Paid 8000 dollars for a tour package — and got a nightmare. How Belarusians went to Turkey to a five-star hotel
Four adults and two children spent 9 nights in the south of Turkey — in Alanya.
The long-awaited vacation, paid for with hard-earned money, turned into a real nightmare. A woman shared her impressions of a vacation at a five-star "ultra all-inclusive" hotel with Myfin.by. Food was promised almost around the clock and without restrictions.
They found the hotel themselves
In Maria's family, vacations are usually planned in advance. The heroine is a young grandmother of two grandchildren, always happy to help her son and daughter-in-law with the children. Last summer, she and her husband looked after their grandchildren at one of the Russian resorts. This season, they initially planned to relax in Sochi, but at the last moment decided to buy a package tour to Turkey.
The woman contacted tour agencies in the capital, but the apartment options offered did not satisfy her. Maria found the hotel herself.
The hotel met all of Maria's requirements: "five stars", first line beach, and entertainment for children. A direct flight from Minsk was also a priority. For her children and grandchildren, this was their first experience vacationing abroad, and the young couple planned to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Therefore, the Belarusian woman initially did not pay attention to the low rating.
Maria was simultaneously communicating with managers from several agencies and chose the offer with the more favorable price. The savings amounted to 1000 rubles. At the same time, the woman notes that no manager questioned her choice or warned her that the hotel had shortcomings.
— When I came to pay for the package, I asked about the hotel's low rating and not-so-good reviews. I was told that it was too late to make a change. I will definitely not cooperate with this agency again.
Only the sea was a plus
Her son and daughter-in-law were accommodated in a room with a sleeping area, while the school-aged children were only offered folding beds. Initially, the heroine had booked an option with full accommodation for everyone.
Also, the travelers didn't have enough towels on the night of their arrival, so they had to forego a shower after the long journey.
Maria and her husband received a room with a double bed and an unnecessary single bed. The sleeping place itself was a structure consisting of a mattress on a mattress without a base, but with a headboard.
The question of changing the room was priced at 100 euros. Since the Belarusians checked in at night, they decided to deal with the problems the next day.
In the morning, under good lighting, other unpleasant nuances emerged. It turned out that the room had seen hundreds of tourists, and each of them had left a "souvenir," while the hotel staff decided not to clean up the traces of previous guests' vacations.
Mold in the bathroom and dirty furniture became a serious disappointment for the tidy guests.
The inexperienced tourists' first impression of Turkish hospitality did not improve after breakfast. The modest choice of dishes made itself felt after a few days: Maria's husband got food poisoning, and one of the children also felt unwell.
— Severe vomiting and fever were brought down after 24 hours. We treated ourselves, as we had brought a first-aid kit with tested medicines from home. After what happened, we became very cautious about local dishes.
Maria notes that the food caused many complaints among other tourists as well. Most often, scandals arose precisely because of the quality of dishes on the buffet. After the hotel manager arrived and direct complaints were made, the situation slightly improved.
Among the pros were the clean sea, the presence of several pools, including a children's one. Also, for their wedding anniversary, the couple received a compliment in the form of a fruit plate.
How much did they spend?
A family of four adults and two children paid 22,900 rubles for 9 nights. This is approximately 7.4 thousand dollars for everyone, or more than 1.2 thousand dollars per person.
The tourists had agreed in advance not to spend too much, as they were counting on the "all-inclusive" format. According to Maria, they stoically endured all the inconveniences.
Additional expenses for six people amounted to only 170 dollars. They went to the store once for snacks and sweets, paying 20 dollars. Also, the daughter-in-law and son dreamed of seeing the sea from a bird's-eye view and went parasailing over the water for 130 euros.
Total expenses amounted to 8000 dollars.
The woman left a negative review about the hotel and told the travel agent about all the nuances of the trip, but received only silence in response. In the future, Maria plans to look for a more responsive manager.
— I will not make any more claims: I don't want to waste my time and nerves. The agency just sold me a tour. It didn't care if we enjoyed ourselves or not. If she had approached her job differently, she would have offered an alternative within our budget, but she didn't bother to think.
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