The most unpleasant surprises from hotels in Turkey and Egypt were presented to tourists by experts from one of the popular tourist services. These include check-in delays, cleaning issues, non-obvious paid extras, fees, and other issues.
In general, experts talked about the following unpleasant surprises:
Superficial cleaning in the room: what in Egypt, what in Turkey in budget hotels most often just make the bed without changing the linen. As tourists complained, sometimes the same stains can be observed on neatly folded towels and sheets for a week or even more. It happens that the sand from the beach is not cleaned either.
Check-in delays: usually the rules allow check-in and check-out at noon, and check-in after 14:00 – 15:00. But it happens that check-in is delayed for several hours without explaining the reasons. Guests are allowed to use all hotel services except the room, so you can see people sitting after the pool in the lobby.
Similarly, tourists checking out have to wait for a bus for several hours in the lobby. Moreover, tourists who want to save are advised to pay attention to this separately – the fact is that tours with an inconvenient departure time are cheaper.
Low-quality alcohol: free drinks in the bar are not always to the liking of the tourist: three to five cocktails are usually presented, which are usually diluted with water. Beer is available on tap in most hotels, but only one type. You will have to go to the nearest supermarket for variety. In most all-inclusive, all alcohol is locally produced. Foreign varieties offer hotels with the Ultra All inclusive format.
Food and swimming pool according to the schedule: all-inclusive is the exact time of service provision, as a result, there is a risk of staying hungry when arriving late or after an excursion. Exit – the restaurant for a separate fee. There is also a schedule near the pool. Pools may operate at certain times and close in the evening for cleaning. During the day, guests may encounter a shortage of sunbeds and a large number of people in the pool itself.
Dependent products: often in budget hotels, whether Turkish or Egyptian, the staff simply transfer products from breakfast to dinner trays. Including fruits and salads – which happens and is simply dangerous.
The most convenient location of hotels: most often, hotels are not so close to the nearest city. For the most part, experts say, finding a pharmacy or supermarket outside the hotel is not such a problem in Turkey. But before traveling to Egypt, you should find out in advance whether there is a taxi at the hotel and how much it costs. A taxi to the hotel can cost almost 20 times more than a bus to the desired location. So, for example, from the Turkish city of Kumkoy to Sidi, a bus costs $1, and a taxi costs $20-30. Resort hotels in Turkey often offer a free shuttle for shopping. It is worth checking with the guides how much it is free. It happens that the trip is paid for by the hotel only in one direction.
Paid water: this is water from the minibar. Sometimes it turns out that you can drink it in the room only for money. And often at check-out.
Paid upgrade: the main unpleasant surprise of Turkish and Egyptian hotels. Tourists are accommodated in a small room, with a view of the wasteland or with the smell of sewage – they are indignant, but at the reception, they find out that they bought this category (economy). To upgrade the category to standard, you need to pay extra. The amount usually does not exceed $20-25.