Ela Excellence Resort Belek

“Not quite 5 star”

We have just returned from a 10-night stay as a family of four. This hotel is a tale of two halves. While it doesn't quite meet the standards of a five-star resort, we still had a good holiday overall. Positives We received a lovely welcome on arrival. The staff were friendly, and my daughter wa… more

We have just returned from a 10-night stay as a family of four. This hotel is a tale of two halves. While it doesn't quite meet the standards of a five-star resort, we still had a good holiday overall. Positives We received a lovely welcome on arrival. The staff were friendly, and my daughter was delighted with the teddy bear she was given. The grounds are absolutely stunning. The gardening team does an incredible job maintaining them, especially in the extreme heat, and they deserve far more recognition. The water park is fantastic, and our children absolutely loved it. The gyms are excellent, and the range of classes and activities on offer is impressive. The outdoor gym, however, is unbearably hot and would benefit from much better air conditioning. Most of the staff were friendly and helpful, particularly those around the pool. Hassan, by the villa pool, was especially welcoming and always checked that we had everything we needed. Negatives The buffet restaurant is chaotic. There doesn't seem to be any organised system for seating, so finding a table can take a long time. Tables were often dirty, and it frequently took a while before anyone came to take a drinks order or even provide water. The food was disappointing overall. Several of the chefs came across as rude and seemed as though they didn't want to be there. Food labelling was poor, which made things particularly stressful as we were travelling with a child who has a food allergy. Clear allergen information is essential and was lacking. There was also significant cross-contamination at the buffet. Guests regularly used the same serving utensils for different dishes, including different meats. This could be a concern for those with allergies or for religious dietary requirements. The pizza chef was particularly unfriendly. On two separate evenings, I politely asked for a Margherita pizza and was met with a rude grunt before he simply turned his back. The fish contained an excessive number of bones and was very dry. There were also flies around the salad and fruit, which was unappetising. We stayed in one of the villas. On our first day, we found something unpleasant in the shower that required the housekeeping team to come and clean it. The sink leaked, there were ants in the room, and overall the interior felt tired and worn. It certainly wasn't what I would expect from a hotel marketed as five star!!

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“Ela, Not So Excellent”

We stayed at Ela Excellence Belek with high expectations, and while there were some things we genuinely loved, there were also several disappointing aspects that made the overall experience fall short of what you would expect from a luxury hotel at this price point. The biggest highlight for us was… more

We stayed at Ela Excellence Belek with high expectations, and while there were some things we genuinely loved, there were also several disappointing aspects that made the overall experience fall short of what you would expect from a luxury hotel at this price point. The biggest highlight for us was the beautiful design of the hotel. The interior decoration is elegant and stylish, but what impressed us the most was the landscaping. The gardens are stunning, and the entire outdoor area is thoughtfully designed, making it a pleasure to walk around the resort. The location is another major advantage. We know Belek very well, and this particular area is one of the main reasons we keep coming back. It's peaceful, beautiful, and exactly where we like to spend our holidays. The waiter service throughout the resort was excellent. The staff in the restaurants and bars were friendly, attentive, and hardworking despite being very busy. We also really enjoyed the evening entertainment for adults, which was of a high standard and made the evenings enjoyable. Another standout was Galata Restaurant, where the food was delicious and noticeably better than in the main restaurant. Unfortunately, there were also several serious issues. The reception staff were the biggest disappointment. Instead of feeling welcomed, we often felt as if we were bothering them. Their attitude came across as almost arrogant, which is simply unacceptable in a hotel of this level. Cleanliness was another major problem. Our room was not cleaned to the standard expected from a five-star resort, and many of the public areas were also noticeably dirty. The adults-only (12+) section in the main restaurant was another frustrating experience. Although this area is clearly designated for guests over 12, many Russian-speaking families ignored the rules and entered with their young children, who were running around and screaming. Even more disappointing was that the staff never intervened or enforced the hotel's own policy, making the "adults-only" section meaningless. Service at some of the bars was also too slow because there simply weren't enough bartenders on duty. During busy hours, the waiting times became unnecessarily long. The wicker beach umbrellas were old, damaged, and impractical. They not only looked worn out but also provided poor shade, which is surprising for a premium beachfront resort. Finally, the biggest issue is the price. Ela Excellence is simply too expensive for the quality it currently offers. There are several other hotels in Belek that provide a much better value for money, with higher standards of cleanliness and service. Overall, although we appreciated the beautiful grounds, the excellent waiter service, the great location, and the food at Galata Restaurant, the poor reception service, lack of cleanliness, failure to enforce the adults-only rules, and the overall value for money mean that we will not be returning.

