Paloma Grida Village

3 readers found this review helpful

My boyfriend and I went to Grida Village through Thomas Cook in May in the hope of getting some early sunshine and relaxation. We weren't disappointed.
The room was of a lovely size, bright and clean but tucked away nicely back from the main hustle and bustle of the main resort.
Before going to Grida we had all good intentions of going out of the resort each day. However, we only ended up leaving the resort three times - the rest we spent lounging by the gorgeous pool and grazing in the Turkish restaurant at lunch.
It's definitely true what they say about the Germans and the sun loungers! The resort is predominantly full of German people but the staff seem to speak mostly English to customers. You need to get up early to throw your towel on the sun loungers but then you can go back to bed because nobody moves your towel.
With the restaurants I have to say the buffet was incredibly varied although veggies would be hard pushed to eat anything other than salad (even the vegetables had lamb in with them!).
My boyfriend and I preferred to opt for the Turkish grill closer to the beach at lunchtimes and we tried to book a variety of the a la carte restaurants in the evenings. The trick to booking the restaurants was to go to reception at 8am the day before you want to eat there. We did this daily and never had a problem getting a table although perhaps it will be busier in peak season.
The weather, for May was absolutely awesome - cloudless blue skies and 30 degrees most days.
We made the most of the all-inclusive drinks most days with efes beer on tap and local spirits and Turkish wine. The spirits as with most all inclusive weren't as good as the main brands so we stuck to wine and beer mostly. The Turkish wine was quite nice all in all though.
This was our first package holiday and we really didn't know what to expect but all in all we had a great time and you really couldn't argue for the money. Although there were mostly Germans and Russians at the resort, the Thomas Cook staff worked hard to make themselves known to all their guests and all the Brits ended up in a gaggle together in the bar and club each evening.
I know some people have moaned that the hotel isn't 5 stars and I have stayed in many five star hotels. Ok so there aren't plush carpets and dripping chandeliers everywhere but it would have been seriously out of place if the hotel looked like that.
There was plenty to do, the excursions we did go on were great, and Belek village is good for picking up all sorts of things including bags, wallets etc. Do haggle - they expect and enjoy it but if they hassle you in the street say "no hassle" and generally they leave you alone.
In a nutshell, for the money you couldn't really complain.
In fact my only gripe about the whole thing was the severe lack of leg room on the flight over made worse by some inconsiderate witch fully reclining her seat into my lap when I was trying to eat my dinner! We paid £15 each for extra legroom on the way home and it was definitely worth it!

2 readers found this review helpful

Had a fantastic holiday, my husband and 3 year old little girl.
Nothing was too much trouble from all that worked there at all levels.
The kid’s club team was fantastic, a special mention to David Pohe who treated my little girl like a princess.
The whole team were stars and worked really hard and could see they enjoyed their job.
The evening/day entertainment teams were the best I’ve seen and the shows were really good.
We were sad too be going home, but pledge to visit again soon.
The Thomas Cook reps were great and always made an effort to come and chat with you, and also put on entertainment which was also great.
I strongly recommend this hotel.

4 readers found this review helpful

Arrived at Grida on 1st April , almost the beginning of the season. There were 7 of us in our party 5 adults 1 child aged 7 and a teenager 15yrs.
The rooms were well presented and adequate, very roomy.
The maid service was very good. The mini bar in our room was kept stocked with soft drinks.
The food was of a good quality, maybe it got a bit samey after a few days , but having said that there is more than enough variety and "specials" appear most days.
Entertainment is provided by the Thomson reps , Lizzy Laura and Dan (with more to join them) they are quite mad and on the go all day, providing quizzes and sports activities for the Thomas cook guests.
There is also the in house "animation" team . A multi national team who will have you doing aerobic and step , playing silly pool games , beach volley ball , petanque , shuffle board and much more during the day.
Then in the evening they put on various shows in both the outside "amphitheatre" and the inside theatre. These shows are well worth seeing, especially the Miss Grida and the male version, hysterical !
A word of warning - the dolphin show trip to the Troy water park in Belek is a rip off - my advice - don’t go , it is simply too expensive, £18 for adults for what works out to be a 40 minute show.
The other trips to Aspendos and Perge or to the market well worth it , and do haggle in the market , it is expected and is great fun!
Although Grida is multinational and the Brits are in the minority, don’t let this put you off, it is a great resort, good food, friendly helpful staff and relaxing everything you could want!

