Very mixed reviews on TripAdvisor for The Imparator. I have stayed in a lot of hotels booked through Thomson and this was accurately discribed.

For starters, this hotel is basic. In that it would be a 1 star in England and on the scale of things for Turkey, a 2 star at the most. However, it's a location to the main strip is worth the money alone and the fact its tucked away down a side street means that the bright lights and noise of Olu Deniz does not affect your stay. The rooms are clean and tidy with linen being changed daily (there was two days where nothing was changed for unknown reasons but really it did not affect my stay!).

Family-run and yes, there are many Turkish people sitting around the hotel apparently doing very little, however seen as it was on average 40 degrees each day, I did very little too! Service was quick and prompt, check-in was quick (thankfully, seen as it was 4am). Breakfast is simply and the same each day. If you're easily fed up with feta, eggy bread, chopped tomatoes and toast... then go to the strip for a mean fry-up. The bar is well stocked and always manned.

The pool was surrounded for most of the day which amused me as never fully understand why holiday makers refuse to leave hotels during the day and explore the beach. Get yoruself up and go check out the beautiful national park at 9TL for two to enter, it's well worth the additional cost.

The only small issue I had was having to pay for air con. I can not remember the charge exactly but it made us try not to use it for three days. Turkey was experiencing a ratehr late summer this year and with temperatures around 40plus during the day and 26-28 at night, air con is a must and should not be charged for.

We spent very little time in this hotel as there was so much to do outside. Treat it like it should be - somewhere to shower and somewhere to sleep and leave it at that. That's all it asks to be judged for.

There seems to be an awful lot of people who overlook the descriptions on the booking websites for the Imparator Hotel, which clearly state this as a budget, family run establishment. On reading complaints about chipped paint, pokey rooms and the hotel owner’s kids and pets running around, I definitely went with an open mind because it’s pretty obvious it will be basic just by looking at the price you pay.

The hotel-

The Imaprator Hotel is in Oludeniz, not Fethiye (which is in fact a good half hours bus journey away) and is about a 2 hour transfer from Dalaman airport. The maps of Oludeniz are a little disorientating as the resort is no way near as big as it looks. The Imparator is well located, no more than a 5 minute walk from the bars and restaurants of the strip with a further 5-10 minute walk to the beach. The hotel consists of a number of 3 storey apartment blocks, a well sized pool area next to an open air dining area and covered bar. There is also a reception/lounge area and well established gardens. Be warned if you are not very mobile, there are a lot of stairs.

Our room was well sized, with an ensuite and small terrace (we were on the ground floor.) The room included a hair dryer and television and towels were changed daily. Although the rooms were clearly attended to every day, I will say that there was some evidence of a lack of elbow grease; however, this did not detract from the fact that the rooms were comfortable and quiet. Air-conditioning and a safe are available at an extra cost of 3-5lira a day, but we didn’t use either as the room was actually quite cool, helped by being able to open the window which had a mosquito screen on it. The beds are quite hard, but after a few cocktails, this doesn’t matter.

The word "budget" always enables me to prepare for some chipped paint and cheap linen and towels, so I wasn’t surprised at all to find these. What you have to remember is that this hotel is family run, so it isn’t going to have the sort of money available for repairs that you would get at big company run hotels. It has to be said that the family quite clearly work incredibly hard to keep this hotel ticking over and the communal areas and gardens are kept incredibly clean. The family's children are present, but are kept in order and in fact while we were there the teenage son was pulling in 16hour+ shifts clearing tables and running errands. The family will interact with you if you speak to them, but it is clear that they would prefer to keep out of your way. I will say that if you really, really don’t like dogs you need to be aware that the Imparator's dog is quite excitable and boisterous.

The breakfast was a basic Mediterranean spread with tea, coffee, orange juice, feta, olives, salad, cakes, pastries, eggy bread and salami. There was fresh bread and jams also available and access to a hotel style conveyor belt toaster. The breakfast selection did not alter all week but it was filling none the less.

The bar was open 24hours and was well stocked and well-priced (5lira for beers 10lira for cocktails.) The bar staff were a lot more interactive than the family and were quite happy to chat away with you all night or play a game of pool. They did admit to being tired and looking forward to the season drawing to a close in a few weeks, but after 6 months of working 12hour+ shifts, 7 days a week who can blame them.

You won’t avoid hearing the mosque calling, which starts at sunrise and continues every 5 or so hours throughout the day for 5 minute intervals at a time. The Imparator Hotel is probably 10 minutes’ walk from the mosque but you can still clearly hear it due to Oludeniz being in a valley. Turkey is a Muslim country so people who complain about the mosque calling are frankly ignorant. I found the sound quite beautiful as it echoed through the resort and found it quite touching when the barmen at the hotel turned off the music out of respect during the sundown call to prayer.

Oludeniz-

Oludeniz is quite clearly aimed at Brits, with its "live football, Sunday roasts and English Breakfasts," it is loud and garish in places and the bars blare out music for most of the day. It can take a while to understand what all the fuss is about on first arriving in the dark, but once the sun came up over the peak of Babadağ Mountain, it became quite clear that Oludeniz is set in a beautiful landscape. We learnt on a day trip that the building site appearance that Turkey has during the summer months is because the government have slapped a ruling on summertime building so as not to disturb tourists. So don’t be surprised by the half built houses and construction sites that you see dotted around.

