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Holiday Reviews > Med Beach Resorts > Turkey > Side > Side Hotels > Arum Hotel & Apartments > Read Reviews
Arum Hotel & Apartments ReviewsPage 1 2
| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Aug 2008 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomson |
| Submitted
By: |
Mr A P Crow |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
Spotlessly clean, pool area fantastic, food was second to none, staff very friendly. Location of the hotel is also good as it is away from the hustle and bustle of Side itself, which is easily accessible by the dolmus, 1 euro per person. Near to the hotel is a selection of bars,restaruants and shops. My only complaint which prevents me from giving it 10/10 was the Air conditioning, there was 8 of us in 3 rooms and the a/c in all of them was poor. The hotel actually turned it off at 5am and switched it back on again at 9.30, we knew this as you could feel the sudden rush of cool air in the dining room. In the evening the reception area was so warm that all the doors and windows were open to try and cool it down, and when we came out of our room to go to dinner, even though our room was barely cool, it was like walking into an oven. From all accounts the hotel is being renovated, there is a show room on the 4th floor, I hope that they will sort out the a/c at the same time. Despite this, would we return, probably yes.
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| Board Basis: |
Self Catering |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Aug 2008 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomas Cook |
| Submitted
By: |
Miss L Cooper |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
Just got back from a fortnight in the Arum Apartments, and we had an absolutelty amazing time. It was my first time in Turkey and couldn't have had a better first impression. The heat was mind blowing- 45celsius in the day and 25-30 at night- so DO NOT forget the suncream!
The hotel is fabulously clean, and the pool and beach are fantastic (although you should enter the sea in front of the Sunrise Queen Hotel next door due to the rocks). There are great food and bar facilities in the hotel, although it is quite expensive if it's not included in your holiday price. We had breakfast in the hotel a couple of times and ate in the local restaurants the rest of the time.
The only thing the apartments could have done with is a toaster, and it is probably a good idea to take insect repellent- there were often ants in the bathroom sink but it really can't be helped in the hot climate.
Side is a lovely town, the Roman ruins are amazing. There are absolutely hundreds of restaurants and shops to look at (anyone visiting Turkey for the first time shouldn't be put of by the people touting for business outside every single shop and bar- at the end of the day they only have about 6months to make enough money for the rest of the year. Most are very friendly and it only takes a firm but polite "no thank you" to make them back off). Tip: the fake designer clothes, shoes, bags etc are all great but do avoid the perfume- it tends to wear off after about 10minutes!
Side is 50minutes walk from the Arum, so if you can't face that in the heat, I would reccommend the Dolmus buses rather than a taxi- just flag them down where ever you are (they generally beep as they approach you) and it only costs 1euro per person.
Nearer to the hotel we found that the Brothers, Staudamm Restaurant and the Orient were the best places to eat- particularly the Staudamm where we made friends with all the staff- they have Turkish nights every week which are excellent fun. Also the Staudamm is attached to a very handy food shop- which is the first you get to 5minutes walk out of the hotel. If you find a place where you like to eat don't be afraid to go back- plates of fruit, raki, liqueurs and turkish tea or coffee can all be yours on the house if the staff get to know you!
The organised day trips are also great fun- we took a boat trip to Manavgat and saw sea turtles, and a jeep safari into the Tauros Mountains which was absolutely fantastic- do wear old clothes though as you get covered in dust! We also did parasailing and banana boats, which can be organised from the huts on the beach and are all very safe.
All in all an excellent holiday- I will definitely be goin back to Turkey soon!
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Aug 2008 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Portland Direct |
| Submitted
By: |
Mr C Daniel |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
Me my Mum and Dad have just visited this hotel and we cant fault it! It's fantastic!
The staff are lovely and friendly and cannot do enough for you. From the moment you step into the hotel till the moment you step onto the coach to the airport, you feel well looked after.
The food is amazing and there is a huge variety! I'm a fussy eater and I loved it.
The pool is wonderful and very refreshing! The entertainment during the day is brilliant with activities for all ages such as archery, aerobics, mini club etc.
The beach is beautiful and always clean, as is the whole hotel! The only down side to the beach is the rocks in the sea, you just had to be careful. Also you can spot sea turtles on the pier!!
