Saray Regency Hotel

This was our first trip to Turkey and we were not dissapointed. The hotel was very comfortbale and clean with excellent food (Even for vegetraians!). The pool was extremely well maintained and great for both adults and children. The animation team did a tireless job of entertaining the children and put on some great shows at night.
The weather was consistently hot and sunny, though the hotel was air conditioned. There were only a few British people and mainly German guests, but this was not a problem. The staff were all friendly and helpful and very attentive to your needs. We had a very relaxing and enjoyable holiday.

Very posh hotel,but food was a let down,same old thing every day.ok if you like chicken and chips or rice, breakfast was ok.drinks ok.as it was feb. There was no beach bar, no slides at pool, no outside eating, no pool bar, not much entertainment except 2 shows out of 7 nights. In fact nothing like advertised. Private beach was a mess.10 english the rest germans. Staff are good but dont speak much english mainly german.tv in room had 1 english speaking programe rest was german.would not go again.

7 readers found this review helpful

Once again we followed our own advice and returned to this great hotel a few miles from Side.
The warmest welcome is outdone only by the total care taken by all the staff to ensure a wonderful holiday. Nothing is too much trouble; they delight in your comfort and pleasure. Such a change from unsmiling, unfriendly and uncaring staff suffered by so many all too often.
The food is great with a huge variety to suit anyone from early morning to midnight.
The entertainment is professional and designed to keep you amused and whilst the team are keen to get you involved in their activities they equally respect your need to relax.
The rooms and public areas are kept spotless by a dedicated army of cleaners and gardners.
The hotel has both an open air pool plus an indoor pool adjacent to the Turkish Bath and Sauna area. Book here for a massage or other health treat.
I have now visited this hotel some dozen or more times! I have made good friends with guests from other parts of the world which adds to the pleasure and I have spoken to many manyu guests who, like us, return to Saray Regency time and time again.
If you like to be made to feel special.... This very special place is for you.

1 reader found this review helpful

Once again we followed our own advice and returned to this great hotel a few miles from Side.
The warmest welcome is outdone only by the total care taken by all the staff to ensure a wonderful holiday. Nothing is too much trouble; they delight in your comfort and pleasure. Such a change from unsmiling, unfriendly and uncaring staff suffered by so many all too often.
The food is great with a huge variety to suit anyone from early morning to midnight.
The entertainment is professional and designed to keep you amused and whilst the team are keen to get you involved in their activities they equally respect your need to relax.
The rooms and public areas are kept spotless by a dedicated army of cleaners and gardners.
The hotel has both an open air pool plus an indoor pool adjacent to the Turkish Bath and Sauna area. Book here for a massage or other health treat.
I have now visited this hotel some dozen or more times! I have made good friends with guests from other parts of the world which adds to the pleasure and I have spoken to many manyu guests who, like us, return to Saray Regency time and time again.
If you like to be made to feel special.... This very special place is for you.

just got back from 2 week stay at saray,myself,wife,five year old and three year old,although we enjoyed our stay we wouldnt go back,air con is non existant,to many extras to pay for i.e ice cream for kids,spirits,etc 7 euros for a baileys,2 euros for ice creams,most of the staff was very good,but a few was just down right rude,found myself waiting to be served at bar to many times to be a coincedence,germans always served first,with a smile,i always got served with a frown,the animation team was brilliant with the kids nothing was to much trouble for them,but then they was tunisian,not turks,rooms very clean but a bit small.

