Grand Yazici Marmaris Palace

Hmmmmmmm!!!!!!! Where do i start?? Well a 5 STAR it definately is not!!!! More like a 3 star on a good day. Dont get me wrong the scenery is stunning but you cant expect to place a pile of garbage such as this in such nice surroundings and get away with it. The food is repetative to say the least, pretty much the same morning noon and night, and I would not feed it to my dog. The staying guests were ignorant as were the very unhelpful staff. The hotel is in great need of a total update in both the physical sense and in people skills. At one point i noticed a "chef" used in the leanest sense, sneeze into his hand and wipe it on a baby chair, (you be the judge). Our son dropped some food by accident and we were advised that the cleanup team would clean it up, but this did not happen. So after a short while a foreign paying guest picked up the dirty food from the floor and placed it quite blatantly on our childs plate which he had not finished with. DISGUTED isn`t the word and staff would not do anythig about this and dissmised us, nor would the so called amateur rep who wrongly advised us to do the same back in a child like tit for tat manner (unproffesional isn`t the word) I could go on about a number of things but other people will do this for me as they get more bad feedback. My first and last experiance of Turkey........

We stayed at the Mares for 10 days in the apartments on a self-catering basis in June this year. This is the 2nd time we've stayed here the last being around 8 years ago! The only reason we have not been back before was because we like to try other resorts & countries. I agree with others comments that this is not up to the standard of a 5* hotel in UK - but that is one thing you must bear in mind for Turkey (and some other countries for that matter) that their star rating is somewhat different to ours. My advice would always be when holidaying in Turkey chose a hotel that is minimum 1 * higher than you would want. That being said we had a fab holiday and found that the only changes at the hotel since our last visit were certainly improvements! The gardens and public areas are very attractive. Both pools of a good size. Apartments are large, clean and comfortable ours had two bedrooms (one twin / one double) and two balconies, large bathroom, and kitchen / lounge area with table and chairs, sofa bed and TV + fridge and two ring hob (and a sandwich toaster - hey!.) And with reference to some other comments, whilst they are not luxurious by any means as long as the beds / bathroom / linen etc is clean and everything works I don't see a problem as you only shower and sleep there anyway! The only gripe I have is that there were not enough sunbeds (or umbrellas) especially on the beach front.(given that it was over 40C most days a little shade is often needed) The reason may have been that a large number of people appeared to be up at the crack of dawn to 'reserve' sunbeds with towels - I ventured down to the sea area at 0800hrs one morning and all were already taken - although only about 20% had people there. Also despite many sunbeds around the pool having the hotels towels on them from before 10.00 a.m. no-one appeared to use them until the mid or late afternoon !! We ate at the Italian Restaurant one evening (a bit expensive but quite nice) and a couple of lunchtimes. Drinks were also a bit pricey at the hotel. Also ate at the main restaurant one evening – very good choice of food but the dining room is a very large so a little canteen-like. The Sultan Bar had a good atmosphere with live entertainment earlier in the evening and a DJ livening things up a little later on. We didn’t sample any of the other entertainment but there was something on in the main area each night next to the pool / restaurant. We didn’t see anyone particularly drunk all holiday so no trouble at all (despite the majority staying all inclusive) and there were different nationalities too – mostly Russians, some Germans, Turkish and a few Brits & handful of Americans / Dutch etc so a good all round atmosphere. We ate in Icemeler most evenings. There are loads of good places to eat but I highly recommend the Kerem Restaurant close to the canal in Icmeler – along from the Majestic. Make sure you stick to your guns and pass the others by…it is certainly worth it! We have been to Icmeler on 2 other holidays and could not believe we had never ‘discovered’ this lovely restaurant before! It looks like a traditional wooden house and is set a little way back with a small garden in front but on closer inspection you realise it’s a restaurant! Only small but serves traditional Turkish cuisine in lovely surroundings with pleasant Turkish or classical music playing unobtrusively in the background. It has an extensive menu & the owner Laila is lovely, friendly and helpful (she and Gihan arranged jeep hire for us and recommended a couple of routes for us to follow for a day driving round the area exploring – well worth doing) The food is fab – too many things to recommend – suffice to say we ate there 4 or 5 times. We took along some friends one night (8 of us in total) and we all ordered different dishes – we spent most of the time passing fork-fulls of food up and down the table to try each others choices – all of it gorgeous! And the cheesecake is famous! We were too full on the first visit so said we’d come back after the market the following day – which we did and it was just lovely! And Gihan & Laila remembered us and our names  Take the time to read the Guest Book at the end of your meal – so many positive comments from all nationalities. It was so nice to eat traditional food – and not have a big screen TV and loud music blaring out! Put it this way if we’d discovered this place at the start of the holiday we would not have eaten anywhere else. If you ask Laila she will show you round the house which is no longer lived in but she has kept furnished in traditional style..and out onto the little balcony – which can be reserved for eating (there are just two small tables) overlooking the canal.We felt like we were visiting friends not just eating at a restaurant. Please go there ! Also recommend the boat trips – but shop around – we paid £ 10 a head incl lunch (drinks extra) for the one which leaves the jetty near the Mares. It was ok but I’ve been on others where the food was nicer and the drinks much cheaper. When we went into Icemeler later in the holiday we were offered a boat trip which included coll / drop off at your hotel and including drinks & lunch for £ 8 each !! The market in Icmeler is worth a visit – do some bartering, it’s expected ! It has the usual fake designer stuff – some of it v good quality some not so good! Some traditional crafts.. textiles, leather goods etc ..Onyx ornaments ….lovely fruit and veg & spices – wonderful smells! It can get v hot and v crowded – the dolmus drops you off at the end of the road – so easy to get to. If you get a chance do drive around the Bozburun Peninsula…stunning scenery..much of the road hugs the rocky coastline..some lovely villages and small bays to explore. Thankfully this area is also protected so it will not be over developed in years to come! We’ve been to Turkey 9 times now over the years staying at 5 or 6 different resorts …and can’t wait to go back!

