Paloma Grida Village

We (my husband, sons 3 and 10 years and myself) have just returned from the Grida Village and it was fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had an excellent spacious room very close to the edge of all the facilities, the room was cleaned everyday and the mini-fridge filled with soft drinks and water every other day. Everything is very clean and every evening the facilities (ie pools and beach etc) are filled with people cleaning and tidying up. The 5 swimming pools cater for everyone from the tiny to the brave on the slides and has plenty of loungers and umbrellas. The beach is lovely with plenty of loungers and umbrellas (which as previous people say you do need to get up early to get loungers, I would go down and put towels down and then we would go back after breakfast!). The restaurants were all very nice and the food was fabulous, but the La Carte restaurants do not really cater for children. The evening entertainment was very good and the multi-national entertainers were constantly on the go day and night. The shows in the evening were great but you do need to get there quite early to get seats, especially if you have younger children to watch while they are sitting at the front near the stage. The Thomas Cook Team are the best. The Kids Club's room is air conditioner which was very handy as we stayed during the hottest weather since 1973 - getting up into the 50's most days. Our 10 year old sat and chilled out on the numerous consoles they have and the 3 year old enjoyed the activities and games. The Thomas Cook Entertainers were on the go all day and held a disco every night, and performed their live show twice a week. They even stayed up until 1am to see us off on our coach which was great. There really is no reason to leave, as they have a great row of shops (but they are quite pricey compared to the local market). We only left to visit the market on the Saturdays which we travelled down to by a tractor for less than 50p each way. All of the shops on the resort have their prices in Euros, but most of them will take any currency you have got - the clothes shop works out better if you buy in £'s. English are in the minority on this resort, but did not find this a problem, there was no outrageous behaviour by anyone, and although there was live music after the shows until midnight and the disco until 2am we heard no noise once we were asleep - which was early most nights due to so much going on during the day. The multi-national entertainers are there to entertain all day but do not intrude on your space and pressurise you to participate. I would highly recommend this resort to anyone as we had a great time and will go back very soon.

We stayed at the Grida Village in June 2007 and had a fantastic time. We actually booked two rooms, one for my wife, our 2 year old daughter and myself and the other for my mother, and our two other daughters aged 6 and 11. When we checked in the hotel offered a single family room instead, which was fantastic. We had two double bedrooms, two very good sofa beds, a living room area and two full bathrooms with baths and showers. The room was very clean and comfortable. As for the rest of the hotel, the facilities were excellent, very clean and well organised. the food in the hotel was of a very high standard, I don't understand other reviews where the food has been criticised! At lunch and dinner there was always a choice of 2 soups to start along with a huge choice of salads including fish, eggs, several different cheeses etc. There were always at least 12 choices for the main course including freshly baked pizzas to order which was great for the kids. Dessert included baclava, cream caramel and a huge choice of gateaux. There was always loads of fruit as well as yoghurts. Ice Cream was only available at lunch times though, which was a bit odd, we thought. Watch out for the Russians when Strawberries or Cherry's are available. You've never seen plates stacked so high!! Sometimes watching these people eat , you though that it was the last supper!!! Breakfast was a bit dissapointing. There was eggs in just about every kind you could imagine, and a large selection of breads and cereals, but never bacon (but then Turkey is a Muslim country I suppose). We tried two of the A La Carte restaurants, (Chinese and Greek) but were a bit disappointed with these. There was a lack of choice and was not really like anything you would get from your local Chinese!! The pool areas were excellent, though you had to get up well before 8.00am to get a sunbed. Then sit all day getting very worked up by the amount of people (usually Russians) who didn't actually use them! The entertainment team were very hard working and very professional as were the Thomas Cook entertainers. The shows in the evening were excellent but the area did get very crowded and there again you had to fight for a seat. For some reason there was also a distinct lack of lights in this area and a small torch would have been a useful accessory. The service at the bars was generally very good apart from the bar in The Plaza area in the evening where the entertainment was - expect to wait up to 20 mins to get served....I sometimes felt invisible, and I'm 6ft and 16 stones!! Apart from that the only other complaint I would have was the lack of organisation in the main restaurant. If you did not get there in time for the very start of the sitting then you would have to wait a long time to get a table laid ready for you to eat. We also had to sometimes wait a long time to get a drink with our meal. All in all we had a fantastic holiday which was excellent value for money, and I would not hesitate to go back to the Grida Village sometime in the future....