3 readers found this review helpful

Would repeat the comments of others on here about what a good job the TC entertainment team Sarah, James and Jodie did, all day and evenings they were like on site tour reps with a sense of fun!
The resort itself is very nice (also stayed next door at the Arcadia the previous year, also recommended!) Food was excellent and varied. Never bothered with the a la carte restaurants as the booking system was ridiculous, if not at reception for 8:00 am, that's it for that day. Bizarre to say the least.
However, that was a slight inconvenience and the stay was a good one, my wife enjoyed the relaxation, my 12 year old son loved the pool, games area and football.
As usual with AI the drive to leave the place is simply not there but we did venture in to Belek for a spot of haggling. I had shopkeepers close to tears with my insulting offers!! Apparently.
Yes we'd go again, despite arriving in a tremendous storm which made check in resemble The Haunted Mansion.
Bar service was a bit slow, considering no money changes hands and women and children appeared to be frequently ignored.
One other thing, the beer (home brewed Efes Pils) was OK but always foaming and you never got a full glass!

2 readers found this review helpful

We booked up Grida village as a last minute holiday and for the price we didn't expect such an amazing holiday.
The hotel room was spotless and the food was great. The evening entertainment on stage was good fun and my boyfriend and I took part most nights!
I would recommend couples to go here for a relaxing holiday.

2 readers found this review helpful

Me and a friend needed a weeks holiday to just kick back and relax in the sunshine - so after a few days of searching websites we found a last minute deal to the Grida Village off of tele-text. I have never been to Turkey before as it never really appealed but the website and pictures in the brochure looked great so we booked a weeks holiday.
I was very impressed with the Grida Village, going fully inclusive I was a bit apprehensive but pleasantly surprised by the variety of foods on offer each breakfast, lunch and dinner, we certainly didn't go hungry!
Being a bit of a fitness fan I used the gym a couple of times which I must say was well equipped for a good workout. The Spa treatments were great. Would recommend the Indian head Massage.
Our accommodation was lovely and clean just a pity we didn't have a balcony.
We did watch quite a few of the evenings entertainment that was laid on by either the in-house team or the Thomas Cook team - all pretty cheesy stuff but good fun and the entertainment teams worked so hard, during the day they were doing all the games around the pool and by night dancing around the stage, don't know where they got all their energy from!?
There are several bars around the resort all very good - the only comment is that some nights it was pot luck on what drink you were given. We would ask for one thing but got another! Not sure if this was lack of understanding or that they ran out of certain drinks!?
Ventured into Belek one night but it was a short visit, as two young women on their own was just a magnet for the Turkish Men! Enough said.
All in all I had a great holiday, relaxing by the pool or on the beach by day and chilled out in one of the bars by night.
I would recommend Grida Village to my friends, especially those with children but its great for all ages.

1 reader found this review helpful

Have just returned from this hotel and have already booked to return next yr. It was really very friendly and clean, the staff bent over backwards to help you and the reps were brilliant.
When I first got there I was given a standard room with no view (except for a brick wall)! So consequently complained I was then immediately upgraded to a superior room with a sea view and also a pool view!
My son has always had a fear of kids clubs but having seen the Thomas cook one at this hotel couldn’t wait to go in there every morning!
The food is pretty typical of an AI hotel and very much geared up for the Germans and Russians (of which, there are an awful lot). The atmosphere was really relaxed and easy going which suited me right down to the ground!
And the pools were checked every day. The water slides and the beach were also watched over by life-guards which made me feel safe letting my son go and play without having to worry about him all the time!
All in all I would recommend this hotel any time! (Nottingham)