Never venture to this hotel if it is to be your first experience of Turkey, it will put you off for life!! We arrived here at 8.30 am, having trvelled all night, only to find that despite a specific request at time of booking, and specific request from travel agent, they had allocated us a third floor "bungalow". Not much use to me as a wheelchair user.....so it began!!! The staff on reception were dismissive, rude and totally uncaring. They told us we would have to wait until after 2pm to be allocated a different room, this meant we had been awake and travelling for over 24hours. We were filthy, hot and exhausted. They gave us keys, and guess what, it was another third floor room.!!! They then informed us that this was the best they could do, and accepted no responsibility for the error, and pointedly ignored us when we tried to explain why the room wasn't suitable. The rep tried his best to get something sorted, but they were equally rude and dimissive to him. Eventually after many tearful telephone calls between the Travel company guest services rep and us, a decision was taken to move us elsewhere. I ws too tired and distraught to argue at this point, but the move was the best thing to happen. To say we were dissapointed by the Mares is an understatement!! My husband and I have been to Turkey several times and love it and the people.......the staff at the Mares do not do their people justice. Don't go to this hotell!!!

We went in July 2008, peak time. Hotel room was a bit disappointing, small and smelly. The air conditioning had to be fixed because it was kicking out a revolting damp smell. Mini bar, what mini bar!! A small brown mini fridge which didn't work oh but had two bottles of warm water in.....Balcony view was lovely though. The big pool was very nice although you have to get up very early 7.30-8.00am to save yourself sun beds, the same applies to the sun beds down at the sea. The food was good if you are only staying for one week. Fresh salads and breads but by the end of the week it started to get a bit samey. We spoke to a few people who were staying for two weeks and they had started to go into town to eat by the end of their holiday. The waiters and the entertainment staff were very good, hard working people but the reception staff were the grumpiest, rudest people we have ever come across. They could not be bothered to speak or help you with anything. We had trouble with our safe and had to wait 2 days for a technician to come and sort it out for us. The reception staff kept fobbing us off asking us to contact them tomorrow. Not good at all. I have never written a review before but felt I needed to on this occasion. I had read some reviews on here before I went and was happy but quite disappointed with the holiday overall.

