. At Paloma, we did not feel this at all. Food Paloma has a main restaurant, and this is where we ate most of our meals. Of the à la carte restaurants, we visited Quentine. We did not find anything particularly exceptional on the menu, although it is certainly worth trying once. We did not visit the Asian restaurant because, after reading the menu, we could not find anything suitable for our five-year-old child. For adults, however, it certainly looks worth trying. We also skipped the Turkish à la carte restaurant because nothing on the menu particularly appealed to us. One useful feature is that before arriving, anyone can install the hotel app on their mobile device and browse restaurant menus, events, the resort map and other information by using the app as a general visitor rather than a hotel guest. To be recognised by the app as an actual hotel guest, however, you need a PIN that is provided only after arrival. We were in a slightly unusual situation because our wedding anniversary fell on the day after our arrival, and we were arriving during the night. Our email correspondence with the hotel before the trip essentially ended with the assurance that Guest Relations would certainly assist us with a restaurant reservation. So we arrived without knowing what had actually been arranged. Once there, we discovered that our chosen restaurant, Quentine, had already been booked for us, along with several other restaurants, apparently in a rather random sequence every second day. There is a very large selection of food for children in the main restaurant. There are porridges, cooked foods, yoghurts and other options for younger children. For slightly older kids there are pancakes, sausages, burgers, fries and plenty more. For adults, Paloma is something of a food paradise. There are diet-friendly options, healthy food, organic products and a huge variety of dishes — and almost everything we tried was delicious. Internet speed Wi-Fi performance is excellent throughout most of the central areas of the resort. Around the hotel grounds, reception, Kids Club and restaurants, we measured speeds of approximately 245 Mbps download / 198 Mbps upload. At the beach, performance drops significantly to around 14.4 Mbps / 2 Mbps. During shows in the amphitheatre, the internet becomes practically unusable. The access points simply appear unable to handle the number of simultaneously connected devices. Aquapark The aquapark is relatively compact. It consists of a children’s section and another section with faster and more exciting attractions. The lifeguards are extremely strict about deciding whether a child is allowed to use the attractions in the second section. Our child was approximately 10 cm taller than the stated minimum height requirement but was nevertheless not allowed to use the larger slides because of insufficient… weight. That said, our child had a fantastic time in the children’s section. There are plenty of slides there — and adults can have quite a bit of fun on them too. Beach and pool sunbeds Yes, the famous sunbed war exists here too, and apparently nobody is going to do much about it. On the beach, there is one rather discreet sign stating that belongings left on reserved but unused sunbeds for an extended period may be removed and placed in storage. Something apparently had to be written on a sign. In practice, however, we never saw this rule being enforced. Presumably there is the usual fear of confrontation, complaints and a negative TripAdvisor review. Fortunately, the sunbed situation on the beach is not particularly troublesome. There is also considerable turnover around lunchtime. In practice, at almost any time of day we managed to find a place under an umbrella with two or three available sunbeds. The swimming pools are a completely different story. At 7:00 a.m. — and sometimes even earlier — half-awake guests are already jogging or running towards the pools to reserve sunbeds. Special greetings here to the Borussia Dortmund supporters, instantly recognisable throughout the resort thanks to the yellow shirts they seemed to wear everywhere and at all times. Their equally yellow towels proudly occupied large groups of sunbeds around one of the pools. So, if you want a good place by the pool, be prepared to get up before 7:00 a.m. during your holiday — a holiday you have paid good money for, as Paloma is certainly closer to the expensive end of the market than the budget one. Cabanas There are private cabanas in a designated section of the beach. Objectively speaking, they are positioned fairly close together, with one row directly by the beach and a second row slightly further back. The price, however, is prohibitive. The discount we were offered was the same 10% discount available to registered members of the Paloma customer ecosystem. Even after the discount, the rental price simply does not correspond to what you receive, apart from the obvious advantage of having the cabana itself reserved for you. The food is brought from a restaurant that is available to everyone and comes from its regular menu. Drinks are brought from the nearby adults-only (+18) bar. Prices may vary depending on the period, but during our stay the cost was, in my opinion, absurd. I paid particular attention to cabana occupancy during our stay. At most, only a handful were occupied at any given time, which only reinforced my decision not to spend that much money on what is ultimately a rather expensive extra. Shows and Mini Disco The Mini Disco is perfectly fine. Each song is in a different language, and the children clearly have a great time. As for the evening shows: if you want a good seat, come during the Mini Disco while seats are still available. Later, availability varies considerably. The shows appear to repeat on a cycle of approximately a week and a half. I also recommend trying the bingo. We did not play ourselves, but the prizes turned out to be surprisingly generous and valuable — especially compared with the rather disappointing bottle of sparkling wine awarded during the “Guess the Song” competition. Kids Club An excellent place. There is a shaded playground, a large indoor soft-play area with slides, spaces for kicking a ball around and jumping, themed rooms divided according to age, table football, air hockey and computers for gaming. Teenagers have their own separate section with a separate entrance, their own bar, pool table and other facilities. The absolute highlight, however, is the small cinema room. Films and cartoons are played from a computer via YouTube, and you can even change the cartoon yourself. For families travelling with children, the Kids Club is undoubtedly one of the strongest features of the entire resort."

"The hotel is not really a 5-star hotel. Lots of things are missing, such as paper napkins, an ironing board, etc. The service is also very slow. We had booked a room with a countryside view. On the first day, they gave us a room overlooking the garbage area. After we complained, they changed our room the next day to one with a view of the aqua park. Aqua park and pool facilities are great. Suitable for adults and kids. However, the animation team, Polly Club, and the staff at the kids’ club saved the day. They are very friendly and take great care of the children. My 4-year-old son actually preferred spending the whole day at the kids’ club rather than by the pool."