All the local Turkish people we met were really friendly and were always up for a laugh!
The rooms are very spacious and you feel right at home! They are spotlessly clean.
If anyone was unhappy with this hotel (Mrs C Keener) then they will never be happy in their entire lives. =)
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
May 2008 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Portland Direct |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs D Litchfield |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
Just returned from our first (me, husband and 9 year old son) holiday to Turkey and couldn't have picked a better hotel.
It had everything we wanted and more - the food was lovely, the staff very attentive and helpful. Bedroom was spacious and cleanliness was very high throughout the hotel. Lovely decor and good quality furnishings.
Pools were great, especially enjoyed the pool bar.
Kids club was run by the hotel, which meant that there were activities throughout the day instead of the 2 hour fixed session that UK run tour operators tend to have.
Used the spa for a turkish bath - would recommend.
Couple of things wished we knew before we went - beach towels are provided daily (could have done with extra space in the case!) and hotel operates a room charge card so actually didn't need to take much cash.
Wherever we went prices were in Euro's so don't feel you need to take Turkish lira.
Would recommend and will be going back.
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Jun 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomson |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs S Bristoll |
| Overall
Rating: |
8/10 |
| Comments: |
One word, fantastic.
Great resort, fantastic hotel, would recommend and would go again. Mostly German and Russian go there, small amount of English people.
Side currency priced in euro's then Turkish lira!
We went in June 2007, arum hotel fantastic. Free sunbeds, beach towels, and safe in room.
Staff really do look after you, nothing too much trouble.
Go to the queen’s bar for a good night out. Best Turkish dancers/belly dancer than all other bars. Dancers are not allowed to ask for money of customers.
Should mention from midnight music in queens is for the younger generation!
Arum hotel is the best we have been in for the price, try it.
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Jun 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
MyTravel |
| Submitted
By: |
Ms S Corless |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
I would recommend this hotel to everyone. From the moment you were dropped off to the moment we were picked up to go home. The hotel is set in beautiful surroundings, and the public areas were always kept immaculate, the staff just never seem to stop working to keep the standards 1st class.
The swimming pools were lovely and kept at a perfect temperature, and the beach was always clean, drinks are available 24/7 and staff are always willing to assist. The hotel was predominantly German but that didn't bother us, well, apart from the majority of the sun-lounger spots been taken up by 8am (so get down early) although we never had a problem on the beach, even at midday.
The food was fantastic, and there was always lots of choice, and it was always refreshed throughout the meal times. Salads, breads, cold meats, hot dishes, pasta, local and international dishes and lots of yummy deserts!
The entertainment was a little bit on the basic side, but the children's club always seemed popular and would be recommended if you take any children. We ventured 5mins walk from the hotel and went to the local bars in the evening as they are cheaper and a bit more livelier than our hotel. The locals love 'us Brits' down there and are very friendly without any harassment. For a more varied night out the Dolmus stops outside the hotel and is 10mins into the centre of side with plenty of bars, shops, restaurants.
Rooms were lovely, and very spacious. They had the added advantage of free safety deposit boxes and air con. All have balconies, and even as a basic room we were given a super king bed! Cleaners came everyday, and did a fantastic job.
I loved this hotel so much that I'm going to book for next year. I've been a few times to Turkey and nothing compares to this hotel and resort (big thumbs up! and cant wait to go back)
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Jun 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Vingresor |
| Submitted
By: |
Mr M Persson |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
We stayed at the Arum for a week in an apartment on the third floor with an magnificent view of the pool and the sea. The hotel is really nice and the staff is willing to help in any way they can.
There are mostly German, English, and Russian guests and a few Scandinavians and most of the staff speak English and/or German. The staff that run "Arum animation" mostly speak Russian and English, I don't know how well they spoke German, I nowadays prefer English as my German isn't as good as it has been.
The Animation-team work hard for the guests and there is archery, water polo, darts, water gymnastics and lots more to do. We had a archery contest between the Russians and the Swedes and we all won refreshments from the pool bar.
