"Just back from a week at Akra Didim hotel and Spa. Brand new hotel for summer 2026. Clean and modern design. Nice welcome and an open inviting foyer. We stayed in room 5301 which was a Deluxe sea view top floor with a jacuzzi bath and beds on a large balcony. Well appointed, bright and very spacious, we were instantly impressed.
The hotel itself is very spacious with various restaurants and amenities on the first 3 floors (-2 to 0). The hotel grounds are landscaped and are constantly kept meticulously clean and tidy. There are several pools spilt over 3 levels as the hotel is set on a hillside. Access is made easier via escalators between each level. Beyond that there is a pathway that leads down to the private beach area and a small snack restaurant.
We spent our days around the adult pool and there were loads of available beds and cabana type beds even later in the day. No need to hog any early doors but we did notice that a large number of those beds were reserved without any occupants for most of the day in general. No problem though as there were still plenty to go around.
You can order drinks to your bedside using the QR code and online ordering system. There was also a swim up pool bar in this area too. The pool in the adult area is L shaped and of a decent size (over 30m in both directions and about 1.4m deep throughout) and it was built in an infinity style offering sea views.
As for the restaurants, there are several to choose from including a number of à la carte. We ate at Salkim (International cuisine), Ocakbasi (Turkish) and Livar (Fish) and enjoyed them all, however Salkim was the stand out one in terms of service and food quality in our opinion. Ocakbasi lacked good service tbh. Other nights we ate in the buffet restaurant and we were more than satisfied with the quality of the food and the variety of dishes on offer. The staff are very pleasant. If you prefer it to be a more relaxed, quiet experience then go as close to opening at 19:00 as possible. By 20:30 the restaurant is manic. Drinks at the various bars within the hotel are made with premium brands and cocktails are generally good.
Breakfast is served in the buffet restaurant and again the quality and selection is very good indeed.
As for facilities, we used the gym a few times and it is big and well equipped with a large array of Technogym machines and free weights.
There is a spa in the basement which is a real plus as it is free to use the saunas, steam room, salt bath etc and only hamam and massages are chargeable.
There is a wide variety of activities on offer every day and we made use of the aqua aerobics but there are many classes inc Zumba, Pilates etc to choose from. There are paddle and tennis courts outside.
There is an area called the arts and crafts village at one end of the complex whereby you can participate in classes such as pottery, art, woodwork, dance, ecology etc. This area is also next to the hotel vegetable garden where they grow an extensive range of herbs, fruit and veg to be used within the hotel. That was really nice to see.
As for the evening entertainment, it was very good. Their own in house entertainment team perform well choreographed and timed shows on the main stage and it is actually very professional. Talking with a number of the entertainment staff, they were all picked having finished dance and drama school and they have rehearsed to a high standard.
The staff throughout the hotel are very friendly and professional. We were told that they have staff accommodation blocks (like the main hotel rooms), their own restaurant, pool and leisure facilities and they are looked after well by management. In particular I would like to say a special thanks to; Alaadin who works in the spa area but toured the outdoor areas each day. Lovely guy to talk to, no hard selling tactics to use the spa facilities either, just right. In Salkim restaurant, Melih is so attentive and offers amazing table service. Adem is a wonderful host there too. All of the adult pool servers were on point but Engin is so amazing. Derya who works at the ground level bar (lovely terrace there and fire pit with seating) again was always so helpful. All of the entertainment crew were so lovely and always stopped for a chat special mention to Lizzy and Niahm though.
Our room cleaner called Bircel Covar kept our room spotless and the added bonus was that she created 2 masterpieces on different days using towels and props. Very amusing and well received thank you.
So now for the areas for improvement and there are not many at all in our opinion; 1) the à la carte booking system is very antiquated. Either queue up for some time at 10:00am in reception to speak with a client services agent or call a number at that time from the room. Having stayed at other hotels like the Maxx Royal and Voyage Belek you are assigned a guest relations manager with contact via WhatsApp and that works much better 2) Let us see the menu’s for the à la carte restaurants on the app please not just in person at the restaurant. Should not be a secret! 3) lack of music even ambient around the adult pool or even at the very least at the swim up bar. Doesn’t need to be loud, heavy beats etc but some ambient even instrumentals would make a positive change to the feel of that area. I get the need for an adult ‘chill’ zone and that could still be achieved in the right way 4) More information on the app even simple stuff like the opening times of the gym etc 5) There are 2 à la carte restaurants right next door to each other; Ockabasi and Bafa (Local and Agean) but the menus are not dissimilar to food available at other restaurants. Would appreciate either an Italian or Asian as something a little different from what is widely on offer.
To conclude; we very much enjoyed our stay here and we fully intend to rebook again for next year. Well done and thanks to all at the hotel."
