"⚠️ LONG DETAILED REVIEW ⚠️
Check-In / Out / Lifts
We travelled as a party of 9 across 3 rooms. We asked for rooms close together (via email a few weeks before we went), preferably on a lower floor (mobility issues and a baby in a pram). We got 3 rooms right next door to each other, but on the fourth floor. Not a big issue though – they do have lifts! We only asked for lower floors because we’d seen reviews about extremely long wait times. There definitely is a wait in the morning (breakfast) and around 7pm as people are going for their evening meal, but never more than about 5 minutes.
Check-in was easy. We were given a form to fill out, then our keys were brought over and we were given a brief rundown of how everything worked. My only qualm was that, out of the 3 rooms, only 2 were ready. Of those 2, we couldn’t get into one because the key didn’t work. It was quickly sorted though, and the third room was ready after around an hour. Also, in the room where the key didn’t work, the sofa bed hadn’t been made up. We asked for more sheets, but they never arrived, so we ended up getting some ourselves and making the bed.
Check-out was even easier – give your room number, hand over your keys, and that’s it, done.
Staff
I would say the majority of the staff are super pleasant! Yes, there were a few grumpy ones, but not enough to ruin the experience by any means. A big shout-out to Hamza and Yusuf – they kept us topped up all night, every night. We never had to go to the bar because they would come over and take our order.
There were also a couple of men on roller skates who came around during the day taking drink orders. They could be a little hit and miss! I found that if I tipped them first thing, they’d be back all day… then they wouldn’t come back to you for a few days! 😂 One day, several groups of people next to us got four rounds of drinks before I was even offered one. By this point it was 5pm and we were heading back anyway. I understand there are only one or two working at a time and they’re so busy, but at least make an effort to offer everyone, especially when they’re sitting right next to each other. That’s my only real complaint! 🙂
Baby Facilities
We travelled with our 7½-month-old baby. I don’t ever expect much from a hotel when it comes to babies, but honestly, Aska Lara really do try! When we checked in, we had a travel cot in the room with a little pillow and blanket (not that we could use them, but they’d be good for an older baby), along with a bottle of baby wash.
The restaurants have highchairs (with trays) that are easily accessible. Once cleaned, they’re wrapped in plastic film containing a disposable bib and a sanitising wipe.
The entertainment staff occasionally come around with swim nappies. There is also a microwave in the restaurant that you can use for sterilising, etc.
The only downside I found was the baby changing facilities at Wet N Wild, or rather the lack of them. There is one at the kids’ club (but only during opening hours) and another in the women’s toilets at The Lounge. That’s it.
I can’t comment on the main hotel facilities because, apart from sleeping and having breakfast and dinner, we didn’t really spend much time there.
Wet N Wild (Including Food)
I feel like there are a lot of questions and confusion regarding this, so I’ll try to explain it.
Wet N Wild belongs to Aska Lara but isn’t directly attached to the hotel. You can walk there in around 7–8 minutes across a very busy main road, or there is a shuttle bus that runs every 5 minutes or so. You catch it from behind the pool bar and it drops you off directly at Wet N Wild.
There is so much to do! Several pools of varying depths, day and night entertainment, waterslides, a splash park for younger children, the beach, kids’ club, playground, fairground (only open 8pm–9pm, and adults are needed to accompany children on one of the three rides), football and basketball courts, archery, a fitness area, and, for an extra fee, a high ropes course and zip wire.
Note: Wet N Wild is only open during peak season (April–October). I probably wouldn’t come if this was closed because this is where the best parts of the holiday were!
There are three food areas for lunch at Wet N Wild.
Firstly is the Garden Bar, which serves jacket potatoes (toppings include butter, cheese, jalapeños, olives, sour cream, sweetcorn and turkey pepperoni), fish and chips, and fish sandwiches. The fish in the sandwich is more grilled, but the battered fish served with the chips is deep fried. I simply asked if I could have the battered one in the sandwich instead, and it was no problem. You can eat in or take these away. There’s also a small area with fruit, salads, pastries, etc., and a bar for drinks.
Secondly is Aska Chef. You sit in to order here, and it’s like a large shaded hut. The menu includes cheese toasties, pide, lahmacun, a few pasta dishes, salads, burgers, chicken döner (served in a wrap or on a plate), Adana kebab wraps and a selection of desserts. There’s also a bar here.
Finally is The Lounge (which turns into an à la carte restaurant in the evening - we didn’t go at night, so I can’t comment on that). This is a lovely air-conditioned restaurant where you also order at your table. The menu includes hot dogs, burgers, chicken strips, wraps, sea bass, pasta dishes, pizzas (STUNNING!) and desserts. There is also a self-service salad and fruit bar, plus another bar for drinks.
Alongside these three places, there’s also the Gözleme House, located directly opposite the Garden Bar. You can have gözleme (a thin flatbread) with a choice of cheese, spinach, potato or sugar.
