Artemisia Hotel

2 readers found this review helpful

The hotel itself is nice, clean large rooms and a lovely setting.The bathroon could use a little TLC but on the whole clean and tidy.
We were aware that the hotel is located up a steep track and have visited Ovacik many times so knew the area quite well.
WE dont mind walking so were happy to treck up and down.However less able people will feel trapped here.
The cost of food and drink is double what it is elsewhere with water being treble!The hotel 'threaten' to remove any food and drink purchased outside the hotel so that you end up paying these prices.
The guests were 70% Turkish and whilst we agree it is their country and we are guests, the hotel is very biaised towards their own countryfolk.

1 reader found this review helpful

me and my boyfriend just returned from this hol and it was fab.. everything is great about the hotel ..except really wouldnt take kids as there is not much for them at all...staff were great ...beware of the steep hill walk up to the hotel..lots of bars and clubs in hisirunu...and go on the jeep safari ..cost us only £10 each and had lunch and mud baths..by far the best excursion!!!

1 reader found this review helpful

Now then where do i start... we have just got back from this hotel and never again!! I will start with the worst bit for us - we were due to be picked up last night at 21.10 but had to check out at 12 midday so we paid £20 to have the room until 20.30 so we checked out as normal and went to get something to eat and the guy said he would come and get us if the transfer people arrived, when we went back to wait for the transfer we were told that we had to pay for our evening meal - 30lira but i said we were half board and had paid for 14 nts which should be in the price of the holiday but they said no and we'd have to take it up with our holiday company, we did argue for a few minutes but got told they were ringing the police!!! We offered them 20l as thats all we had left and time was running out but as we sat waiting the guy let it slip that they had rung our transfer and told them not to pick us up!! We eventually got picked up an hour late and did make our flight but i couldn't believe how bad we were treated - we have stayed in all over the world in various hotels/apartments and have never been treated this way!!!
WARNING all kids - we spoke to a family who had 2 children with them and and the little girl dropped a tissue on the floor but one of the staff grabbed hold of her arm and said something in turkish to her which upset her but yet the turkish kids were allowed to scream and i mean scream, shout do what whatever they wanted and nothing was said - this hotel is a joke!!!
I have to say the hotel itself is great, the staff (not management) are really nice too. We arrived early hours on Monday morning and was asked if we wanted air con (£3 per day or 98lira on your bill) and showed to our room which was a good size and a great view of the mountains but the wardrobe space was poor so we had no choice but to live out of our suitcase. Once we were shown our room that was it, we didn't told any information when breakfast/dinner (we went hb) or anything else!!. (Breakfast is 08.00-10.00 and Dinner is 20.00-22.00).
The hotel is on a very steep hill whch i found very hard work (cardiac hill - we called it), somebody has previsouly said there is a bus service from the hotel which we never saw or knew about!! Ovachik is approx 10-15 mins walk away but if walk down from the hotel for about 5 mins there are buses every few minutes that go to Hisaronu, Olu Deniz and Fethiye which are alot cheaper than taxis (5l to Fet, 1.75 to His, think 2.5l to Olu, taxis are 14l to His, 23l to Olu) buses run until 2am so will save quite a bit, oh and we didn't find out until 3 days before we came home that there is a taxi station at the bottom of the hill which will take you to the hotel for FREE up until 8pm!!!
Food - we only had breakfast twice during our stay (too tired due to lack of sleep) but even if we had been up we didn't miss anything, if you like eggs then you're ok and i mean like eggs!! Dinner was ok if you like chips, rice and salad, there were other things to eat but i didn't like it. Every night they had some meat on the BBQ but you had to wait for this and then you were only allowed 1 at a time so say they had chicken kebabs, you were only given one and have to go back to get another but you still had to wait, as previously stated some of the food is put on your plate by the staff but the other stuff you can get what you want, the desert was the same for 2 weeks, pink, chocolate angel delight rubbish with flies all over them, i did have soup a couple of nights and you should of seen the look i got when i asked for butter to go with the bread!! Beware there isn't a great for kids!!
The prices are very expensive, 5l for Efes beer (which is prob the average everywhere) but for a can of pop - 7up, coke etc you are being charged 5l at the pool area/restaurant and 6.5l from the mini bar - complete rip off as they are 1l in the supermarkets. Small bottle of water is 1.5l or 3l for large, 6l for magnum ice cream and 3l for average pkt of crisps - honestly these are far cheaper in the supermarkets (which there are 2 down the hill) and yes it is correct you are NOT allowed to bring into the hotel and we were told that people were being chased and asked what they had and had the stuff taken off them but we did all the time!!!
By the second week we ate out of the hotel as there are plenty of good restaurants in His, i would recommend anybody to stay sc and not hb as there are loads of supermarkets and cheap restuarants - we ate at 2 that only charged 17l and eat as much as you want - great food!! On our 1st night they had a belly dancer on but we didn't see it, the second night should of had a kareoke night but didn't happen and then that was it oh sorry apart from Turkish music every night!!! Also there is no hot water from approx 6pm as i assume everyone has used it all by then!! There are hairdryers in the rooms but only 2 sockets!!
There is so much more i could write but if you would like to know anything else please e-mail me and i will try and help you as much as i can.
Please check with tripadvisor as there are alot more recent ones on there.
Sum up - This hotel would be fantastic if they sacked the management, dropped the prices and most importantley STOP RIPPING US OFF!!!!
PLEASE DON'T BOOK THIS HOTEL YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!!

