"We have just returned from a fantastic family holiday at Wyndham Garden Lara Beach, and overall we would happily return.
We stayed in a two-bedroom family room, which was perfect for our family of four. Having two separate bedrooms made a huge difference, and our balcony overlooked both the main pool and evening entertainment stage, which was a lovely bonus. The complimentary toiletries in the bathroom were also a thoughtful touch.
The main pool is enormous, with water slides that kept the kids entertained for hours. We were particularly impressed with the number of lifeguards on duty – they were always attentive and made us feel very safe.
One of the biggest advantages of staying here is that you can also use all the facilities at the neighbouring Ramada Lara, which is literally next door. This gives you even more choice for pools, bars and restaurants.
The beach is around a 7-minute walk across the road, or you can hop on the free shuttle bus that runs throughout the day. The beach facilities were excellent, with what felt like around a hundred sun loungers under a permanent shaded canopy, which was an absolute lifesaver in the Turkish heat, especially with children. There are fridges stocked with complimentary bottled water, a beach bar, a pizza station, additional swimming pools and a brilliant splash area that both younger and older children will love.
The staff throughout the hotel were friendly and hardworking. A special mention goes to **Damla**, who looked after us for most of our stay. She was warm, attentive and incredibly welcoming, even remembering our drinks order every day, which made us feel genuinely valued.
The drinks selection was excellent, with plenty of cocktails, beers, premium spirits, mocktails, coffees and milkshakes available. We also loved the ice cream freezers around the hotel where guests could help themselves throughout the day to Cornettos, Twisters and a variety of other ice creams and lollies. There were also bottled water fridges everywhere, making it easy to stay hydrated.
The buffet restaurant offers a huge variety of fresh food, and there was always something for everyone. You certainly won’t go hungry. During our stay we also visited both the Asian and Turkish à la carte restaurants, and the Turkish restaurant was absolutely outstanding.
The location was another highlight. Right outside the hotel are shopping malls and numerous shops, which we visited most evenings. We always felt completely safe walking around the area, even after dark.
The only aspect that let our holiday down was our experience with our room attendant, Yasmin. While the beds were made and bins emptied daily, I wouldn’t say much other cleaning took place. Coffee cups were regularly left in the room after cleaning, and we found ourselves taking them downstairs ourselves each day.
Unfortunately, on the second to last day, I had gone back to the room midday to collect something. The room had already been attended to however, Yasmin followed me into the room, she introduced herself, asked if the room had been cleaned well each day, and then explained that the following day was her day off (our departure day), so today was the day I should tip her. The interaction felt quite uncomfortable and aggressive as she simply stood waiting while I gave her a tip. I didn’t feel comfortable opening the safe in front of her, so I gave her the cash I happened to have with me. She didn’t appear particularly pleased with the amount.
What made this stand out even more was that not a single other member of staff asked us for a tip during our stay. We tipped several members of staff because we genuinely wanted to, and every one of them was incredibly grateful and appreciative. This interaction felt completely different and left us feeling pressured rather than wanting to reward good service.
Around an hour later I returned to the room to find our door propped open with the security latch while Yasmin was still cleaning other rooms along the corridor. When I asked if she had finished with our room, she confirmed she had and simply apologised about the door. I asked why she had gone back in and she said to take the coffee cups (which were still in the room) Thankfully nothing had been taken, but it left our room completely unsecured and understandably made us feel uneasy. I reported the incident to Guest Services, who asked me to follow up by email.
Although this incident dampened the end of what had otherwise been a wonderful holiday, it involved one individual rather than reflecting the hotel as a whole.
Overall, Wyndham Garden Lara Beach offers excellent value for money, fantastic facilities for families, great food, friendly staff and an ideal location. Our children had an amazing holiday, and despite the disappointing housekeeping experience at the end, we would definitely consider returning."
