Reviews of Raga Apartments, Side

I like a lot more holiday makers who stayed at raga at the same period as ourselves have unfortunately not countered some of the detrimental comments that had us extremely worried about holidaying at raga for two weeks. I will start by saying that raga never have tried to be 5 star and is not . On arrival , my wife and I were very concerned due to the very poor comments we had read, but were very soon in a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere which has been created by the owners . The rooms are yes basic, but they were spotless and served us well . The pool area was always cleaned daily by the staff who never seemed to be off duty more than a few hours and who had a great attitude to us throughout our stay . While trying meals at various other venues we found that we ended up eating at raga for most of the time, the food being first class and the staff very attentive. I must add that the aquarius opposite came a very good choice for a change, but I am sad to say that some of the beach restaurants left a little to be desired. If you want a good value holiday with friendly owners and staff, a relaxed atmosphere where you can just read and chill out then we fully recommend raga . If you want 5 star , manic night life etc then dont go here, just pay the extra and book elsewhere. See you raga in 09 and thankyou.

My family and I have returned from yet another great & relaxing holiday at Raga, we have been going there for 6 years & over the last couple of years have introduced some of our friends, who like us, have had a fabulous time!

The owners, waiters, kitchenstaff & housekeepers are second to none, they cannot do enough for you! Infact, our holiday this year went far to quickly!

I agree that you DONT go on holiday to check out and scrutinise every little fault you can find and on doing so, if you had reported it to the owners they would have done their best to rectify the problems.

The apartments are in an ideal location, they are clean & like it has been said, you get what you pay for, they are close to the beach and Side old town is a short stroll along the beach, the people are friendly, restaurants serve good cheap food & drink, if you are thinking of holidaying in Side, I have NO hesitation in recommending the Raga.

See you all NEXT year, hopefully for 3 weeks!

If you are looking for a good value, family holiday you cannot go wrong at Raga. However, if you wish to spend two weeks counting weeds, checking the alignment of wardrobes, making observations about the matching (or not) of kitchen cabinet doors, or the gaps around windows, this is not the place for you.

Having visited Raga four years previously I had no hesitation in visiting again, and was not disappointed. Yes, the accomodation is basic, but my wife & three children (ages 16, 12 & 10) were very satisfied and found the whole experience to be relaxing and enjoyable. The cleaner came in six days out of seven (our bins were still emptied on her day off), there was no trouble with flies, ants or mosquitoes.

Air conditioning is a necessity and with basic kitchen equipment the types of meals that could be prepared are limited. But why stay indoors? There are a number of good restaurants nearby, together with shops and water activities available on the beach. The main town of Side is a 15-20 minute walk along the (restaurant & shop-lined) beach, there you will find even more shops and historical sites. Also buses or taxis are easily available to take you to other towns nearby.

With a wealth of nationalities visiting Raga my children had fun around the pool all day, every one got on well and there was a good mix of families there enjoying themselves.

I would have no hesitation in recommending Raga.

My family and I have just returned from a 2 week stay in the Raga Apartments and like some of the other guests were a little troubled, having read some less than complimentary reviews, just before our departure. We had a great two weeks and would not hesitate to return to the Raga if we holiday in Side again.

Yes the apartments could perhaps be described as a little basic, but they were spotlessly clean and there was always fresh linen and towels brought by a very cheerful maid, a lot better than some other places I have stayed. Surely you don't go on holiday to spend your time inside your apartment, checking the wardrobe doors to see if they are correctly aligned. I think there are some people who just need something to complain about and maybe should just stay at home!

The pool and bar area was clean and the staff amiable. The atmosphere around the pool was relaxed and friendly and the children of all ages and nationalities mixed well. The managers and staff were always ready to help with any problem and I know they have been upset by the recent negative reviews (some as mentioned, strangeley posted when the Raga was not even open.)

True the Raga does not to provide 5star luxury service and accomodation but this is reflected in the price you pay. It is however a well run apartment complex, clean friendly and good value for money, and totally suited to families.