1 reader found this review helpful

We have been going to this hotel for seven years and we have NEVER had any problems.Any problems I have see with other guests have been language glitches, which when discovered are sorted.The hotel is very clean, the pool is big and that clean you could probably drink it,all the staff are friendly and very helpful.I would recommend this hotel to anybody wishing to have a great holiday with great people.

5 readers found this review helpful

My daughter and I have just returned from the Artemissia we booked on the internet, when we arrivd the transfer service was rubbish we was left waiting for 2 other flights to arrive before they took us to our hotel. When we arrived staff were nice and polite hotel pool was fab and surroundings very beautiful but they asked for £62 for two weeks air conditioning and two weeks safe money alot of people who arrived also said they had the same problem with the transfer service and was dissapointed by the cost of the air-conditioning as nothing is mentioned on the website.
The food was nice at first but got really boring after a while and started to eat out even though our meals were paid for.
You need to get to the surrounding villages for any good night life which cost you when having to have taxis all the time.
Some of the staff are nice but some are rude and you would catch them talking about people all the time, my daughter and i only drank water but was often ignored at meal times , we noticed if you was big drinkers and run up big bills then they jumped to serve you.
The management watched the staff all the time which was uncomfortable to see you was not allowed to pay cash for anything everything was run on your room number and from what people said on the holiday they sometimes got your bill wrong with the wrong things being added on mine was also wrong which had to be put right 3 times the management were penny pinching all the time and nothing was ever wasted the food was sometimes recycled to the next day.
The sheets were not really sheets more like blanckets but were really hard and uncomfortable that was the same for the towels. The rooms were kept cleanish.
You are not allowed to have any drink in your room or food that was not bought at the hotel or it was taken of you on several occations we saw people compaining and asking for there things to be returned,people with young children found this difficult as most children need snscks or drinks and the hotel was alot more expensive for there water and drinks than the supermarket so familys with lots of children went out alot to the beach and took things with them from the supermarket, the staff were also checking the bins to make sure people were not drinking in there rooms .
It was a very controling atmospere and felt like you was not allowed to do as you pleased which spoilt our holiday the management are spoiling the beautiful place and need to relax there rules some what after all people are on holiday and as i said my daughter and i only drank water i stil think people should be given the right to relax and please themselves in there room as long as they are not disturbing people.
The tour operaters that advertise this hotel should tell people about the extra cost for air conditiong £42 is alot as well as your £20 for the safe and to make people wait at the airpot for 3-4 hours waiting for other flights to arrive is terrible when we all complained they were very rude and told us to wait on the bus or make our own way by the way to get to Ovacik from Dalaman airport costs over £60.
As for anyone on this site who says we should not complain I have never done a reveiw before but felt so strong about these things I have every right to write how I felt and i know alot of people felt the same as we did and also said they would return to Ovacik but closer to the village and hope they get better management at the next hotel.

4 readers found this review helpful

We are a family of three, two adults and one 9 year old daughter. We arrived in the early hours just as the sun was rising and were greeted by a gentleman who quickly sorted our details and showed us to our room. The hotel has been cleverly designed and is very aesthetically pleasing with a lovely large pool in the most beautiful setting. The staff are always cheerful and helpful often accompanied by a cheeky sense of humour. In agreement with previous reviews, we are full of admiration for the staff (especially bar staff)that work incredibly long hours, 7 days a week and yet still smile and joke.
We have no criticism of the hotel regarding policies on food and drink in the rooms, especially when you consider how inexpensive the hotel is too book on a half board basis.
The only minor criticism would be that the menu tends to be a little repetitive. However, given the price and the abundance of restaurants locally you will have plenty of other options available.
The rooms are spacious, clean and quiet. Cleaning staff work hard and take that little extra care positioning the towels into designs and adding flowers to give a beautiful touch to the room.
The hotel also provides entertainment throughout the day, games, excercise and fun. In the evening they have shows, magic, dance troupe and belly dancing to name a few.
In summary, beautiful hotel, amazing scenery, great staff. I wouldn't hesitate to book again.
A big thanks to all the staff there and martin who was informative and helpful.
Hope to see you all again soon.