Just returned from a fantastic holiday at Grida Village with my husband and 3 year old son. It's a very relaxing, cosmopolitan place and far exceeded my expectations. The staff are friendly and accommodation of a high standard. We booked only a few weeks before we went and were given a family room. It's very good value for money.
The food is excellent - lots of choice although I would be careful eating the barbequed chicken as I think this made me ill on the second night as it was not properly cooked. Apart from that, excellent choice. We also ate in a couple of the A La Carte restaurants which were good - although you do have to queue at reception at 8am if you want to get in. We did also find that you had to get down to the sun beds at about 7am if you wanted to be in a particular spot.... if not, you could still get a sun bed. There are 5 pools and we particularly loved the free-form (rapid) pool next to one of the kiddies pools with Jacuzzis and some other features. Basically, we hardly left the poolside. It was just the most relaxing holiday I have ever had. The poolside bar is fully stocked with anything you could want.
The beach is not amazing but pleasant. If you have young children, it's best to know that only a few feet into the water, there is a slope so it goes deep fairly quickly. Water sports are expensive. However, you can use a pedalo or canoe free of charge which we did.
Grida Village is a stunning resort with some beautiful gardens. There are no high rise blocks. All the accommodation is set in small 2 or 3 storey blocks of about 10 rooms per "house". There are also some amazing pool villas. Walking through you get a real Mediterranean feel. The maid service is very efficient. Your mini bar will be restocked daily with water/coke and Fanta.
I wasn't particularly impressed with the Thomas Cook children's club. We were hoping that my son (who is 3) could spend a couple of hours in afternoon to spend time with other children and get out of the sun. We particularly chose this hotel as it had a Thomas Cook club for children from 3. However, the first day we were there, the qualified member of staff had a half day, then the next day was her day off, the next day she was ill, the next day apparently she had gone into hospital, she did then come out and my son spent 50 minutes in the club one morning on about the 5th day, she then had training that afternoon and he only went in twice after that, for a couple of hours each time.
I think if we go to Grida Village again, I will get him into the hotel run kids club which seemed lots more fun. The only thing is most of the children would be German/Turkish/Russian so not sure if he'd enjoy it although I have read some feedback from others who say their children went to hotel kids club and loved it - the staff speak fluent English in there anyway. I think the main problem with the Thomas Cook club was that there were hardly any English children in the resort at this time of year so they didn't really make it a priority. I have to say that when he was in there he did really enjoy it. I didn't really have a complaint about the staff themselves - I think it was just unfortunate that there was no cover when the main person was ill or whatever.
Having said that my son was in his element. The pools are very safe and well situated with the big pools right next to the children's pool.
Lastly the kids disco in the evening was great fun... the only other show we saw was the Turkish night which was brilliant - belly dancing and some other traditional dancing.
I would highly recommend this hotel for a fun and relaxing holiday. You won't have to lift a finger the whole time you are here. brilliant.
PS - no kettle in room - we took a travel kettle and got fresh milk in the mornings from the restaurant.

Our holiday was absolutely brilliant. This was down to a number of things; the resort was great for both children, teenagers and adults with there being loads to keep us all entertained. The restaurant was good with a wide selection of foods on offer.
However the best thing about the whole holiday was the Thomas Cook entertainment team. Sandra, Jodi, James and Sarah were the best team of entertainers we've ever had. They were all very friendly, chatty, helpful and encouraged everyone to join in with the pool games etc. The whole team would be a credit to any employer.

This was my first trip to Turkey and Grida Village. I wanted a relaxing trip with my girls aged 10 and 5 in mind. I wanted a break, I wanted to do nothing, no working, no cooking, cleaning. I wanted to get away from the British Winter. Well, I got all that !
The staff were welcoming. They are good hosts and look after their guests well. The guest relations officer was keen to have feed back. I have no complaints. The chefs were great! The food was not always labelled correctly, but this is quite a minor complaint. The hotel officials were quick to rectify any queries.
I felt that more signs could be put up. For example 'danger signs' by the slides.
I would advise all guests to wear slippers in and around the Village itself as 2 people got hurt with stray nails etc. But I feel that guests should take responsibility. I would not walk bare feet in UK, let alone any where else in the world.
Generally, the whole hotel and pools were clean. They are not quite 5 Star hotel yet. They are a little relaxed for that. But I came back happy, I paid for what I got and my girls want to go back again..... that speaks volumes!