Legendary Porto Hotel

"There were many areas of hotel that needed much attention, with rotting oranges left to attract insects, chalets/garden rooms needing deep cleaning and sprucing up, local staff not being very professional or friendly, and certainly not great if you do not love cats or have allergies as they roam around freely - even in dining areas begging for food. Would not rate as a four star, possibly a poor three star if that. Waiters and waitresses were extremely friendly - those who weren’t local were - at least. Local staff were a bit more arrogant - except the reception manager who was friendlier and endeavoured to help us! Thank you! Others that were dressed in black shirts and trousers clearly did not realise that they were employed in the hospitality sector and spent much time ignoring customers (avoiding eye contact) and standing around, talking amongst themselves! The Boho beach bar and fish restaurant were lovely and had idyllic settings. The Steak restaurant whereby you had to pay a supplement was extremely unbearable to sit, let alone eat in. No air conditioning or breeze and most customers left before even taking their desserts due to the heat! The manager running the shift the night we dined, refused to turn the giant fan on, on the basis that he only had one for the restaurant! Would NOT recommend to eat in here, but suggest to avoid! Hot meals at the buffet in the main restaurant were inconsistent. At times warm or cold even when initially put out, and much of it was from earlier settings, for example being moved from breakfast to lunch, then evening. Our room was not restocked with water and drinks daily, despite being advised by porter upon arrival. The shower and toilet was never cleaned during our eleven day stay, and we often had to ring reception for basics such as toilet roll, soap and towels. Incidentally, there were crumbs across the floor upon arrival and the floor was probably mopped four times during our stay. The highlight of the stay was the coffee bar (next to spa), looked after by lovely attentive ladies, and the spa itself. We booked three treatments each during our stay and Bekir was most hospitable advising upon treatments and the two ladies, Sri and Ari looked after us well and performed the most relaxing of massages with much care. Thank you. The hotel has amazing potential to be great, but the overall impression that we left with is that the managers or the general manager in particular (who we acknowledged and smiled at on several occasions, and were ignored or dismissed by) did not have any intention or ability to lead it there and seemed happy that it was alright how it was. Indeed for a two or three star, yes, but anything above that - definitely a NO! We would NOT recommend this hotel as it is presently to anyone who is booking anything above a three star rating."

"We stayed here for 12 nights, and this was exactly the relaxing holiday we were looking for.The resort has everything you need, with beautiful sea-view rooms, two lovely pools, several à la carte restaurants, and a fantastic all-inclusive experience. One of the highlights was the spa. The therapists were incredibly skilled, and the treatments were so relaxing—we would highly recommend visiting during your stay. Our favourite place was the chilled beach bar area, where we spent most days. There’s also a lovely fish restaurant overlooking the beach. A great feature of the all-inclusive service is the QR codes on the tables, allowing you to order food and drinks straight to your table without having to leave your seat. A special thank you to Sena and Sibel who looked after us every day. They were always smiling, attentive, and went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed. Their outstanding service really made our holiday even more enjoyable. The buffet was exceptional for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There was such a huge variety of fresh food that we never got bored. Many dishes were freshly prepared in front of you, and the quality was consistently excellent. Overall, we had a wonderful stay. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, the atmosphere was peaceful, and we left feeling completely relaxed. We would definitely return and highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a relaxing getaway. Room 518"

