Didim Beach Resort & Spa

9 readers found this review helpful

Before going I read some negative reviews and wondered what we were in for,but when we arrived we were pleasantly surprised, the hotel was clean the family room was fine for a family of 4 my children are aged 16 and 11 years and the staff were pleasant and very helpful.I had read that the food was awful but found the food was excellent with a great selection, I could not understand the negative reviews. Whilst on holiday I could still hear people complaining about the food,rooms and the staff.I suppose some people cannot get by without complaining and moaning but I wish they would stay home and allow others to enjoy.

9 readers found this review helpful

we have just got back from the didim beach resort hotel. we had a lovely holiday there. the hotel was beautiful and clean. it was right by the beach with loads of sunbeds available. i cant understand why there are people moaning about the food there. it was gorgeous. loads and loads to choose from. the salad bar stretched from one end of the dining room to the other they had bread, eggs, sausages, croissants, pastries,salad,omlettes(made fresh),cereals, toast,jams, soup,tomatoes topped with cheese, cheeses, hams,etc... etc... and that was just for breakfast! what more do some people want?? the staff were all friendly. and the rooms were cleaned to a very high standard everyday.
the only thing about this hotel that we were dissappointed with was the fact that you couldn't take drink to your room. you had to use the mini bar that was available in your room. also the sunbeds were very close together. other than that everything else was excellent. i would definately go back to the didim beach and would recommend it to anyone.

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3 readers found this review helpful

The good points about the hotel
When we arrived the hotel looked lovely, It was a nice scenery outside the reception. If you looked round the hotel it is very nice, the design of the place was nice. the swiming pool area was nice but a bit tight, in a way that it werent big enough to accommadate every one in the hotel.
The sun beds were to close for comfort aswell. It was nice the fact that you walked to the end of the swimming pool area and you had a beach. There was a theatre outside next to the swiming pool area aswell,nice bar.
The bad points about the hotel
Most of the staff were very moody, rude, unhelpful and disappointing. Apart from the reception and the maids which were lovely people. The food was rubbish, there was nothing that me and my family could eat so we had to eat out, pretty bad as we went all inclusive.
The food seemed cheap and nasty, it werent no 5 star treatment there. The bars were very slow. In a whole the hotel wasnt a 5 star, I thought it was more a 4 star.
The place the hotel was in Altinkum was a nice place, They had nice resturants, nice people (outside hotel). They had some nice things to do like boat trips,scuba diving, quad biking, jet skis, general water sports etc

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3 readers found this review helpful

Hotel pros:
-Very clean looking
-Everything cleaned regulary
-On gorgeous grounds
-Beautiful inside and out
-Furniture absolutley beautiful
-Helpful reception staff
-Waiting staff helpful and kind
-Maids are lovely
-Wooden sun loungers with mats
-No need to take towels, they are supplied
-Nice views
-Situated right on the beach
-Rooms adequate
-Entertainment team 09 are amazing bunch
-Entertainment is very high standard
-Air conditioned
Area pros:
-10 mins walk from Dolphin Square (town centre)
-Very regular buses to centre Altinkum
-Brilliant weather
-2 Mini markets nearby
Hotel cons:
-Food isnt great
(i.e. There is not enough English food for those who are not open to trying new things but they have to cater for a very wide range of nationalities so its understandable)
-Shop inside hotel is verrry expensive
-ALL drinks finish at 11 sharp. Not even water is left on
-No ice cream included for AI
-Snack bar consists of burgers and chips only
There was 10 of us, 2 families, 3 rooms.
To sum up.. The hotel is okay. There is some things that are negative about the hotel, but the pros far out weigh the cons. We still had a brilliant holiday and regardless of anything will definatley be returning to Turkey.

2 readers found this review helpful

We like salads and buffet food, and thought the meals were absolutely outstanding with a vast selection, wonderful bread etc; the hotel has to cater for half a dozen nationalities (at least...) so it can hardly be expected to serve what everyone would eat at home. Cooked veg were less impressive than salads (this was also our impression in Cyprus). Drinks selection was much more limited than we had expected from the holiday brochure, but everything was certainly drinkable (hic!). Room and hotel generally were clean; massage & turkish bath session wasn't cheap, but very relaxing, pool was clean, beach very easy to get to, with toilets close by. Staff friendly, but in some cases their English was limited.
But the place was a bit disorganised; it took us 3 days to find out that there were barbecue huts and a fresh bread oven outside the main catering area; we used them every day after that. The evening entertainment didn't seem very well organised (the earlier shows for kids may or may not have been better).
We didn't think much of the local town, where the shops in the centre seemed to have a very limited selection of stuff, majoring on 'genuine fakes' of famous brands. But the bus service was cheap and efficient, and a DIY trip to the Temple of Apollo was interesting. Saturday market quite good for clothes.
Our supposedly 'quiet room' on the seventh floor was noisy till midnight - the disco may have been in an adjacent hotel rather than this one - not helped by a patio door that didn't fit properly.
I guess this kind of mix works well for some folks but not for others.

