RAIA TRIED & TESTED | Eftalia Village, Turkey

Ten people, three generations, one resort. What could possibly go wrong?

Let's start with the guest list, shall we?

Me, my husband, three children (15, 12 and 10), my eldest son's dad, his partner and their three-year-old, plus my in-laws, who were in their late sixties.

Yes. You read that correctly.

I went on holiday with my husband, my ex, his partner, their little boy AND my in-laws.

Before you ask, nobody had lost a bet, nobody was being held hostage, and I'm pleased to report that we had an absolutely fabulous time.

Our destination was Eftalia Village in Turkey, and this is the first instalment of Raia Tried & Tested - where I share my actual experiences of hotels I've stayed in, including the good, the not-so-good and the little things the brochures don't always tell you.

First impressions: a village rather than a hotel

One of the things I really liked about Eftalia Village was the layout.

Rather than one enormous high-rise hotel with endless corridors, it's made up of smaller, low-rise accommodation blocks set between two main pool areas.

At the upper end, you'll find the waterslide pool, a smaller splash pool for little ones, a pool bar and a shop.

At the lower end, there's a larger pool without slides, which generally felt a little quieter, along with more bars, the main restaurant, spa and reception.

Beyond that is a snack bar, the entertainment stage and the underpass leading to the real star of the show: Eftalia Island.

It's easy to get your bearings, and I much preferred the smaller accommodation blocks to wandering around a huge hotel trying to remember which corridor I'd come from.

Eftalia Island: where the magic happens

Now, this is the big selling point of the Eftalia resorts.

Eftalia Island is a huge beachfront leisure area, accessed from the hotels via dedicated underpasses.

A little tip: Make sure you use the underpass for your own hotel. They're linked to specific properties, and security will redirect you if you try to use the wrong one.

Once you're over there, there's an enormous amount to do.

Waterslides, lively pools, quieter pool areas, a pirate-ship splash pool for younger children, cabanas, shops, bars, restaurants and enough food choices to keep even our group of ten happy.

And then there's the street food.

Oh, the street food.

Kebabs, waffles, salads, fresh breads, fried chicken, pizza and all sorts of other goodies. Honestly, this was probably our favourite place to eat.

The seating around the street-food area can get incredibly busy, though.

My advice? Go just before the food outlets open, send someone to find a table while the others collect food, or do what we often did and take your food back to wherever you're sitting by the pools.

There are also plenty of tempting extras, including ice cream, Dubai-style strawberries and cocktails served inside actual melons.

Worth knowing: Not everything on Eftalia Island is included in your all-inclusive package. Some stalls, speciality food and drinks cost extra. If you've read my recent blog about the confusion surrounding all-inclusive holidays, you'll know exactly why I think this is important!

The food: better if you're adventurous

I'm going to be fair here.

Eftalia hotels sometimes get a bad reputation, and I can understand where some of the criticism comes from.

The buffet can feel repetitive, particularly if you prefer a fairly limited range of familiar foods.

But we're an adventurous bunch when it comes to eating, so we honestly didn't struggle.

Between the main restaurant, snacks and the fantastic street-food options on the Island, we always found something we enjoyed.

And I need to give a special mention to the lovely lady making fresh stuffed breads near the Village snack bar.

I visited her practically every day.

No regrets. Absolutely none.

The sunbed situation

Let's address the elephant by the swimming pool.

These resorts get BUSY.

And when they're busy, finding sunbeds together isn't always straightforward.

We travelled in October and usually managed to find four or five loungers together, but I wouldn't want to promise that would be the case during peak summer.

With ten of us, we adopted a fairly sensible system: the adults had priority for loungers, and the children shared when they wanted somewhere to sit.

They were usually too busy having fun to care anyway.

If you're the sort of person who needs ten perfectly positioned sunbeds together every morning, this might not be your ideal resort.

Our £30 room upgrade

Here's a little decision I'm very glad we made.

For our family of five, we paid approximately £30 at check-in to upgrade to a three-bedroom apartment.

And it was worth every penny.

We had our own bedroom, the children had proper space, and nobody was squashed onto a sofa bed in the same room as us.

Would everyone need that upgrade? Absolutely not.

But for us, having that extra space made a real difference.

The accommodation was immaculate, the cleaning staff were lovely, and we were very happy with our rooms.

We did have one issue during the holiday when our door lock stopped working.

We reported it, and within an hour the lock had been replaced and new key cards issued.

Things occasionally go wrong in hotels. For me, it's how the staff deal with them that matters.

And on that occasion, they were excellent.

The staff and surrounding area

Every member of staff we spoke to was friendly and helpful.

From housekeeping to the team sorting our door, we had a genuinely positive experience.

Another thing I liked was that you weren't completely isolated within the resort.

There are shops, bars and restaurants within walking distance, so you can head out for a wander, do a little shopping or simply have a change of scenery.

The resort shops sell many of the same things, but we found prices could be higher, so it's worth looking outside before buying souvenirs.

A little hidden gem for snorkelling

Now, this is one for my fellow ocean lovers.

At the far end of the beach, beyond the cabanas and seawall, there's a small cove with a little reef.

It's a lovely spot for snorkelling and a nice change from the pools and waterslides.

As always, check the sea conditions before getting in, particularly with children.

From the splash park to the big slides

One of my favourite things about this holiday was watching the youngest member of our group find his confidence.

At three years old, he absolutely adored following my boys around, and they were more than happy to take him under their wings.

He started the holiday enjoying the little splash park, but within a few days he'd progressed to the larger slides back at Eftalia Village, with the older boys accompanying him.

He was absolutely delighted with himself!

It's one of those lovely things about travelling with a mixed-age family group. The older children get to feel like the big, responsible ones, and the little ones get their very own heroes to look up to.

Of course, children should only use slides appropriate for their age, height and swimming ability, with the required adult supervision.

And the grandparents?

Well, I'm delighted to report that we managed to persuade my 69-year-old father-in-law to go down all the big waterslides on the beach.

And he survived to tell the tale.

Quite frankly, that alone made the holiday worth it.

It's also a pretty good illustration of what made Eftalia work for us. We had a three-year-old, teenagers, parents and grandparents, and everyone found something to enjoy.

Would I go back?

Yes. Absolutely.

We had a fabulous holiday, and I wouldn't hesitate to consider Eftalia again for the right family.

Would I choose Eftalia Village next time?

Possibly not - but only because I'd love to try one of the other Eftalia hotels and see how they compare.

I rarely book the same hotel twice. Not because I don't enjoy them, but because there's a whole world of places waiting to be explored.

Eftalia Village isn't a peaceful boutique retreat, and I wouldn't sell it as one.

It's a busy, lively, family-focused resort with fantastic access to waterparks, plenty of food options and lots to keep different ages entertained.

If you want quiet sophistication, uninterrupted tranquillity and guaranteed sunbeds in a perfect row, I'd probably recommend somewhere else.

But if you want a fun-filled family holiday, love a good waterslide and don't mind a bit of bustle?

Eftalia Village is absolutely worth considering.

And if you can organise a holiday involving your husband, your ex, his partner, three generations of family and ten people without a single dramatic incident, I reckon you're doing pretty well.

Travel simple. Discover more.

Raia Tried & Tested - real stays, real experiences, and honest opinions from someone who's actually been there.