My family and I have just returned from a 2 week stay in the Raga Apartments and like some of the other guests were a little troubled, having read some less than complimentary reviews, just before our departure. We had a great two weeks and would not hesitate to return to the Raga if we holiday in Side again.

Yes the apartments could perhaps be described as a little basic, but they were spotlessly clean and there was always fresh linen and towels brought by a very cheerful maid, a lot better than some other places I have stayed. Surely you don't go on holiday to spend your time inside your apartment, checking the wardrobe doors to see if they are correctly aligned. I think there are some people who just need something to complain about and maybe should just stay at home!

The pool and bar area was clean and the staff amiable. The atmosphere around the pool was relaxed and friendly and the children of all ages and nationalities mixed well. The managers and staff were always ready to help with any problem and I know they have been upset by the recent negative reviews (some as mentioned, strangeley posted when the Raga was not even open.)

True the Raga does not to provide 5star luxury service and accomodation but this is reflected in the price you pay. It is however a well run apartment complex, clean friendly and good value for money, and totally suited to families.

I have just returned from a 2 week stay in Raga Apartments with my husband and two daughters (7 & 5). We had an excellent time and I was initially worried after reading some of the comments before we left but remained open minded. We always travel on a self catering basis and were not disappointed with Raga at all. The accomodation is quite basic but no worse than anywhere we had stayed in the past. If you expect anything more luxurious perhaps you should pay for a higher star rating! The apartments were cleaned 6 days a week and they were spotless upon arrival. The kitchen area and bathroom was clean. The towels (hand and bath towel per person) and sheets were changed regularly as well. The air conditioning was payable locally as stated by Manos and this cost 165 TLira (safety deposit box and 2 weeks air con). You didn't have to have the safety deposit box but I can't remember what the split was now. I thought the gargens were beautiful and full - I would not class them as overcrowded or full of weeds. There is small park area for small children as well. Around the pool area there were trees which provide much needed shade and the flower beds here were full of ground covering plants with pretty flowers - in my opinion! There were plenty sun beds and umbrellas but you did have to put your towel on them by about 8.30 to get a good spot. This is not a fault of Raga, but of all the guests who all want a good spot around the pool - I think this is the same wherever you stay. We ate at Raga a couple of times and went to their Turkish night which was entertaining. The food was good and the bar staff were very good and worked long hours and were always in good humour. There were a couple who's English wasn't that great but then I can't speak any Turkish so I'm not going to complain! Our children had a great time at the pool playing with the other children staying at the apartments - both English and Dutch.

The beach was only a 2-5 minute stroll and excellent for small children - shallow, warm water and lots and lots of sand! You could walk to Side town along the beach in about 15-20 minutes (child's pace!) passing lots of restaurants along the way where you can watch a fantastic sunset. Sunkiss, Truva and Alremu are all excellent. The beach is free and the sunbeds are provided by the restaraunts but they don't charge, however, they do like you to buy drinks but we weren't hassled to buy them. Pegasis was a great place to stop for a drink at the end of the beach near Side town. You can look down at the bay and back along the beach and watch the turtles - the waiter isn't lying!!!

I cannot believe the comments that I have just read on this site from people who were obviously staying at the same time as my family and I and also on the same flight that has just arrived back into Gatwick.



I have just returned from the Raga Apartments in Side with my family. These Apartments are some of the most basic accommodation I have ever stayed in. To call them basic would be an understatement.



Upon arrival, our first impression was of neglect; the gardens and public areas were over grown. Flower beds contained more weeds than flowers. The pool area was shabby lined with dirty sun loungers. The pool was very cloudy and looked dirty.



We were taken to our room in F Block. The first thing we noticed was that windows were missing from the stairway and many of the frames were rotten.



Our room was even worse. The living room contained a basic 3 piece suite covered in a hidious fake leopard skin fabric. The kitchen cabinets did not match, some doors did not shut, one lamp shade was missing and another was damaged. A selection of assorted glasses were laid out on the shelf. The kettle did not work and the fridge was dirty and its seal was broken.



