Bodrum Holiday Resort & Spa

My Girlfriend (29) and I (26) stayed here for two weeks from 23rd May 2010 until 7th June 2010. We had a last minute deal and thought we would try our chances as we were lucky before. We have never been to Turkey or to a hotel with so many children, so not a surprise that a couple in their 20’s found it too much of a “Family” hotel, and not very relaxing. Firstly it has been taken over by a new company who are trying to make best of the original hotel and can only do so much, so some things we have let go as it still appears to be finding its feet and apparently the staff are still quite new. The hotel has been refreshed with some nice new furniture and a new restaurant, but the gardens and the main buildings are still very tired and need updating. The whole hotel is on very steep slopes. There are lifts but the disabled and those with push chairs might find it a struggle as the ramps that they do have are very steep.The hotel is quite remote and when arriving you question where you will end up, but it is next to another hotel, The Ersan, and is in the main boat building area of Bodrum. The Dulmus buses cost 2.50 TL each person, each way to Bodrum and are very frequent. They are outside the hotel. We were lucky enough to have organized to have one of the Club Rooms which was decorated in white and blue and was quite plain but felt crisp and clean. This room turned out to be a Family room, so for two of us we were very, very lucky and we had a separate bedroom and living area with a large balcony. On the balcony we had 4 Birds nests which looked awful at first as we thought they were for hornets or wasps, but once we realized, it was quite entertaining to watch the swallows feeding their chicks. The room we had was comfy with a small LCD TV with about 5 UK Channels, and a powerful shower but no bath (the other style “Hotel” rooms had a shower over the bath) There was a fridge and you receive 1 still and 1 sparkling bottle of water upon arrival in your room and these are not replenished daily, you can collect bottles of water from the bar but these are much smaller. (remember this is a 5* hotel) The room did have amazing views and was clean and fine for our needs. The safe in the room was chargeable (£2.00 per 24 hours) but this seemed to depend on which tour operator you booked with. (Thomson & First Choice you had to pay, Thomas Cook it was included in the price) The staff appear to be oblivious to the fact that they are here to help and serve you. Ask for a drink and they act as if there was 101 other things they would rather be doing than getting you one. (although we did have a nice barman at the pool who was friendly and helpful) In the main restaurant the waiters clear tables and then do not set them for new guests, so you collect your food and then have to search for a table which was dirty, and then collect cutlery yourself. This only happened when going later to dinner (8ish) but this hotel is supposed to be 5* and it just clearly is not. The food was like most buffet all inclusive hotels but appeared to be lacking in variety, and the same food was served over and over again. They did no themed food nights which was a shame as that usually means a bit more variety. When a particular main item was on, such as a kebab, or fish, you found yourself queuing for a long time and then getting a poor portion. The other reviews mention the types of food so I will not repeat all of that. The best thing to do is to get there when the restaurant opens. The hotel lacked information about where and when things happened. Etc Towel Collection, Food times and Restaurants. Some of the staff at the reception spoke good English, but quite often you find yourself standing there whilst they take a call on there mobile or disappear into the back room. The towels you collect from the Club pool are very thin, very stained and you need two to cover the sun loungers. We stayed around the smaller club pool as it was a lot quieter and seemed to have the most English. The main pool was very loud and had music playing and the entertainment crew, so was not for us. Also it seemed that the Russians and other nations stayed around this pool. The splash pool with the water slides were quite a trek in the heat and down steep steps and slopes away from the hotel, and again had music playing loudly and mostly children playing. The 24 hr bar in the lobby is small and usually only manned by 1 person, this seems to be where a lot of people congregate and getting a drink can be a challenge. In the lobby there are seats for about 17 or 18 groups and the free wifi is here so its busy (oh and don't forget we are the only nation that have the ability to queue so it gets busy and very frustrating) There was another bar open but unless you like the loud children's entertainment then its a no go. (If you are a smoker then you have to smoke outside, which is fine, but there are only about 8 seats and so you find your self standing in the entrance to the lobby holding a drink and then realizing that the seat you had has gone. You can smoke outside at the other bar where the entertainment is but there are only about 20 seats here and are usually taken very early) The Spa seems to be privately owned from the Hotel and is down in the basement. The facilities are lovely but very overpriced. £60 for a Hamam Massage & then Oil Massage, in Bodrum it is cheaper (£10) but the facilities are not as nice. We would not return to this hotel and found that it was poorly described by the tour operator. We made the best and found we laughed at the type people who were staying, but as we only paid about £500 each, and got lucky with the free room upgrade we did not mind too much and enjoyed the holiday. Had we paid full price then the story would be different. NOT 5*.

