Karacan Beach Hotel, Marmaris

...They had stayed in the Karacan Beach Hotel, a 3 star hotel in Marmaris. Marmaris is a tourist spot in the south west of Turkey. It's vibrant and buzzing and definitely suited to couples, families or younger people. My Nan and Granddad stay in a place called Turunc, which isn't too far from Marmaris but which is a lot quieter and more suited to people who aren't interested in night life!

I then went to the Karacan Beach Hotel with my ...
...times and stayed at the Karacan Beach Hotel four times. The fifth time I went to Marmaris, I went with my fiance and we booked a last minute deal and stayed elsewhere - that hotel wasn't very nice and the manager of the Karacan Beach Hotel let us use their facilities and made us feel more than welcome, even though we weren't staying there! In my opinion that sort of service is amazing. On the first full day of that particular holiday, we were at ... more

My parents and sister jetted off to Turkey after recommendations from my Nan and Granddad who have now been going there for about 20 years! I didn't want to go with them, so I stayed at home with family. I was about 14. They came back raving about it...and so the story begins!

They had stayed in the Karacan Beach Hotel, a 3 star hotel in Marmaris. Marmaris is a tourist spot in the south west of Turkey. It's vibrant and buzzing and definitely suited to couples, families or younger people. My Nan and Granddad stay in a place called Turunc, which isn't too far from Marmaris but which is a lot quieter and more suited to people who aren't interested in night life!

I then went to the Karacan Beach Hotel with my parents. I was 16 and we went for two weeks. The hotel has a 3 star rating which I think is low for the quality of the hotel, I absolutely loved the hotel, but before I go into why, let me provide you with some information about the hotel itself.

As the name suggests, the hotel is close to the sea front. If you take a few steps down from the pool and walk through the small restaurant, you're faced with the beach. If you walk along the sea front there, there are numerous restaurants and bars. The location is therefore fantastic, as it's central to all of the nightlife. There is also a supermarket about 2 minutes away, perfect for stocking up on snacks or water and for any extra essentials which you may run out of! You can also catch the 'Dolmus' (a bus) into town where there is a huge market with lots of shops and even more restaurants. There is also a McDonalds nearby too...

The hotel's website outlines all of its fantastic features but to name some: a large reception area, 100 rooms, 4 family rooms, 4 suites, a covered restaurant which can seat 80 people, a terrace restaurant which can seat 120 people and a large swimming pool. The swimming pool is sectioned in two, with one half for adults and children who can swim, and the other half for younger guests, which has metal railings to separate it from the deeper pool and which is much shallower. When my parents first went to the hotel, there were no railings separating the two pools, but they are now an excellent safety aspect of the pools.

The hotel manager is now a friend of our family and she has treated us very well, as she does all of her guests. The staff are second to none, helping you wherever possible. They are fun and friendly and brilliant with children.

There are also belly dancing shows and entertainment which are absolutely brilliant evenings. The food in the hotel is also very nice, with a huge selection of food, particularly for breakfast.

The rooms are comfortable and a nice size. I have stayed in both a normal two bed room and a family room also. I believe the views available are: the street with its vibrant buzzing shops, the mountains, the pool and beach. There may also be other views but I'm not sure. The beds were always comfortable, the bathroom is a nice size with a shower/bath, sink and toilet. There's also a TV in each room which shows the news in English - they may have updated the channels since I last went there also. There is also access to a fridge which you can pay for to stock water and food. You can also hire a safe in the reception area. Air conditioning is controlled by a card which comes with your key. The rooms also have a balcony.

I have now been to Marmaris five times and stayed at the Karacan Beach Hotel four times. The fifth time I went to Marmaris, I went with my fiance and we booked a last minute deal and stayed elsewhere - that hotel wasn't very nice and the manager of the Karacan Beach Hotel let us use their facilities and made us feel more than welcome, even though we weren't staying there! In my opinion that sort of service is amazing. On the first full day of that particular holiday, we were at the Karacan Beach Hotel and I fainted (something which happens to me quite a lot unfortunately!). The hotel staff were absolutely fantastic, they brought me round and looked after me, they offered to take me to hospital and they were brilliant!

Having been to Marmaris with my parents and sister, we made a lot of friends with other families at the Karacan Beach Hotel and those people went back there year after year... My parents are now separated and so they no longer go, but all of the other families who we met there still go to the Karacan Beach Hotel every Summer, some of them for 3 weeks (as we also ended up doing in the end).

That, to me, says it all - why would people go back to the same hotel every year for this many years if they could find fault with it?

A fantastic hotel, a fantastic holiday, a fantastic area of Turkey. The hotel may have changed since I last went there in 2006, but I would thoroughly recommend this hotel to people thinking about going to Turkey. 

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