After that contest we had Russian friends for the rest of the week even if we didn't have any common language to use. The pool bar is really a pool bar as you can sit in the water in the pool and have a drink. Just beware not to knock over a glass on the marble top and get broken glass in the pool!
You can't use money anywhere at Arum. When you check in you will get a credit card that work everywhere in the hotel except in the shop. It doesn't matter to much as the prices are higher than outside the hotel and the shopkeeper isn't very service minded anyway.
We didn't use the shop much. If you take a five minute walk to the main road you will find shops and restaurants that are a lot cheaper than at the hotel. Just check that you get a reasonable price and you hassle when you buy stuff other than food. To haggle is an art and always do it in a polite manner, the result should be "win-win" and both parties should be satisfied. Never be rude, you don't always get the price you want. Most shops and restaurants take both Liras and Euros.
The rate is pretty fair in most places. Postcards are cheap (0.50 to 1 Euro for 10!) but buy the stamps at PTT (the post office) as the shops charge you double to compensate for the price of the postcards.
We ate at a number of restaurants around the hotel and in Side town. "The brothers" is close to the hotel and they will serve you a good meal at a decent price. We ate at "The brothers" a number of times and the staff is very nice and make you feel very welcome. "Linda" and "Queen" are good too and we found that will all serve you a well prepared and good meal and the service is very good.
If you go down to Side (30 minutes walk on the beach or 5 minutes by minibus, "dolmus") you must try the "Tropical" or the "Ottoman beach restaurant.” You can get free transport to the "Ottoman". Go there just before the sun sets and you can watch the turtles and a beautiful sunset. Avoid the restaurants around the harbour, they are more expensive and charge you for all different kinds of things.
You have to live with the annoyance of people at the door trying to get you in their shop or restaurant. Just smile and say "no, not today.” Just keep in mind that the designer clothes, fragrances and other stuff are all fakes, you will always get what you pay for! If you go to Manavgat (2 euro by Dolmus) on Thursdays there is a market.
You will find all the stuff you find in the shops in Side, only 20 times more. But there are also some things that are not the mainstream tourist merchandise like spices, handicraft, also. There is a fruit and vegetable market that you must visit, buy some cherries, apricots or a melon.
I could write a lot more about Side and Arum hotel but you must find that out for yourself. We didn't know what to expect from Turkey beforehand but we are all very taken by the country and the people and we will certainly visit Turkey again and probably stay at Arum.
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
May 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomas Cook |
| Submitted
By: |
Miss S M Evans |
| Overall
Rating: |
7/10 |
| Comments: |
Overall I thought this hotel good. Visited in May '07.
The staff were very friendly; spoke good English (majority) always willing to help which I couldn’t fault. They wouldn’t let me lift a finger, not that I wanted to.
Hotel was clean. Very good standard. Except the light outside the main door was hanging by wires! Apart from that perfectly fine; clean spacious... getting a revamp in Dec. would love to see how it turns out because wouldn’t have thought it needed doing
Main criticism I would say is that it’s a little over run with Germans! Not that bad except the hotel mainly caters food wise for them. Which isn’t so good if are a fussy eater. And you don’t like really hard cheese...and frankfurters...
Also if you’re planning on going take tea bags, you won’t get a decent cup in the hotel less you use bout 5 bags!
Also lifts are tiny. And not much mobility not fun, especially if you’re stuck with Germans and don’t speak German!
Wouldn’t like to visit the hotel in peak seasons as I think it would get to cramped at the pool areas.
Beach is a little dirty, sea wasn’t to clean either.
Also the shop in the hotel is very expensive, so venture out a little bit further and go to a shop on the strip just outside the hotel.
Also go to a bar called 'brothers' lots of fun to be had in there! Wicked time!
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| Board Basis: |
Self Catering |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Jul 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomas Cook |
| Submitted
By: |
Mr C Moores |
| Overall
Rating: |
8/10 |
| Comments: |
A fantastic hotel, set in beautiful mature gardens, there are 4 good pools 3 of which are not too deep. The rooms are of a high standard with most things you would need. I would recommend anybody staying to indulge at the garden party that is held fortnightly, super food, great firework display plus entertainment. The beach is lovely, however watch the rocks just below the water, we would enter the sea in front of the place next door. Side town about 1 hour stroll along the beach and kumkoy about 30 mins the opposite way. As we were self catering we ate most of our meals in the nearby restaurants. The Brothers was good, the stardom was most friendly due to the owner Mustafa always shaking your hand. My favourite was the Orient where the food was fantastic as was the service offered by the lads who worked there. On the whole we had a fantastic holiday, be happy to go again. WELL DONE THE ARUM, many thanks.