In the middle of May, we had stayed in the same hotel too. We had very enjoyable and a nice holiday .It was more than what we expected.Each and everyone of the staff was very hospitable, they did everthing possible for a perfect and unforgettable dream holiday.The food and service were faultless.We were very suprised when we've seen the negative criticism about the hotel.In our opinion; this people were either very drunk or blinded by the aura of this faboulus hotel.We are pretty sure there is 4 swimming pools in the hotel(main, relax, aqua and indoor swimming pool:)) At the moment we r all on a diet, because of the delicous food we ate at the hotel..that incredible turkish food you should all try!!There were lots of food alternatives, 100 -120 dishes every night I can't even count the others.There were also different countries food from all over the world.We've joined the entertainment activities during our stay aswell, it was absulately smashing.i will suggest this hotel to everyone ..absulately supeeerb....

Stayed for two weeks here, the room we had was fantastic the best room we have ever stayed in.. large bed for us and seperate room for kids. after reading previous reviews was unsure about this hotel but no need to worry... very clean.. people always cleaning, all areas including pools etc. Momat (think thats how its spelt) at quiet pool near reception was the best barman ever .. very helpful and friendly always had drink waiting for you. Food was fantastic... lots of choice and people who moan about it obviously want british food and should stay in britain!. always pasta, salad, rice, chips, different meats cooked everynight. sushi, soup everything you could wish for and totally clean and well cooked. The only downside i would say is that the entertainment is quite a walk and its mini disco from 9pm so if you want to see any entertainment its quite late. i think the mini disco should be 8ish with adult entertainment starting 9ish. Also struggled a bit with staff understanding us.. though they did try. Overall a great relaxing holiday with good food and nice surroundings

we arrived at the hotel late afternoon and was greeted by really freindly staff who were really helpful our cases were taken to our room which was out of this world they were so big and modern decor they were really clean and comfy to? the hotel is huge with so much to do there is so many different pools to choose from with water slides we didnt go on them because our children were to young. we sat around the main pool where most of the daytime activities take place which the animation team are fab always laughing and joking with you and trying to get you invlolved but not pushy if you just wanted to chill? there is so many differnt snack bars to choose from and the food was really nice with alot to choose from the only thing was the food isn't labelled but you just guess or try it,our kids are quite fussy eaters but there was always something they liked. there is a little shop where you can buy bits and bobs from which is open til 11pm and there is a hair salon next to it. the week we were there the heat was unbearable the kids didnt really notice it as they were in and out the pool, and nearly everyday they were in kids club which they loved and the kids entertainer( Natalie) she is fab with the kids she does really work hard. The evening entertainment were'nt that great the kids disco starts at 9pm and after that there were'nt no entertainment which was a little dissapointing especially when you have kids but we were advised that there were goin to be startin evening entertainment in the next week or two,as they were concertrating on the grounds of the hotel first? there is a games room but not much in there although our kids enjoyed them but not much for the teenagers. on our stay we did a couple of excursions which were brilliant especially the jeep safari but your hotel rep gives you all the information explaining them,and if you get chance take a trip into bodrum town which was really nice and there is bus stop outside the hotel which runs every couple of minutes and i think it was around 4lira but the veiws and sights were really fab. overall we really did enjoy our stay and will defently return back the staff were great and very welcoming the hotel itself was lovely.

Just returned from this hotel (May 2010). I don't know if the person who wrote the previous review actually visited the hotel but it seems a different hotel from the one we've just returned from. There are actually 2 "a la carte" restaurants,not 3 - a fish restaurant which was ok and an Italian restaurant which was rubbish. Doesn't the term a la carte mean from the menu? They are both a fixed menu. The previous review also said there were 7 snack bars and 4 pools ! Where?? We counted 4 snack bars, 3 of which were open. There are actually 3 pools, not 4. The hotel I have to agree has been refurbished beautifully and the pool and sunbathing areas are lovely, as are the rooms, especially if you are lucky enough to get a sea view room. However, it is quite a way out of Bodrum and unless you are super fit it is not walkable (there are no pavements most of the way and it is a really hilly 3-4 miles), so you need to get the Dolmus or taxi each time. The food is just something else, really not to British tastes. Never before have we had soup, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots for breakfast! The food is very low cost and what little choice of meat you do get is either chicken, liver or beefburger. The hotel also takes bookings from large parties. We were unluckly enough to have 400+ Turkish students aged 18-21 staying there for 4 days of our holiday, a complete nightmare. Animation team think that playing loud music is the way to enjoy yourselves and there is little else to do. Even the music they play in the children's entertainment area is ear-bursting (not good for the kids). There seems to be only one person on reception who can speak English, making communication very difficult.

