Arum Barut Collection

"Amazing hotel and staff Visited this hotel for my mams 80th birthday. I emailed the hotel ahead of time as we didn’t arrive till late in the evening and my mams birthday was the next day and therefore we wouldn’t have chance to book an al a carte restaurant. So asked if they could pre book us into the Turkish restaurant on the beachfront on her actual birthday and I also asked about the possibility of a celebration cake. They were so accommodating saying it was booked and they would do table decorations and a cake for her. Rooms We had two superior double side sea view rooms booked. On arrival they give us a free upgrade to full sea view rooms. The rooms were on the 4th floor. Absolutely love the garden quadrant on this floor doesn’t feel like you are on the 4th floor. Rooms are decorated lovely with everything you need. Robes, slippers, beach bag, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, full size hairdryer that you can use anywhere in the room. Loved the coffee pod machine for my morning coffee. Pods replaced daily. Mini bar - water, coke, sprite, iced tea, juices and beer. All replaced daily too. I found the beds very comfy they are firm but I like that. Lots of sockets even a UK one. I also love that you don’t have to wear a fully inclusive band at this hotel. Food Cannot fault the food. We tried all of the al a carte restaurants. My favourite was Sakura. it’s a burger bar during the day however on the night it’s turns into flavours of the Far East. I would say my least favourite was Akasya but still nothing wrong with the food serviced just personal preference. So much choice at the buffet. If you need a takeaway box ask in buffet and they give you a large polystyrene box. Ice cream parlour great and the fruit bar next to the pool is lovely if you just want a quick snack. Staff at all the restaurants were so attentive. Bars After reading some reviews about bar service and no use of the QR code to order we were expecting to have long queues at the bars. However this was not the case. Yes there is a QR code on each table to view the menu but we found at all the bars the staff were very quick to come and serve us at out table and an odd time we did go to the bar we were told please sit down we will come and serve you. My favourite place was the beach bar day and night. Staff were great and we also like seeing all the cats. Got to know most of them. Some very friendly some not so much. We were also surprised at how many hedgehogs come out around your feet at night too down there. Amazing. During the day you can get pide to order at the beach bar. Lovely lady sitting making them until 4pm. At the pool bar if you ask for a packet of crisps they give you a large bag. They also bring small bowls of nuts or crisps to your table too. Sunbeds Only used sunbeds on the pier once so we could go for a swim straight into the deep sea rather than walking across the rocky shore. Bar on pier is soft drinks and coffee tea etc.only. We never had a problem getting 3 sun beds together anywhere around the resort no matter what time of day. We were there mid June. Entertainment Entertainment was great. Always something going on at every bar. Laser show on a Tuesday night well worth seeing. Everyone foam party Thursdays starts 3pm. If you want a large inflatable clam start queuing up early in front of the DJ set. We didn’t but still managed to get one later on when people got sick of them. Be careful with your small children at this foam party even I got swallowed up and can be dangerous but they give you enough warnings to stay with your children. Children only foam party Saturdays 3pm held in the shallow end and only parents with children. Gym and spa I love a great gym on holiday as it’s part of my routine. This gym had everything I needed to get a good workout. All new equipment and the dumbbells go quite heavy too. Aqua spin. Was dying to try this as I do normal spin at home. Was such a good laugh. You have to put your name on a list for this one. When we were there it was held in the indoor pool next to the spa. Pilates 10am no list but the studio is quite small so get there early. The instructor is amazing. Sorry can’t remember her name. She changed up the routine each day too. Would have loved to try the yoga at 4pm but unfortunately afternoons are cocktail time for me! LOL. Massage I had a relaxing one my son went for the sports massage. You can strike up a deal with the guy who runs the spa he gave us good discount. Last day On our last day our private transfer wasn’t till 6pm and check out was midday. We had to wait till on the day after breakfast to ask about keeping our rooms on. They gave us free extensions till 3pm. We loved this. I really cannot fault this hotel. I have stayed at many fully inclusive hotels all around the world and I would say this one tops them all. Would definitely recommend. And I won’t hesitate to use this brand of hotel in other areas."

