10 Reasons To Stay At The Alba Queen, Antalya

Recently we returned form a 2 week all Inclusive holiday to the Alba Queen Hotel in Side, Near Antalya in Turkey. We had an amazing time and we were slightly shocked to see someone wrote a bad review on TripAdvisor, even though they were there the same time as us. These people were actually bragging that they had been given white bands to get into the neighbouring hotel, because they were friends with guest relations so as they were hardly at the Queen, I am at a loss to see how she could find so much wrong with the hotel. I know everyone has a different view to holidays but here are the ten reasons why we loved the Alba Queen

1. The Reception were efficient and super fast at checking us in, then they even took all of our luggage to the room. They are there 24 hours a day, so even if you need to speak to them at 3am, they are there. We did have a problem with the internet, even though we paid 25 euro's, it was actually really rubbish and there were times that I couldn't get it. As a blogger, the internet is important to me and I like to be connected all the time

2. The Guest Relations lady on the front desk was super helpful and she was full of knowledge about the local area and even told us where the local cash point was. She was helpful with everything from booking the A La Carte restaurant to making a visit to the neighbouring hotel.

3. The Hotel is all inclusive, so you really don't need any other money unless you want to buy souvenirs.

4. The hotel is located on the beach, so you just need to walk down a hill and within minutes you are sitting on a sun bed on the sea front. There is also a beach bar, which isnt quite on the beach, but it is closer than coming back to the hotel for a drink. There is also a drink machine on the beach for you.

5. The pool is cold but refreshing and is cleaned every day. It is huge and is quite deep (not ideal for kids, unless they are strong swimmers). There are also slides to go down and there is a very shallow kids pool by the mini club. There is an indoor pool in case of bad weather.

6. The pool bar has the best atmosphere at night, the bar staff are fab and they make sure that you have a drink all night. As well as the guys that work behind the bar, there are waiting staff that will bring your drinks to you. Al though we prefer to go to the bar ourselves to get our drinks. In the evening there is entertainment in the pool bar and on the outside stage (which is next to the bar). People get up and dance and sing and everyone mingles with everyone else.

7. The house keeping team are excellent, they come in everyday and they will clean your room for you, they provide clean towels everyday and place your bedding in pretty shapes. There is also a laundry service offered by the house keeping team and although you can wash your own clothes and they are dry within an hour, sometimes a laundry service is needed. It cost me about £3 to get a dress cleaned and there was a slight tear in the dress at the back and they actually repaired it for me free of charge. I was amazed at the fantastic customer service they offered.
8. The restaurant offers a wide range of food, there is a kids menu too and special kids plates. The staff in the restaurant are efficient and will deliver drinks to your table, by the end of your holiday, they know what your usual drink is and get it ready as soon as they see you. The restaurant staff work extremely hard and there is a manger who walks around telling them to do more, but I really want to tell him that they haven't stopped since I entered the restaurant. They also offer a midnight service for snacks and they make sandwiches for people in the pool bar. Its kind of like getting a take away on the way home.

9. The entertainment guys work really hard to entertain you through out your holiday. They work long hours from about 9.30 on some mornings until 11.30 at night. Some of them like the Dj works until 1am on some mornings to make sure you have a good night in the hotel disco. And a couple of times a week some of the entertainment guys will accompany you to the local nightclub. A bus arrives at about 11.30 and returns at 3am. So these guys work long hours providing you with activities like water gym or zumba to darts and beach games through out the day. 

            

10. The kids club looks amazing! although Tilly never came with me, I have booked the hotel to go back in the Easter holidays with her, it is open from 10-12.30 am and then again from 2.30 until 5.30 in the afternoon. The mini club is well equipped and very tidy, which surprised me because I have seen the distruction kids can leave when they play! The kids club also do things like pizza making and kids cocktail making. In the evening there is mini disco, which the kids really seemed to enjoy.

We were in the Alba Queen because we were supposed to be staying in the Alba Resort but due to the drop in tourism, the Resort never opened so we were placed in the Queen. We were not happy to start with because we do like the Resort and Lin, my friend had been there a huge 17 times. But by the end of the holiday, we were absolutely converted to the Alba Queen and if the Resort doesn't open again next year, then would be happy to go to the Queen again.

I do recommend the Alba Queen for a fantastic all inclusive holiday in Turkey because you will have a great holiday!