Gazipasa Pasha Star

We first stayed at this hotel 3 years ago and had a very enjoyable time, however going back this year was a complete disappointment. We spent practically £100 before we even got out of the hotel, air-conditioning, deposit box, fridge, so our holiday wasnt quite the bargain we thought we had!! The music from the bar was very loud and on some evenings went on until 4am!! Breakfast is very basic and we could not believe that we had to pay the equilivent of £1 for a bowl of cereal! (3years ago it was included) Although the chambermaid came round every day, our towels were not changed on a daily basis, and the ones we had were threadbare and had seen better days. The hotel ran on its own generator, which I think had also passed its sell by date because for the first 10 days all the lights kept going off all over the hotel which affected the air-conditioning and the lift!!! Having paid £60 for 2 weeks airconditioning we were not very happy. Side as a resort is fantastic, there is something for everyone, a mixture of old and new, the beaches are brilliant, clean and golden sand. The 'chappies' at the beach-bars are always happy and friendly. Yes if you want a cheap and chearful holiday, stay at the Pasha Star, but think again if you want a quiet, peaceful and relaxing time.

We had a family hol here in Aug 2007 and would certainly go again. they seemed to have resolved some of the noise from the pool bar as it was reasonably quiet after midnight. The maid service was excellent as was the treatment from the bar staff, they make you feel like old friends. The pool bar is ok for breakfast / lunch but better evening meals can be had elsewhere. We highly reccomend sultans, a few metres from the main hotel entrance, loads of good grub, great service and even better prices. I reccomend senfoni turkish wine, very drinkable ! The hotel runs a minibus service to the beach at certain times, but on a few occassions when we missed it the manager phoned them up and they came for us anyway !. This takes you to no name beach which is quiet (used by locals) but still had a beach bar and a lot of watersports with carefully marked out areas for swimming so you don't get mowed down by passing jet ski's ! There tends to be a bit of a sudden drop into the sea, so be warned ! The beach bar will bring food and drinks to your sunbeds if you go in to order it. there is a small charge for the sunbeds and umbrellas but you need the shade at times ! It's very easy to get burnt feet !. We went quad biking which was a huge adrenaline rush and very dirty, it ould be advisable to cover your mouth as i was eating dust for days afterwards ! My teenagers loved Aqualand BUT, it was very expensive (the hidden extras). Not much shade to be had and the food was salmonella on a plate ! (we went hungry). The children swam with the dolphins (also expensive, about 100 lira each) but they were ecstatic afterwards so worth the expense. The only downside was they are obsessed with jewellery so nearly every trip involves a stop at a jewellery house. There is a large market close to the hotel on sat which is great for clothes etc and the main street is closed on a weds for an even bigger market where mega bargains can be had if you are prepared to barter. Overall a great family holiday in a safe environment, can't wait to go back !

I stayed at this hotel from the 7th Aug until the 14th after my mam booked a last minute deal for the two of us. Upon arriving at the hotel, we checked in and the manager told us that the room he had given us was only for one night and that he would give us "The best room in the hotel" if we saw him the next day. This made us slightly nervous as we wondered what the room was going to be like! When we got to the room we saw it was quite small, clean, but the bathroom was a bit shabby. There was also no air conditioning which made for a very hot first night. True to his word though, we got another room which had air conditioning and was a studio (normally you have to pay a supplement of £50 a week to get a studio). The room was lovely, it had a sink, cupboards and a fridge. The only thing which was slightly disappointing was the fact it had no cutlery or glasses/plates etc. We remedied this by taking some cups and plates from the breakfast room, we just left them there at the end of the holiday. The extras in this hotel are quite expensive. Air conditioning £30, kettle £10, fridge £10, fan £10, TV £10. We bought the air conditioning as we felt it was a neccesity in the 40 degree heat, but we didnt buy anything else. Instead of renting the fridge extension cord we just bought one for around £4 at a nearby shop. As for the kettle...we brought our own. Breakfast was alright, not particularly exciting after he first two days...as it was cucumber, tomatoes, cheese, boiled eggs etc. When in the hotel bar, you are likely to get pestered a lot by the waiters who will try to make you go to the hotel events like bbq's and turkish nights. We stayed for one BBQ night, the food was ok but it was probably the worst meal we had as we ate out every other night. There wasn't much of an atmosphere either so we ate then left the hotel to go for a drink. These events are also, you guessed it, £10 per person. Other than that, the pool was very nice, there is lime/banana trees growing around it and the cleaners were very good. Although the waiters pestered you alot, they were all very nice! Side iteslf was a nice resort, the pasha star is not right in the centre of side. To get there you can walk, which takes about 20 minutes, but in 40+ degree temperatures it is difficult. Instead of walking you can flag down a dolmus on the road outside of the hotel, or the road accross the dirt track. This cost 1ytl per person and goes to the domlus park. You then must buy a ticket for the tractor from the little wooden hut. This costs half a lira per person. I would definately reccommend this as it is a good laugh, better than a taxi! You can then go straight into the main street in Side. Prepare to be hassled a lot, especially if you are a woman/blonde, and dont forget to haggle. The price they tell you at first will be way over what the thing is worth! Also, speaking German would be a definate advantage. Me and my mam dont and found it very hard to communicate as this is mainly a German resort. There are very few English people/people who speak good English. If you want to go to the beach, get the free bus to no name beach from the hotel. Its a nice beach, and the sunbeds are only 3 lira each, with a umbrella included. We went to the other beach too but found it to be too busy, although the sunbeds were free there. The restaurants we found in Side were very good. Orfoz, which is at the bottom of the side main street to your right was very nice, and also the Sultan Ay which was a little cheaper and right next to the hotel. If you're thinking about going to Manavgat, don't book a trip. Just get a dolmus the opposite way to side and tell them you want to get off at the place where you get another dolmus to the waterfalls, they'll tell you when to get off. I think thats about it really! All in all a great holiday, i would definately go there again!