7 readers found this review helpful

Read the negative reviews before we went but discovered the hotel was exactly what we booked - it was exceptionally clean, food was good - great 3+ star hotel for the money - the only bad thing was not to do with the hotel but the area - from the hotel to the fairground on the way to Dolphin square it is really dark and quiet - the road has no pavement and no lights - this did not feel safe at all. Unfortunately, a young woman was assaulted due to this - please just be aware...

7 readers found this review helpful

After reading many negative reviews before we travelled, we were a little put off by them - but PLEASE PLEASE DONT BE!!!! We travelled as a party of 6, 2 adults, 1 18yr old, 1 15yr old, a 6 & 4 yr old. We stayed in the Elegance hotel (sister hotel to the main one). The rooms were fantastic, flat screen tvs in the rooms (bedroom & lounge area), bathroom spectacular with marble sink & spa bath (wasnt working but was expecting a spa bath so not a problem). Cleaners cleaned rooms every day, changing linen & towels daily - very friendly - if you needed anything ie toilet rolls etc they will gladly help. Comfortable bed, very spacious rooms - aircon in both bedroom & living areas. Hotel staff friendly and helpful, english not too good, but we managed.......pools were lovely - a little cold tho, but as the weather was hot it didnt really matter. Did have to get down to pool area early to get beds - but this happens all over the world, not just here! Spent a few days on private beach - drinks dispensers on way down - and accessible from beach, so you can get drinks all day long - cold & hot. Also there is a beach bar, which you have to pay for if you want food and drinks. Jetty out in water is very nice - you can jump off the end into the sea which my 2 eldest kids enjoyed doing! In the sea there are loads of fish swimming around you, its fantastic.....very clear, shallow and sandy (a shelf of stones on entering tho, but after that is totally sandy). Again beds get taken fast, although we didnt have any problems. Grounds of hotel were kept nice and plenty of seating.....plus a small kids play area (and a new one being built while we were there). Food was excellent quality although a little repetitive - very healthy tho, all kinds of meats & vegs - we didnt starve and had plenty to choose from - breads, cakes, fruit, soup, salads, yoghurts, chips, the list is endless! you can go up as many times as you like. (please be aware that people can be very messy and not respectful when it comes to queuing, they do rush in like the food is going to run away! and they slop stuff while serving themselves) the kids also have their own buffet half hour before main restaurant opens so you can get your kids sorted first. There are rules that you cant take drinks or food into your rooms, which is totally fair enough - I think theyre worried that people will be drunk and trash the rooms, which does happen so these kind of people spoil it for normal travellers. I think they must want to keep the place in tip top condition. We didnt feel we had to do this anyway as the drinks etc are all day long. The animation team were great, having fun with the residents, organising games at the pool each day and then following an entertainment schedule each eve in the amphitheatre. We found it quite late for our 2 small kids but we managed a few eves in there - and you can take alcohol in there - we did and nobody said anything. The walk down to the beach is quite steep but you get used to it. there are steps and also slopes. While we were there, we had to use the doctor due to my daughter having an allergic reaction to something, and we were whisked down to the medical centre who were fantastic - dealt with problem (of course you have to have your insurance to cover you for this service) but they brought us back too. Altinkum town was smaller and less busy than we imagined - the Dolphin Square Bar was great. Lots of fun, dancing & drinking. Dolmus from the hotel to town costs 1.25tl per person so really cheap and they run very frequently. Our overall account of our 2 wk holiday to this place was excellent - maybe a few hiccups along the way, but it happens - we had a great time, tanned, never went hungry, and now very chilled - we will prob book again for next year.

