Simba Hotel

1 reader found this review helpful

Well what can I say. I went to the Litera Relax resort with my girlfriend we both paid around £350 each for a week all inc which we thought was ok. We read the reviews and they seemed mixed so we went with an open mind. We are both down do earth, not fussy and not like many other english tourists (well my girlfriend is Polish) Our holidays are what we make it so here is our review:
We arrived and were booked in quickly, as lunch had started they advised us to eat first then check in. We were then lead to the basement, our cases were carried to our room. Now these rooms are under the hotel, all rooms in the basement open to a corridor, have no windows and the front door is a patio door with curtains (for privacy) which you will always have closed = no natural daylight. They can get quite hot which air con is provided for 25 lira however if you have not already read the reviews there is a sneaky way around this. Go to the air con unit pull off the front and inside you will see a switch....hey presto FREE AIRCON! however ensure this is turned off when the cleaners arrive as they will charge you. Room was clean, tidy, modern, double bed, tv, fridge (this is only working when the key card is in the slot ie. when your in the room) We had a slight problem with the key in the lock but this was quickly fixed.
Hotel: has hairdresser (pay for) Turkish Bath (Pay for) Gym (Free) Entertainment such as bingo and quizes (pay for) Pools are great and deep. The hotel is also on a hill which people have moaned about steps , steep slopes etc but we're young and we didnt see a problem? This all helps for the AMAZING VIEW of gumbet beach from the bar and pool. Also looks amazing at night all lit up.
Food: Now we arent fussy eaters and eat most things but even this place was not good enough. We avoided breakfast, Snacks in the day are tasty, Evening meal = Plenty of salad in all variations. Even chips would have been nice and thats SAYING SOMETHING. We always ate enough though. Nice Bread & Soup.
Bar: Usually there is one guy serving which is not a problem as you are served quickly. The drinks are all in small glasses which means you have to make numerous trips however ask for a bigger glass and they will give you one. Drinks stop dead at 11 meaning if your in the que just before you will be charged after. Drinks are nice vodka and raki will get you most drunk. The beer is watered down and wont get a fly p****ed.
Staff: They are generally friendly although I take the view if your rude and arogent to them they will be the same back. There is one young barman who went into town with us a couple of nights He is ALWAYS happy and smiling which was nice to see.
Adice: Always get 2 drinks per person, ask for big glasses an KEEP THEM, they are very keen on collecting emtpy glasses.
Gumbet Town: Great nightlife till 5am, Lots of annoying turk lads pulling you into bars, Shops, Restaurants (whistling you to get your attention! which is so rude)If your girlfriend is a beautiful blonde keep her close..! Beer 5 lira £2.50. Lots of cheap sunglasses, Tshirts, Perfume, Watches and so on (ALL FAKES but good fakes and worth the money! Haggle them as they love it but check your change and just keep an eye out and be vigilant. Prices strangley change when the checkout comes!
Recommendations: Eat out a couple of nights. Dont go to the Tempo restauarant (The hotels buisness partners) They are just out for the ££. We went to a restaurant halfway down gumbet beach (golden knife i think) We had a table moved to the waters edge on the beach for the sunset (very romantic) We had a drink each, A mixed grill (sizzling to the table) and shish kebab as (long as your arm) This was only 60 lira £30. Very worth it! Also a must is the gulet boat trips. 10 am till 6pm Lunch included (Pasta, Salad, Chicken) Delicious! Lots of great places, swimming, sun, tan, snorkelling, music, fishing and a great experience all for 25 Lira £13. You will find cheaper! We hired a scooter for the day and visited Bodrum and Turgetreis had a lot of fun all for 20 Lira £10 and £7 to fill up. We only used half a tank and we were on it all day. (cheapest Transport) However be careful and watch the crazy-assed Turkish rally drivers.
Main thing have fun and take the place for what it is. Its not England and its not England.
Hope this is helpful. Any questions please email me jt_2005-6@hotmail.co.uk
Regards
J.D

Hoilday was lovely but hotel let it down folks shame to say this all of the men love hanging around the little girls and had to make a complaint about this insident. The food was awful and nothing there to keep the children amused and the intertainment was awful, Some of the staff who worked in the hotel was very polite to me and my family but some was moody and rude i would consider coming back to Turkey but not your hotel im sad to say

Surprised how many staff spoke english. A basic but very clean hotel. Linen changed every other day. Recommend bed and breakfast.
Visited many local restaurants, good value for money. Best places to eat were Calypso bar and restaurant run by a lovely helpful Scottish couple with excellent entertainment from Moses and Ozzy! Made us very welcome.
Caesars bar and restaurant overlooking Gumbet beach; the staff were excellent especially Can, Sergio and Bayrum, all very welcoming and good food and entertainment.
Aloha restaurant, good food at reasonable prices. The local boat trip was very good food included and many places visited.
We would definitely return to Gumbet.

1 reader found this review helpful

Blood stained sheets, rust, filth, decay, doors that don't lock, curtains that don't provide privacy, damp, mildew, a roof you can see the stars through and a tour rep who couldn't give a damn constantly referring to her best phrase of 'not my problem..'
If you are in any doubt or intend to actually use resorts facilities then don't come here!!!