14 of us went to this brillant place. Very clean and friendly, family accomation. We have been back for 10 night and now 30 of us have booked already for next year. You need to go to appreciate a brillant holiday, Defentily go for a turish bath me and my 2 friends could not laughing. Also the Jeep Safrai,take lots of water. I would like to thank Gemel and his team. I got gout and they could not be any more helpful, making sure I was treated very quickly and recovery to enjoy my holiday. We made good friends with bar staff Timmy, Jimmy and Cristinio plus all the others. See you next year.

3 readers found this review helpful

We are frequent travellers to Turkey and have stayed in accomodation between Ovacik and Olu Deniz ranging from 3* to 5* and this is the only one we would return to. Not because we didn't like the others, we did, but this was something special. We have been to this area for the last 11 years, and most recently for the last 3 years with our 6 year old daughter. The last couple of years we have tended to go for the larger all inclusive resorts which seem to offer everything for children but this year we wanted something a little quieter and based in Ovacik. Being August and extremely hot, Ovacik is much cooler and far less humid than Olu Deniz which makes the climate much more enjoyable especially when you have young children. When we arrived we were pleasantly surpised to find out their was a childrens mini disco every other night and a playground which was a bonus we were not expecting. We were also surprised to find out that there was entertainment every night which was exellent. Unlike other resorts in the area you are not sragged up to join in against your will, if you want to join in you can but it is not thrust upon you. Also, the entertainment is brought in, it is not the resident animation team putting on some poor show. Quality dancers, acrobats, belly dancers, salsa, magician, clown for the kids on some days. . . Lots to enjoy anyway and all to a high standard.
Rooms were very large, light, airy and comfortable. We bought our bottled water either from the bar or from town and never had any problem taking water to our room from outside like some other reviews have indicated. Like anything, if you take advantage you will be rightly questioned in the same way you would at home but we never were.
The food was terrific. very fresh and excellent quality. BBQ every night together with lovely freshly prepared salads and also extra hot dishes. You will also find they cater well for children at dinner time too. The only meal my daughter wouldn't eat was the fresh fish but on that night they also had spaghetti bolognese which is always a winner with children. We bought lunch from the bar every day we were at the Hotel. it is very reasonably priced and lunch for the three of us normally was about 25TL including drinks.
Staff and management were all lovely.
What we discovered here is the traditional turkish hospitality we found when we first visited Ovacik 11 years ago. Yes, the Hotel is up a steep hill but believe me the views, the cooler temperature, the staff, the pool, the entertainment and the comfort made it all worth it. It cost us 7TL in a taxi to go in to town which we used to do every other night so it is hardly expensive to get out and about. We used Cin from Ovacik taxis everyday, very reliable and nice safe and slow driver.
If you want the big party scene stay down in Hisaronu where it is all on your doorstep. If you are looking for a quality holiday in this area go to Artemisia. You will find likeminded friendly holiday makers all looking for a good time for themselves and their children. This Hotel is also perfect for couples looking for some peace as Artemisia is not overrun with kids and we were there during the school holidays!
Percect holiday, can't wait to go back. Will try and get back in October if we can.