we visited for 1 week 8 adults 1 child thought we had hit the jackpot when we arrived hotel looked lovely from the outside check in reception very nice and took are cases to our room. room looked very clean as did the bathroom and balcony from the inside until we looked out we had a bird nest on our light in-fact all rooms and windows had them some balcony's even two so as the week went on lots of bird poo every were that was never cleaned till we asked for it to be cleaned.
ALCOHOL
very basic we drank all day and still sober so either very weak vodka or very watered, (one or the other) beer was nice but very small glasses smaller than half pints and strictly 2 drinks to 1 arm band so our half our party ended up at the bar most of the time as the Q's were so big and not many staff,you can help your self to plenty of still orange etc. staff pig ignorant except for 1 his name was can
all inclusive strictly stops at 11pm so stock up or u will be charged to your room
FOOD
disgusting we ate out a lot (penguin bar on the beach very nice and very friendly)my 2 yr old is not fussy at all but he starved for the week we had to buy him yoghurts as there wasnt even any fresh fruit like bananas (1 day there was melon) the food made him gag and b sick on the wed night all over the restaurant and the waiter just brushed it up with a pan and brush no bleach or anything
breakfast was- cold harricot beans, salad, raw boiled eggs, bread, jam, soup,
lunch - salad, rice, horrible meatball type things, other meat dishes dont even know what they were, some type of white soft cheese
dinner- pretty much the same as lunch so no point typing
deserts look nice but they r not my gran brought a piece of cake back to the table and a fly crawled out infact they r crawling over everything
at 2pm u can get cardboard burgers and hard chips
at 4-5pm your child can get 1 ice cream but they must go with u (in-case u r getting it 4 u)
at 12pm your child can get potato croquettes and boiled rice again they must go with u
at lunch and dinner there is fresh bread made its quite nice and the outside hut makes very under cooked pancakes but i suppose u could ask to overcook if they decide to understand english that day
SWIMMING POOLS/ SUNBEDS
water slides look good but be careful two people had there heads split when we were there and the pools are good except the wood round them is splinting so lots of children with very sore feet.
GET UP EARLY AND RESERVE we were always down around 6-6.45am to get beds or they were gone
every one reserves even on the fly infested private beach.
ENTERTAINMENT
i really felt sorry for the animation team they didnt really have a lot to work with plus u cant take any alcohol with u to watch it so like a lot of people we never bothered going we did go to the kids disco 1 night it seemed to be ok and the kids enjoyed it
OTHER THINGS INCLUDED
turkish baths were free but u had to book so didnt get time canoe's were supposed to be but told us only in season bikes the same and the al a carte was also closed the man u v barcelona game was on while away and there sky suddenly didnt work makes u wonder was it a scam to make u leave the hotel so u werent drinking the free drink.......
WEATHER
Was beautiful couldnt have asked for better - BE WARNED the birds poo all over u and your belongings around the pool not nice opening your eyes to when you have been sunbathing
SHOPPING
we found the shops quite good jewellery very reasonable but they more or less trail you in and get affended if u don't go in we kept being shouted at up the street GIPSEYS
PLEASE DO NOT BOOK INTO THIS HOTEL IF IT'S TO LATE ENJOY........

Hotel clean no prob in that department as for the rest well where do I start. Arrived at hotel 11ish pm 3 rooms later finally got sorted first 2 already alocated. First couple of days were great then the petty rules creeped in. Stopped by security not allowed to bring any foods from surrounding shops. Not much info about entertainment in the evenings for kids or adults. Getting drinks for the family hellish by 10.30 down to 1 drink per person even if it was soft drinks for the kids. 11o'clock bar closed. No drinks of any sort after that. Kids allowed 1 free ice cream between 4.30 an 5. Spent a packet ate out most days as food not up to much same stuff just a different sauce. Never seen meatballs in so many forms. Didn't find staff very approachable. The list goes on. Would visit Altinkum again loved the beaches the weather an a prowl round the shops in town. We enjoyed our holiday just a pity about our choice of hotel.

The Hotel looks impressive from the outside, and again when you enter the front door, but that all comes to a screeching halt once you get to the check in. Rooms requested are not allocated, there are no food or drinks for any late travellers arriving, only shrugging of shoulders from a reception who has 'selective understanding ' of the English language. Adjoining rooms were requested by us and if you include through the ceiling to the next floor as adjoining then there is no problem, if however like us, you think of adjoining rooms as being next to one and other, then be prepared for a shock to your system.
As already explained by others there is really not much choice of food at the restaraunt unless you count 8 different ways of cooking meatballs and 10 ways of presenting chicken as a variation!!!
the all inclusive aspect runs from 1000 until 2300, but be prepared to take your table guests to the bar with you, as it is only 1 drink per armband after 10pm . You could of course as the bar staff wil tell you, get 1 drink and return to the end of the queue for the next, thus, taking almost half an hour to get a round of drinks in. Drinks at the pool bar are served in small plastic cups and it takes 3 or 4 of these to make up a half pint!
The entertaiment .... and I use the word loosely - very loosely indeed - is held outwith the bar areas and NO drinks or refreshments, are allowed to be taken within the amphitheatre , and the entertainment finishes just as the all inclusive 'freebies' end, thus allowing you the priveledge of buying your drinks for 5Lira each, regardless of the drink you ask for, by the way it's less than 4Lira for a FULL pint at the bars in the town.
CCTV is everywhere in the hotel and if you are seen taking any drinks back to your room to relax on the small balconies then you will be 'fined' 30 euros!!!! the idea of this is that you have to pay for the minibar within the rooms and pay again for room service to top it up. Although all local drinks and soft drinks are included in the all inclusive deal the mini bar in the room is NOT part of that deal. usually in all inclusive deals, ice cream is included for the children, at this hotel ice creams are from 2Lira each. If you've booked this hotel because of the kids club that is there then this will cost you a further 6 euros per day, unless you have booked with Thomas Cook.
I am not normally one to go along with any of the reviews I read,as I believe a holiday is what you make it, but I do wish I had taken in what was said about this place.
The Hotel itself though is quite clean, and the cleaners are probably the only staff that you will get any respect from. The holiday reps are quite understanding and do try and sort out any problems you may come across, as most of them have been out there for a wee while they do have loads of experience of problems if the week Ive just had is anything to go by, on one particular day there was 20+ people waiting to meet them when they arrived!!!