Reviews of Can Garden Resort Hotel, Side

We have recently returned from 2 fantastic weeks at the can garden resort in Side. We were a little concerned after reading some of the reviews online before we travelled. We need not have worried. The hotel was spotless,food was wonderful( i am quite a fussy eater), the staff were all friendly and eager to help particularly Fatima in the terrace bar. We had a wonderfully relaxing two weeks. Yes, you had to be up reasonably early to get sunbeds round the pool. If you didnt want to be up early there was always the beach which was quite a walk, but there was a free shuttle bus from the hotel to the beach. There are a lot of steps down to the beach but i am partially disabled and i managed them ok. The food at the beach bar was as good as at the hotel.At the hotel, If you did not want to go to the dining room for lunch there was a poolside snack bar with plenty of choice. We would certainly stay at this resort again. We met people there who were visiting for the second and third time. I would just like to say thankyou to all the staff who helped to make our holiday so enjoyable

sue and john burgin

WARNING *Staying at this resort could seriously damage your health*



Right then, where do I start, my girlfriend and I are both 24 and relatively new to travelling, so certainly not the ‘seen it all, done it all types’. However…



After just a day, myself and my partner came down with a stomach bug (as did 8 -10 other couples that we knew of) which rendered us room bound for a couple of days. Diarrhoea

and Vomiting very common. Constant running to the loo, stocking up on loo paper from the guest area toilets and visited the 'Apotheke' (Pharmacy 2 mins up the road) on several occasions to get antibiotics and stomach tablets as normal Imodium has no effect. We were assured that the room would be disinfected regularly but never smelt or looked any cleaner.



To rate things individually:



Hotel/Resort: 8/10 - As others have said, first impressions are good, resort appears clean and tidy and the majority of the staff were helpful. Impressive design, modern, well laid out, good pool, even only three years old starting to show a few signs of neglect (damp, cracked tiles but nothing too major).



Staff: 8/10 - Friendly, polite, very well presented, not all speak English but never a problem.



Food/Drink: 1/10 - Would rather stick a sharp thorny stick in my eye than eat the food. At first, seemingly wide variety, then you notice it is repeated every 3 days (so 2 weeks in, you've had more than enough). Flies constantly seen feasting on uncovered food (a pet hate of mine as they carry so many germs). Food only ever luke warm and never hot (had Meatballs and Chicken served up still raw inside). Again as others have said, lived on chips, plain pasta, and fruit for 10 days. Drinks menu VERY limited with few known brands. I did loose half a stone though so every cloud does have a silver lining! J



Entertainment Team: 1/10 - Utter rubbish, annoying, childish, rude and like a stuck record. (Germans loved them as it was very 'Eurocheese' entertainment). Never knew when enough was enough (disrupted meal times, the quiet areas and even on the Beach). I heard one guest mutter "If that little **** carries on like that he's going to end up in the pool", within minutes there was an almighty splash as someone finally cracked and had to shut him up by chucking him in!! The cheer from the Brits was the highlight of the holiday! Well done that man!



Excursions: 10/10 (Booked through Thompson) - Excellent, could not have been better, anything to get out of the resort!!! Turkish Bath and Massage so relaxing, would go back for another just on its own merits! Jeep 4x4 Safari again excellent, had a few 'health and safety' niggles on my mind but all went without a hitch (for the time being) with the drivers informative and the scenery breathtaking. Manavgat Waterfall and Market very good, needed more time in the market and got lost with the basic map but all good fun! Most enjoyable part of the holiday was the trips out (planned around the toilets of southern Turkey!)



In general, mixed feelings about this holiday, loved the excursions, Side itself very quaint and nice to relax walking round the many shops and restaurants. However, after being pestered like George Michael in a Public Loo, the shop holders do run you down after the 10th time!



Can Garden Resort has the basic potential to be very good, needs to tighten up immensely on Food and General Hygiene Issues. Also, the management need to look at the Entertainment Team’s attitude, which is way over the top for a relatively ‘adult’ resort, it annoyed other guests and ourselves right from the word go. Overall, based on our visit, we won’t be going back and the saviour of the holiday was the excursions and the wonderful company of other British ‘suffering’ guests!!

we have recently returned from can gardens resort first impresssions lovely hotel,

there were seven of us, the food was more towards the germans not a thing for children lived on chips and fruit.Animation team tried very hard with entertainment but not much english spoken but very funny. waiters very freindly and polite we all loved them , rep not so good.Then the illness started very severe stomache pains all of us for two weeks hotel had to be disinfected many were ill in rooms for days returned home still unwell.This was not dealt with soon enough and people were getting ill on there second day of arriving, would not return.