2 readers found this review helpful

After reading all the stories before travelling I was unsure what to expext! but here is my rundown of the hotel !
Rooms ... basic but clean with hairdryer, mini bar,(no kettle but we took our own and stored it in the case with our instant latte's)they were cleaned every day and once had shapes made with the towels and flowers on them. you are told not to bring anything back into the room and not use fridge for anything other than the drinks that are in there but we took biscuits and crisps in and kept them in the case.We also put small items in the fridge like chocolate or a carton of juice but it was never taken off us, probably due to us getting on well (and buying a few drinks for the bar staff)who checked and replaced the mini bar on a daily basis. There were other guests that did have things taken off them but it was the people who were moaning about everything!
Food.... breakfast was great, eggs, omlettes, tomatoes, fruit, breads and pastries but you can also pay for a english breakfast.Evening meals were £6 (£3 for kids)for the buffet and were lovely, and had plenty of fruit untill the Turkish guests took plates of it off to their table!
location... beautiful location, lovely breeze but a long walk into hisaronu so we got a taxi every night there and back for about £4 but worth every penny after walking the hill once !Hisaronu was great, the best place we found to eat was The naked chef.. 3 course lovely meals for around £8 ! delicious! WE also found the best place to book trips if "Focus travel" they were great.Free beach was lovely but it was sooo hot there we mainly stayed around the pool. Hated Olu Denez blue Lagoon beach .. so dissapointed it was all pebbley, and you have to pay to get in then pay for your sunbeds!
staff.... entertainment & bar staff were fantastic with activities every day. water polo, water gym, pool games and in the evening some sort of show every night that we were dragged into, but if you didnt want to be involved you were left alone. Managers and owners didnt miss a thing though watching the staff all day and night and miserable with it!
Overall.... we had the most fabulous, hilarious, incredible holiday due to the people we met and the bar staff that made it so good (and yes they get paid peanuts and work all the hours they can and are not treated with the respect they are due! one even got sacked while we were there as he didnt conform !)but please go and make your own mind up as it was the best holiday we have ever had!!

Just got back from two weeks at the artemisia royal park. Hotel set in a beautiful location, set apart from but within walking distance of the main town and surrounded by wooded mountains with views to the sea in the distance.
The hotel is itself is beautifully presented, clean, peaceful with a huge pool and enough pool games etc to keep you occupied. Rooms are basic but have everything you need, staff, especially the boys behind the bar, were really friendly and helpful, working long hours for about 20 Lira a day, but couldn't do enough to make sure you had a good holiday.
There's a free bus every day to the hotels "private beach", but to be honest, it was horrid. Catch the dolmus to Olu Deniz instead.
Despite all of the good points, certain aspects did leave a rather sout taste in our mouths - mainly the penny pinching of the management and their bias towards the Turkish guests.
Firstly, despite having a mini bar in your rooms, if you are found on the premises with any food or drink NOT purchased on site, it is confiscated. This would be fine if you could buy drinks on site at a reasonable price but with cans of soft drinks being sold at 4lira (about £1.70) and with even water being massively inflated, these unreasonable costs really added up. As for alcoholic drinks, this was the only bar in Turkey we went to which precisely measured out shots of spirits before charging you more than all of the others who just sloshed in a generous amount. Although stingy, this wouldn't have been much of an issue for us if the Turkish guests were treated in the same way - however they were seen bringing in drinks and ice creams from the shops and eating them around the pool without challenge, were given free water from behind the bar, plates of fruit when none was available with meals for us, and generous alcoholic drinks.
The boys working the bar were also watched like hawks by Nuri, the bar manager whenever they were serving us to make sure we were being charged for everything. He'd then keep checking the tin where the slips we signed were kept. He should be grateful they were all such honest, hardworking guys as they were a real credit to the hotel. Instead, he was on their back all the time and got pretty twitchy when he saw us having a laugh with them.
At mealtimes, the food was also slightly lacking - and no, not because I'm an egg and chips tourist. Breakfast consisted of eggs, tomatoes, olives, bread, cereal, cheese etc which was fine initially, but had no variation ever and no fresh fruit - apart from for the turkish guests who could be seen sitting eating plates full when the rest of us had finished.
In the evenings, food was typical touristic confused fare - some turkish dishes intermingled with some English dishes that had been randomly added without consideration to what went with what. Again, seriously lacking on the fresh fruit front - though the one night there were fresh cherries, our Turkish counterparts piled plates high with them and left none for the rest of us. I would expect such selfish behaviour to be tackled, however the management were keen not to notice. Also, although saying dinner was served from 8-10pm, if you arrived after 9 then you were lucky to have much left, and what what there was cold. Again, not a huge issue for us, we just ate elsewhere, but there were several english families there who had paid to go half board and were stuck with it. Also no drinks, even water, were included with dinner meaning they had you captive in paying for overpriced drinks.
There were numerous people we met at the hotel who had been going there year after year because they had always loved the hotel and it's staff. The general consensus this year however was that the penny pinching had got so bad that most would not be returning.
If any of the managment are reading this, they need to realise that although they may be making an increased profit, they are going to lose a lot of their "nice" british customers who chose this hotel for it's peaceful and friendly atmosphere. If you only want Turkish guests, then that is fine, but please remove the hotel from English sites, or at least be a little more discreet with your disregard for your English customers.
Please also consider the way the "shop floor" staff are treated, they did a great job, but the way they were treated did not go unnoticed by the guests.
Overall, great holiday, great hotel but in dire need of a managerial overhaul if English guests are to continue returning.