My boyfriend and I logged on to this site and saw reviews for our hotel, and they wasn’t very good, and had already booked our holiday, but was very pleased when we got there.
We took the advice, asked for higher level room, it was clean yes maybe basic.
They were friendly hotel staff, helpful, you needed anything they get it done.
Lovely swimming pools which was said to be dirty but found them very clean. Had entertainment twice a week ,I really enjoyed it here I would definitely come again half the price I paid for Asarlik beach hotel and found standards was the same, just that Simba had no daytime activities, but I personally didn’t need and Asarlik was not helpful when friend became ill.
First time using Sky Tours but are very good as they are still Thomsons.
Local bars, we ate out every night and came across good and bad but found a place in Gumbet town called the Mirodan, which is upstairs and opposite hotel. Sami kapasisi karsisi food very good always gave discount, went there 4 nights they were so nice and food was good too.

This was mine and my boyfriend’s first trip to Turkey. The flight was ok and uneventful.
The rooms were quite basic but what you expect for bb/hb
Wasn't that impressed with the food. On the first night, there was a selection of foods, including chicken curry. Second night, same chicken dish which tasted exactly the same but it was called chicken stroganoff, the following night chicken casserole and so on. Saying that, the puddings were very nice.
Swimming pool was absolutely freezing, but would be quite nice in the hot summer months.
Be wary about some of the excursions. There was a trip around bodrum and gumbet, which you could probably explore yourselves without forking out any money. We went on the day trip to Kos.
We booked to go on the catamaran but found that it was out of service and we had to use the slower ferry. We didn't mind that, but didn't receive a refund from our rep (she was pretty unhelpful and more interested in getting everyone to go on a pub crawl). The best trip was to Dalyan. It was a 4 hour drive but well worth it.
If you are thinking about coming to Gumbet, go in the peak season. We went in October when everything was starting to shut down and the weather was starting to turn.

The Simba Hotel was a clean and welcoming hotel. The staff at reception were helpful but couldn't talk English very well.
The swimming pool was a bit bad because it was quite deep. The night time activities were good and entertaining. I think crazy Joe was real nice and kind to all the people that came on holiday to Turkey. Also, you could use the pool table, dart board and children's play area if you bought something.
I advise parents to bring armbands for their children if they are smaller than 1.60m because the pool is that deep. Hope this helps.

Our 2nd year in Gumbet at the Simba. We found that the hotel had been rented out for 2 years to different people to run it, which was a bit disappointing as last year was excellent, this year not as good but we still had a brilliant holiday.
The staff that were there last year were still as friendly and did remember us which was nice, nothing was too much trouble if we needed anything. We asked for the same room as last year and was happy when we got the one next door overlooking the top pool with balcony.
The only thing that let the hotel down was the breakfasts this year, not enough variety (last year excellent) and no evening entertainment this year which meant we had to go out in the evenings, but that turned out to be a bonus, we found a wonderful restaurant call The Ediz in bar street - excellent food (never had anything as good in England) waiters and the owner spoke to you in good English and made you feel more than welcome.
Also who could resist the Calypso bar at the bottom of the hill from the hotel, run by a Scottish couple, serving good English & also Turkish food, but who could resist the cheeky charms of Crazy Joe, Moses & Ali, these guys were the icing on the cake to our holiday, they were entertaining, humorous, and we left them with tears in our eyes as it was like leaving family behind.
We also revisited our favourite jewelers in Bodrum - Kontess run by Mustafa Garda, this is the place to go for exquisite jewelry, hand made to your own order at excellent prices, we have bought from them both years and are looking forward to their web-site when up and running later this year so that we can order from them direct whilst back in England.
We will certainly be going back to Turkey next year as we have tried the Gullet cruise for a week last year and the hotels and we love everything that Turkey has to offer.

This hotel is utterly abysmal. I'm still currently in Turkey.
I’m on my 3rd room in the hotel. The first was disgusting. It had a black ceiling and was very small it was smaller than my bedroom at home. And this is supposed to sleep 3 people!
The 2nd was even worse we had wires exposed right by our heads. Considering it was meant to sleep between 2-3 people there were only 2 beds. Yet again more black ceilings and damp smell.
Currently on 3rd room. I must admit it is an improvement however we're still in a box only differences are the ceiling is clean and finally we have 3 beds. However now we have a broken shower. And our toilet was broken when we first arrived. All rooms were very dark we’ve had to use lighting in the day. Also we were promised a sea view or a view of the pool. First a view of what looked like a drain pipe. Then a wall now a tree.
On the up side the staff are helpful and friendly and we have to nice pools. However I imagine wheelchair access to be awkward as there are a lot of stairs.
The hotel is situated however in a great area next to the Calypso bar run by a great Scottish couple. And a load of crazy Turkish guys.
All in all I love Turkey. I love Gumbet. I just hate the Simba hotel and advise all to stay clear.
I'd rate 0-10 if I could but I cant.

The hotel was very clean and the room we had was spacious. The room was serviced daily. Although we were next to the bar area, the entertainment ceased after midnight and all was quiet. Although there is a hill to climb to the hotel, this was not too steep. The hotel was sited on the edge of the resort within easy reach of all facilities and the beach.
Overall we had a great holiday and would recommend the resort to anyone wanting sun and sand in a relaxing atmosphere.