I went here with my partner for the last week of April. The hotel resort was like a little village - didn't really need to leave the place. That's probably a good thing as there isn't much to do outside the resort and when we did leave we couldn't wait to get back! The turkish men in the shops are very pushy and i found this frustrating. Food was great at Grida, always very fresh and a variety, we ate loads. Always plenty to eat at various times of the day so never went hungry, there's even a midnight snack!! Only complaint would be the desserts, all very similar, covered in syrup and all wobbled!! Probably a good thing as we didn't put on any weight!! There a five pools, including a pool that was for adults so we didn't have the noise of the kids..... IF YOU'RE TAKING YOUR KIDS AWAY AND YOU'RE ENGLISH THIS IS NOT THE PLACE FOR YOU....the majority of the people were German, we didn't mind so much but this may be an issue for english kids. The beach was lovely, and the sun loungers very comfy! The rooms were very clean, clean towels everyday, and linen change every two days. Mini bar in the room is stocked with soft drinks daily.....Beach towels are also provided so you needn't take your own. I wouldn't say the resort was 5* but it was definately fab value for money - we paid £220 each, flights, transfers, all inclusive for a week so really it was a bargain!!

We were very disappointed with this complex. The room we were given was definately not 5 star. The balcony was only big enough for one person. When we complained we were eventually moved to a better room. This was better but still not up to 5 star class. The restuarant is impressive. But get your food freshly cooked from the chefs outside unless you like food that has been handled by kids! It's all open and prone to flies. Also we were amongst only 20 British. The rest were German.

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 immediatly 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 could'nt 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 reccomend this hotel any time!

We are a family of 5 and have just returned from 2 weeks at the Grida Village. The rooms are fairly basic but kept very clean, and really, you're not going to spend the majority of time in your room. The Main Restaurant gave lots of choice, lunchtime at the italian is lovely but service can be a bit slow then unless Memet is working who is an absolute star. we only went to the Italian and turkish a la carte, but these were both fantastic (please remember to tip, each time we went, very few bothered. I know it's all inclusive, but when the service is good you should tip and the staff really do appreciate it) There were germans queing from about 7am for the a la carte, but we got there at 8am when they start taking bookings and never had a problem. The pools and slides are great for the children and we never had a problem getting 5 loungers together by the rapid pool. Belek sells just clothes, bags and jewellery, but its nice enough to wander round in the evening. Our rep told us Kadriye was much better to visit in the evening than Belek, but it was like a ghost town in off season, so it really isn't worth the taxi fare. Be warned about the taxis. If you get a taxi from outside the hotel, you can book it for return. However this involves the taxi dropping you outside his friends shop in Belek/Kadriye, where you have to return to when you are ready to go back to the hotel as the shop owner will ring your taxi driver. This is when you are really given the heavy sell. Its better to walk in (about 10 minute walk) and catch a taxi back from the central rank near the fountain. The Thomas Cook kids club was excellent. Our 10 year old daughter had a great time there. Overall we had a fantastic time, and if we returned to the area, would stay at the Grida again. The only downside would be the incredibly rude german and russian guests who love to queue jump and push you out the way. You just learn to stand your ground!

we enjoyed our stay at grida village it was our first proper holiday without inlaws following us we took our two children age 10 and 11 it is a very family orientated hotel the Thomas Cook entertainment team and the kids world go out of their way to make sure you are included in all the fun and games even though it was sometimes a let down when the germans and russians disappeared after their entertainment was over and left the thomas cook entertainment team perform to us brits and the odd few german and russians could be bothered to stay they maybe the few who had manners the food was vey good and plenty to choose from even at midnight there were only a couple of draw backs and that was getting up at 6 every morning to pui our towels on sunbeds if you didnt you had no chance also we had trouble changing our beach towels for the next day they called me crazy english but we was only doing the same as all the other guests i complained to guest relations and they dealt with it by the next day for your holiday money take euros as that is what they prefer they were even takin us$ in the resort and surrounding areas you must try this hotel as it deserves all the british holiday makers as we know how to enjoy ourselves and mix together as we have manners I would certainly take my family there again