Holiday good hotel good animation teamgood generaly good apart from stomach troubles we were quite pleased with turkey first visit but very upset about the the illness we had it has put us off ever going back two weeks later we are still having stomach cramps .

We have just (15th July - 29th July 08) returned from The Can Garden Resort , Colaki, Nr Side (family of 3, son age 10). We had never visited Turkey before and never been all inclusive. Having read many views after booking and prior to going I was a little worried. However having been to Canaries, Bulgaria, Spain, Corfu we all agreed this was our best holiday. The hotel was superb, spotless and staff were very very friendly. Food was fantastic, how anyone can complain when there were over 5 choices each meal of different meat & fish dishes, something for everyone even for the kids. The deserts were out of this world apparently the best desert chef in Turkey and it was clear to see. Must have put 1 stone ON !!!

The animation team "Arda & crew" were fun around the pool and we saw some good nights entertainment with our last night being a gala night.

The sunbeds, well again having read reports we were worried we wouldnt get any, we had no problems at all with exception of one day, I woke up early so went out at 6am and by 8am the sunbed police had been & removed all towels which is fair play. A sign was displayed in the lifts (which we couldnt see and on the same level as Reception) advising that any towels out before 8am and unattended would be removed, so we were in the wrong. Daily, we would then go out 7.30am - 8am and got sun beds easily every day.

Our son thoroughly enjoyed the pool, slides etc, the main pool is one level throughout of which at age of 10 he could only just touch the floor, but it didnt stop him having so much fun.

The drinks selection was good: punch, cocktails, local beer, spirits. The waitress's within the Terrace bar were so helpful and friendly.

A dolmus (bus) visit into Side well worth it, busy place with lots of shops, bars etc. All prices are in EURO this side of Turkey, but they accept Lira and £.

The Beach, our hotel ran a mini bus hourly to and from the beach where you were guaranteed sun beds and able to still get all inclusive food and drink.

Turkish bath and massage team in the hotel, way too pushy, BE FIRM AND SAY NO as everyone who came out from just having the Turkish bath, facial, massage for 2 hrs at £30.00 each had got back shoulder or leg problems and needed another 4-6 sessions, SAY NO. But the £30.00 option is nice and relaxing, enjoy this within your first few days.

The weather, guaranteed 30 - 40 degrees (july), very hot be careful. All hotel is air conditioned.

The location of the hotel is quite remote, you can take a walk 400 yards up the road to quite a few shops selling the usual fake cloths, belts, watches, bag.

ALL IN ALL A BRILLIANT HOLIDAY AND WE WOULD GO BACK TOMORROW AND WE NEVER GO BACK TO THE SAME HOTEL.

Hope you enjoy your stay as much as we did.

I have just returned from can garden and it is the most beautiful hotel i have been to. It was extremely clean and well presented The only downfall was the food, it catered mostly for germans although we never went hungry. the evening entertainment wasnt up to much but the animation team did well considering. i would return to can garden again and again.

I would thoroughly recommend this hotel in many ways. The food was very good, many traditional turkish dishes, varied meals, well presented and plenty of choice. The drinks were reasonably priced altho' the quality of the wine was very variable and there did not appear to be a wine list so you had to take what you were given. Prices for drinks were reasonable and cheaper than some bars in the town.The location was superb with a private beach which gave fabulous views over the bay. The beach and pool together probably provided just about enough sunbeds for the guests altho' there were days when we could not get near the pool. Some staff were friendly and some were a bit surly but overall a very positive experience. Don't however be conned into playing the bingo if you decide to avail yourself of the hotel entertainment, it was extortionately priced and the prizes were poor. And if you're relying on other children for your child to make friends with then you could be very disapointed as there were no other English speaking children around the age of my daughter who is aged 10, in fact no other ages below mid teens. The hotel was a short stroll from the old town which has shops and bars galore but far enough away not to impinge if that is not what you looking for.

