Stayed in the Mutlu about 5 times now and never had any complaints, although some people complained about rooms not been cleaned. If ya call every day not enough and clean towels and bedding every 2 days then I thinkya expectatons were too high. We stayed in room 211 which was brill and loved sitting out on the balcony every morning and night, so relaxing. The staff were really helpful and quite chatty. If ya want toast for ya brekkie, do as I did, buy a cheap toaster, £5 from Argos and take it with ya and leave it there. We have been going to Altinkum for 10 years now and love it. We always eat at Big Bens on the sea front and then spend the night at the Ege Bar wi the lads, especially Husseyn and Serkan, the dancers.Also at the Ege Bar, ya can book ya boat trip, the Paradise Boat. Greta day out. If ya have never been to Altinkum, give it a try as I am sure you wont be disappointed.

Myself and my fiance just got back from 11 nights at the Mutlu and we were a bit worried at first because we read some bad reviews.....IGNORE THEM! If you are looking for a place thats nice, clean, friendly and a base to explore the Altinkum area then the Mutlu is great. It is quite basic and I think that some people are expecting 5 star luxury and these are the people who give bad reviews. Personally I had no complaints, although slight improvements could be made, but no big deal!

I'll try and give a thorough review without rambling too much;

THE MUTLU;

ROOMS - Basic rooms, with double bed or twins (the rooms with double beds are smaller with smaller balconies, but as a couple we didn't need the extra space anyway).

KITCHEN - basic kitchenette equipment, no toaster though so we couldn't have toast for breakfast, and just 2 electric hobs that were either red hot or stone cold! Also we had mismatched amounts of plates, mugs, cutlery, and no tea towel (we asked but never received one so perhaps pack one or be prepared to buy one). All in all, as we only really ate breakfast in our rooms the kitchen sufficed.

BATHROOM - was small with just a shower (again bigger rooms had baths I believe, but we didnt really care about that anyway). Only problem with the bathroom I did find was the noise of the pipes during the night when people next door flushed the toilet, as our bathroom was right next to the bedroom (room 210), and also when you first turn the shower on the water did smell stagnant, and this was everyday.

POOL - The pool bar was great, the bar manager 'H' is really good, introduced himself on the first night, very attentive and chatty, but we were there at the very end of season so the bar staff did have plenty of time to talk to the very few guests that were there! Some of the other male staff, not naming anyone, but the younger ones did pay more attention to the pretty girls and it would seem they got better drinks service whilst by the pool than other guests did which I found quite annoying as I had to get up and go into the bar to get a drink whereas the young girls could lay there all day and be waited on hand and foot!
The pool itself was lovely, clean but absolutely freezing, but as I said we were there end of season (only arrived 26th Sept) so didnt go in except for a quick dip to cool down.
Food at the pool bar was ok, basic but tasted good.

RESTAURANT - dont know, it was empty first week we were there so didnt go and then shut by beginning of October.

SAFE DEPOSITS AND AIR CON - safe deposit is 10 quid a week, very resonable. Air con was 45 quid a week, not very reasonable, but we didnt buy it due to time of year. I was prepared to be badgered to buy it when we checked in but they didnt at all, very relaxed. If you go during summer though you will need it, however, if you have any room ending in 10 (ours was 210) then the air con is located next to the patio door, way away from the bedroom and so I wouldnt be happy about this if I'd had to buy it.

RESTAURANTS IN ALTINKUM;

Pinocchios - Excellent, good food, great atmosphere, party nights are a good laugh. The fish bowls there are great and the cocktails excellent, but it is a bit pricier here as its on the beach front. Murat the owner is really nice though and always welcoming, just the usual asking if you are coming back again and it can be very hard to just walk past if you are walking along the beach front!!

Rositas - Chinese restaurant up to the left of the Mutlu, very nice couple own it, cheap prices and drinks, but nothing exciting about the food, nice enough, just not wow.

Circus - Italian restaurant next to Rositas, lovely food, lovely restaurant. Nicest wine I had on the whole holiday, however my steak was overcooked, asked for it rare and it came nearly well done so make sure you say that you want it bloody if you like it like I do!!

Vista - On the sea front, really nice food, big portions, the owner is very persistent and as it is on the corner you will have to pass it every night if you are going to the sea front so be prepared to tell him no. He is very nice and will accept this but he will collar you again next night and the next etc. It is worth a try though as the food was lovely when we did go.

Ikbal - Sea front, really nice staff here, very lovely place and my food was delicious, I liked to try the Turkish cuisine and had the Adana kebap, which is minced meat on a skewer, delicious! (and I used to be a chef so I'm really picky!!). My fiance had chicken kiev which he said was nice but a bit dry, but enjoyed our meal overall.

Big Ben - Sea front, and does the best mixed mezze starter, went back here twice as the food was really good, however, didnt find the staff as attentive as at other places.

Dolunay - Next to Big Ben's, really really lovely food, not as cheap as some restaurants but worth it and has a lovely fountain in the middle of the outdoor dining area.