A mixed bag, for Turkey this hotel is very good indeed, as here bad is really bad. Good points are the bungalows (spacious, secluded, well located, fantastic freezing aircon, how clean yours is depends on your cleaner). Bathrooms have constant powerful hot water and toilets flush well. There are 2 large pools, each with a kiddie pool. These are on different levels, up steep steps, the top pool is smaller and less deep (but still 1.5M) and has the water slides, and the lower pool is large and 6ft 6in deep. The pool bar is on the lower level, which means leaving the kiddies in the upper pool while going for a drink, not ideal. The whole site is very steep and hilly, lots of steps, but the hotel common areas are over 2 floors including 2 glass lifts overlooking the stunning bay, which is one of the best views we’ve ever had. Rooms in the main hotel are normal travelodge stuff , but there were complaints about dirty carpets. Sunbeds are in short supply, and in the top pool area so naff that I broke 4 in 3 days and ended up using a chair. Lots of sturdy wicker chairs, no Upvc. In the end everyone managed to find something. Be clear... THERE IS NO BEACH ! There’s a long winding patio area right round the sea, then water. There’s no sand, no buckets and spades OK. Pools are very clean, with not one ear infection. The “beach” patio area is jam packed with sunbeds, every inch taken. Some people got up 6am to reserve, some had towels removed and were a few arguments. Beer is good, spirits very rough with huge measures, wine rough. You have to order cola and drinks from the bars at meals , the waiters don ‘t serve, there’s no self serve fizzy dispensers, but there are water and chilled squash dispensers filled by bottled water. Food is either the main restaurant, or the Italian (shady and pleasant) or the Camlik bar beside the sea. The latter two cook freshly to order. The main restaurant does some charcoaled food, extensive salads and sweets, but there’s basically potatoes, pasta, rice and unidentifiable meats,trays of stuff with cheese on it, with an overwheming and nauseous strong stock smell. QUEUES are the order of the day, there’s plenty of food, but you can stand for 20 minutes at various lines just to get one balanced plateful, while your table gets cleared of other stuff you’ve just got or taken by someeone else. It’s just badly organised and bang on 9:30 everything gets whipped away. Morning there’s just 2 pans for everyone’s omelettes and fried eggs. Like 900 people... And 2 ancient toasters.. so imagine the queues. Plentyful watermelon, common lounges are lovely. Snooker and internet are free, Wireless broadband in the lounges, bring your own laptop. Guests were 60% Russian (very well behaved, professional and discrete), and 10 % Brits, Dutch, Belgian, German. Some Brits behaved like idiots, of course, the only loud or loutish behaviour were by Brits. Largely it was really only by language that the nationality could be distinguished, the exception being some of the Russian girls who had absolutely stunning eyes that stood them immediately apart. Very few tummies reported, unusual for Turkey, but we had sickness and diarrhoea all 5 of us for a couple of days. Not sure why maybe the salads or the water. Glasses weren ‘t properly washed at the pool bar. Bottles of water are at the coffee bar. Don’t go for the hotel towel rental, someone will lose theirs and nick yours, you’ll have to pay £10 or nick someone elses.. and on it goes. Just avoid and use your own. Transfers were long and slow 2 to 4 hours, most transfers involve a call at a cafe where a pepsi costs £1.50 a can, but this isn’t unwelcome on a 2 hour drive to be honest, and I got a lovely fresh made cheese and tom roll on the way home. Beats the filthy Moto services on the M2 in Kent by miles ! The transfers do give you a good view of this well organised and surprisingly developed and well planned country. Staff were nice, especially Ferdi and Ahmed , but some others too obviously wanting a tip annoying the kids with unwelcome hugs. Turks love all children, and are unreserved in their affection, political correctness hasn’t reached here . Entertainers are OK, with Olga and Natalie (both Russian) the best and hardest working, some did nothing. There’s endless talking over the mike across the pools for what seems like hours, in various languages, you can’t even understand the English version and this does get loud and annoying and it goes on and on for ever. There’s a lovely elderly 3 piece orchestra in the restaurant but this is drowned out every night by the kids club music show, just a waste, but if you get to hear them it’s well worth it. The pizzeria was rubbish, just like pitta bread with white goats cheese and who knows what. The hotel has fantastic views and it’s own helipad from which the night sky over the bay gives a view of shooting stars and satellites going over very special, with lots of unusual masted ships and motor boats. Agree any price for anything clearly in advance, one family was verbally quoted 26 lira for laundry, then found a bill for 250 lira had to be paid. Cab fares into Marmaris varied from 1.50 lira to 15 Lira each way. Ice creams at the hotel - can be £8 each OK, just agree the price BEFORE TAKING. Dalaman airport is lovely, really modern, but a Big Mac costs £12, a BK chips costs £4 and a pizza hut pizza £22. Empty as a result. Cigs are good value and quality at the airport. In Marmaris, likely anything with Adidas/Nike is a fake, so don’t think you’re buying originals. Avoid the Sultan bar and the “disco”, where women may be pestered by TOURISTS rather than locals. Not nice, seedy, just not our scene, we called it the Swamp bar. So, overall for turkey this was a good large hotel complex and a good break. It’s not international 5 star, probably a 4 star Plus complex with 2 star food. But if you want to go to Turkey I suspect this is one of the best you’ll find.. assuming you can do without a sandy beach, can cope with steps and really should go out for a few proper meals.. tho this will mean a late night cab

