I have been to Icmeler 8 times now since being 11 and always loved it, we have stayed in two star places before and have not been as bad as this. To start with the we arrived on sunday at 7am and were just givin our keys and sent to the hotel room, we had no idea what time was breakfast was or any information! We thought the hotel was ok in reception but then once in the room sooo dirty! There were stains up the walls, many creepy crawlys on the balcony, the solt that the key needs to be put in to keep the electricity was being held on the wall by plasters! The only room socket was next to the dressing table which was hanging off the wall. I have been to some places where I can say that they were very basic and these things could be looked past but when the room was as dirty as it was it began to spoil our holiday. The thing that was the worst for us was that the hotel room had not been cleaned since thursday! and on the wednesday she was late in the room cleaning that I had to change the toliet bin, all of the other bins and needed to pass the towels out. But I can not describe in words how dissappointed I was after hearing raving reviews before. I paid 817 for a week stay for me and a friend and I feel as though I have been robbed. There were very few sunbeds that were not cracked and by the time people from other hotels came and used the pool the pool area was to crowded and very loud! The staff in the resturant very extremly pushy and the bars around were the same. But I must say if you want a nice meal and drink go to : The waterfall, Valentinos, The florida, Venice and Tommys in the old village.

Me and My family stayed at the Elif hotel for 3 weeks and it gave us everything we needed. Admittedly the rooms are basic, but they are good enough for what you need, sleeping and washing because the rest of the time your enjoying Icmeler. We arrived at 4 in the morning and we were greeted and had our bags taken up to the top floor.The view from our room was simply beautiful. The hotel is a perfect location you are 10 seconds from the beach and there are plenty of restauraunts and shops around.All the staff in the restauraunt keep you laughing all day long. Ossy always makes you feel welcome and Ali and Ahmed will get you up dancing and having the best time. Then there is Sergio the beach boy who will do anything for you, he will get your sunbeds for you which are free if your staying in the hotel, drinks from the bar when you want them and even wash your feet off for you, he makes The Elif great. Overall we had a brilliant holiday and the Elif is a lovely Hotel to stay in.

Arrived on saturday morning and was given our room key. The room was on the ground floor and over looked a side road next to the Efes Hotel, (well i say overlooked, all the bushes had grown onto the balconey so you could not sit out there even if you wanted too and was full of insects!!!!) I went straight to reception and asked to be moved. The couple who had also just arrived were also complaining about their room too!!! (They moved hotels altogether and refused to stay there). We had paid £1,200 for two weeks with a sea view as stated. PLEASE NOTE not all rooms have sea views. The man on reception didnt speak english and told us to come back later and talk to the boss. We went back at lunch time as the rep was there anyway, to find the hotel reception full of other couples complaining about the hotel!!!!! This is our 3rd time in Icmeler and was shocked, so we knew something was wrong with the hotel. The rep asked if he could look at the room, he was shocked too and said we could be moved but not until tuesday. When started to get ready in the room that evening to go out, to be greated by lots of turks stood in front of the balconey watching us!! The curtains had to be closed and the room is dark anyway so was even darker as the light bulbs had also gone, there was no shades on the bulbs and bare wires. The shower was cold and had no pressure so had to wash my hair in the sink after the first attempt as it took too long in the shower. The curtain pole is held to the ceiling with wire. The rooms are very very basic, which you do get in Turkey but not as basic as this. Tuesday arrived and we were again fobbed off on several occassions about the room and was told to keep coming back later and later. Another room was given which was above ours and wasnt much better, all we wanted was the sea view which we had paid for. Again we went to reception and after several cross words they gave us a key with a sea view. Room 108 please avoid.

Icmeler is a great place for a holiday, and will not put us off going back next year, but not the Hotel Elif it definatley is the Faulty Towers of Icmeler and everyone we spoke to, when we mentioned the Elif they just laughed. We have heard by several parties that it will be closed next year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only good thing was the air con and location.

I'll start with the good points! To begin, the location (and view) is fantastic as it is right on the seafront - you could go to the beach and nip back to your room if you needed to without a long walk! In addition, as mentioned elsewhere on here, Sergio (the guy who works on the beach) is a legend, very helpful and made us laugh a lot! The hotel itself is also kept very clean (although this DOES NOT apply to the pool - more on that in a bit) and the maid does a fantastic job. Unfortunately, this is where the good points end.

The hotel itself is extremely tatty and dated and badly in need of refurbishment. Our room had numerous problems, such as dodgy electricity, a patio door which wouldn't lock and damp on the ceiling. The bathroom was a nightmare; dirty jet black tiles covered the walls and the room was very small. In fact, it was too small to be a wet room, so when combined with the shallow shower basin and inadequate shower curtain, it always flooded. In addition, hot water was rarely present. Our front door also appeared to have been kicked in at some point, as a huge chunk of wood had splintered off the door frame. In addition, the heat had caused cracks to appear in our front door which had been filled with tissue paper to stop people seeing in!

However, my biggest gripe was the pool area. This was NEVER CLEANED once during our two week stay. Litter was never picked up, the sun beds were never hosed down (and so were covered in sun lotion and bird droppings) and cleaning chemicals were never added to the pool water. This resulted in it having a very murky appearance and a constant layer of oil on the surface. In addition, the water jets were never turned on so the water didn't circulate. A few days after arrival, there were numerous reports of throat infections, which was unsurprising. Then, after about a weeks stay, a child had an accident in the kids pool. After being repeatedly asked to clean it, staff eventually came with a net and simply fished out the faeces and threw it down the alley in front of the balconies, with no intention of draining the pool. After much pestering, they did eventually drain it. However, this was too late in our case, as my partner developed a throat infection a few days later, which resulted in hefty doctor call-out and prescription fees. Needless to say, we used the beach from then on.

All in all, I am stunned that Thomas Cook continue to use this hotel and there weren't many occasions when I didn't see our rep mobbed by unhappy hotel guests (some were even in tears). This hotel would be fantastic if someone spent some money on it due to it's location, but unfortunately, as it stands, it's a dump.