Riviera Zen Hotel

We stayed at the Riviera Zen Hotel in Antalya for 5 days, and unfortunately, our experience was far from what we expected or were promised. From the moment we arrived, things felt off. Despite already paying for a room, the staff insisted we pay for an upgrade upon check-in. It felt like a scam from the start. To make matters worse, we arrived late and hungry, and were only offered a piece of bread and a plum. That was considered a “late-night snack” in their all-inclusive package — we were starving. Speaking of scams, beware of a tour operator named Yusuf and his colleagues. We were scammed by them and would strongly advise future guests to avoid booking anything through the hotel or its associated contacts. The hotel staff, particularly the man running the hammam/spa, was relentless. He asked us every single day, multiple times a day, if we wanted a treatment — despite our clear and repeated “no.” It felt invasive and pushy. I had to eventually explain to him that it is always going to be a no as I cannot participate in any spa activities and to stop asking me. Now let’s talk about the food. In a word: atrocious. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all equally bland and tasteless. We ended up eating out for most of the trip despite paying for all-inclusive. And it’s not really all-inclusive — orange juice cost us 100 TL, and cocktails or mocktails were not included. My husband was literally chased down for payment after grabbing a drink we assumed was part of the package. Every time we picked something up, we had to ask, “Is this included?” It completely defeats the purpose of a relaxing vacation. The entertainment was non-existent. One belly dancer performed for about 10 minutes on a Saturday night. That was it. The pool was always overcrowded, and the layout of the hotel was poorly thought out and uncomfortable to navigate. The only positive thing I can say about this hotel is its location — it’s close to shops and a variety of outside restaurants (which you’ll need, because you won’t want to eat at the hotel). Also, be warned: despite what you might think, this hotel is a full 2-hour drive from Antalya Airport, not a quick trip at all. Based on this experience, I will not be returning to Turkey, and I certainly won’t be recommending Riviera Zen Hotel to anyone. If you’re reading this — do yourself a favor and book elsewhere.

Still here and it’s my last night here. I was expecting this hotel to be really good but was extremely disappointed. I booked a type of room that I only could book at the time online. When I arrived at the hotel I was offered dry bread and a plum (yummy yeah right) as their kitchen finished at 20:30. I was so baffled when I checked in. The gentlemen on the desk mentioned that they could offer me a sea view room on the 5th floor (top) for free on the first night but will have to change to the 1st floor which the rooms have inadequate lighting as the view is opposite a brick wall. If I don’t want to pay extra. This is a no brainer tactic for us to pay more money. I ended up paying for the sea view room due to having better lighting and my wife being pregnant as well. On the 1st floor was too close to the smoking area. Now the food!!!! Definitely not catered for the Brits and it lacked variety of choices. The taste was disgusting. I paid for all inclusive for it to turn out to be not all inclusive. To have fresh squeezed orange juice you have to pay which I was unaware of. Staff : To be blunt they’re miserable and I don’t want to see them again. Every time I walked past the Spa man in the hotel he kept hassling me for a Turkish Spa when I told him so many times NO! NO! NO! **IMPORTANT MESSAGE BELOW** The Holiday assistant Excursion who go by the name Turkey Guide Service which will appear on your bank statement as SunLove Tour will mislead you with cost and information. His name is Yusuf the man who scammed us. Please avoid that company and him at all cost. By the way the WIFI will forever kick you out.