Hotel Parkim Palas

As a hotel, this is pretty good, especially for a 3-star. I would give it an 8 or 9 rating, going purely by the standard of rooms and service at the hotel.
But it has to be rated also by the quality of the beach and the general environment, which is after all part of the package.
Although Gumbet has the reputation for being good for water sports, this is certainly not the case for swimming off the beach, which near the hotel is stony rather than sandy, and slopes so gently that you have a long and uncomfortable wade until you get into water deep enough to swim in.
Gumbet itself has turned into the Ibiza of the Aegean, which is fine if you like clubbing and bars, but if you go there for a relaxing holiday forget it.
The best thing to do in Gumbet if you are after peace and quiet is to use the excellent local minibus service to spend the day at the beaches at Bitez or Gumushluk, which are much better, have excellent restaurants and where you are not bothered and hassled so much as in Gumbet. (Take the minibus to Bodrum bus station, from where other busses go to everywhere on the peninsular every 10 minutes or so, nearly 24 hours a day. Brilliant.)
One caution about the hotel: when we arrived we were put in a small, hot and airless room in the older part. The balcony was tiny and the double door onto it did not even open properly. When we spoke to Reception, they put us into one of the "Garden Rooms": a huge improvement. This turned the holiday from a possible disaster into a thoroughly enjoyable one. The management seem to be aware of past criticisms of the hotel and are trying to do something about it. If you have problems, a polite but firm request to the staff will probably resolve them.
Incidentally, since there have been criticisms of the food I should say that we found the evening meals perfectly acceptable. Ditto breakfast, as long as you are prepared to compromise by not having to have totally English food. Why not be a bit adventurous and try the Turkish ideas of cookery: you are abroad for a change after all!

Just back from Parkim Palace and had a great time. We will be back! Hotel very clean staff very helpful and maid did some wonderful things with our towels she made them into swans with fresh flowers from the garden.
If you are going and stay in or near room 117 please look after the kittens, the tortoises in the garden as well <watch your feet at night there are some little ones. Breakfast was a bit of a let down but evening meals were good. treat yourself one evening in the a la cart restaurant next door then watch hotel entertainment the fireman show is a must.
For a great night out try molly malones next to the aloha bar. The staff are really friendly yazur, jack and alex will make your holiday.
Only thing wrong with my holiday we were sick listening to the cha cha slide! Think all the bars have the same cd.

This hotel, and holiday was fantastic. The staff at Parkim Palas are really great people, with time for you. The rooms are air conditioned and very cozy. The pool, although its all the same depth throughout is also great.
But I would say the best unexpected highlights were the hammocks under the palm trees and the massive pile of huge pillows, just opposite at the beach. The food was also very good, with a wide selection and something for everyone. The hotel also has a photographer and great night entertainment, like snake show, fire shows, and loads of other stuff.
Gumbet beach is so much fun, with water sports and boat trips everyone can find something they'll love, the sea is quite shallow for quite a way out but its clean and clear.
The streets and bars behind are such a laugh, you don’t even need to walk far to find some of the best ones, and bar street is just up a slight hill, with clubs and bars, with Karaoke and foam parties. They are all very friendly and play great music, with a hint of Turkish music too. They are open pretty much as long as your there, closing usually around 5am!
Gumbet is the place to go, and after long drunken nights and great days at the beach, Parkim Palas is a really welcoming hotel to return too.

The Hotel Parkim Palais is fantastic.
The grounds are beautiful and well kept, with hammocks in the shade of the gardens and plenty of loungers by the pool and on the beach. All the staff are friendly and helpful. The rooms are cleaned daily and have a TV, a mini-bar (which is not free) and free air conditioning - which is an absolute godsend!
The half board food is great and we found ourselves eating at he hotel far more than we'd intended. As the hotel caters for many nationalities (Dutch, German, English etc...) the breakfasts are continental with little variety day to day - though still enjoyable, but the evening meals are different every day with loads of variety and four courses (soup, cold starter, main and sweet) to help yourself to!
Gumbet has something for everyone - lively bars and clubs around Bar Street, relaxing watering holes on the beach, shops full of bargains (if you are prepared to haggle!) and plenty of traditional Turkish entertainment and restaurants.
Bodrum is definitely worth a visit on the bus just a few minutes away - with a local market, loads of shops, the amazing castle and the Mausoleum (one of the ancient wonders of the world). Boat trips are also great value for money as is a trip to Ephesus. Turkish bath is also a must. Try Queens Travel (right out of the hotel about 50m on the left) for good value trips.
Can't say enough good things about Parkim Palais, Gumbet and Turkey. Will definitely return.

I have been on any a holiday but none quite like this one. It was a holiday of a lifetime. The staff were second to none, as they were very friendly, helpful and entertaining. As I had my son with me I was very worried about letting him out of my sight but within a few hours of arriving I felt very at ease and felt able to let the child around the complex as there was plenty of security.
The entertainment at night was very enjoyable and suitable for all ages. I have to say I really enjoyed the boat trip as it was great fun and a very special way to spend my birthday as Tyson the man in charge organized the cake for me. Thanks again Tyson. The food was very nice and there were lots to choose from. I will be coming back again very soon and will be recommending this place to my friends and family. The rooms were very nice and very spacious and comfortable and the cleaners were very helpful they will even iron your clothes for you if you ask nicely.
So for all men don’t worry about packing neatly just shout for the maid. Ha ha. No, on a serious note Parkim Palas is the place to be.

