Ideal Pearl Hotel

The hotel is always clean and well maintained, our cleaner on the 4th floor was excellent & friendly! The pool area is quite small, though, which can make it difficult to find a sunny spot.

There is a gym, although it consists of basic cardio equipment & could do with some weights. The spa, however, is really lovely, and I would highly recommend booking a massage during your stay. The treatment was excellent and very good value for money.

Unfortunately, the biggest letdown for us was the food, which had a significant impact on our holiday.

The hotel states that it is not suitable for guests with food allergies. I understood this to mean that they couldn’t guarantee against cross-contamination for people with severe allergies. However, I have a milk intolerance, and my experience has been extremely disappointing. Food labelling was frequently questionable, and I spent an entire day being sick. This left me anxious about what I could safely eat for the rest of the week. My partner, who has no food intolerances, also experienced an upset stomach during our stay.

What surprised me most was how many dishes appeared to contain milk, including rice and pasta. I’ve barely been able to eat properly throughout the week, often having just chips and salad simply because I wasn’t confident about the other options.

The food quality itself has also been disappointing, with much of it feeling like basic school dinner food rather than what you’d hope for from an all-inclusive holiday. I imagine vegetarians and vegans would struggle too, given the limited options and the apparent use of dairy in so many dishes.

We raised our concerns with the hotel, hoping they might offer some help or suggest suitable alternatives, but the response was essentially a shrug, with no meaningful assistance offered.

Ironically, we went on a boat trip during our stay where the food tasted fresher than anything we’d eaten at the hotel. They were also happy to accommodate my dietary needs, and I was able to enjoy some lovely pasta. It really highlighted the difference that a little care and willingness to help can make.

It’s such a shame because the hotel itself is clean, well maintained and has a lovely spa. However, food is a huge part of an all-inclusive holiday, and the quality, unreliable food labelling, limited suitable options and lack of support when we raised our concerns really let the experience down.

My advice would be to think carefully before booking this hotel if you have dietary requirements or value fresh, good-quality food.

Marmaris generally

Marmaris has some good bars and restaurants, and in many places you can use a beach lounger for free if you buy food or drinks. However, much of the food offering is geared towards British tourists, with English breakfasts and familiar British-style dishes widely available. If you’re looking for a destination with a strong focus on local cuisine and authentic culinary experiences, you may need to do a bit of research to find the right places.

The nicer bars are around a 20-minute walk away, with the marina around 45 minutes away. A boat trip is definitely worth doing, and one of the loveliest things to see was how well the local stray cats seemed to be looked after. They were well fed, and it was genuinely heartwarming to see.

Location good atmosphere amazing Rooms clean absolutely spotless good value for money. Only downside no step into smaller pools for people with disabilities. Example people with bad hips knees. Had a massage in the spa centre. Very welcoming relaxed calming. Well worth it. Give it ago i would definitely recommend going towards end of your holiday.

We’ve just had a lovely week at this hotel. The rooms were perfectly fine, with a great cleaning crew to look after things. The staff in other areas were just fantastic, very friendly and nothing was too much trouble. A special mention must go to the on-site spa. We all had a couple of treatments during our stay and felt very relaxed afterwards (the prices were very reasonable). If we were the type of holidaymakers to revisit the same country or places multiple times, this hotel would be our go-to. Special mentions for Hassan in the restaurant team, he was lovely. Dennis in the spa team was fantastic too, thanks guys!