5 readers found this review helpful

General
We found the Saray Regency to be an international hotel with the majority of guests being German and Dutch. The balance was made up of English, Polish, Russian and small contingent of Belgians, Italians, French and Turkish.
Staff/Service
In general the waiters, bar and kitchen staff were polite. As always there were a few exceptions but that may have been due to the ill manners of some of the guests. A simple smile and bit of common courtesy helped win most of them over. Most of the staff spoke German but very little English.
Rooms
The maid service was good. The rooms were a bit on the small side with limited storage space and the air conditioning did not work as efficiently as perhaps it should have.
Pool area
Generally busy and if you wanted to secure a place by the pool it was the usual towels on the sun beds at dawn! Having said that, there was a large grassed area very close to the pool where you could also sunbathe and play games. The main pool had a small shallow end which was often used for activities such as water polo, water volleyball & aqua aerobics with the rest of the pool 2m deep. There was no lifeguard! The small pool was 0.5m deep and was covered by a canopy to protect the youngsters from the strong sun. The pool surround was marble and was very slippery. The water slides were not open all day and although there should have been a lifeguard/attendant there it was not always the case. Also there was a very pungent aroma in the surrounding area which was quite off putting. The area surrounding the pool was kept very clean and tidy by the diligent cleaning staff throughout the day.
Beach
The beach was clean, mostly sand with some small shingle. The light conditions there were excellent for photographs in the early evening. The beach bar was a nice place to while away a few hours and relax over a few drinks and simple food. There are numerous water sports available including parascending, jet skis, wind surfing, mini catamarans etc.
Medical
Beware, if you visit the hotel doctor you will be charged (Turkish Lira 170). If you are then referred to the medical centre you will be charged again, as well as for the ‘courtesy car’ which we found out to our cost!! Tip: Local chemists can dispense medication for ear infections without prescription.
Activities/Entertainment
I’ve saved the best until last. The Animation team headed by Nino were superb. They were responsible for the daytime & evening entertainment and worked very hard from 10 am until the early hours. Without exception they all made you feel really special and were a major factor in our enjoyment of the holiday. Nino is a multi lingual, multi talented, exceptional man. He was ably assisted by Mario, Momo, Sam, Joe, Mike & Mido (DJ).
Summary
The Saray Regency is a great family orientated hotel with plenty to do and is great value for money.

2 readers found this review helpful

We went to Saray Regency for a week in July, There was a group of 10 aged between 1 and 40 2 couples with 2 children each and a couple in twentys with no children! When we arrived the hotel was amazing very clean with a butler on hand to bring your cases to your room, We asked before we came if we could have room close togeather the familys were but me and my partner wernt we asked to move but we had to wait and ask again the
next morning we decided to stay put, Our room was nice but the view was of a tin roof it didnt really bother us as we never sat on it! The food was spot on im a very fussy eater and there was always something i liked. The pool was fantastic there was always something going on. Entertainers were FANTASTIC Nino,Mario ect they loved the kids and the kids loved them they were always about from 10am till gone 1am they worked very hard and always a big smile and even kept us adults entertained they all made our holiday!!!! The only thing i found is entertainment stopped at 10.30pm so there wasnt much to do apart from sit in reception area near bar and drink.There was a disco in a diffrent buildinf from 12am but we never went, I would go back again but very glad we were with children its a family hotel. I read alot of reviws before i went away and a lot of people stated about the staff who worked there didnt much like the english this was quite true but only a few who decided they couldnt speak english and wouldnt help but it didnt ruin a thing! I would go back just for the entertainers and if you like clothes take enough money as the shops around sold a lot of nice knocked off designer gear, They start at a big price but after a bit of bartering you always get a good price!

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2 readers found this review helpful