Was in Grida Village in July with my family. The good points: 1. Beautiful, mature gardens. 2. Excellent food. 3. The quality of the rooms / after paying for an upgrade/ . 4. For the most part, the friendliness of the staff. 5. The quick service at the bars. 6. There was a clear effort to provide meaningful entertainement. 7. The lack of consistent noise in the evenings - one noisy evening out of 7. 8. The availabilty of Kid's corner - though not the gratest, a effort to address the needs of children was evident throughout the resort. 9. Ther was a nice water slide. Negatives: 1. The sea - the water appeared very polluted/turbid. The visibility was probably about 10 cm - I could not make myself go into the sea more than once. 2. The availability of space by the pool - by 7:30 am all the spots appeared occupied. 3. The resort is advertised as Ultra all inclusive - meaning domestic and foreign brands of alchohol - I did not come across one single non-Turkish brand and while the beer was good, I would rate the wine as acceptable and the liquor as inappropriate. 4. Reception clerks - while clearly polite and respectful, they appered not quite prepared to address my needs / though I am not a fussy customer/ - example - repeated promises for an earlier check-in very broken and actulally iI checked- in later than the deadline set by the hotel. around 3 pm, arrived 8 am. 5. Booking at the a la carte restaurants - if one is prepared to get up at 6 am to book, maybe, otherwise it was impossible to get in. 6. One of the pools was very dirty. In summary: An excellent setting with excellent food, good service and attention to kids, but clearly not for people who enjoy the sea, good alcochol or staying in bed until later in the morning.

My friend and I went on this holiday with the hope of a nice hotel in decent grounds, with nice clean rooms, somewhere to relax and ood food. I have to say expectations on all accounts were more than exceeded. The hotel room was beautifully furnished with plenty space and comforatble space. It was well-kept by the pleasant housekeeping staff. The saftey deposit box is free of charge and is locked by your personal digit key code that you can choose. We did not expect all a la carte restaurants to be open in the hotel and found there that was no need for them to be as there was always more than enough room within the restaurants at all times. If you go to dinner early (7:00pm) then you will find that there are more children (as would be expected), but later it is quieter as children have a kids disco every night in the Plaza (main entertainment hall). Food was constantly kept fresh and changed to add variety each night. As a 'picky' eater my friend found more than enough choice (even excluding the salad bar) with food and enjoyed every meal for the duration of our stay. All staff members - catering staff, bar staff, reception staff etc were very friendly and there was always enough staff around at all times to help and wait on you within the bars and restaurants. They were very friendly, spoke very good English and very patient in resolving any minor issues. Kids are very well looked after here - there are fantastic kids clubs - with what looked like a fully equiped playground and nursery-type building. The water slides were fantastic and management were good enough to open for hours during the day (whilst not even in season). The shows were brilliant, aided by a hard-working enthusiastic entertainment team, who provided numerous games should you wish to participate throughout the day until night. As for the night after the shows in the Plaza - Zomm bar was brilliant. We are guests who went away anticipating somewhere to relax at night and enjoy just a few drinks without the hassle of 'full-on' nightlife. Zomm bar was perfect for this - I have never been to a place where night after night a brilliant warm atmosphere was created with live music and guests all joining in dancing together. This was suitable for all guests of all ages, including many parents with children. There were more than enough staff to wait on tables quickly and efficiently and as a result the dreaded 'all inclusive bar queues' were obsolete.After this, should you want more of a nightlife there was a disco with good music and atmosphere, open until 3 or 4 am with great staffing and security. This disco is away from all rooms, downstairs near the Plaza and a sound can not be heard from any rooms. The hotel is set in beautiful green grounds with a beach on it's doorstep. As for being told about facilities (fitness centre- gym, sauna, Internet cafe etc) and different bars and places to eat throughout the day- all information was handed to guests in an envelope on arrival and also given by the rep at the welcome meeting. Belek is not a very large or cosmopolitan place - and does not claim to be as such! It is however, conviniently located with the average holiday-type shops you would expect with the added bonus of brilliant 'original fakes' -and if prepared to do a little bartering you can get them at good prices! If you are after something more - shopping or nightlife wise - you can take the short taxi journey (around 20 minutes) into Antalya where you will find plenty shops with a larger nightlife and shopping facilities including relaxing restaurants and bars near Antalya's marina. Many prices are in Euros as it appeared to be widely accepted but Turkish Lira is of course accepted everywhere. I would always reccomend a price be agreed with taxis prior to the journey begining but if required taxis will wait at your destination for 5 hours-free of charge (!!) for your return journey. Should ou wish to participate in any excursioons there are a few to choose from and was told that they were brilliant - plenty of beautiful sights and history. I can not reccommend this hotel enough. Whatever you want from your holiday you are likely to find here. There were people of all ages and whether you wanted a lazy, relaxing holiday or fun, action filled holiday all within one complex then I would choose this hotel. We were lucky enough to get a great deal also on this holiday for one week and we are intending on returning as an extra holiday as soon as is possible.

