Julian Club Hotel

Julian Club Hotel is around an hour and ten minutes from Dalaman airport (if you have a private taxi otherwise, it may be more like two hours) and it is about a ten minute taxi ride from the centre of Marmaris itself. It is a large, family orientated hotel that provides entertainment throughout the day and into the night every day except for Sunday and is surrounded by bars and supermarkets within a couple of minutes walk. We arrived at the hotel at around six in the evening having taken a private taxi that we pre-booked online as part of our package. By booking a private taxi, costing around £70 (split between three of us for a return journey), it meant that we were able to leave the airport and make our way immediately to the resort without having to wait for other people or make several stop offs along the way from Dalaman. It proved to be a good investment and meant that both the initial and return journey went without drama and we arrived in relative comfort. As we arrived at the airport, the reception was quite busy and it took quite a long time (around half an hour) to check us in. The check-in process felt hectic and impersonal with us being talked at, rather than talked to. We presented our documentation, had our passports photocopied and we were given our all-inclusive wrist bands. For reference - There is a safety deposit box in the room but you have to pay to use it and reception report that someone needs to reset it for you prior to using it. Having waited half an hour in our room for this to happen and paid for it, we ended up resetting the code and using it ourselves as I think reception had forgotten to send someone up. WiFi is available throughout the hotel but it is chargeable at either a daily or weekly rate. For around £22 I paid for the week but it has the catch that you can only use one device at a time to connect to it, rather than it being available for everyone within the room to use. After being cattle marketed through reception and check-in, we made our way to our room on the first floor. We had booked a family room which was advertised on the website as having a separate bedroom which we wanted as it meant my mate and I could have our own beds and his brother could have his own space and privacy. It also meant that he could also have a double bed which he needed due to a problem with his back. However, when we walked into the room it became apparent it was not what we had booked. There was a double bed and single next to each other which a seating area around an alcove next to the wardrobe. Both of my friends are over six feet tall and being wedged on a makeshift sofa bed between two walls was unlikely to be uncomfortable. My friend complained to reception and he was advised that they would send up an additional single bed which would be in the room by the time we arrived back into the room. When we went in, all the staff had done was turn the sofa into a bed by removing some of the cushions and putting a sheet on which did not address the problem. None the less, we accepted that it was unlikely to change the situation and made do. In the room was a kettle and tea and coffee tray along with a fridge (ideal for keeping your water cold). There was a wardrobe with hangers in as well as the safe deposit box. There was a small, wall-mounted TV which was hung above a long dressing table. In the bathroom was a large mirror, an over-bath shower, a bath and towels. There is also a bin next to the toilet as you are encouraged not to put anything down the toilet due to issues with the plumbing across the country. Next to the toilet is a small tap which you can turn on, whilst on the toilet, to clean yourself instead of using toilet roll. The rooms are cleaned every day (unless you leave a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door) which means that the bins are emptied regularly. In the room, there is an air conditioner with control but the problem was that we could not turn it off as the power button did not work, it would only let you change the temperature. This is fine when the room is warm but if you are in the bed sleeping underneath it, as I was, it can leave you feeling freezing cold. As a point with the air conditioner, it does not operate when the patio doors are open but if you are on the balcony smoking with the door closed, the air conditioner draws smoke in from the balcony and makes the room smell of cigarette smoke which is not ideal if you are sharing with a non-smoker. The room has everything you need to be comfortable but it was not what we were expecting and I was a little disappointed. There are upgrades available to more senior suites but these were around £30 per room per night and having already paid for our holiday, I did not feel like I wanted to part with more money. The hotel has three pools - a small pool, a pool with slides and a main pool. All three pools are within walking distance to the two bars and snack area. There is a children's play area, including a park and a GameZone containing machines etc. There is also a shop on site that is open 24 hours a day, a spa, a tattoo place, somewhere to get your hair cut. There is an indoor restaurant that serves buffet-style food for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as an open food area next to one of the bars which tends to open for lunch for poolside snacks and ice creams serving pizza, burgers etc. There is a mixture of hot foods including meats, casseroles, soups and pizza, as well as a selection of desserts and salads. There is also a kids buffet which offers a selection of meals for children including chips, beans etc. Julian Club is what it is, a family orientated all-inclusive hotel that is clean but basic. It's strengths lay in its ability to feed and water a lot of people quickly, as well as having such a large hotel that it never really feels like you are overcrowded. The rooms are basic but satisfactory. The food is plentiful and hot when it should be and cold when it needed to be. The staff work long and tiresome hours which shows their passion (in particular, the YOLO entertainment team) ensuring you have a good holiday. There is everything you need on site to not have to leave if you did not need or want to and if you did, there is everything within walking distance including supermarkets, bars cashpoints. All of that said, having been to Turkey four other times and stayed at different hotels, I do not think that it offers anything above and beyond in terms of value for money than other hotels in the area offer (and sometimes at a cheaper place). My experience of check in was that I felt hearded and rushed not welcomed and the room we ended up with was not the room that we booked as per the website. The situation with the broadband is inconvenient and not conducive to a good holiday when you want to share your experiences in real time on social media or reach out to family to let them know you have arrived safely. Conversely, if the internet was free, more people would use it to tag where they were would give the hotel greater publicity which would benefit them. The food was standard buffet style food that you would find in any other hotel and the alcoholic drinks almost taste like they have been watered down (try the same drink at a bar outside of the hotel and you will taste the difference). Of all my criticism of the hotel, I was advised when I was out there that they were fully booked until the end of October an there were pretty much daily flights arriving when we were there so it has a draw for people that appear to be repeat customers so maybe, my expectations were too high. That said, I have stayed in cheaper hotels in Marmaris that I felt were more superior in both their customer service offer and general holiday experience. Should you go? If you are a small family with young children under the age of about 10 then this may be the ideal place for you to go. As well as free ice cream for the kids and access to food and drink throughout the day, the entertainment team provide plenty of opportunity for them (and the adults) to get involved in various activities. There is also a nightime club ran by the entertainment team to keep the children occupied whilst the parents enjoy the evening entertainment which may provide some respite. For families that have teenagers and are looking to go away, I am not sure how much they would enjoy the over the top, relentless and proactive nature of the entertainment and they may get bored on the nighttime if they are not into the entertainment on the stage. For me, going with two of my mates, it was OK but I did not come away raving about the place and nor was I disappointed. I think that I came away thinking that the hotel was 'meh' with few notable expectations. All of that said, in the hotel's defence, three adult lads are probably not its main client base and I understand that the hotel caters more for families than others so it would not necessarily cater for my needs anyway. I went with an open mind but I think the initial experience at check in and the inconvenience of the room we had did not start the holiday well and it plateaued pretty much after then.

I'm thinking of booking this hotel for my holiday in may 2020 with my beat friend and my 6 year old son I have read the reviews but just had a few questions Is this hotel far from the beach Can you ask for a pool facing room Can you request a better room I have seen some photo and not liked the room but other rooms look really nice don't want to end up with a horrible room and a small balcony Thank all love megan

As a family group of 14 we have stayed at this hotel twice, and cannot fault it. The staff work very hard and are friendly and helpful. The food is very good. So much choice and different dishes every day. The snack bar at lunch time is also very good. The 2 bars have a great selection of drinks. I must mention the YOLO team who work so hard and are great fun. We have just booked again for next year. I would recommend this hotel for all ages.