Next door is the ice cream hut, where you can choose from vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, pistachio, caramel and stracciatella ice cream, as well as branded ice lollies (Cornetto, Twister and Feast).
The Beach Bar and Garden Bar remain open all day and night until 11:45pm. You can get everything here – beer (Tuborg, Carlsberg, a German beer at both, plus Guinness at the Beach Bar), wine, cocktails, soft drinks, spirits, etc. They even have pink gin! We also asked whether they had Jack Daniel’s, and it was produced from under the counter at the Beach Bar and served to us free of charge all holiday. So if you have a particular brand in mind, just ask!
All bars (at both parts of the hotel) also give out free Doritos and nuts.
Main Hotel (Including Food)
The main hotel has a few pools, including a long pool with a walk-in shoreline and a shaded baby pool. There’s a bar right beside the pool too, although we didn’t spend much time there because Wet N Wild was much better.
Food-wise, there’s the main buffet, which is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner (tea, for you Northerners! 😂) and “midnight soup”.
There are also the à la carte restaurants (apart from one visit to the Bistro, these are not included in the all-inclusive package). We didn’t eat at any of them, so I can’t comment.
There’s also the Brasserie, where you can get sandwiches and sweet treats all day and night, only closing during breakfast (7–10am).
I’m not sure where the complaints about the food come from because it’s SO good! The key is to walk all the way through the restaurant to the terrace on the far left - that’s where the best food is.
Breakfast includes endless pastries, cereals, breads, fruit, yoghurt, porridge, meats, waffles, pancakes, chocolate spread, jams, and eggs every way imaginable - omelettes made to order, fried, boiled, poached, sunny-side up and even Eggs Benedict.
Dinner offers so much choice! The terrace has a variety of pasta dishes, grilled meat and fish, plus an Asian corner serving amazing noodles - think Chinese takeaway style! Inside there’s local cuisine, roast meats and a huge selection of international dishes that never seemed repetitive, even after 10 nights.
I’d highly recommend the fried chicken wings and the chicken and beef burgers!
There are always several soups, lots of bread, salads, cheeses and an ENORMOUS dessert section.
Just above the terrace there’s also a kids’ eating area serving more “beige” food such as chicken nuggets and plain pasta. Drink orders are taken at your table.
Midnight soup runs from around 11pm until 1:30am. Soup, bread, pide, pizza, rice, etc. Definitely good enough if you arrive late or just get the midnight munchies!
Moving away from the food - the bars!
The Panama Bar is, in my opinion, the best. The drinks, especially the cocktails, are much better and you can actually taste the alcohol. The Brasserie Bar also serves alcohol, although I believe it stops after midnight.
Starbucks is located on the ground floor and is INCLUDED in the all-inclusive package. I don’t drink coffee, so I can’t really comment, but the queues always seemed quite long!
Also on the ground floor are a tattoo shop (there’s another at Wet N Wild), hairdresser, jewellery shop, souvenir shop, clothing and bag shops, gym and nightclub.
The shops are obviously more expensive than those outside the hotel, and everything is priced in euros.
If you want shopping, head down towards the Delphin Imperial Hotel. It’s roughly a 30-minute walk to the right, or you can get the bus for about 82p or a taxi for less than €10.
The main hotel also has a cinema, arcade (including bowling for an extra fee), meeting rooms, gym, spa and indoor pool. There is also a kids’ club, although I presume that’s mainly for the winter months.
Entertainment
During the summer months, it’s all at Wet N Wild.
During the day it’s your usual hotel entertainment - pool games, aqua aerobics, darts, archery, shooting, etc. The entertainment team come around asking if you’d like to take part but aren’t pushy at all.
They also do a cocktail masterclass and an Aperol pool party once a week, both of which we enjoyed.
It does advertise water polo, but unfortunately it wasn’t played once during our 10-day stay.
In the evenings there are various shows, from acrobatics to live bands.
MUST SEE: The Beyoncé show. Easily the best one by far! The singing, dancing and song choices were fantastic. I’d happily pay to watch it again.
My only complaint is bingo - it’s very expensive. I think it was €16–18 per game, and the prizes weren’t even cash. They included things like a free massage, handbags, Prosecco and half-price vouchers.
They also have karaoke at the Garden Bar after the evening show, but children aren’t allowed, much to the disappointment of my almost 10-year-old!
Room
We had one of the garden-view rooms.
It was spacious, with comfortable beds, lots of storage, a free safe, a free minibar replenished daily, a full-sized hairdryer, toiletries (shampoo, shower gel and conditioner), a massive shower and a balcony with seating and a drying rack.
The housekeeping staff kept everything clean and well stocked.
If you’re given one of the Annex rooms or an Economy room, I’d definitely recommend upgrading. The Annex is down a long bridge away from the hotel, and the Economy rooms don’t have balconies.
Overall
We all thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We’ve travelled all over the world and stayed in a variety of various star hotels, and Aska Lara is one of the very few hotels we’d return to in a heartbeat.
I honestly can’t recommend this hotel enough!"