"My wife and I spent a lovely week at this hotel and had a great holiday! The hotel is set in lovely grounds over a large area. Staff are outstanding to a person, and the location is idyllic. I found my happy place in Bar Boho - so nice sitting in the shade looking out to the Mediterranean with a lovely breeze and cold beer. What a top place this is to unwind!! If entertainment was better, this would easily be a five star review. We stayed in a larger style ‘bungalow’ with sea view. To be clear, these are not bungalows - they are single-level terraced rooms with accommodation over two floors. The rooms are nice with walk-in shower and double sinks. Ours, on the ground floor, was accessible with a nice patio area outside where we could see and hear the sea which was lovely. Air con was great, and the room was cleaned to a good standard each day during our stay. The main pool is large and a perfect temperature. The sunbeds are fairly comfortable, although the parasols are a little tired and the hotel would benefit from a few more. They are nicely spaced out which is appreciated, but we definitely were aware of times when people just couldn’t get them, and some beds don’t have a parasol at all which was less than ideal considering the temperature probably averaged 40 the week we visited. Big shout out to the parasol man though who was lovely, friendly and really helpful - trying to sort folks out as best he could. And the pool bar guys are brilliant too - one of the barmen expertly weaved himself around the sunbeds all week on rollerskates, ensuring holidaymakers remained hydrated and happy! This was also made possible by the ‘adults only’ policy which was brilliant! The animation girls were lovely, but I think it is fair to say that the activities were few and far between. Activities included aqua aerobics on exercise bikes in the pool, water polo, darts and yoga with one or two offerings each day. There is a second ‘relax’ pool in the zen garden which was very quiet and looked really nice. Both pools are .4m deep all round. Ladders into the pools were OK, but those with mobility issues might struggle to get in and out - the ladders are the only access points. The sea is also excellent and easy to access with safe swimming areas clearly marked out. Sadly it’s not as sandy as we’d have liked, but it was definitely a welcomed feature of the hotel!! There are a lot of what at first sight looks like broken tables all over the beach, but we think these were used to mark out and protect turtle eggs with the turtles regular visitors to the site (although we weren’t lucky enough to spot any during our stay). The beach bar was also good and well staffed. There are various options when it comes to eating. The main restaurant was ok but a bit repetitive. We like boiled eggs in the morning for breakfast, but were annoyed that the hotel was unable to actually boil them - they were consistently too soft and undercooked. And the toaster just didn’t work - putting the bread through four times still left the bread untoasted. But again, the staff were lovely and did their best. There is a truly brilliant QR code system across all other bars and restaurants which ensured speedy service and removed any language barriers. Our favourite place to eat was the snack bar across from Bar Boho at lunchtime - highly recommended. We did not try the a la carte options during our stay, so I cannot comment on them. There is an excellent coffee shop on site (part of the all inclusive), and a spa and hairdresser (which understandably come at an extra cost). Beach towels are managed at the spa, with only one towel issued per person. I read some comments before our holiday which inferred loads of stairs and that it would be challenging to get around for anyone with mobility issues. Overall, we didn’t think the stairs were a significant issue. To be fair, there are quite a number of stairs which definitely helps to navigate the various venues across the site more easily; however, we met a lovely couple where one used a wheelchair. They fairly quickly identified routes to get around all parts of the hotel which were wheelchair-friendly so personally I wouldn't be too concerned about that - except perhaps as earlier mentioned for access to the pools for some. There was a lull every day between 4.30pm and around 9.30pm. Snack bars close at 4pm, and the pool bar and Bar Boho close at 7.30pm. On most nights, the only bar which opened later was the Blue Bar, which was soleless, with entertainment not the best. We only went once as personally we didn’t like it at all. There is one other bar which remains open all day (the Piano Bar), again with great staff - but it has limited seating capacity and the worst tables I have seen for quite some time (very large, heavy and solid so legs cannot go under them). There was an entertainer here one night too, but again not one we were impressed with. One other aspect of the hotel I need to mention which I was disappointed by is the vast amount of single-use plastics (mainly cups and straws) which really should have been addressed by now. We went on a trip one of the days, which was truly excellent and fantastic value for money - highly recommended!! It was a visit to a mosque and waterfall, two shopping stops, and then a cruise on the Manavgat River with a lovely lunch. Great day out - we thoroughly enjoyed it! Overall, this is a brilliant hotel and we had a cracking holiday - but addressing some of the issues outlined above would certainly help make it excellent! In summary: Positives * Staff: Outstanding service from all staff members, including the pool staff, bar team, and the helpful pool attendant. * Location: The hotel is set in lovely, expansive grounds and boasts an idyllic location with great sea views. * Rooms: Nice, clean rooms with walk-in showers, double sinks, and efficient air conditioning. Ground-floor rooms offered lovely patio areas. * Pools & Beach: The main pool is large and a perfect temperature. There is also a quiet, relaxing secondary pool in the zen garden. The sea is excellent for swimming with clearly marked safe areas. * Dining & Bars: Bar Boho is a highlight for unwinding with a view. The QR code system for ordering at restaurants and bars ensures speedy service and avoids language barriers. The snack bar near Bar Boho is highly recommended, and the on-site coffee shop is also great. * Facilities: The ‘adults only’ policy was appreciated. * Excursions: The excursion, including a Manavgat River cruise and lunch, was excellent and fantastic value for money. Areas for improvement: * Sunbeds & Parasols: The parasols are aging, and there are not enough of them; some sunbeds have no shade at all, which is problematic during hot weather. * Pool Access: Access is limited to ladders, which may be challenging for guests with mobility issues. * Dining: The main restaurant menu was repetitive, and could be improved easily by, for example boiling eggs correctly, and getting an effective toaster. * Entertainment & Atmosphere: Organised activities, although good, were infrequent, and there was a noticeable "lull" in services and atmosphere between 4:30 pm and 9:30 pm. The Blue Bar lacked atmosphere, and the Piano Bar suffered from limited seating and uncomfortable, oversized tables. * Facilities: Only one beach towel is issued per person, which may be inconvenient. * Sustainability: There is a significant reliance on single-use plastics, particularly cups and straws."