This hotel was at best ok, but definately not worth the money. I was there for 2 weeks at the beginning of the season and while I knew some of the restaurants wouldn't be open found that there were other facilities which weren't up and running yet. It felt like the hotel wan't ready to open for the summer yet the first week I was there it was quite quiet but by the second week people where pouring in and it was difficult to find a seat indoors at dinner and also in the bar at night. The service was very sporadic some times you could get hold of a waiter to bring you a drink and sometimes it even arrived (though it might take 30mins). The pools were freezing and I didn't appreciate having to get my own cushion for my sunbed everyday, thankfully it was nice and sunny for most of the fortnight so I could relax during the day. The hotel is all inclusive yet I found them very tight with their alcohol, one night when I was fed-up with the bustle of the bar and the long queues for drinks so I decided that I would spend the night in my room reading but that I wanted a drink. This seemed to pose no end of problems for the bar staff. I asked them to put some vodka into my bottle of fanta so I could take it back to my room, when I was told they couldn't do this I thought fair enough as I could see how that might cause problems with the children in the resort, however, when I asked for a large glass of vodka to take to my room they were only able to give me a double. Obviously I then asked for 4 doubles and put them all into one glass to take back to my room but I could tell the staff weren't happy about this either. I found that their services weren't very well advertised either, the internet cafe is above cafe a la turca but I found this out from another guest. They did have canoes but when I went down to get one there was no-one around to get one from. The money change facilites at the reception charged 6% commission (a mistake I only made once) there was no indication it would be this amount and the reception did not tell me before I changed my money. In the questionnaire I filled in on leaving it asked about room service but I was certainly not advised of any room service being available. The food was also a big disappointment the menu advertised different theme nights but the food rarely changed it was just different variations of the same thing, like the macaroni that they actually had 3 variations of on the one night. If you like salad you would be fine but I don't know anyone who can eat salad 3 times a day for 2 weeks. Housekeeping was also very average, they changed my towels everyday and made my bed but I had ring marks of my surfaces for at least a week. Belek itself was nothing to write home about either the path to Belek was all sunken and broken coblestones and the town itself wasn't any better than a building site, though this was cleaned up a bit by the second week the shops and town centre weren't worth the 15min walk. Nor for that matter was the next town Kadriye worth the taxi ride - do not go to the roman bar there!!! I certainly won't be going back to this resort or town I found both very disappointing and would not recommend them to anyone. If the sun hadn't been shining most of the time I would have been incredibly bored as was proved on the day of the thunderstorm that we had, the bar was packed to the rafters as no-one had anything else to do.