we stayed at this hotel as a family of 8 people from ages 39 down to 2 yrs. overall we had a good time and a couple from the party would actually go back this year as they enjoyed it that much.personally i wouldnt go back again but did enjoy the holiday. the hotel itself is very nice and first impressions are great there is a lovely reception area with a huge beautiful glass and marble fountain and everything looks nice and clean, the bedrooms are good and also clean as are the bathrooms, the view we had was not so good but the balcony was like having another room it was gigantic-plenty of space to store all the blowups and wet laundry.Most of the hotel is clean and well kept with the exception of one bar the pool bar it was quite scruffy and often serving warm drinks as the equipment was not working properly this was annoying as there are only 3 bars throughout the hotel one of them was a waiter service (the garden snack bar) where you had to wait for them to get your drinks which sometimes took as long as 20 mins and sometimes they even forgot to bring them at all! and then the lobby bar where they were in our opinion- ignorant and didnt much like us english and had us waiting there for ages, so the drinks side of things was not very good and in heat of 80-90 degrees its not what you need!we were sometimes gasping!!! and very annoyed.ive never known an hotel as bad for the drinks situation. food was quite nice but the restaurant at dinner always had a big queue due to the strange layout they had going on, if they had just spead things out more people wouldnt have to queue up in the same place all at once,and again you had to wait to be served your drinks. there is quite a good variety of food and i dont think anyone would go hungry, the snacks such as pizzas kebabs burgers and salads were delicious and we had these most days for lunch instead of the main restaurant.the beach is 5 mins away and has its own beach bar with drinks and snacks(free part of all inc) which is good,and a toilet and shower, also free parasols and sunbeds and a beach boy who is supposed to show you the to the empty ones etc, but he didnt help us with anything infact he disliked us immensly (we think because we were english) he was horrible and rude and even shouted at the children so watch him !the entertainment are the best thing about this hotel they are fantastic, they are brilliant with the children and great with the adults too, they are so dedicated to their job and are a credit to this hotel we cant praise them enough thankyou to them all- nino, mischa,momo,sam, ali baba, you made our holiday!This hotel is supposed to be a 5 star but please dont let that sway you as we and most people have all said it is more like a 3 star with a couple of added bonuses, the slides are good for the children and the jacuzzi is nice but the steam room and turkish bath and massage you have to pay for but you can get the price down abit if you haggle we did.Most of the guests here seem to be german and russain and i think the hotel staff certainly favour these over the english also the turkish people in shops and markets etc seem to be quite ignorant and sometimes rude with the english but we got used to it and didnt let it bother us after a while. after saying that though a lot of them were very nice to all the children.

3 readers found this review helpful

We were in a party of 4 adults and 4 childen, the youngest 4 months old, 2 x 2 year olds and a 6 year old, all of which had a fabulous holiday.
Firstly, if you’re a spirit drinker, get your favourite tipple in duty free at the airport! Although this is all inclusive, it only includes all your soft drinks, beer, wine (which are both OK), vodka (not the best), raki, peach & orange schnapps and a few of their local liqueurs, everything else is imported, and they were charging 8 euro for a whiskey, my husband ended up buying a bottle at a local store, but still paid the equivalent of £26.00 for a bottle of famous grouse.
Secondly, ignore any comments about not being understood by the staff, a few of the girls on reception speak very good English, as do a number of the waiting staff. All the animation team speak excellent English, as well as being fluent in several other languages. Brits are in the minority, the hotel caters for mostly German guests, but there were also French, Italians, Russians, Czechs, so this is truly an International hotel. Bingo takes a while as it is called in 6 different languages!!
We arrived early hours of Saturday morning, concierge were outside waiting to greet us, and took our bags straight to our room. Check-in was very prompt and we were in our rooms within 10 minutes of arriving at the hotel. The family rooms are large with a double bed, and room for a futher single bed and Z bed. We didn’t have a great view so we asked if we could move, which they did on our 2nd day. The room we were moved to was smaller with 2 single beds which we pushed together and the kids were on a sofa bed - we were much happier though as we had a much better view directly over the main pool. The air conditioning was on constantly in our room, which was a relief as the heat outside was almost unbearable on some days.
There are 3 pools at the hotel, the large main pool which is also used for water polo, volleyball and water aerobics, the small childrens pool which was covered and excellent for toddlers, then there was the pool with the slides - if you have any children over the age of 5 - don’t expect to see them all day, if they are not on the slides, they have been involved in one of the several activities being run throughout the day.
Beach towels are free, you have to leave a deposit of 40 euro per towel, however, you can change them as often as you like, then get your deposit back at the end of the holiday. We never had any problem getting a sunbed, although some of the beds were taken from early hours of the morning, these were directly next to the main pool, which gets a bit hectic anyway. The beach is a 5 minute walk away. The hotel has its own area of the beach reserved so no need to pay for sunbeds or parasols, the saray also has its own beach bar so you can still get all your all inclusive drinks and lunch at the beach.
You have 3 choices for lunch, the main restaurant which is a buffet, the outdoor café, which serves burgers chips, pizzas, or between 1300 - 1600hrs a womens sits outside and makes Turkish pancakes with various fillings - these are really good, so please try them. The food on the whole is to a very high standard - you can’t get your full English breakfast, but they do fried eggs, omelettes and pancakes to order which are good.
The evening entertainment is very good, they have a few acts from outside come in to the hotel, but the majority of the shows are done by the hotels animation team, the shows are excellent, I must recommend their Celtic night - watching an Italian, 3 Tunisians, a German and a Czech doing Lord of the Dance and doing it very well is something you don’t see very often. Nino also does a fire eating act - they are all very talented.
Nino, and the rest of the entertainment team are there from breakfast through to midnight every day and without a doubt they make this holiday. I’ve been on numerous holidays and these people far exceed anything you get with First choice, JMC, Thomson etc. amazingly, from the first day of our holiday they were remembering the childrens names, and all the children adored them.
We had a wonderful holiday, and would definitely go back, however, we would wait until a more reliable airline flew from Birmingham. We had booked with Onur Air to fly from Birmingham, but they cancelled our flights and we had to go with them from Manchester instead. The planes look quite old and they are cramped with not much leg room, we were delayed 20 minutes going out, and about the same coming back, however, when we taxied up to the terminal on arrival home, there was a complete power failure, we were left completely in the dark on the plane for about 30 minutes while they tried to get the doors open - not once were we told what was happening - and not one of the cabin crew made any kind of apology as we were disembarking. We then had to wait over an hour for our baggage because they couldn’t get the cargo doors open .
One last thing, they prefer to take Euro everywhere, so all prices are quoted in euro’s, however, you get much better value for money if you take Turkish Lira - some of them don’t even work out the conversion properly so you could get some real bargains!