We arrived at the Divan Mares at 5.00 am. Having been awake all night, we (11 people in the party) just wanted to get some sleep. However this was not possible as rooms had been double booked etc. It was 11.00 am before it was sorted out. Not the kind of start we had hoped for. After that little problem, everything else went as smooth as we would have hoped. The hotel itself was very similar to a 'Premiere Lodge', both in the quality of the rooms and the way the hotel was run which was a big plus point. The food was 10/10, unlimited fresh fruit, fresh bread, chicken, steaks, fish, superb puddings etc, and as much as you could eat!! The beer from the hotel bar was just as good, but a touch pricey at 7 Turkish Lira per pint. The swimming pool and hotel facilities were well above average. Table tennis, pool and the internet were all free of charge. Away from the hotel there were loads of lovely bars and these were just a stones throw away. About 2 miles away is Marmaris centre which is extremely busy at night, brilliant if you like it like that, I personally like it just a touch quieter. The Turkish people were very polite and freindly, and not just in situations where they were taking your money, except at the markets which are just full of crap. I bought 5 T shirts for £10, none of which were wearable due to holes under the arms etc. I really wouldnt recommend those markets. All in all I recommend this hotel and this resort very highly and will definitely visit it again at some time in the future. (Minus market visits!!!!).

Firstly, before booking you should keep in mind that this hotel is a Turkish 5 Star, not a English/International 5 Star. Rooms- The standard rooms were not 5 star material; dimmly lit hall ways, dirty carpets, basically, if you have ever spent a night in Travelodge, that is what the standard rooms are like. However, the deluxe rooms in the main building are more like they should be. Food- In my opinion, the food was excellent. Great range of diferent choices everyday at lunch and dinner times. Breakfast got a bit boring after a few days, but the Pancakes and varied eggs they serve are pretty decent. I noticed that everyone loved the watermelon they serve here. For vegetarians it could be a complete different story as most of the food they serve is meat orientated. Staff- Very friendly and helpful. Through the receptionist to the waiters, they all work extremely hard and long hours. I would advise to take a roll of 5 lira notes for tips. Location&site- The area is very clean. The beach and sea is good. Lots of German and Russian tourist like to vist this area. After returning for a week from this hotel, I would recommend it to all as a great place to unwind and relax. Kids will love it. Lots of cheap stores around. (hotel goes by the name of Grand Yazici Mares aswell)

