Info on Prestij

[jayjay1950]

We have booked with ICR to stay at Prestij for next year so any info anyone can tell me about these apartments will be most helpful.
We are also considering the two-day Pamukkale & Ephesus trip, any info for this also will be great.

[janeypoos]

Jayjay I came back from 3 fantastic weeks at Prestij a fortnight ago. I'm off out now but let me know what info you're after and I'll come back on after work.

[jayjay1950]

Jayjay I came back from 3 fantastic weeks at Prestij a fortnight ago. I'm off out now but let me know what info you're after and I'll come back on after work.

Hi, any info would be great thank you,there isn't a lot said about the place. I have read a couple of reviews that have put it in a bad light but I take no notice as the same sort of things have been said about other places and I know they have been ok, a couple of reviews have said its a nice place but the stairs are to be careful on, one did say they thought the stairs was being changed for next year though. We normally stay at Moonlight but as my other half has been off work for the last 6 months due to a heart by pass money is a bit tighter than normal so we have gone with a cheaper option rather than miss out on a holiday. We are taking my youngest son and his girlfriend they have not been to Icmeler before, my son has never been abroad before, so I am hoping the apartments and the staff are as nice as they look. It will be my partner and my 7th time in Icmeler but for all we know where Prestij apartments are we have never passed them.

[Raynard]

Jayjay
My wife and I did the two day trip to Ephesus and Pamukkale last year with ICR and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. Turkish breakfast on the way and a typical Turkish hotel for dinner bed and breakfast which was very good. Lots of choice at both meals. The scenery you travel through is dramatic at times but for some reason I now suffer from a fear of heights and some of the mountains are quite high and the roads go along the edge of some very high drops but I survived.
There is so much to see on this trip that it would take me ages to write about them but I am sure if you take the trip you will not be disappointed.

[janeypoos]

Hi Jayjay, I'm back online for a little bit so I'll try to tell you as much as I can in a short time

First of all I'll start by saying that whatever bad (TA) reviews you have read about Prestij recently (holidays between 15th July - 3rd August)Ignore them. I was there, I know the people who wrote the reviews, I know their situation and 'problems' with management and staff and all I can say ids there's two sides to every story and being in a position to know both I know what is right and what is perhaps a tad OTT.
I couldn't have asked to stay in a place with better staff, they made me feel totally welcome, at home, part of the furniture lol!
I was supposed to stay there with my son but unfortunately he couldn't come so rather than lose the whole cost of the holiday I decided to go alone. I was quite anxious about it as 3 weeks alone, knowing nobody at the apartments seemed like a very long time. It was nowhere near long enough!
The apartments vary, the ground level ones are all on one floor, the upper aparts are duplex with the kitchen (very well equipped), dining area, 2 single sofa-beds and 1 double sofa- bed which was where I decided to sleep as I could get a breeze from the balcony at night and the bed was really comfortable.
The stairs are very narrow and very steep but to be honest you do get used to them and as long as you take care not to run down there really shouldn't be a problem. The first time I stayed at these aparts was when my son was 2 years old so he was running around all over the place. I was obviously concerned about the stairs then but he had no issues and I had none this time.
The balcony is an ok size, big enough for a small table, 2 chairs and the washing airer. I'll be honest and say t's perfectly fine for 2 but not 4 sitting.
This is the point where I think I should warn you all that the upstairs bedroom is open plan, meaning the bedroom area is completely visible to whoever goes up or down the stairs to use the shower room at the top of the stairs. Privacy could be an issue.
The bedroom itself is a lovely size, decent bed, 2 bedside cabinets, a wardrobe (I forgot to say there's one downstairs also), a vanity table, stool and mirror. There are wall lights, a main light and an electric socket all near the bed.
There is only a small window so you don't get much of a breeze and as it's set quite high you really can't see out of it but for me that was ok as it also meant no one could see in lol
The AC unit is housed in this room. I didn't pay for it as I was downstairs but I believe it is £5 per day and works very well, no one I was talking to there seemed to have any niggles anyway.
The cleaners come in every day and the bedding and towels are changed daily or at least every 2 days. They are lovely women, very polite, very friendly (especially if you try a bit of Turkish on them, they love it!), extremely trustworthy. I didn't hire a safe and I certainly didn't feel that that was a bad call as I never once felt that anything had been touched that shouldn't have.
That's about all I can say at the moment about the apartments themselves but I'll come back later (going out for dinner ) and give you some information about the bar/restaurant/pool area etc.
Let me know if there's anything more about the apartment you'd like to know and I'll do my best.