Just got home from the Saray Regency and was never so glad to be home from a holiday. I do not understand all the positive reviews from Brits about this hotel, we found that the staff either could not or would not speak English, and appeared not to understand anything we said. This was supposed to be an all inclusive holiday, of which I have had many, but have never before felt that I was begging for a drink, no wine was served with meals and when requested was given out in the smallest glass and warm, never were glasses replenished, even with water. On an afternoon when it was around 90 degrees we witnessed one bottle of water being shared between 11 people who were waiting to be served a sandwich in the gardens.
When we arrived in the early hours of the morning after a terrible transfer from the airport being left sitting on the coach for 55 mins. before the driver decided to deliver people to their hotels, we were told that they had no room for us and we would have to share a double bed, we were two women travelling together, and only friends!!. We accepted because we were very tired and then had to be moved again in the morning after speaking to several people who did not speak english, we spoke to many guests who had the same start to their holiday, they were all english guests by the way.
The only people happy with this hotel could be families with children as the animation team were superb to our knowledge, and seem to really enjoy the children, but the rest of the staff did not care less, were very ignorant and unhelpful.
We would suggest binning the transport company you are using, namely Yesil Dalyan travel, they are useless and caused lots of people a lot of grief on what should have been a lovely holiday, we spent most of our last day trying to find out about our transport, and after speaking to the so called rep. who hung up on us bacause he said "it is nothing to do with me, phone them direct", we got the hotel manager involved and thanks to him (the only person we saw in the whole week with any interest in the hotel guests) we got back to the airport.
If you are not german please do not patronise this hotel and its really bad staff, save your money and go somewhere else. It is such a pity because the hotel itself is truly lovely and in nice grounds, one last thing to mention about this area of Side is that it is very limited to facilities and shops etc, resulting in everything being much more expensive than other parts of Turkey, we also found the beach to be very bad to walk on as it is covered with shingle near the water. All in all I will never return to Turkey as a result of this holiday