APART FROM BEING OFFERED A FAMILY ROOM ON ARRIVAL WHICH I WAS ALREADY AWARE MAY BE OFFERED BY READING OTHER REVIEWS. WE HAD TWO TWINS WHICH CONSISTED OF A DOUBLE BED AND SINGLE BED, AIR COND AND A FRIDGE WITH WATER, SPARKING WATER AND COLA (ALL INCLUDED). I SHARED WITH MY 10 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND MY MOTHER (IN HER 70's) SHARED WITH MY 16 YEAR OLD SON. AN IMMACULATE HOTEL THROUGHOUT. PLENTY OF CHOICE OF FOOD AND DRINKS. DO TRY THE PANCAKES (JUST OUTSIDE THE DINING ROOM AT LUNCHTIME). STAFF SO FRIENDLY ESPECIALLY IN THE RESTAURANTS AND BARS. DO TRY THE 2 A LA CARTE RESTAURANTS (4 COURSES INCLUDING ALL DRINKS. ONLY £5.00 EACH IF YOU WISH TO VISIT AGAIN. THE BEACH IS ONLY A SHORT BUS RIDE AWAY AND ONCE AGAIN THE FOOD IN THE HOTELS BEACH BAR IS INCLUDED. WE DID 3 EXCURSIONS. MANAVAGAT. A GOOD FAMILY DAY OUT - WATERFALL, MARKET AND THEN A TRIP DOWN THE RIVER LUNCH INCLUDED. THE TURKISH BATH (NOT HOTELS) - I WENT WITH MY SON AT THE START OF THE HOLIDAY - AMAZING AND WOULD DO AGAIN. THE DOLPHIN SHOW (1 HOUR) - VERY HOT SO TAKE PLENTY OF WATER. WE ALSO TOOK THE DOLMUS INTO SIDE. THE HARBOUR AND RUINS ARE LOVELY TO WALK ROUND. PAT THE THOMSON REP IS VERY FRIENDLY. DO LEAVE ANY UNWANTED TOILETRIES ETC ON THE BOTTOM SHELVE OF HER BOOKCASE. VERY HOT, LOVELY LOCATION. MY CHILDREN MADE FRIENDS WITH CHILDREN FROM THE NEDERLANDS AND UK. EVERYONE WAS SO FRIENDLY. 10/10

Just returned from 2 weeks at the C'an Garden Resort with my husband and 6 year old son. We enjoyed our holiday and felt that it represented good value for money overall, although we have been to other All Inclusive hotels which are much better (but also much more expensive!).



As ever, the old adage stands true that you get what you pay for and it's worth noting that this holiday was a lot more competitively priced than a similar standard of accommodation in Spain or other Mediterranean destinations.



A few points to pick up on issues already discussed by other reviewers:



HOTEL STAFF - very friendly and helpful, albeit in some cases with a very limited amount of English spoken. Apparently, Thomson have made a commitment to take 70% occupancy and so over time I would hope that the lack of English speaking staff will be addressed. This part of Turkey has traditionally been a very German orientated area and this hotel is no exception, with most staff speaking German and then English to a lesser degree.



SUNBEDS - yes, there were occasions where it was difficult to find a bed after 8am but this wasn't always the case. There seemed to be more of a problem finding beds by the main pool than by the pool with the slides.



FOOD - this was probably the most disappointing aspect of the holiday, although my husband and I managed to gain a stone between us in 2 weeks so it wasn't as if there was nothing to eat! The main issues were that there was a distinct lack of lean meat and a heavy bias towards carbohydrates. What meat there was often comntained big lumps of gristle and bone and, in some cases, small shards of bone which were clearly a saftey risk, especially for small children. We mentioned this to Pat (the Thomson rep, who was excellent throughout) and there did appear to be an improvement towards the end of the holiday, so hopefully lessons will have been learned. Full marks to the Pastry Chef, incidentally - his Baked Alaska and Apple Streudel were to die for!!!



ALL INCLUSIVE - having been to other (but considerably more expensive) AI hotels, it was noticeable that the level of All Inclusive was not as good here. For example, it was not possible to get snacks between mealtimes (other than cakes between 4-5pm and ice cream for 1 hr per afternoon plus the midnight leftovers). Perhaps a more accurate description than All Inclusive would be Full Board with Drinks Included.



The main pool and beach areas were well served by snack/drink facilities but there was nothing near the smaller pool where the water slides are located. This meant that we had to fetch drinks etc from the other pool area. With 2 adults this was a slight inconvenience although not a huge problem, but could have been very difficult for single parents with young children, as the main pool area was a good few minutes walk away and it would not have been wise to leave young children unattended.



