"I am writing this second review, as when you are there, you are asked to give a positive review by the Russian woman patrolling the grounds. She looks at the review while you are typing it, so you are nearly forced into giving a positive one. She informed me that she needed to take a photograph of the completed review to show her manager.
So here is the real review...………………..!
Hotel Review: A Mixed Experience with Major Culinary Shortfalls....!!!!!
While our stay had several highlights—primarily due to the excellent staff—the overall experience was significantly hindered by poor food quality, outdated room amenities, and uncomfortable review solicitation. As frequent travellers who tour four to five times a year, we feel this property functions as a basic three-star hotel at best, and we will not be returning.
Key Positives:
• Exceptional Staff: The reception, bar, and animation teams were fantastic. The reception manager was incredibly accommodating, and Charlie from the MTS Global team provided highly helpful service.
• Pool Facilities: The main swimming pool is large and well-maintained.
• Room Housekeeping: Our room was spacious and cleaned daily, though we noted that other guests did not seem to share the same positive housekeeping experience.
Areas for Improvement:
• Substandard Dining Experience: The food quality is terrible; we only ate at the hotel one evening during our entire stay and resorted to taking a taxi into town for dinner every other night. The buffet lacked organization, suffered from severe understaffing, and featured a highly repetitive menu. Furthermore, the dining area lacked fans or air conditioning, leaving the food exposed to flies.
• Poor Quality Bar Snacks: The poolside snacks were unpalatable. The chips were tasteless, cold, and appeared to be reheated from the previous day. Additionally, the burgers had an unappealing, unusually soft texture, which does not taste like beef. There is no pizza as stated on their brochure.
• Outdated Room Amenities: While the room itself was a good size, the television was incredibly basic—a tiny 14-inch screen that was very difficult to see. Our Air-Con worked, but heard of several guests where the air-con was not working at all.
• Unprofessional Review Solicitation: Before our stay had even ended, a Russian lady pressures you to leave a positive review, and watches while you type it, which felt highly uncomfortable and unprofessional.
• Location & Accessibility: The hotel is a 15-to-20-minute walk from the town center, otherwise requiring a €5 taxi ride each way.
• Expensive Late Checkout: Options for a late checkout are rigid and overpriced. The maximum extension permitted is only until 4:30 PM, for which the hotel charges a steep fee of £50.
Verdict: We have stayed in many, many hotels and we tour 4 to 5 times every year. This is at best a 3 star hotel, and that’s pushing it...!!.
For the price you are paying to stay at this Hotel, there are many more in Didim, with better facilities, better location, and food you can actually eat.
There is one true statement in their description here..
"Garden of Sun Hotel will leave you with an unforgettable experience."
That is true, will will never forget the experience, although not for the right reasons....!.
We will never ever return to this hotel….!"