The master bedroom contained a small double wardrobe (doors would not shut), two beds, one had a missing support and rocked when slept on and the fabric was all ripped so that you could see the wooden base. Light fittings were falling off the wall and the door would not shut as the door frame was hanging off with sharp rusty nails sticking out.



The second bedroom was no better, smaller and only had a single wardrobe.



In both rooms, the only hangers were those left behind by previous guests.



The bathroom was clea and functional, but its door had been badly repaired with filler and the tiles around the frame were ragged having been badly cut. The shower area was dirty and the shower curtain/cubicle came undone if you backed into it.



Plaster was coming off the walls and some fell on my head when I shut our bedroom door.



None of the doors to balconies or front door fitted properly with large gaps at the tops and bottoms.



The bar was grotty and few of the staff could speak English. Their food is very good but the slimey waiter made our skin curl. He touched up both my 16 year old daughter and 14 year old son. He gave everybody the creeps.



Avoid this place if you can. Save your money and go somewhere better. Even the Swedish people staying at the Apartments were disappointed. The Thomas Cook Rep was pleased that people were going to complain in the hope that it forced the owner into spending ome money!

Just returned from wonderful two weeks at Raga - a little apprehensive after some of the recent comments, but speak as you find and I have to say these are among the cleanest, friendliest, best kept apartments we have ever stayed in.

NO hassle at all from staff, who were on hand as and when needed nontheless. Maid service daily, fresh bedsheets, towels even loo rolls every morning.

Brilliant location - a short stroll (again hassle free) to the beach, post office & supermarket next door, also independent 'Linda Boot' tour office for your boat trips - manavgat market cruise and waterfalls great value at about 8 quid incl lunch - every mon and thurs, highly recommended.

Sunkiss and Alremu great places to eat & don't miss a stroll or two into town to see the ruins and turtles swimming inshore at dusk (the turtles that is; the ruins barely swam at all...)

Super place. We'll hopefully be back.

I would like to disagree with the comments made about the Raga Apart Hotel. I have been coming here for 15 years and obviously would not return if I and my family did´nt enjoy coming here. I have always found the owners and staff to be of the highest calibre and nothing is ever too much trouble. I find it strange that previous comments were made for Mar and Apr 08, when the apartments don't open until May. The restaurant has always provided good quality, and reasonably priced food, and I have never heard or seen any food being sent back. The apartments are cleaned on a daily basis, apart from one day, when the cleaners actually have a day off! The sheets are changed every 3 days and the towels every 2 days. The apartments have always provided a safe haven for young families, with enough entertainment outside to cater for all teenage tastes, which in my case is fully utilised by my son, who now has many good friends from many different countries. Just to clear up the extra charge for the room, this is in fact the tour companies policy,where accommodation is only paid for up until 12.00 on the day of departure. The hotel offers private rooms at less than day prices which they are not obliged to do, in order to help guests, on that horrible last day.

We have just returned from a 2 week holiday staying at Raga and I have mixed feelings on the whole, we had a lovely relaxing holiday great food and the weather was beautiful but I do ask myself whether there was anything special about the holiday and the honest answer is No.



I met another family who had stayed at Raga last year and they could not believe the difference, there was no evening entertainment apart from the Euro 08, there was no themed nights and the price of Spirits where high, the staff where pleasent enough but a bit on your case to buy drinks, ice creams etc. un fortunalty in our last week 2 staff members got the sack and I am guessing by the head waiter (leon) black eye that was why, they where probably the 2 best waiters there.



and if you dare leave Raga get ready for a whole deal of stress along the stretch to the beach and along the beach (would highly recommend Sun Kiss restaurant and they are not to pushy aswell).



I found the bars and restaurants on the beach very pushy and rude one even swore at us when we said no thank you to eating in his restaurant, we found it very sressfull every evening walking along the beach which should have been a stunning walk with the sun setting and the water at your feet. You can take the road not such a nice walk and longer but not so many pushy people.



