Orion Hotel

6 readers found this review helpful

Brief outline: We went on holiday for a week as a group of 4 adults, we had two separate rooms and were bed & breakfast based. The hotel is right on the beach and the sea is just so warm and shallow with no current that it is ideal for families and even if you are not keen on salt water definately worth a dip..
Accommodation: After a very noisy first night from the neighbouring bars we requested to be moved and were very happy with our room, the Air-conditioning worked a treat. But maid service was almost non existant and reception didn't seem to understand what toilet roll was.
facilities: The pool area was lovely and clean. Staff were helpful at the pool bar and can recommend their lightbites if you are peckish at lunchtime. Must mention a scottish youngman called Brian who was just wonderful at translating for us if we needed him and who I hope is still there after a late night dip.
Members of staff: Reception were pretty much useless, my advice would be to ask someone at the pool bar to translate for you.
local bars: I can recommend Buzz bar for a cooked breakfast, and the Banana restaurant for a lovely 3 couse meal, free bottle of wine all for £8. We tended to stay away from the main strip of Karaoke Bars and prefered to chat with the locals and other holiday makers in the quieter bars.
Buses were an experience and great for getting around highly recommend having a Turkish Bath on your first day, great experience and helps the tan stay longer, we booked ours through AZEM Travel opposite the hotel and also booked a day scuba diving as well. Great experience. Wait for the local market on a saturday it has wonderful bargains and very fun to barter for a good price, highly reccommend the Radley bags and purses I bought 4 for 25Lira which is about £12.50. The designer T-shirts are actually really good quality and wash really well.
My biggest advice would be to not bother changing your money up, they prefer English and you definately get a better deal.

2 readers found this review helpful

me and my partner stayed there for 2 weeks, when we first arrived it was about 6 in the morning and they had given us a room that was dissopointing as we were put above bins and next door to a clothes shop of sorts,my fella went and had a word and they didnt hesitate on moving us to the front facing the beech it was exerllent, the staff were brilliant , and the maid was out of this world she wqs one in a million and we appreciate the work she does for the otel,if you like your grub there are lots of people to ask you into there venues , the hoy, hoy, boys dancing 24 7 and lots of singing, the time of year we went they didnt have entertainment in the hotel no belly dancers or nought like that, i would like to stay in the hotel agin but at a different time of the year

2 readers found this review helpful

An excellent location, facing the beach with friendly staff and a small but clean pool. The problem; a big one; is the noise from nearby bars. The resort is aimed more at those who would enjoy karaoke more than Ephesus. Two of the noisiest bars in the resort are within 50 meters and rooms either side of the hotel have little chance of peace before 2-3 am! Windows are not double glazed.
Try to get a sea facing room for a slightly quieter night. We found a definite improvement once we moved rooms. The hotel is, for Turkey, clean ,despite room service provided only twice weekly and the buffet food whilst not always topped up late in the service is fairly varied and always edible with a good balance of local cuisine.
From conversations with others whilst on trips, it seems you could do a lot worse than the Orion, however the pool is small and the child section minute. The pool closes at 6 as dinner is served on the pool terrace. The sea is only 30 seconds away and great for swimming.
No entertainment even in high season and few use the bar - there are cheaper options nearby.
Overall Altinkum is probably too lively/Brit orientated to return to but it's close to classical sites with good day tours easily available in resort.

2 readers found this review helpful

Myself and my family stayed in the hotel this year I was totally disappointed, the food was not catered for the English it was all Turkish food we had to eat out for most of the two weeks, we had maybe two meals in there.
The pool area was not cleaned on a regular basis maybe once a week if you were lucky.
The staff could not speak much English, mostly young lads. On leaving the hotel they tried to charge us for drinks we had not had, they showed us a receipt which had been signed by someone else.
If you want a fridge in your room you have to pay £3.00 a day. It was a shame this was not up to a three star rating because the hotel is in a lovely position.
Could do with some organisation.