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“Nice, good quality service”

The shower in the room was broken and the sink didn’t drain water properly however it got quickly fixed by the staff. The food choice is limited. The location is amazing tho, the hotel campus is massive with a lot of green spaces lots of pools and clean beach with a lot of space for hanging out. S… more

The shower in the room was broken and the sink didn’t drain water properly however it got quickly fixed by the staff. The food choice is limited. The location is amazing tho, the hotel campus is massive with a lot of green spaces lots of pools and clean beach with a lot of space for hanging out. Since the hotel has a kids club there are a lot of toddlers around so it could be quite noisy, but it is a nice place to be with family.

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“Great kids activities but i wouldn’t come back”

Overall, our stay was okay, but I wouldn’t choose to return. 3.5 A special thank you to Umut from Guest Relations (I hope I got his name and department right), who was incredibly helpful throughout our stay. I’d also like to thank the servers at the Lake House pool, who were consistently friendly … more

Overall, our stay was okay, but I wouldn’t choose to return. 3.5 A special thank you to Umut from Guest Relations (I hope I got his name and department right), who was incredibly helpful throughout our stay. I’d also like to thank the servers at the Lake House pool, who were consistently friendly and attentive. The good * The beach is beautiful, with sand almost all the way into the water. * The Kids Club is excellent. There are plenty of nannies, daily activities, and shows almost every evening. The Teen Club also looked well organized. * The smaller water slides are perfect for toddlers and younger children, while the larger slides are fun for older kids and adults. There are plenty of lifeguards on duty, which was reassuring. * The professional photoshoot was a great experience. * popsicles are available at the beach and pool bars, which was a nice touch on hot days. * The resort app is very useful. You can check event schedules, book spa appointments, and contact Guest Relations directly. * The spa massage was good. Just be aware that the “foot massage” is really more of a full leg massage. What could be improved We had to wait more than half an hour to check in and we arrived in the evening when rooms are ready. And there weren’t many people checking in. Wi-Fi The Wi-Fi signal was quite weak in many areas. After entering my phone number during the Wi-Fi registration, I started receiving constant spam calls, sometimes every hour. If you’re connecting, you can simply enter a dot instead of your phone number. Food The food was probably the biggest disappointment. Only one restaurant is included in the all-inclusive package. The specialty restaurants all require a fairly high additional fee. The Greek and Japanese restaurants are enjoyable mainly because of the entertainment, but the food itself is very similar to what is already available in the main restaurant. The Mexican restaurant doesn’t include any entertainment, although the main courses there were quite good. The buffet selection changes very little from day to day. A large portion of it is dedicated to cheeses and olives, and after a few days it became repetitive. Turkish Night on Friday was the only evening that felt noticeably different. Main restaurant The outdoor seating has only a very small non-smoking section, and unfortunately it’s located between two large smoking areas, so it doesn’t make much difference. Also the floor is always full of little broken glass pieces. On several mornings we had to wait quite a while for drinks because all of the staff were attending meetings until around 8:30 am. (Restaurant opens at 7) Once they were available, however, the waiters were friendly and hardworking, especially those serving the Lake House pool area. Spa pedicure I booked a pedicure without nail polish because I only wanted foot care. It quickly became obvious that they mainly focus on nail treatments, and very little attention was given to the actual feet beyond a brief scraping. If that’s the service offered, it would be clearer to simply list nail services rather than advertising it as a full pedicure. Lost belongings One day my beach bag disappeared from the loungers in front of our Lake House. Thankfully there was nothing valuable inside. I assumed perhaps housekeeping had moved it somewhere for safekeeping, but when I reported it, nobody seemed interested in investigating or asking around. Several umbrellas also disappeared from the loungers near our accommodation. Housekeeping Until I mentioned the issue, our room was rarely cleaned properly, and we had to ask several times just to have towels replaced. After raising the concern, housekeeping came every day, which is what I would normally expect from a five-star hotel. Cleanliness around the pools The pool areas themselves were enjoyable, but the flooring around the main pools often looked dirty. Some stains remained in exactly the same places throughout our entire stay, and I rarely saw staff cleaning those areas apart from emptying the rubbish bins. Sustainability The resort promotes its environmental efforts, particularly regarding towel reuse, but some practices seemed inconsistent. Small portions of fruit were served in large plastic containers, bottled water was used everywhere, and recycling bins were very difficult to find. Staff regularly cleaned up litter, but there was still a noticeable amount of single-use plastic around the resort. I’m certainly not an eco fanatic, but it felt at odds with the hotel’s sustainability message. Final thoughts Ela Excellence has excellent facilities for families, a beautiful beach, and genuinely kind staff. However, the inconsistent housekeeping, average food, weak Wi-Fi, and several service issues made it fall short of what I expect from a five-star resort in this price range. We still had a pleasant holiday, but there are other resorts I’d choose before returning.

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