We had a night flight so decided to keep on our room at Raga for the day it cost us a whopping 60 Lira (around £25 - £30) and we did'ent even keep our room we had to move over to the bed and breakfast side so a bit pointless really, considering there is a complimentory shower I would recommend anyone not to keep on there room at that price someone I knew who stayed down the road only paid 20 Lira (about £8) far more resonable.



We have decided we would never go back to Side and proabably never to Turkey after the rudeness of a lot of the locals.

not a bad holiday but not much for younger ones to do, especially teenagers.



good place if you want relaxation, however, be careful with the waiters as they do tend to try and get you to spend loads and only seemed to be satisfied if you was spending your money there.



the hotel is very quiet and the time we was there provided no entertainment, this is why i feel it would not appeal to families with teenagers but would satisfy those who want to relax.

filthy hotel, unclean, food was always uncooked. wouldn't recommend this disgraceful hotel to anyone, even my worst enemy!! side itself is beautiful but the hotel spoilt my holiday. they are only happy when u spend ur money there and are happy to rip u off



do not understand how it got its 3* ranking

The description of the apartments is completely incorrect.



Firstly it is not a great choice for families, as there is nothing at all for children to do apart from the swimming pool. The apartments do provide a slide and swing but this is only for a limited age group.



They are not well-managed apartments, as the management are only after grabbing your money and ripping you off. I agree with the previous view upon them offering disgraceful apartments for the last day at high prices.



The location isn't bad but i will not be returning to raga apartments due to many reasons, especially the fact that the apartments are money grabbers who don't really care about the individuals who have paid a lot of money for a good holiday.



I have also been overly-generous by rating it as 1/10

Just returned from a one-week holiday to Raga Apartments in Side, and believe me that was more than enough.



The hotel itself looked like something from the 1960's, and being an 18 year old with a 15 year old brother - there was nothing at all to do.



The staff at the hotel are only happy with you if your spending your money there, if your not spending money there, they do not bother with you. One night we chose to eat there was our last. DO NOT order a chicken filet from the restaurant, as all it is is different parts of a chicken pressed together and shaped into the shape of a filet. One lady even stated that her food was uncooked.



We ended up eating out all the time, and as for the other visitors to the hotel who have added their reviews, Raga do not like you relaxing. If your quiet and trying to sleep, one of the waiters is bound to disturb it, especially 'Liam' who decides to advertise chicken in a pot or chicken in salt. We fell for the chicken in the pot and found it to be a complete waste of money, even when they tried to charge us for 3, when 3 of us shared one pot. The waiters are also paid based upon how much they sell, therefore, they added on extra items on to our bill, hoping we wouldn't notice.



The maid also didn't clean our bed sheets and towels on a regular basis. In fact, after 3 days of constant complaining, they finally changed them.



On the final day, our room was only booked up until 12:00am, which was common with many other families. Instead of the apartments helping out the visitors, they decided to take this opportunity to rip visitors off by charging up to £30 for a few hours! This was also a completely different apartment off the complex, which had very poor facilities. Luckily, we were very stubborn on staying within another apartment within the complex, whilst other families ended up in an apartment with no bed covers, towels, broken tiles and no running water.



We will NOT be returning to Raga apartments, or Turkey, as they have completely put us off the country. Side itself is a beautiful town. However, be aware that they do hassle you a lot more than other parts of Turkey, especially within Side centre and along the beach front.

warm and friendly staff with clean spacious apartments.pleasant stroll to the beech where the sea is wonderful.plenty of good restaurants arond apartments or walk along the beach for even greater choice.we spent days on beach with sunbeds kept for us at the dalgic which has green chair covers . lunch menu simple but good.staff are very good and very helpful nothing too much trouble. evenings spent trying different restaurants plenty to choose from. one we liked called nostalgic.

Staff at raga apartments are wonderful and good choice of food.