1 reader found this review helpful

If you want an early call this is the place to be. From 6 in the morning you will you will be awoken by the thumping of very loud music, you can complain to them but you will be totally ignored.
The rep will also on your behalf complain but as soon as she leaves the premises the volume increases. the hotel itself is quite nice, entertainment is very poor, food is good. My overall opinion is I will return to Altinkum at some stage, but not to this hotel.

1 reader found this review helpful

My partner and I stayed in the hotel Orion for first time, we both loved every minute of it. The staff were very friendly and made you feel welcome in there country, food was very nice. Our rooms were cleaned everyday, we also had a good laugh and joke with staff, they were never miserable & whenever you needed help they would always be on hand.
We went on the beach every other day that was clean and no litter pleasure to be there. We also went to the markets and visited ruins. This hotel is exactly in the right location and a pleasure to be there, I miss the staff already and I have been home nearly a week. Would go back there.

2 readers found this review helpful

This was our first holiday to Turkey - our appetite being whet by a daytrip to Bodrum when we were staying in Kos.
Altinkum is a fantastic resort. Set along a wide bay, its beaches are spacious, umbrellas and sunbeds cheap (£1 per item per day), and the promenade looks very new - all brick paved with palm trees and raised verges. Along the prom, there are the usual bars and restaurants as well as tourist shops. There is really no bad location to be, and the Orion is at the quieter end. As you walk into the centre, the bars become louder, the resort busier, and the beer a bit pricier! Beer is typically 50p - £1 for a large bottle in most of the beach bars (exchange rate was 2600000TL to £1), meals are around £5 - £10 each for two courses with choice ranging from fish and chips to traditional Turkish fayre.
Altinkum is also, where the Turks go on their holidays, so there is a good mix of people.
There are two excursions, which you must go on - Ephesus and Pamakkale. Ephesus is a rebuilt ancient city, which is breath-taking. You walk down the same streets as the residents used to thousands of years ago. In Pamakkale you get the unique experience of wading in calcium pools. Over the years, the natural springs have deposited the calcium over the hills making it look snow-topped from a distance. In fact, it is solid chalk - quite beautiful.
So to the hotel. The rooms are very clean - the maid is in virtually every day to empty the bin and nicely arrange your towels on the beds. Satellite TV is basically just BBC world, but then again, you’re not on holiday to watch TV! The staff are very friendly and helpful. Breakfast is typically boiled eggs, fried potatoes, cheese, cold meats, breads and fruit - all buffet style, with fruit juices, tea and coffee. Dinner is also buffet style and could consist of chicken, vegetables, chips, rice and cold accompaniments such as potato salad, salad vegetables, cheese, bread, meats, and fish with desserts such as fresh fruit and chocolate puddings. Pretty much the same every night so you will probably want to eat out at a few restaurants for variety. The pool tables cost about £2 for an hours play. There is also a dart board and table tennis table.
You will get hassled by restaurant staff desperate to get you to eat at their establishment, but as long as you reply and take it in the way it is meant (do not take offence) then there is no real problem and you quickly get used to it.
If you are a football fan, there are numerous bars, which show every game they can - Linekers and the British Bar are just across the road from the Orion and very good for sport.
The road outside the hotel is extremely quiet - 10 cars an hour maximum, so do not worry about traffic noise.
The easiest and cheapest way to get around is to use the local Dolmus (minibus). You simply flag them down, tell them where you want to go and it will cost you very little (a 10 minute journey to the Temple of Apollo, which cannot be missed, cost us just 30p each!). It can seem a little daunting at first, but they are used to tourists!
Just one word of warning - do not under any circumstances go on the Bodrum departure excursion. It is a fantastic idea (to spend your last day in Bodrum, have the use of a hotel room and have only a 40 minute transfer to the airport) but First Choice just have not got it right. We ended up in a hotel in Gumbet and had to take a taxi into Bodrum. Also, some peoples pick up times ended up being earlier than if they had stayed in Altinkum some 1 1/2 hours away! If you are tempted, make sure you get full information from your rep.
All in all we had a wonderful holiday and would recommend Altinkum and the Orion to couples and families of all ages.