A number of our new guests often ask us what the breakfasts in our hotels are like especially given the fact that we only sell our hotels on a B&B basis. The reason we only do a B&B options is so that our guests can experience the great choice and quality of food available in the restaurants in resorts like Kalkan and Kas. Also our guests can really experience the flavour of the local environment as opposed to being stuck in the hotel eating from a limited half board menu….very undiscerning!
Anyway, I was at the Asfiya hotel on the very last day of the season and was there to sample the breakfast with my wife and two children aged 8 and 5.. There were only 5 rooms occupied so a total of only 10 possible guests for breakfast (plus us four).
This is a list of what was on offer and can I just say that there was enough of everything below so that if the hotel was full then no guest would go short.
Here goes:
5 different choices of cereal.
Separate bowls of Olives, Walnuts, Tomatoes and Cucumber.
5 different types of fresh Cheeses.
Only 2 types of Yoghurt, natural and fruit! (someone have a word)
Fresh fruit including Apples, Oranges, Kiwi Fruit, Pineapple, Plumbs, Watermelon, Pears and a bowl of mixed fruit cocktail.
Pots of Honey, 8 different types of Jam and Marmalade.
Fresh bread and butter.
Juices including Apple, Orange, Cherry and Pineapple and bottled water.
Hot dishes of the day which on this day included Mushroom Gratin, Fried Sausages, Turkish Pastries and 4 minute eggs.
There’s a chef on hand that will cook your eggs any way you want including fried, poached, as an omelette (mixed or whatever way you wanted), scrambled, pancakes, Menemem (which is a Turkish scrambled omelette…good with Bloody Marys if that’s your thing!)
Dried fruits including Apricots, Figs and Raisins.
And lastly some Turkish Delight!
Tea and coffee is served at your table by fantastic waiters who are at your beck and call. Fresh orange juice is extra!
Now don’t forget this is the last day of the season which this year was Monday 5th November. The service was impeccable, the manager and owner on hand (ok the owner Aslan was there because we were there) and the sun was shining! It was a fantastic breakfast with an amazing choice. And this is the same every day of the holiday season. I know because I often check out the breakfasts in all our hotels throughout the season. The Asfiya is a mid range property with a huge repeat business percentage, somewhere near 60% of the guests keep coming back. Its not the Likya in terms of the wow factor, but then neither is its price, but the service is absolutely brilliant and Adem, Sema and all the team there need a massive vote of thanks from the Discerning Collection team and (if I’m not being too presumptions) from all our guests.
There was talk of the Asfiya being turned into apartments but I have convinced the owner that this is not in the interests of our guests or indeed Kalkan. If we could only have more hotels like the Asfiya that don’t pretend to be anything other than a really good hotel with great rooms and great service…..and great breakfasts!