[jayjay1950]

Hi janeypoos,
Well you have put my mind at rest thank you. I am now looking foreword to next year more than I did before. I normally look at many reviews via the internet before I book but this time it was my other half that did the bookings before I had a chance to check it all out. We have always found people to be nice and friendly in Icmeler and thought the apartments must be ok if ICR have them on their books. I am sure we will be well looked after in the apartments, I don't suppose it will matter if we are on the bottom or above ( just hope if its above that my son and his girlfriend doesn't need to use the loo during the night ) lol. Looking foreword to the rest of your info. Thank you

Hi Raynard
Thank you for the info on the two day trip, I have taken notice of the traveling on the edge and will place myself on the seat so I don't have to see over the edge, OH can have the window seat,better take my ear plugs as well in case my son and girlfriend start to yell lol

[jayjay1950]

Hi janeypoos, will be nice to have some information about the bar/restaurant/pool area etc. when you have the time. I have read they have a boat, did you go on the trips and if yes any info on this would be good. Im sorry to be a pain but like I said there isn't a lot wrote about these apartments so its nice to get some info first hand.

[janeypoos]

Hi jayjay, I'm so sorry but I've been really busy and have had to sort out my accommodation for October. Each time I've thought about adding to this post I have known that I just didn't have enough time lol.
Anyway, firstly, yes I did indeed go on the boat trip run by Ramazan (apartment owner & Captain Jack!) and Cengiz (apartment manager and boat trip 2nd in command). One thing I will say is that they really don't push you about the trip. I think I was well into my 2nd week before Messi (best waiter and all round good guy) even mentioned that they had a boat!
It was 30tl which included collection & drop off, and a very nice lunch of bbq'd chicken, meatballs, pasta, salad & bread.
Drinks and snacks were extra (8tl small Efes, 3tl Magnum ice cream) but it was such a lovely day I never felt I'd been ripped off like I have on some AI trips that charge for everything on top anyway. In fact we even got a free drink on the way back
The trip visits 5 or 6 bays for swimming stops, plenty of time given, life jackets for the nervous or non-swimmers.
There was a stop off at Turunc on the way back which gave us 90 minutes for a wonder around (or just to stroll to the nearest bar and get a cold drink and watch the world go by as we did). Plenty of lovely staff around to help with anything you need. Toilets were clean all day. My only criticism of the whole day and it didn't affect me or my friends directly but there didn't seem to be enough sunbeds for the amount of people on the boat. My only advice is to make sure you get to the boat early'ish to get your beds although the minibus that collected us from the apartments got us there in plenty of time, I think we were the first ones aboard so we had first dibs lol.
So now to the bar/restaurant area. This is always kept meticulously clean (as are the toilets) by Messi, Ayhan Leon, Bilal and the rest of the (superb) staff. Table service is the norm for drinks and food but some people do like to sit at the bar so it's entirely up to you. The tables are always cleaned of clutter as soon as possible and I never once saw a dirty table cloth or table mat in 19 days there.
Large Efes was 6tl, Coke/Fanta etc the same, fresh fruit juice was 4tl, water 2tl.
Cocktails were BOGOF from evening until whenever (usually dawn with us lol), I think they ranged from 15tl-17tl and always good measures that you could taste actually contained the correct alcohol unlike some places.
The breakfast was 5tl for Full English (delicious), 7tl for Turkish (looked wonderful but I made my own). Tea/coffee is 6tl.
The rest of the menu varies between 5tl-11tl for snacks. I had a few breakfasts, chicken sandwich, bacon roll, lamb doner and chicken doner. Everything was fresh, tasty and very well presented. Great value for money with wonderful service.
Oh I almost forgot, their Turkish salad is absolutely wonderful!
There is also a mains menu that covers Turk cuisine, pizza, pasta, chicken, steak, fish etc (all looked lovely and seemed reasonably priced). They also have set menu's (chicken, pizza or pasta and a steak dinner). They run a tab system charged to your apartment number but they are quite happy if you want to settle up as you go along too.