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Apr 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomas Cook |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs C Keenor |
| Overall
Rating: |
5/10 |
| Comments: |
This is a beautiful looking hotel which is clean and well presented but it is owned by Germans and run for Germans especially retired ones who wish to spend each and every day wearing a swimming costume and basking on their sun beds. If you like nothing else but doing this then this is the place for you.
The staff speak English although trying to get requests actioned was impossible. We were Thomas Cook guests and asked for bath robes to go swimming in the indoor pool and were told ok by the receptionist. After 10 minutes stood at reception the receptionist came back to us again and said “sorry what do you want”. We said bath robes please – she said they would come to our room as if we should know that. Mind readers of course!! We waited for an hour in our room and in the end we gave up – no robes ever arrived.
Nurse/Doctor service – The hotel has a service between varying hours each day. I went down to find out the hours and found a nurse sitting in a room. I explained my little girl was ill and she asked me if I would like to call the doctor. Told her that I would nip upstairs to check with my husband and I would be straight back down. We went back with our daughter and she had locked up and left knowing full well we were coming back. It was 3 minutes past her home time!!
Beach Life and Swimming in the sea - The sea is full of rocks and it looks like the sand was imported. As soon as you reach the sea it drops off into rocks where I would say swimming is impossible and dangerous. I would not let a child in the sea at all. However there are other activities such as a banana boat and jet skiing beyond some of the buoys.
A set number of canopies and sun beds and put on the beach every day in a regimented pattern. One English man asked for a canopy over his frame as the sun was getting hot and he was told know that he couldn’t have it because the allotted pattern had been done. He explained that there were no more sun beds on the beach under covered canopies and he was told tough but they might do the others ones tomorrow.
While we were there a Turkish man on horseback picked up a young girl and rode down the beach with her and her parents were frantic. After 300 yards they caught up with him and he said 50 lire please. Luckily the girl loved horses but that’s not the point.
Eating - The food in the Bonsai Snack Bar at lunchtime is perfect. Authentic Turkish pizza – wonderful. This is the meal you don’t get as part of the half board package.
The food which you get for half board in the restaurant is bland and very processed. Breakfast consists of various forms of bread rolls/croissants, processed meat and cheese. I actually identified cheese strings there. The evening meal is also buffet style and is served from 7pm which we found too late especially with a small child. The Germans were queuing well before outside the entrance – pushing and shoving us. Meals were spread out in various hot plates and servers around the room with things like fried wheat balls, spinach stuffed pastry, quail casserole and lots of rice.
A chef carved something each night and one night proudly carved a processed chicken roll (a long anemic looking sausage) and the following night a similar beef roll. The cuisine can only be described as 70’s style. The puddings are dreadful and never labeled. Things like blancmange with pistachios, cold rice pudding, Angel Delight type of mousse and synthetic cream which all look like and taste like they are from a powder. Sponges soaked in alcohol like Rum Babas, cold poached pears in a red sauce. My husband suggested getting Gordon Ramsay in to make them cook proper food.
The children have a Kinder buffet which had pasta, bolognaise and French fries every night and one type of veg and one other dish such as burgers. I was told off by a German man for taking French Fries and peas from the Kinder buffet for my 13 month old daughter. I was using her bowl rather than theirs so he thought it was for me. Naughty me!!
Staff - The Turkish staff were polite but over friendly with my daughter and kept poking her whilst she was eating and sleeping in her pram. I don’t think kissing her is appropriate and pinching her nose whilst she is eating isn’t nice.
It says it is a family friendly hotel but apart from the Kids club I don’t see any fun at all. No slides in the pool and if your baby gurgles or coos during your meal you will get harsh looks from the Germans. They actually pushed us out of the way at the buffet and we were holding our daughter at the time.