Myself and 3 friends were staying at this FANTASTIC hotel beginning of may 2010, we all could not rate it high enough, the best hotel we have ever seen. TOTALLY GORGEOUS.... the views were outstanding. All staff were lovely, from cleaners to bar staff.. couldnt have been nicer. all the animation team were so so nice and always went out of their way to make you fell welcome, tryin 2 get you involved in games etc, although not pushy if you said no. food was always lovely, and fresh 2, you could enjoy it while sitting in their all white leather dining seats.... you def have to visit AMAZING SPA and treat yourself to a turkish bath and massage WOW!!! could go on all day with nice things to say about this hotel, but best way to find out is to try it for urself.... we will def be making a return real soon. all in all it def deserves a 5 star plus. i would give this hotel a10 out of 10. Good luck for the future everyone who works there, you all deserve it....

the hotel is clean and the food lovely the only downside to the food is that its not labelled so you dont know what some of the things have in them the cakes are lovely the animation team are a credit to the hotel and they work realy hard iso is mad lol xxx the kids loved it here

On arrival at the Bodrum Holiday Resort & Spa you are welcomed by friendly staff where nothing is too much trouble. Having arrived early in their season we had the luxury of not many guests staying at the hotel. It was however, slightly dissapointing to learn that some of the restaurants were not opened, the evening entertainment was not really in full swing and the hotel not quite finished in some areas, but never the less, they have made a fantastic start and none of these issues detracted us from having a brilliant relaxing holiday. The hotel is spotlessly clean, there was a good variety of food, virtually all day long ! Rarely had to wait to be served at the bar. The rooms were large, we had a family suite, with a really comfortable super king size bed and a seperate room with a further 2 single beds in. The bathroom was large and clean. We had a sea view over looking the pool area and gardens. The rooms has air conditioning in which was needed on the really hot days/nights. There is satelite TV with some American and English programmes including CBBC for the kids. A tip for those who cant live without their english tea......take your own tea bags!!!. There is no tea/coffee making facilities in the room. The hot water from the coffee machines is not hot enough so you have to ask the bar staff to pour you hot water from their turkish tea machines behind the bar. They do have milk if you ask them nicely. There are only small cups and saucers so if like me you like a big mug, take your own ! The pool was lovely although a little chilly but we are asured it will warm up over the next few weeks with the heat from the sun. There were plenty of sun beds with parasols so it was easy to find a spot with shade for those who dont like too much sun. Whilst we did not have our children with us, others did. There was plenty for them to do and in a safe environment. The day time entertainment team were brilliant. So much to do if you want to join in. The only down side to the complex is the hundreds of steps but there are lifts taking you from the rooms to the dining areas and as the hotel is miles from town, you have to take a bus into Bodrum to shop or site see. The hotel has a spa which was very nice, reasonably priced, with the sauna, steam room and humman room free to the guests. It has tennis courts and table tennis, you wont get bored. There is also a shop with a few esential bits and bobs, again reasonably priced and a hair salon. There is also a brand new fitness centre with all new equipment in an air conditioned large room. Unfortunatly our tour operator did made several inaccurate statement on their website and brochure, when selling us this holiday. We shall be lodging a formal complaint with them and hope they review their wording for other guests. Finally, we would like to thank the Guest Relations Manager Lianne, who dealt with all issues promtly and very efficiently - she is a credit to the hotel.

I went on holiday with my three friends to celebrate a special birthday. Was really pleased when we arrived at the hotel, everyone was very friendly and the hotel was lovely and clean. We were given a special upgrade with two bedrooms for two people with a lovely view of the ocean. The animation team were a group of lovely people who went out of their way to make everyone feel special and involved. They encouraged people to take part in games but were not pushy if you did not feel like joining in. The food was great and there was plenty to choose from and you could always get served at the bar - lots of lovely cocktails on offer. I would definately recommend this hotel to my friends and family and I hope to return again next year.

Just returned from a week at this amazing hotel. Although it's not finished yet it is a great place to be!! Everybody including the "crazy" animation team made this week unforgettable and we will return for sure!!