We had read some good and some pretty bad reviews on the internet after booking this holiday, but were relieved to find the Azka to be a very pleasant hotel. Everything was very clean and the gardens and pool areas lovely. The only downsides were that the staff could not speak very good English, so it could be a little difficult to communicate at times, and drinks were very expensive. You are not allowed to bring any food or drink into the hotel (not even water) and you might get searched at the entrance and have it confiscated if you try to smuggle anything in! It is, however, possible if you are careful. Also, the food was nothing special and certainly not 5 star standard, but it was passable. Our room was at the top in the annex, where most of those on cheap deals seem to get put, but, although the rooms were nowhere near 5 star standard, they were clean and nice enough. We preferred the annex anyway, as it is situated at the top of the hotel and has it's own pool that those in the main hotel don't use, so it didn't get overcrowded. The hotel is in a lovely position with fantastic views. It is just a short walk along the beach to the ferry boat that takes you into Bodrum. It costs 4 Turkish lira one way and takes about 10 minutes. Boats run to midnight, depending when you go in the season. Gumbet, if you want somewhere a bit more lively in the evening, is a few minutes away by taxi. Outside the hotel there is a green button that you press and in no time a taxi will appear. All prices are displayed and it costs 6 lira to Gumbet. Turgetreis market is held every Saturday and costs about £1.40 one way from the bus station in Bodrum. It's worth a visit, but don't be ripped off or intimidated by the traders who will pressure you to buy and even physically pull you into their stalls/shops. They can get nasty when you don't buy, but if you show them who's boss you'll be okay. If you want any fake designer stuff (and it is all fake) don't pay any more than £2 or 5 lira for Nike/Lacoste t-shirts or £3 to £4 for Chanel etc handbags. Ladies sandals are quite nice, but pay no more than £10 for 3 pairs. Prices at Bodrum airport are extortionate (£4 for small plastic cup of tea or coke and £9 for what we'd get at MacDonalds only far poorer quality) Try to take food with you and don't get ripped off. All in all, lovely holiday in nice hotel in great location.

Stopped at the Azka June this year (2008), can not fault a thing except drinks could be a little expensive other than that great the hotel is spotless if you can require a sea view even better.

Large pool plenty off sun beds, beach on the door step staff all friendly and cant to enough for you without been creepy.

Location excellent around 35 Minutes from Airport. Not noisey at night but very little entertiment at night in the hotel but in easy reach to restaurants and bars by taxi around 5 minutes and cheap.

I would defiently recommend this hotel for couples and groups but not really enough to do for children.

When we arrived at Hotel Azka ( myself and my partner in our 40's) we were gutted - the exterior is impressive but the rooms are quite frankly dreadful , we asked for a sea view which you had to take 3 separate lifts to reach 9 floors in total - the staff were unfriendly and unhelpful - you are left to fend for yourself - the bedroom/bathroom very dated very basic i would say a 2 or 3 star at best. I could go on but really if you use place as a base and expect no frills then go ( no evening entertainment either if there is it is Turkish , a lot of Turks seem to stay here) deeply disappointing!! food not good either ! HOWEVER on the positives - the pools are always quiet and beds are no problem , a nice pivate beach too - the exterior is very nice indeed.The hotel itself is situated in a complex of about 4 other hotels each private and you cant go to other hotels - they take payment by your hotel card only in your designated hotel - you feel a bit isolated however good news is if you walk along to river taxi there is a great restaurant there , from there you can get boat over to Bodrum- we did this twice a day costs 4YTL p.p. each way) but it was worth it - felt like we were escaping from Alcatraz !!!! Bodrum was fine plenty shops , restaurants , we did the boat trip for a day which was fantastic at nly 25YTL each including lunch ( go private tour company charges 35YTL)

Hi there - rarely do I review hotels except when exceptionally good or bad - no prizes for guessing which this is. I stay in a lot of hotels all around Europe as my partner is a touring musician. This is one of the WORST I have ever stayed in.

The main reason? The sense that, from the second you arrive to the second you leave, you are simply a cash cow for the hotel, to be viewed with derision and contempt.

There is NO customer service. For example, the hotel photographer tried to take my picture one night, I said no thank you very politely, and he swore and flounced away muttering about me. You cannot get service from the staff when you need it - our air con didn't work, in was 40 degrees, and as a result we didn't sleep. We tried to complain about the aircon, no response. Or, there was the time I phoned room service for 40 minutes with no answer, on phoning reception to report this they said 'Go to the restaurant to eat' and put the phone down.

The hotel tries EVERYTHING possible to squeeze extra money from you. They do not care about your repeat business, the tour companies are their customers, not you. You are just a wallet. Drinks prices are extortionate - I mean, when it is 40 degrees and water is priced prohibitively it's pretty bad.As mentioned, you cannot take food or drink into the hotel. One trick is to come via water taxi from bodrum, they do not search you this way.

The breakfast and dinner food was okay-ish, nothing special.
The food at other times is disgusting. A 'Chicken' burger was not made of chicken, a 'beefburger' was not made of beef, but fake meat. The pizza made me vomit for the next two days. For the privelage I paid a fortune.

The waiters are constantly trying to make further money for the hotel. Be careful. For example we were double charged on a receipt for water, when we complained and asked them to cross out one of the charges, they pretended their pen didn't work so they couldnt remove the charge. Worked fine when I grabbed it and did it myself. Another example is that on our first night, we were half board, and the waiters insisted we were not, and that we pay £45 for our meal, they said we couldn't eat another bite until we signed the money over, they didn't even check with reception - it turned into a stand up row.

This is the WORST hotel I have ever stayed in, and it is because of the customer service.

The exception - the maids. They are great, and taught us how to hide our drinks in our room - it's worth tipping them as I bet they are paid peanuts.

The good - the location is gorgeous, and the pool is lovely. However - there are 4 hotels in bardeki bay - try the others. They have the same view, and better pools.

In all serousness, if you have booked this hotel, and do not want to be abused and made to feel like a second class citizen - change your hotel. The Charm hotel next door looked ok.

This was supposed to be a special holiday for me, for a personal reason. It was ruined.