Spent a week at the hotel and am amazed that Solo's Travel rated it as a 4 star. I stayed in a 'bungalow' which was in need of modernisation, a good cleaning and some repairs. The 'adjoining' door to the next room meant I could hear my neighbour quite clearly! Not very private really. The air-conditioning was not working in my room and after several reports to the rep and more to the hotel it was eventually repaired....after one and a half days! It was a major repair which took 3 hours to do and discovered they were aware of the problem and still allocated the room to me. (The average temperature that week was 42 degrees.) The food was poor and the cooks were not helpful and could not always describe the food on offer. Even though there were lots of waiters clearing the tables (very efficiently I might add) they had a problem with body odour. Overall staff were not friendly or very helpful. The public rooms/areas of the hotel were not air-conditioned. There were not enough sunbeds for the amount of guests. I wasn't expecting loud music for many hours each day. Not a hotel or area to visit should you desire to chill out. A fellow guest who had been to the hotel in past years expressed how much the standards had dropped . I am very disappointed with Solo's Travel and the Divan Marmaris. What a waste of money and time.

We were nervous about going to Turkey and people had said Marmaris was a bit down market but this hotel was amazing, we hardly left it during our nine days and when we did to visit Icmeler (3km or so) we found that the people were charming and found exactly the same when we visited Marmaris twice. The old town and the port area at Marmaris was lovely. Anyway back to the hotel. This hotel is beautiful. We booked a "garden villa" I think it was described as. It was more like a garden apartment. Blocks of two bedroom apartments with stunning views of Marmaris bay which is just amazingly beautiful. The staff at the hotel were ridiculously nice to the kids and us. I have never been treat so politely and considerately at any holiday location. I have heard before that Turkish people make a fuss of the children and everywhere we went they couldn’t be nicer. The hotel looks like one of the biggest in the area and definitely one of the smartest and nicest. There must have been one staff member for every two or three guests. On arrival I reported that the safe didn’t work and the plug in the bath also. They were fixed within 30 minutes by the excellent and very friendly staff. The food and drinks were all inclusive and excellent with the exception of the wine which was just OK to drink. I have been on a lot of "all inc" holidays in the past (I am not a huge fan as I prefer to eat out) but I sincerely advise anyone staying at the Mares to take this package as the catering is excellent. They even have wine waiters serving up the free wine and drinks. The only downside during our holiday was that in the second calendar week we were there there was a huge influx of Russians (perhaps school holidays) and the atmosphere changed a little. Many were very nice but there was a lot of inconsiderate behaviour such as taking your sun shade while you were away at lunch despite it being clearly in use and we lost (had stolen) two pairs of pool shoes (of course may have nothing to do with the Russian guests) The entertainment at night was variable. The kids disco was great fun but the shows (they call them animations) were sometimes funny and sometimes utterly rubbish. Just drink plenty of free wine before you go. One night however they put on a Grease show which was truly stunning. I guess as the summer goes on the shows will get more polished. All in all this is a magnificent hotel for families and couples in a wonderful, beautiful location and the Turkish people and staff (plus the Russian staff) were delightful. We are grateful for the best value and most relaxing holiday we have had for many, many years.

stayed in the bungalows they were brilliant .rooms were cleaned every day.location was excellent.pools were top class.staff all so friendly couldnt of done enough for the children. entertainment was great as well.kids loved scoobie ,hasan ,alcan,merat many more.food was super plenty to choose from.cant wait to go back again next year.