I've just returned from Parkim Palas Hotel, had a fantastic time. The location is great and the staff are fabulous.
The chef also made us special vegetarian dishes on several occasions in addition to daily vegetarian dishes. The staff at the hotel ensured the customers had a fabulous time.
The entertainment was very good in the evenings. Arif, part of the entertainment team was superb. Don and Tyson on the beach were great - such entertainers, if you’re going to Gumbet must meet them. Their boat trip is definately recommended.
1 week just was not enough! I will definitely be returning to Parkim Palas.

My girlfriend and I (both aged 21) stayed here for 2 weeks in July 05. The hotel was great: we got the room we requested, very clean, excellent location on the beach front, wasn't too loud but the bars were only the other side of the road, weather was great!!
Everything you could ask for and exceptional service from staff.
However, there are a few points of interest which you may like to hear prior to booking, but if you have booked then don't be too alarmed!!
1. We went on a half board basis, however, there was only one restaurant which was free with this. The other two, which were advertised as being part of the deal, were simply normal restaurants that anyone could go to, only offering a 30% discount (with their prices being about 30% higher than anywhere else!!!). If this wasn't bad enough, the main (free) restaurant was rubbish: The same breakfast for two weeks (scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, fried tomatoes, two plain cereals, bread, toast, and don't forget the aubergines (which, if you love aubergines, you have come to the right place as they are served for breakfast and dinner everyday!!) In addition, if you wanted some "proper" food (i.e. a full English), you had to pay extra!!
2. The dinners were varied each night, however, there were only two main dishes to choose from with only a variety of salads etc to accompany. What was worse was that they never had any veggie options (with their idea of a vegetarian meal being removing the meat of the plate which usually left plain pasta or rice). Again, if you wanted, for example, a burger and chips, this cost extra which makes you wonder why the deal is half board!!
Away from the eating side of things, Gumbet is a very nice place itself and is well located. There are lots of water sports for the active and lots of places to chill for the inactive. A good day out would be to go on the boat trip which takes you out around the surrounding islands. NOTE: DO NOT GO ON ANY EXCURSIONS WITH YOUR TOUR OPERATORS AS THEY ARE EXPENSIVE!!! Instead, have a look around all of the locals and judge for yourself who to go to. For the boat trips simply go on who has the best boat!
A Turkish bath is ideal at the start of your holiday as it removes layers of dead skin which means you will get a better tan. Note: you will need to be oiled after the scrub which is not included in the price although it only costs £5-10.
The beach isn't great, it's a bit stony and not very wide ,although the water is very nice.
Nearby Bodrum is only a short taxi ride, or a half hour walk away, which makes for a nice excursion (although things are a little more expensive). The castle and marina in Bodrum are worth seeing.
As other reviews have pointed out, drinking can be quite expensive!! It was about £2 for a local pint (4/5 of a pint) and if you don't drink wine, everything else is expensive. The main reason for this is that everything gets imported to Kos and then imported Gumbet. International drinks, especially alcopops and archers etc, are very expensive (usually +£3 per drink).
Overall, this was a great holiday (with the exception of dining) and I would go back although maybe on a self catering deal.

Excellent location. Rooms very clean (but no drawers in room - you have to leave half your clothes in your case!).Free air con. Grounds and Pool very clean. Ducks, Chickens, Tortoises, and Cats all wander around the grounds. The staff are all friendly. There is evening entertainment at the hotel (I have seen worse).
The only thing stopping this hotel being perfect is the food, the choice is very limited (both breakfast and evening meal). Breakfast consists of hot dogs, tomatoes, fried potatoes with aubergines and sometimes scrambled eggs - there is no fruit other than oranges and grapes, cornflakes or bran are your choice of cereal, there is always a good salad selection. the Evening meal has a limited choice, a limited sweet selection but again a good salad selection. So be prepared to eat out alot - I find it strange that all the restaurants offer bacon, pork sausages, fried eggs, Heinz beans and mushrooms, yet the Park Palas does not?- unless you want to pay in one of it's other restaurants and get a 30% discount (Breakfast and Evening meals only).
Be warned, Turkey is not cheap anymore. The local traders are not a problem if you speak politely to them and tell them you are just looking.
You need go no further than the Aloha Bar (30m across the road from the hotel) for an excellent night out, shuts 3 - 4 am or not?
All said and done we had an excellent holiday, so you decide if basic food and no drawers in your room would spoil yours.

I have just come back from a week at the Parkim Palas hotel and I have to say I had a great time.
The hotel itself is lovely to walk around with all the flowers, hammocks, the beach,... The pool is lovely with very helpful staff that are on hand for refreshments. The room was basic but had all the essentials and the free air-conditioning and BBC Prime and MTV on the telly were and added bonus. The rooms were cleaned on a regular basis by a lovely cleaner who kept leaving our towels in heart shapes with flowers from outside. And all the staff were very friendly and spoke excellent English. If you are going definitely check out Turkish night its great fun for all!
My only slight negative would be the food in the evenings was never very exciting but with surrounding restaurants offering 30% off for staying at the parkim palas your choices for dinner do not have to be limited to the hotel!

I have just came back from Turkey, I stopped at the hotel Parkim Palas and it is brilliant the rooms are basic but are cleaned daily towels sheets the lot, The breakfast is also just as good but does get bit boring because they have little change daily the dinners are beautiful the waiters bar staff entertainer are brilliant the receptionist and managers are just as good aswell It is a hotel that I would recommend to anyone. Also the gardens are well maintained with beautiful trees and sun loungers and hammocks. The only problem is the drinks are expensive.