Mini Market - The hotel was fully booked yet the Mini Market had bare shelves. If you are happy with eating crisps, fizzy drinks, biscuits and milk then fine but if you expect cheese, eggs, fruit and veg then forget it.
Towel Allowance - The joke about the towels is very true. We saw a German woman throwing a hissy fit as she wanted her outdoor towels replaced when the hotel specify only one towel a day as it costs a lot to continually wash them for everyone and they are very environmentally conscious.
Side - I would say that there isn’t much to do at Side itself. If you visit the shops outside the hotel they hassle you to buy from them so much you wish you were back safe in the hotel grounds. There is some areas of wasteland which aren’t attractive. If you haven’t got children then there are coach trips.
The Animation team – They people keep the guests occupied with boules, table tennis etc but need medals for their patience. I feel very sorry for the poor chap who was running the Mini Club (kids club) and trying to control unruly children of various ages in German and English whilst their parents led by the pool with a drink.
The good points are it is clean, the grounds are beautiful, the indoor pool lovely. Using a hotel card to pay for everything is an excellent system.
Just remember not to ask for anything extra and you will be ok. They have a set regime and they don’t like it broken. Would I go back to the Arum – when I’m 65 maybe. Would I visit Turkey again – probably not.
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Dec 2005 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomas Cook |
| Submitted
By: |
zydercojoe |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
Have just had a great 2 weeks in the Hotel Arum in December 2005. Weather was mixed but overall not bad as well as you can expect in late December.
As most of the reports say this hotel is a great place to stay, with most of the staff being very friendly and the food is of a very high standard with plenty of choice at all meals.
The Christmas Gala meal included in the price we paid, was waiter served but all other meals are from the buffet. The hard working animation team put on a show every few days that is good entertainment, and they also arranged the daytime activities; archery and boules etc. The music in the lobby bar at night tends to be a bit tired as it’s the same 3 guys every night.
Hotel room was kept very clean with a change of towels etc most days and the cleaners make an effort with flowers set out on the bed some days when we got back to the room, a nice touch. Grounds of hotel are kept in top class condition but the Turkish baths were out of action for the time of our stay. Hotel is set up mainly for German guests with only a few Brits at the time of our holiday, many people including Brits are on repeat visits and or long stays.
We did a 3 day trip to Cappadocia with 2 nights half board for 40€ and this included entrance fees etc you just have to pay for midday meals, drinks etc.
You are taken to a carpet factory and pottery, leather and onyx places but this helps keep the tour cost down as the tour company gets a small commission on any sales. (some pressure to buy mainly at carpet factory – leather and pottery good quality and not bad prices )
The under ground city is well worth a look at, as is the formations called the fairy chimneys. We would like to go back and spend more time in Cappadocia as in the time allowed we only visited a small amount of this incredible place.
On the way we called in at Konya to see the Whirling Dervishes museum (Meviana Museum ) again well worth seeing, would have liked to see the dance but the annual festival is from 12th – 17th December and so we missed it by a few days. This trip is excellent value but a long way.
Only down side to this holiday is the way the shop keepers, mainly in Side, try much too hard to get you into their shops, and also look out for the men around the ruins in Side as they act as guides without you asking for one, and then demand payment.
Some gypsy kids around street Markets so keep your eyes on them as they try to give or sell you Turkish flags and bracelets as a pretence like the well known flower sellers (pick pockets) in Spain?? Drinks in hotel are a bit pricey, but you expect to pay this in a 5 star hotel.
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Oct 2005 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomson |
| Submitted
By: |
Mr S Harfield |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
You've seen all the others, and there are 100% accurate.
Great location superb hotel, two bedroom apartments for a family of 5, loads of room. Take the half board option, you will not find better quality or choice for your meals.
If your there in October, take a jacket for the evening shows, clear skies can get chilly at night. The shows can be a little bizarre, but it adds to the entertainment.
Staff couldn't be friendlier or more helpful, when you visit Side or elsewhere, you'll soon get used to the haggling.......enjoy it........ our kids drove some hard bargains and loved it. Remember if they weren't making money they wouldn't take it, so pick an outrageously low starting price, you wont pay much more. Walking away works !
We'll be back !