The beach is a mix of pebbles and sand and the water is crystal clear and beautifully warm. The real attraction of Oludeniz however is the Blue Lagoon, a 15-30 minute walk along the seafront and with a 4lira entry fee. The beach here is pebbled, so it is quite hard to walk on, but once you get into the water it’s a little easier. The water is very clean and warm and perfect for children as the shallower area is indicated by a barrier. You can swim as far out into the Lagoon as you wish, though I was told that it is quite deep and there were jellyfish present. While we were in Turkey the temperature was 30-40 degrees over the week and the lagoon got incredibly hot away from the breeze of the sea and on the weekend it was a lot more busy due to it being frequented by locals.

Eating Out-

The exchange rate was 2.75lira to the £ while we were in Turkey, so eating out was very easy on a budget. The seafront bars and restaurants are significantly pricier than the backstreet places, so it is well worth having a walk around as there is a huge variation of cuisines available. Starters tend to come in around 6-8lira (£2-3) and mains are anything from 20-36lira (£7-12). The cheapest bottle of wine we found was 18lira (£6) and beers vary from 5lira (£1.80) for the local brew, to 8lira+ (£3+) for anything imported. Imported spirits and soft drinks seemed to be pricey, with a lemonade costing 6lira+ (£2+) and a shot of tequila or Jack Daniels costing 8-12lira+ (£3-4+.) Bottled water costs 1-3lira.We ate out as a group most nights, but per person we were paying about 40-50lira (£14-18) each for a starter, main and share of drinks.

Collectively within our group, the stand out favourite place to eat was Help Bar on the seafront. This is a very bright and trendy restaurant which serves a mix of fresh fish, fresh pizzas and steaks. The menu is huge and even has a good selection of vegetarian dishes. The only thing that let this place down was the incapability to get the waiters attention. Other places that we tried were Captain Hooks (half way up the strip,) Anfora (beach end of the strip,) Blue Star restaurant, The Secret Garden and Phil's bar. In each of these restaurants the portions were huge, the food was delicious and the waiters were very attentive and friendly.

Trips -

I was in Oludeniz to attend a wedding that was on a boat that sailed the coast for the entire day and I would highly recommend this as an excursion (the boats sail from the beach each morning.) The scenery that you will see is breath taking especially Butterfly Valley, which was the backdrop for my friends nuptials.

Fethiye market is held on a Tuesday morning and is worth a look, if only to see the biggest cabbages and melons you will ever see. The minibus leaves from Oludeniz every 10-20 minutes and it costs 4lira for the half hour journey.

I also found time to spend a day travelling to Dalyan to visit the mud baths and to sail the delta to Turtle beach. This was a really enjoyable and relaxing trip, with an excellent tour guide who really made the experience educating and entertaining. I did see a turtle, all be it briefly, but the real plus of this trip for me was the scenery. Turkey is a stunningly beautiful country and really needs to step up the mark in its attempt to rival its neighbour Greece. The mountainous scenery is epic and the history is available in abundance.

Summary -

The Imparator Hotel is comfortable, quiet and well located. You must remember that it is a budget, family run hotel which you are paying a very reasonable price for. Do not go to this hotel if you are used to all inclusive establishments and do not expect the same quality that you will find in western European hotels. The Imparator is definitely a 2* hotel, but none the less was an excellent base and had everything that you would need.

We traveled with Thomson Just holiday to Oludeniz. The best hotel they could offer when we booked was the Imparator. After reading reviews on this site we thought we had booked a great hotel and looked forward to our holiday. The best thing about the hotel is the location - two minutes walk to the main shopping/eating street. At check-in I asked if we could have a sea view room but was told that the hotel was full. We checked into Room 109 and found it to be basic as expected but there was enough room and an adequate bathroom. The bed and floor in the main room was clean as was the balcony. The bathroom was in need of a lot of bleach as there was lack mold around the shower cubicle. A small TV was mounted on the wall of the bedroom and it had three English language channels (including BBC World news). Beds were changed about every four days but the standard of cleanliness of the laundry was questionable! Breakfasts were typical Turkish and the same every morning. A young lad known to all as "Jimmy" was the hardest working member of staff and never seemed to have any free time to himself. After about six days the BBC disappeared from the TV. I mentioned it to the reception who informed me it would be sorted out. We don't spend our holidays watching TV but find it useful to keep up with home news. It was never fixed and then another English language channel disappeared and again it was never fixed. When I reported this the guy just said that it was broke. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone as the standards are well below what is expected from a two star hotel. It is time Turkey classified its hotels in line with other holiday destinations.

First class service with everything you need and nothing you don't - and seriously worth more than its star rating. Plus, you can get anywhere you want with ease.

I *ADORE* this place for all the reasons previous reviewers have stated: superb surroundings, beautifully maintained (please don't change the colour scheme either, lol); hot water always on tap; towels changed daily; clean pool (and just the right size with no shortage of sunloungers) - spotlessly clean everywhere, in fact; ideal location; pool table (and table tennis); delicous home-cooked food and plenty of choice at (traditional Turkish) breakfast; REALLY comfy beds and pillows; hairdryers in rooms; a plethora of coathangers, and, most of all ........... swivel chairs at a low bar!!!

But all this is *nothing* next to the personable service offered by the staff. The manager is utterly charming, a perfect host (and business genius) with excellent English who extends himself above and beyond the call of duty to ensure an unforgettable holiday. His sister is extremely helpful, efficient and responsive, making a terrific team.

My biggest regret is not booking a long enough stay as I can honestly say this has been the most incredible and experience-rich holiday of my life. In short: I WOULD LIVE HERE IF I COULD!!!!!!!!!