BARS;

We liked BILLY AND LEE'S, lovely people, located opposite Dolphin Square. Went back several times and really liked it. Lee remembered our names and drinks order after us being there just once for one drink which impressed me as my name isnt any easy one for the Turkish!

GOLF BAR opposite to the Mutlu was really good, nice atmosphere and good for lunches/snacks.

SAHIL - next to Dolphin square, very cheap cocktails but they werent very good and staff basically ignored us, at one point we were waiting 15 minutes to get the bill as waiters were busy talking to each other....nearly walked off without paying as I didnt want to wait any longer! Others we met rated this bar, but they apparently come to Altinkum every year and it seems if the staff here know you its great, but if not they dont care.

DOLPHIN BAR, EGE BAR and SWAN BAR - all of these are in Dolphin Square, if you like loud music, partying then these bars are for you, personally me and my fiance wanted to just have relaxed drinks and chats, play a bit of pool etc so didnt like these bars but they seemed good for those who were looking to drink lots and stay up partying til the early hours.

BEACH;

Not the cleanest, and at night dogs are running about on it, sleeping on it so lord knows what you may be stepping on! Sea itself was lovely, clear, clean and warm despite the time of year, but 3rd beach is better as its cleaner, unfortunately we didnt go there ourselves.
Sunbeds are 4 lira to rent which is nothing, and most of the sea fron restaurants will have mattresses you can borrow for free, as long as you do visit the bar and have a drink or meal there at some point on your holiday (we borrowed from Pinocchios as Murat knew is after out first day!).

TIPS;

BOAT TRIPS - you may get told that the Turkish boats use old food, arent using bottled water to wash the salda they give you etc, but this is not true. We went on Paradise boat, saw them BBQ our food fresh, and wash salad with bottled water, has lovely sunbeds on top, speakers with music all day, great drinks service (but you do have to pay for your drinks) and a great boat to have a fun day out, If you want quiet this ones not for you, but we loved it! You will meet Taffy at some point who has the only British boat, he will tell you that only his boat has fresh food etc.....not true, and I do not recommend his Friday market trip unless you love markets and are desperate to go to Akbuk. It was 20 quid (sterling not lira) each and personally I thought we were ripped off. Was a lovely day but all other trips were only 10 quid each and Taffy advertised having memory foam mattress, him telling a few jokes and giving a guide to the area etc but when we got there he put us on his old boat not the new one, which didnt have memory foam and he went on the new boat so we didnt have him as our guide either.

HASSLE - do not stop and shake hands! If you do its very difficult to get away, most people are ok and if you say no I dont want to come in then they will say ok, give you a leaflet and leave you be, but there are some that try standing in front of you as you are trying to walk away and are very persistant, if they do this just say ' yok, yok' and explain that you are on your way to soemwhere else so stop hassling, then they should leave you alone. I found the hassling a bit annoying but it wasnt overkill, I just hated it when they tried to stop me walking as it ruined a nice relaxing walk and got me wound up!!

POOL LOUNGERS - when we went it was really quiet so no fights for beds, but I would imagine in summer there would be as only about 100 beds and they are very squished together. The sun did not come onto the pool area until after midday, and even then only the lefthand side and the front next to the bar got much sun. Best ones are the ones directly next to the bar.

TIME OF YEAR - We loved the fact that it was fairly quiet in the resort when we went (end of Sept) and apparently were lucky it didnt rain. From other reports of people who live there or who go back every year, July and August are too hot and too busy so best time to go would be May, June or beginning of Sept.

Hope I havent bored you to tears but I found some really good reviews on here that helped me be prepared before we came, so I knew what extra money I needed, where was best to eat etc, hope I've been helpful. Oh and the supermarket thats best is Carrefours - go right out of the front of the hotel, keep walking for 10-15 mins and you cant miss it on the left hand side of the road. And milk in Turkish is Sut, dont make the mistake I did and accidentally buy watered down yoghurt - it did not taste nice in my coffee!!!!

This was the second time we stayed in these apartments and we booked this year through lowcostholidays.com. The apartments are basic but clean and spacious. The staff are helpful, friendly but not overbearing. Safety deposit box is £10 a week, we were staying for 9 nights but were not charged any extra. Towels and bedding was changed regularly and bins emptied every day.The Mutlu is close to the beach, bars and restaurants and was a nice base to see the sights. Only ate bar snacks while there but tese were nice and the poolside atmosphere was friendly with the staff laughing and joking with guests. Would recommend to those who like to be central and ideal for a budget holiday for couples or small families.

the mutlu hotel is a very well maintained hotel,clean spacious appartments,huge balconies,comfortable beds,fridge,cooking hobs,ample cutlery,cups,glasses,fresh towels every couple of days. the hotel has a decent sized swimming pool and smaller pool for toddlers and babys,plenty of sun loungers. inside you have a bar area with 3 pool tables with a small charge,internet usage also for a small charge. all the staff are friendly enough,there is a restaurant with good food and also a grocery shop for everyday items.this is a very good hotel for couples,groups and families.the hotel is perfectly located,near all the resorts restaurants and bars,also near second beach.my advise for beaches is go to third beach(by far the best)don't worry about getting there and back,the penguin restaurant will provide you with a lift there and back