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| Board Basis: |
Self Catering |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Oct 2005 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomas Cook |
| Submitted
By: |
Miss C Rookley |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
This hotel is so nice and the location is just great. 11 of us went and we had the time of are lives. The staff are so nice and there is so much to do in and out of the hotel, it is just a great place. I really loved it and I’m going back for definite next year. If you like hot weather and nice people you will love it so much but if you want to go out and see the sights it’s still great.
There clubs for the people who like night life and there are historical places for you sight seers and for you who want to sit back and relax there a pool and a pool bar with the health centre next to it. You will have the time of your life and I promise you that.
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Sep 2005 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomson |
| Submitted
By: |
Mr A R Jolly |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
This was our second stay at the Arum, our first being in 2002 and it was like coming home. Everything you have read in previous reviews about this hotel is true.
The Arum is a great hotel in which to relax, the card system means you have no need to carry cash which eliminates the problem of how much to tip, you can pay your bill or get a statement at any time during your stay from reception and if you pay in cash receive a 7% discount. The grounds are spacious and beautifully maintained with plenty of sun beds around the two main pools and private beach, although some of the guests still insist on getting up in the middle of the night to place towels on their chosen spot.
Arum is a German owned hotel so, German is the first language spoken here but most staff have a good understanding of English, the waiters are very friendly and nothing is too much trouble (say hello to Ismail “Smiley” for me and Ali for my daughter). The Animation Team provide plenty of entertainment during the day with activities such as volleyball, water polo, darts, aerobics and even bingo, they also have a kids club for 12 and under which seemed very popular. Every day at 5.30 there is a happy hour (buy 1 get 1 free) and in the evening a free show at the amphitheatre or disco, which is geared mainly for the German guests with dancing and elaborates costumes, I would strongly recommend you see the “folklore” show which is put on by an outside group. Every show is followed by the second happy hour in the disco.
The food is of a very high standard with plenty to choose from and you can eat as much as you want (although I would not recommend it, unless you want to buy a complete new wardrobe). We had water with our evening meal as the wine was overpriced for the quality, followed by coffee at the show and drinks at happy hour, the perfect and most economical way to spend an evening.
As previous reviews have said prices here are very high compared to other Turkish resorts, we found that drinks outside the hotel were not much cheaper especially if you take advantage of happy hour, but if you do go outside I would strongly recommend Linda’s Bar for great music and dancing, if you stick to just 1 bar throughout your stay you will find that by the end of your visit you are treated like royalty, we received plenty of free drinks and snacks and were even able to reserve tables for the following evening which when we arrived were covered in flowers and decorations.
Side is a pleasant little town full of shops bars and restaurants which can easily be explored in a morning, the goods in all the shops (including jewellers) are not priced which means if you are interested in buying something you have to ask, be prepared to haggle otherwise you will be better off in the hotel shops, never pay the asking price and don’t be afraid to walk away as they will soon come after you if the price can be lowered, a calculator with exchange rate option will help you secure a bargain .
Take a Dolmus to travel locally, for only 65p you can visit Manavgat market on Thursdays, I would recommend this to buy Jeans, T Shirts and Leather Goods at the best prices locally but as in most cases you get what you pay for, don’t buy the cheapest (4 for £10) T Shirts unless you want them for dusters after a couple of washes.
On previous holidays we have always booked our own excursions using local tour companies to save money, however this time we failed miserably, we used Island Touristic who managed to send us on the wrong tour, left us stranded 50 miles from the hotel and overcharged us, I would recommend you use your travel company for all excursions in this resort to save time and money, even trips to Antalya and Alanya by bus were dearer than with Thomson.
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| Board Basis: |
Self Catering |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Aug 2005 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomas Cook |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs C Crook |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
What a great place this is, we stayed in a one bed roomed app which had a double and single bed in the bedroom and a daybed in the living area which was comfy enough to sleep on. The cooking facilities were limited only two rings, but they were fine for what we needed.
The living area is beautifully decorated with pictures and nice furniture, we were on the ground floor, but all apartments have large balconies with table and chairs and a rack to hang all your washing on. Power shower in the bathroom was great, always hot water and lots of space and a large lit mirror. TV with nearly all German channels, but mtv, bbc prime and cnn in English.
