Papillon Belvil

“Papillon Belvil review – An amazing week”

We travelled as a family of four (kids aged 16 and 11) and paid £4,700 through EasyJet for a week (15th–22nd) in July. This is our fourth trip to Turkey and the fourth hotel we've stayed in. This was the best experience we've had at a Turkish hotel – and we've enjoyed all our holidays in Turkey. … more

We travelled as a family of four (kids aged 16 and 11) and paid £4,700 through EasyJet for a week (15th–22nd) in July. This is our fourth trip to Turkey and the fourth hotel we've stayed in. This was the best experience we've had at a Turkish hotel – and we've enjoyed all our holidays in Turkey. The private transfers (Diana Travel via Easy Jet) from the Airport was great and took 25 mins, with the return taking 45mins (die to heavier traffic). There is nothing outside of the hotel, so you'll need a taxi to go anywhere, we went shopping one evening in Belek and spent a day at Land of Legends, otherwise we enjoyed our week within the hotel resort. The hotel is mainly Russian families, although we spoke to guests from many countries, including Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Russia and Poland. We enjoy the mix of nationalities and cultures, and found all guests to be respectful and simply there to enjoy their holiday. We noticed more Brits over the last couple of days, which coincided with the start of the English school holidays. So many positives about this hotel and holiday (starting with the best): Animation team: This team works so hard and really made our holiday even more special. If you and your kids enjoy getting involved, I can't recommend this hotel enough. From darts, archery and shuffleboard to the Papillon games, evening entertainment and parties, the team are there to keep everyone happy and involved. Staff: All fantastic – always smiling and saying hello (the little things really do make a difference). Everyone was so helpful: reception sorting out a room change, bar staff remembering our favourite drinks, restaurant staff welcoming us and keeping the main restaurant spotless. I could go on, but honestly, everyone was great. Pool, slides, grounds, beach and pier: You can always get a sunbed, so there's no need to reserve at some ridiculous hour. The pools are large and never too busy, the slides are great (the lifeguards are friendly too), the beach is fab and the pier is lovely. We didn't use it much, but there are day beds, luxury sunbeds and a cocktail bar on offer. The grounds are well kept and really add to the hotel's atmosphere. Food and drink: The main restaurant has a great selection and the food is always hot, though the evening meal can get very busy (as at most all-inclusives). We enjoyed the pizza and burger restaurant and the snack bars, and the ice creams and waffles were a winner with my 11-year-old. There's a huge choice of drinks. Most soft drinks and beers are served in cans and bottles, which was fine, but because of the high turnover they sometimes weren't cold enough – you can get ice with soft drinks, but that's not ideal for a bottle of Efes. We didn't drink many cocktails, but the spirits were all decent in G&Ts and a Whisky Sour. The room: Our Superior room in the main building was large, clean and modern. The air con was fab and the cleaners were great. Children's activities: We didn't need the Papy Land facilities, but the set-up for little ones looked amazing – lots of other reviews mention this, and I'm sure children would love this hotel. Getting there: EasyJet was all good, no issues, and we were kept in touch via a local contractor (Via Diana Travel I think). We booked Land of Legends through the same contractor, Irfan, who I met for a 15 min chat on our first full day in the hotel. He provided his details via WhatsApp and asked me to communicate via this if we had any issues. Slight negative: The fourth bed in the Superior room was very firm, and our 11-year-old only just fitted on it. It might be worth adding a standard fourth bed, as there's enough space for one. We highly recommend this hotel and We're already planning to come back next year.

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