I stayed here for the last 2 weeks of July 2007 with my wife and 3 children and a friend of my son on a Bed and Breakfast basis. The rooms are clean and tidy and comfortable. Do not hire the TV for £10 a week as the English channels break up a lot and you only get news. The fridge cost £10 per week and the air con cost £30 per week which pushed the cost up (some rooms do not have air con) you can turn the air con on from the front panel on some units. The breakfast is basic but you can buy a more substantial meal but I would suggest Sultan's come out of the hotel turn left and its on the corner (bigger meal from the same price) we were offered a set menu of evening meals for £37 per person with the 2 smallest kids free to eat at the hotel which we did for the 1st week, all meals were soup, buffet salad with meat and water melon, it was fine. The a la carte menu should be avoided. Again Sultans was excellent as was Anatolia / Brittania's resturant run by Linda from England, the food is great with some English food for those who like to know what they are eating ( i recommend the English mixed Grill and T Bone steaks) go to the mosque and turn right, cross over the road and keep walking straight takes 5 minutes but worth the effort. For trips see Mr Cheap next to Sultans as the excusrions are considerably cheaper than the Tour Operator one's, Mr Cheap lives in Turkey during the summer and in Newcastle in the winter and is very helpful indeed. I recommend the Antalya City trip for £3 (you can get it for free if you book more than one trip) you get to visit Aspendos Roman Ampetheatre which is superb..... DO NOT GO to AQUALAND its dirty and rubbish there are 2 water parks this is the worst one I have ever been two, all the people who went on this trip wanted to leave 3 hours before we were supposed to go. The Hotel Bar is great Mali the head Waiter is great as are the rest of the Bar staff, the lager is 3 TRY (Turish Lira) a pint or 2.5 TRY from the mini market onsite, if you eat in the Hotel buy all Kids soft drinks from the Shop as a litre of pop is 2 TRY as aposed to 2 TRY at the bar for a glass (saves a fortune). The mini market sells ice cream, drinks, papers etc at good prices. The Hotel runs a tab system where you get a pink slip when you buy a meal or a drink and you settle up when you feel like it ( i suggest every day) The pool is nice and has 2 water slides which are great fun even after 2 weeks and a kids splash pool. If you do not want to take to many clothes the quality of the Designer fakes in the shops and markets are brilliant, you can get 5 Diesel t-shirts for £20, 3 Ralph Polo Tops for £20 if you are willing to barter, its expected. You know you will get a bargain if the trader says cheaper than Tesco, Cheaper than Asda. When I go to Turkey next I will take an empty case....... There is internet access for the kids to MSN etc at 3 TRY an hour but be wamed the power drops out all of the time especially in the evenings. All in all we had a great time and would use the Pasha Star again. The other UK Guests were great and Helped make this 2 week holiday memorable.