SWIMMING POOLS - I don't think anyone has yet referred to this but as a non-swimmer I found the depth of the main pool (1.5m throughout) just slightly too deep. There is no graduation of the depth - it's the same all the way around, which for non-swimmers, weak swimmers and small children isn't very helpful. At 5ft 3in tall I was immediately out of my depth and could not use this pool. Several other people made the same comment and this, for me, was the other disappointment of the holiday, as the only pool within my depth that I could use to cool off was the one with slides, which very quickly became overcrowded on some occasions. Clearly it's designed as a splash pool but being the only option for me and others like me to escape the blistering heat, there was often a lot of congestion.



HOTEL FACILITIES - the hotel facilities were generally very good and the hotel itself was spotless, with excellent standards of hygiene maintained throughout.



Overall, we felt the hotel represented good value for money and would consider returning in the future (although at a cooler time of year!!!) if the price was right.

We arrıved here a few days a go and fırstly we had thıs man take up our luggage to our room! The servıce ıs absoluty fantastıc really frıendly staff! Your rooms are spotless the medıteranne restaraunt ıs delıcıous we are tryıng the fıshbar next week! The 4 swımmıng pools are great the watre slıdes are brıllıant too. There are 9 bars altogether! The drınks are proper FE PEPSI,FANTA and many more! My Daddy says the beer ıs stunnıng!The hotel ıs squeky clean and the tolıets are always tıdy. Plenty of actıvıtes goıng on and the nıght entantaınment ıs great. We wıll defınatley be back to thıs hotel and we wıll let you know what the next 9 days are lıke!

WE HAVE JUST RETURNED FROM CAN GARDEN, AFTER HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME.THE PLACE WAS SPOTLESS, THE FOOD SERVED US ALL, AND THE STAFF WERE GENERALLY GOOD.THE ONLY COUPLE OF DOWNSIDES WERE THE RECEPTION STAFF ARE CLUELESS, THEY CANNOT SPEAK ENGLISH, AND THEY JUST STAND THERE LOOKING PUZZLED.THEY MESSED THE ALLOCATION OF OUR ROOM WITH OUR DAUGHTERS ROOM EVEN THOUGHT THEY HAD THE BABY WITH THEM, THIS MEANT EVERTHING PURCHASED, LIKE INTERNET,ORANGE JUICE AT BREAKFAST ETC WAS ALLOCATED TO THE WRONG ROOM.WE PAID FOR THE SAFE DEPOSIT BOX THE DAY AFTER WE ARRIVED IN POUNDS, BUT WHEN WE CAME TO CHECK OUT IT WAS ON MY BILL AS UNPAID.BEWARE -----THIS IS I FEEL A WAY THAT THEY CAN INVENT ITEMS ON YOUR BILL IF YOU DONT KEEP CHECK ----JUST INSIST ON PAYING CASH. WE WERE TOLD THOMPSON ONLY TOOK THIS HOTEL ON BECAUSE ITS FRQUENTED 70PER CENT BY BRITS, THIS IS NONSENSE AS THIS IS A GERMAN HOTEL RUN FOR GERMANS.

THE SUNBED ISSUE IS A NIGHTMARE AS THERE ARE NOT ENOGH SUNBEDS, THEREFORE PEOPLE INCLUDING OURSELVES WERE HAVING TO GET UP AT 6.30 TO PUT TOWELS OUT.THIS BECAME SUCH AN ISSUE THAT PRIOR TO RETURNING HOME IF YOU PUT YOUR TOWEL OUT AND DID NOT RETURN WITHIN 1 HOUR YOUR TOWELS WERE REMOVED AND TAKEN TO RECEPTION.THE OBVIOUS ANSWER WAS ----- PROVIDE MORE SUNBEDS --- NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.

this review is for the realistic working class ppl not the I go away every other month n expect2b treated like royalty brigade this review is in depth 4u! 1st drinks choices r as follow soft drinks cherry kiwi orange peach apple fanta sprite coke lemon fanta tea coffee hot choc capuccino caffe mocha caffe latte vodka gin whiskey raki red wine n white wine all free that's 21 drinks available how many do u need! 2nd food was fantastic breakfast toast tons of diff breads cereals waffles pancakes meats cheeses eggs etc lunch n dinner gr8 n varied choice every night certainly not rice peas n sweetcorn as some say 3rd hotel fantastic real 5star accomadation room cleaned every single day as was bedding towels etc staff friendly n certainly not favouring the germans! the staff treat u as u treat them they're not our slaves 4 a fortnight! sunbeds wasn't a real prob got up 8am every day n sunbeds always available the hotel had a 60/40 split in english 2 german guests n plenty of families n young couples there, not an oap camp! all in all a gr8 hotel with gr8 staff gr8 facilities n any1 coming here will love it unless ur serial holiday takers that no doubt have been sumwhere better even if ud stayed at buckingham palace! so enjoy the can garden we certainly did

ive just come back fm this hotel, i went there with my mam and aunty!