I would pay up every 4 or 5 days and I can say that I was never charged for anything I hadn't had, in fact I'm sure there were a few ice creams left off the bill!
There is the usual entertainment on regular nights and a Turkish Night which was good value at 30tl.
I honestly never felt pressured to eat and drink there all day every day. I was on my own so it was lovely to feel relaxed and comfortable enough to spend time there but just as easy to go off in search of different bars and restaurants. There is no hard sell at all.
Now for the swimming pool, this will be brief (by my standards anyway, lol) as I really didn't spend much time in or around there at all as I usually stayed out of the sun although there are sun shades with the sunbeds but I preferred to sit in the bar/restaurant area so I could use my laptop. Oh!! there is free Wi-Fi and 2 desktops for general use but the signal isn't very strong at all so you can't get it by the pool or in the apartments. This actually wasn't too much of a problem because I found out the password to Deja Vu's Wi-Fi and that was strong enough for me to be able to access from my apartment
Getting back to the pool now, as I said there are shades, plenty of sunbeds and waiter service. The pool itself is average size I suppose although some may say it's on the small side. There is a separated shallow pool for little'uns but the main pool is all one depth. I don't know how deep it is but I'm only 5'4" and I didn't have to sink too deep before I could touch the bottom.
They are very strict with regard to the pool opening and closing times (8am-6pm I think) as this enables them to make sure it is cleaned and safe for use the next day.
No food or drink allowed around the pool other than what you have bought there but that's standard practise.
Directly opposite the apartments there is a small supermarket that covers all the basics which is open 24/7 and a unisex hair/beauty salon and Deja Vu is just a few units down the road on the same side as Prestij.
All staff are quite happy for you to buy your own food and drink to eat in your apartment, I wasn't made to feel awkward at all, for me it truly was self-catering with the added bonus of a lovely bar and restaurant to hand.
All in all I can't fault the owner, management and staff as along with new friends I made there, they made my holiday as fabulous as it was. The only reason I am not staying there in October is because they finish for the season the day before I arrive otherwise I'd be more than happy to book again.
AC is £5 per night as are the safes (located in reception). To keep your room on for an extra day (if they can) is £15.
I think that just about covers it all but please let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know as you're right, there really isn't a lot of info online and some reviews can be very alarming and (in my view) totally misleading.
When is it you are going, this year or next?
I'm sure you'll have a brilliant time anyway.

[jayjay1950]

janeypoos, you have given Prestij a glowing report, it sounds like you enjoyed your stay there very much. We have had our holiday at Icmeler for this year, so we are on the countdown to 15th August next year at Prestij. I think you have just about covered everything I would like to know about these apartments, thank you for taking the time to write it for me I am very grateful. I am sure we will get on with everyone as we are a friendly family. We have been going to Icmeler for the last 5 years and have made many friends. My son and his girlfriend will be with us and it is their first time in Icmeler so it will be interesting to see what they think of it. It was for that reason I was hoping we had made a good choice of apartments, there is nothing worse going somewhere for the first time and the apartments are not up to scratch or the staff are pushy or don't talk to you. Now I can rest easy after reading your post, if you are there the same time as us next year I owe you a drink. Thank you

[dksbbs]

I am sure we will get on with everyone as we are a friendly family.

I can second that.

Dave

[jayjay1950]

Aww thank you Dave, I wont post them horrible pics I took of you when we was last there at the same time as you

[dksbbs]

Aww thank you Dave, I wont post them horrible pics I took of you when we was last there at the same time as you

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