My wife and I stayed at the Pasha Star Side in early July on a last minute deal with Thomas Cook (Sunset) for approx. £300. The hotel is situated a short dolmus bus ride from the centre of Side with all its impressive Roman Ruins. The hotel is a family run basic 2 / 3 star hotel which is kept very clean. The rooms are very basic and and are cleaned daily,the towels are also changed on a daily basis. The hotel operates a tab system where each purchase is signed for, the bill is then paid at reception the following day. The hotel has one or two pitfalls for the unwary, the hotel charges extra for the most basic of equiptment. The current list whilst we where there was Fan £10, Security Box in Room £10, Fridge £10, TV £10, Kettle £10, Late Room £10, Air Conditioning £30. For the £30 charge reception gives you a remote control to use the airconditioning, however the unit can be operated manually by opening the front flap of the wall unit and pressing the green buttoon at the right. For the £10 charge for the fridge reception gives you an extension lead, but since the electric goes off when you take the key out of the electric slot the power goes off and the fridge will not work, we did not think this was value for money. We have travelled worldwide for over 25 years and this is the noiseiest hotel we have ever stayed in, there is a constant barrage of loud music and noise from the pool bar sometimes up to four o'clock in the morning. This problem is confounded as each room in the hotel looks over the pool area and outside bar. This is the ONLY bar in the hotel. We did pass comment to the hotel and Thomas Cook Rep about this but it fell on deaf years. We did not eat in the hotel as there where far superior restaurants within walking distance on the hotel, the hotel did have BBQ's etc and these where charged at £10. As a matter of interest the hotel is know locally as the £10 Pound Note Hotel ( I wonder why?). There are several decent places to eat close to the hotel, our favourites where Memmemts, The Green Garden ( 50 yards from the hotel) to name just two, we ate in most of the restaurants that where close to the hotel and we had no problems in any of them. For those who have a pang for an English Breakfast we always went to the Brittania Restaurant a few minutes walk from the hotel, exit the hotel walk across the dirt track to the opposite main road, turn right and walk up to the roundabout cross over and take the road opposite walking slightly uphill. The Brittania Restaurant is about 50 yards up on the right hand side. A gentle word of caution if eating or drinking in the The Red Lion a British Pub owned by a Turk then please be carefull, check your bill for the number of drinks and please ensure that the bill tallies with the prices on the menu. We had an expensive bill there one evening and by talking to others who had been there we weren't the only ones. In all we had a nice break in the sun for the money we paid, if you are down in Side please confirm what currency is being quoted either the Turkish Lira or the Euro it saves any arguements later. On several occasions we where quoted in Lira and the bill turned up in Euros. We where told its a common problem in the area, however we found that around the hotel was fine as everything was listed in Lira's.

We came to this hotel as part of a late deal with Sunset (Thomas Cook), we paid approx £300 pounds for a weeks break for my partner, 4 year old daughter and myself. The hotel room: Rooms are basic, but clean although we found that the bathroom didn't feel quite as up to date as the rest of the hotel room (I didn't have a shower the whole time I was there). Towels are changed daily and the bins are emptied. All rooms have a balcony which face towards the pool. Our room had a single and double bed. The rooms have tiled floors a few cabnaits (which looks brand new) and a fridge which will cost £10 per week, to get the fridge to work reception give you an extension to plug it in to the nearest plug socket (they've cut the cable at the back of the fridge really short) although we found you could buy an extension from a local supermarket for around £2!!! Most rooms do have aircon, this is payable locally at the hotel. It costs £30 pounds per week. Even the it got up to 46c we decided not to buy the aircon (they give you the remote control). After a few days we found that the aircon unit on the wall had buttons under a flap which allowed us to switch it on manually. The hotel generally: The hotel has a big pool with a bridge over the top, it's not too deep either. We spent most of our time in the baby pool which is also a decent size. There are also two water slides, a green snake type and a white one which is really quick! Try going down them on a ring or Lillo, it's great fun but watch the wall at the other side of the pool!!! The food in the hotel is ok for lunch as it's convenient because we could just move from the pool to the table without getting changed to go outside the hotel. The hotel operates a tab system, where you sign a ticket and pay at the end of the holiday. It's good because you don't need any money but it makes it much easier to spend. To keep the costs down, it's possible to take drinks from the super market inside the hotel to the restaurant area when eating. We found that the rep from Thomas Cook tried to keep us in the hotel by telling us that the food/drink is as cheap as anywhere else, this isn't the case. For an evening meal we went out every night and ate elsewhere (mainly Memmets in the ruins restaurant, v v good food. It cost about £16 for all the food and drink per night) The hotel has themed nights with bbq, we ate out and came back for the entertainment as we heard the bbq food wasn't that good. The only problem we had at the hotel was the music at night, which would continue to boom out until 4 or 5 am some nights!! We'd be down there too only for or 4 year old. Although they will turn it down if you ask nicely. Location: The hotel is about 3 miles outside the centre of Side, the best and cheapest way to get to the centre is to come out of the hotel entrance and turn left and walk to the main road. Flag down a dolmush which will take you to the central bus station for 1 lira each. From there get the road train into the centre which is .50 lira each! My daughter loved the train! or you could always walk it.... The centre of Side is very impressive with lots of ruins to looks around. There are loads of shops and restaurants to look around but you do get mithered, so get used to saying 'NO'. We found that the prices for clothes etc and food where more expensive here than near are hotel. (there’s plenty of places near the hotel) For a good day out get a dolmush to Mavagat, get off at the river and get a boat up to the waterfalls, only costs £5 pounds each if you haggle. Mavagat have a huge market which has fixed prices, so if you don’t like the idea of haggling try here.