the hotel was a 5star all inclusive hotel very very nice hotel defo a 5star!

however it says in the welcom meeting that this hotel is 4 the english! its not a hotal for the english its for the germans! it states in the broucher hat ur in side resort but ur not in side on a road that says ur in cholockly (mite b spelt wrong)

to get into side it takes 2 buses then a tractor bus 2 get in2 side itself which is a nitemere, even in side itself the turkish people cnt speak english they speak turkish or german which is annoyng.

by the poolside u av 2 get up at 6am in the morning 2 get a sunbed as the germans r there already on them or putting their towels on the sunbeds!

the hotel caters 4 the germans food wise he breakfeast is mushed up scrambled egg,beans and spicey hotdog sasages which is disgusting! lunch food was ok if u like stewed food same was the same! u av a cakes selection which was fantastic if u like cakes, on a nite they had midnite snacks which consisted of he left over food fm tea!!! not nice at allcudnt get a cup of tea after midnite

i only drink vodka n coke i think it was a coke i got so in the end i asked 4 a vodka n coke n just a vodka so i cud taste the vodka u ad 2 pay 4 the cocktails which i thought was wrong each cocktail was 6euros expensive!

i enjoyed the break away as i was only there 4 a week but that was long enuf 4 me as id of cracked up if i was there any longer im only 29 n i lke a bit of nitelife wen im away but there was nothing, i work with the elderly n i thought i was back at work wen i got there its like spot the young person!

the entertainment team wasnt much 2 go b either half hour disco 4 the kids thats all bingo casino n dancing oh water ballet 4 the adults on a nite!

i was asked if id go back 2 this hotel n i said yes in abt 30years time wen im a pensioner lol , id never go back 2 this part of turkey again in my life!

THIS HOTEL IS FANTASTIC. WE BOOKED OUR FAMILY OF 4 FOR TWO WEEKS . I HAVE PAID MORE IN THE PAST FOR 1 WEEK SELF CATERING.



THE HOTEL IS FINISHED TO A HIGH STANDARD IN THE PUBLIC AREA'S AND IS VERY IMPRESSIVE.



THE ROOMS ARE SIMILAR STANDARD TO A TRAVEL LODGE AND ARE KEPT VERY CLEAN. THE MAIDS VISITED EVERY DAY AND REPLACED TOWELS ETC AND CLEANED FLOORS AND MIRRORS.



THE MINI BAR WAS STOCKED WITH BOTTLED WATER (NESTLE) AND PEPSI COLA AND REFILLED ON 4 OCCAISIONS AT NO COST.



THE FOOD WAS ALWAYS HOT AND PLENTY OF CHOICE AVAILABLE.



SWIMMING POOLS SECOND TO NONE I HAVE VISITED. I HAD NO PROBLEMS LOCATING SUN BEDS.



BEACH AND BAR REALLY NICE CLEAN. ITS A SHORT WALK BUT EASILY MANAGED. MANY TIMES WE WALKED RATHER THAN USE THE FREE BUS, AND WE HAVE 2 KIDS AND PUSHCHAIRS ETC.



WE WERE ALWAYS OFFERED HELP BY THE STAFF AT THE BAR WITH KIDS AND BUGGIES ON THE STEPS. NICE SAND, CLEAR WARM WATER, AND SUNBEDS!!



ALL STAFF WERE FRIENDLY AND HELPFULL NOT IN A SLEAZY WAY.



NEVER HAD PROBLEMS GETTING SERVED IN ANY BAR. IT WAS ALWAYS QUICK.



I FOUND THE HOTEL FAULTLESS, AND WOULD RETURN WITHOUT ANY DOUBT.

hotel wonderful and clean. staff all friendly and helpful (and not sleazy like some people say) the food was excellent there was always something on offer that we liked. beach 5 minute walk away from the hotel, beach is excellent with the beach bar for dinner and drinks. wexcellent holiday would definatley book to go again and recomend anyone! this hotel should be 5 star!!