Air conditioning is free in the app. There is also a free safe in the apartment, lots of drawer space in the bedroom with a large mirror and a bedside table each with lamps, plus large hanging wardrobe in the little hallway. Everywhere on this site is clean with beautiful flowers.
Everything gets washed down every night. Our app was cleaned every day, fresh towels whenever we needed them, very high standard. You don't need to take any towels with you as you are given a towel card for towels for the beach and pool.
As reported before the site works on a card system, you just hand your card over for any food or drink and then settle up whenever you want, we settled every 3 days or so, drinks are quite expensive 3mil for ice tea or coke, 3.5mil for a beer (sm). The shop on the site is very expensive and not very friendly--probably because we had lira and he wanted euros. Try and avoid having to buy anything other than your bread from him. Plenty of little supermarkets outside the hotel.
I was looking forward to being able to go to the gym, but although it has a good range of weights, it only has two bikes and one treadmill, which you could wait an hour for. The Germans won't move for anyone.
The pool is fab, as its so large it never seems busy and there is also a small indoor pool as well. The beach is private and adjoins the site, but the sea is very rocky on the arum beach, but if you just walk 15 metres to the next hotels beach the sea is sandy. Plenty of sunbeds and all free. The Germans still play the towel game, but threes so many beds and so much room it doesn't matter. Lots of activities on the beach, i.e. Paragliding, banana boat rides etc. The arum also organise activities on the beach for all ages i.e. Bowls for the older crowd, volleyball for the younger.
Food in hotel restaurant is wonderful--mainly caters for the Germans, but still plenty we liked--£30.00 for two adults and two children. This is a buffet style and there is also a lovely a la carte restaurant with really good waitress service we ate here a few times, but also went out into the resort as well, can recommended the queen restaurant ( has pool tables and internet cafe at the rear ).
We had 3 lovely meals here. This was at the strip in front of the arum, plenty of shops and bars etc here. We only went into side itself once, its about 4 kilometres down the beach and takes at least 50 mins to walk, but it is a nice walk there and back, you can of course get the Dolmus or taxi. We ate at the Mexican restaurant called chillies, this was very good and friendly staff.
Thomas cook charged the earth for trips, so we used local operators to do ours, white water rafting £30.00 what a great day, boat trip £42.00 and jeep safari £50.00, all brill days and we got a good deal as they let my 14yr old go as a child ( under 12 ).
The only down side to the arum is the entertainment, while its very good and beautiful costumes, its basically just the same show in a different format every night, everything is geared for the Germans. They get a ten min explanation, the British get one min. The staff also speak very limited English so if you like to sit and chat with the waiters, you can't do it here.
Service is very good though and the snack bar does lovely cheap food, but its only open until 5.00pm. There is a disco as well which is for all ages, its where all the teenagers go, so can be quite lively, but it is soundproofed, and away from the apartments, so no noise. They do a happy hour here and do lovely cocktails. They also do happy hour at the bar by the pool and this gets very busy ( 2 for 1 drinks ).
The pool bar serves nice sandwiches as well. There are lots of organised activities going on during the day i.e. Water aerobics, darts, bingo etc. There is also a kids club divided into separate age groups, it looked like they were having great fun and it was very busy, my kids never go to the clubs unfortunately.
There is a hamman on site with a huge range of different massages available, the hamman is free, but you obviously have to pay for the rest. The hotel has lots of facilities--room service in the self catering apartments if you desire, internet, pool table ( only one though and it gets really busy ), one of the bars is open all night, it has a range of shops i.e. Jewellers, leather, gift---but quite expensive.
This resort is lovely, but be prepared, its more expensive than other Turkish resorts, the Turks speak German as their second language and we didn't see any dancing waiters in the bars or quiz nights etc. ( not our thing, but the kids always like watching the dancing and doing the quiz's) also euro is the excepted currency and you will get a better deal, for ex i was charged 13 euros for some drinks ( £8.20ish) but when it was converted to lira for me it was 25mil (£9.60ish) this happened a lot.
We loved this hotel and have booked again with friends for august this year ( 06) this will be our third time.
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