I thorougly enjoyed my stay at the Gazipasa star hotel during the 3-11th June 2007, The rooms were basic but always clean and tidy with maid service daily and fresh towels. The turkish breakfast was basic (bread, eggs, cheese, cucumber, tomatoes and olives) but for one week it was fine. The pool was a decent size and clean with two slides for the children. Bar staff were very friendly always willing to help out. Entertainment is offered a couple of nights in the week, ie barbeque and turkish night with traditional belly dancer and flame thrower. No complaints with the food, a fair amount to choose from on the hotel menu. If your after a relaxing holiday or looking for culture and activities such as water rafting and quad biking or going for a cruise on the river- Side has it all. Would also recommend trying a turkish bath very enjoyable.

There were ten of us at Pasha Star 6 adults 4 children between 7 and 16 we all have a great time the bar staff/waiters are great to get on with the hotel is basic but you get what you pay for, It was very clean - maid service everyday clean towels etc. Breakfast not up to much but okay bar snacks same price as other places evening meals not up to much but sultans just out of the gate and turn left is fab. A little futher down the road turn left at big water tower is Memets on the ruins is beautiful food and very reasonable indeed. The beach is a bit of a trek but nicer to the left passed memets and sown the road. Side town not too far away can walk in 10-15 mins. All in all a brill time was had by all and would definately go back especially as it is so cheap there.

we had a really good 2 weeks in turkey , we only really used the hotel as a base but we saw plenty of people who stayed around the pool ( which was lovely , we just preffered the beach). the staff were mainly friendly , except when we came back late (1am ish) to find the hotel locked up and we had to get the night porter to wake up the owner to get our key , i think they have a trust issue with their staff.the rooms were very nice , i think they all overlook the pool. the air conditioning was expensive £30.00 per week , but if you have more than one room the remote will operate the unit in the second room . we cant remember the name of one restaraunt that we used but if you turn left out of the hotel then left at the corner it is the first on the left very good food and really friendly staff , also connys is without doubt the very best but a bit more expensive but worth every penny,lira . also if you go to the corner at 10 am get the free bus to appollo beach its the best

This Hotel is published and sold in brochures as Pasha Star . We stayed for 2 weeks 7th - 21st June. The rooms are very clean and well kept. It was extemely hot and you had to pay for Fridge and Airconditioning (quite expensive). There is also a sign (which is common at most hotels telling you it is forbidden to bring in drinks / food from outside!) The Turkish breakfast is ok but can get boring after 14 nights! You can buy English breakfast and variations on it. Billy speaks good Engilish and looks after everyone, he sells his Turkish Nights and B B Q 's very well!! The Pool bar stays open as late or early (5am) as guests want! This can be a pain if you want to sleep! Long but scenic walk to beach but there are free buses from across the road. The resort centre is wonderful - full of shops, restaurants, harbour, ancient ruins and watersports with the chance to visit local areas of beauty and interest. Everywhere takes Turkish Lira though shops/restaurants in the centre do have things priced in Euro. This is because of the large German / Dutch presence. Although the food at Gazipasa is excellent, there are also some wonderful restaurant/bars close by - Sultan ay, (the best). restaurants in th etown / harbour can be overpriced especially at night. You could spend your entire holiday in the hotel as it is that good but do get out, see the ruins and the long beach. Try Mehmets in the Ruins Restaurant and Sun Castle but you'll love Sultan ay!! The crazy chef is fantastic and the waiters are the best in Turkey!!! (Say Merhaba to Mehmet and Tekim and Big Boss!!) Even in June a very Hot, Fantastic Holiday, something for everyone.