Kaya Side Hotel

"We were a group of eight staying here, and although the hotel and beach were beautiful, there were quite a few problems that affected our stay. The beds were very hard. The pools were not heated — especially the children’s pool, which should be, because of the large bucket that dumps water over the entire play area. The kids loved playing there as long as it was turned off, but they quickly got cold. There were an extremely high number of Russian guests both at the hotel and in the area. It was difficult to interact with them — no smiles or eye contact. The food had an Eastern European touch, and it felt like the hotel was mainly designed for that market. Staff spoke limited English, which made communication difficult. For example, when we asked to rent a stroller, we were told they didn’t have any, even after showing a picture. My brother went back the next day and asked again, and suddenly they did have one available — so we managed to rent it after all. One of our rooms had an air conditioner that didn’t work. It was also hard to find available sunbeds. People reserved them early in the morning with towels, and often only half were actually being used. There really should be a better system for this. The hand sanitizer dispenser didn’t work on several days during our stay, which is unhygienic considering how many people touch the serving utensils. One person in our group got sick with fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. Another person became ill a couple of days later. The person traveling with the first one asked if the hotel had an extra room available to reduce the risk of infection (since it’s all-inclusive and viruses can spread easily). The first staff member said they would arrange it, but another staff member later said no. Otherwise, the beach was nice, the food was varied, the cleaning was good, and the hotel itself looked lovely — but overall, the experience didn’t quite live up to expectations."

"We had a really nice stay here and spent a wonderful, relaxing time by the beach. Warm sea, beautiful garden area, and delicious local food – that’s what we’ll remember the most. The restaurant and lobby bar staff were friendly, polite, and always willing to help. The food was truly excellent – fresh, full of flavor, and with a great variety every day. The large terrace with a nice view and bar service (including shisha) was the perfect place to unwind in the evenings. Our room (a triple with a garden view) was spacious, clean, and comfortable. However, the first room we got was quite small and felt a bit claustrophobic – very tiny bathroom and a narrow 140x200 cm bed. With my height (188 cm), my feet were sticking out! Luckily, the hotel staff quickly and kindly changed our room for a bigger one – thank you for that! There are a few things that could be improved. The hotel doesn’t really look like it was renovated in 2019 – both the rooms and the outdoor furniture seem a bit worn out. The staff are nice and hardworking, but their English is very limited, even at the reception, which sometimes made communication tricky. The weakest point for us were the drinks – inconsistent taste, even when ordering the same one from the same bartender. The safest choice was Blue Lagoon – usually tasted fine 🙂 Overall, I can’t give it 5 stars, but we had a very good experience. For the beach, garden, food, and relaxing atmosphere – yes, we would definitely come back!"

"I rarely leave reviews, but after this experience with Loveholidays and Kaya Side Resort in Turkey, I feel I have to warn others. This was supposed to be a 5-star holiday, and it was not cheap. I expected far more than what we got — what we experienced was nothing short of a nightmare from start to finish. From the moment we landed in Antalya, communication was poor. At the Loveholidays desk in the airport, hardly anyone spoke English. We were given wrong directions to our shuttle and spent almost 40 minutes wandering around, confused, until we had to go back and demand help. Eventually, someone reluctantly showed us where the shuttle was (nowhere near where they first told us). The shuttle itself was a battered 16-seat minibus, covered in dents and scratches, with no air-conditioning in unbearable heat. The driver spoke zero English, and we had no idea how long we’d be waiting, where we were going, or even if we were on the right transfer. The drive felt like a horror movie — constant near misses, and we genuinely questioned whether the driver even had a license. At the hotel, things looked fine at first when we checked into our room past midnight. But the real problems started the next morning. We had specifically chosen this resort because it advertised gluten-free options and even a separate kitchen for allergies. Yet when we asked the head chef about gluten-free meals, he had no idea what gluten even was. That immediately destroyed any confidence we had. Day after day, my wife was served what they claimed were gluten-free dishes, but it quickly became obvious they were not. After just a few days, my wife began suffering from allergic reactions — rashes, stomach pain, and feeling unwell for the rest of the trip. Their so-called “gluten-free” catering was a complete lie, and honestly, I fear for anyone with a serious allergy staying here. The “A la Carte” restaurant was another joke. Promoted as a special experience with excellent gluten-free choices, we were told upon arrival that they had none. The food was just ordinary buffet dishes dressed up differently. It was false advertising, plain and simple. Our guide showed up once, gave us a brief overview of tours, and then disappeared. Calls went unanswered. It was as if he didn’t exist after that first meeting. The only saving grace was the animation team at the hotel. They worked hard to make the stay bearable, with fun parties and activities. Without them, the trip would have been even worse. The return home was the final straw. Just before reaching the airport, we got a message that our flight was delayed 3 hours. A few hours later, it was cancelled altogether. Stranded in a foreign country with no internet, no phone service, and no support from Loveholidays or Wizz Air, we had no idea what to do. We were eventually dumped at a random 2-star hotel in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Antalya. Nobody spoke English, the staff didn’t even know we were coming, and we spent the night awake, terrified. In the end, we had no choice but to pay another €1000 out of our own pocket to get back to Luton the next day. To this day, nobody from Loveholidays or Wizz Air has contacted us to help or even explain. We are still waiting for compensation. Overall, this was the worst holiday we have ever had. For a supposedly 5-star hotel and a professional holiday company, the experience was a disgrace from start to finish. I would never recommend Loveholidays or Kaya Side Resort to anyone. If you value your health, safety, and money — avoid them. I will update this review if anyone finally contacts me regarding compensation. Until then, all I can say is: this was a nightmare trip that should never have happened."