"What a lovely hotel. Really I suppose this should be a four and a half star review, if I'm being extra picky, as I do have a few small areas for improvement, but overall it was by far the best all-inclusive hotel we've stayed in. Firstly, location is excellent. Situated immediately on the beach, the main town of Side is located about a 35 minute walk away down the promenade. This can be a bit of a difficult walk in the heat, but we went in the morning and took a water bottle. Lots of Ancient Greek ruins to see in the main town which is wonderful. Secondly, the staff. The hotel is kept super clean, and the staff were some of the most attentive we have experienced. We never had to wait long to be approached for our drink choices at meal times, with staff often approaching us immediately upon sitting down. We didn't get to know the staff as well as in smaller hotels (we didn't, for example, have a table reserved for us each day with our drinks ready), but everyone was polite, friendly, attentive and hardworking. The food was tasty and there was always a good choice - I would say it was the high quality we have come to expect in this kind of all inclusive; lots of veg, fresh pasta, different meats, local cuisine, chips, burgers, pizzas etc. Something to suit everyone. I am vegetarian and never struggled, as usually there was some form of lentil or bean stew available alongside a variety of grains. One small point for improvement would be to increase the vegetarian offerings further still - I was so disappointed on Mediterranean Night when there was a meat moussaka and no veggie moussaka available! I love mediterranean flavours so I feel some more effort could've been made there to ensure tasty vegetarian options within the theme. Similar thoughts for the Mexican Night etc; often I had to eat outside the main theme since the themed dishes were meat or seafood heavy. But I was very impressed at offering some tofu in the vegetarian corner since this rarely included! Some more exploration into all the delicious ways of cooking tofu and tempeh, seitan etc could really make this hotel shine. We were over the moon to find out we had been upgraded, and were placed in a beautiful Grand Residence room! This was furnished with a beautiful bouquet of flowers to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, and the bed had been decorated with swans and petals. I cannot fault the room, and how special that the hotel had made an effort to decorate it for us! We also were surprised with a table decorated with flower petals for our meal in one of the a la carte restaurants, with sparkling wine. These little touches were greatly appreciated. The pool areas are fantastic, we usually came down at 10am every day and never struggled for a sun bed. The slides are great fun, and we had a lot of fun floating around in giant inflatable clam shells during the foam party, and racing each other on the giant inflatable obstacle course. My only feedback here was that the music around the pool could be a little louder; it was very hard to hear from our sunbeds (though it was a good volume at the pool bar). Evening entertainment was some of the best we're seen, most nights there was a live music show at the same time as something like a dance show, so you had the choice of what you vibe you wanted. Our last night was a fantastic light and water show (Avatar themed). My areas for improvement are small. Alongside the aforementioned vegetarian food options, the spa prices were expensive and when we asked about discounts we were told this was in no way possible, which was a shame. I actually support not offering discounts (since haggling is a horrible experience!), but in this case I think prices should be reduced (for reference, a Balinese massage was only £20 cheaper than my local spa in the UK, which given the difference in cost of living, felt like more than we wanted to pay). We ended up not getting any spa treatments due to the cost. Also, bags of linens etc were often left on the stairs up to our room. I think this is because there were no lifts up to our room (and I too wouldn't want to cart bedding and towels up and down!); however it looked a bit disheveled and I think it would be much better to build storage cupboards onto the landings. Overall, a fantastic hotel in a great location. You will not be disappointed if you book here."

"Great hotel with lot of entertainment especially at evening. Very clean 10 of 10. What I missed compared to for example Barut Acanthus was no service at beach beds. But the bar begonya at the beach is masterpiece so if you want something just a few steps and are in very nice place sitting under the trees and having a drink."