Nice Hotel, clean with basic rooms. However it is now under new management and the week we were there was also their first wek as hoteliers. It was a bit like Falty Towers with no English speakers.
Whilst the staff tripped owver themselves to help their inexperience was evident. For example:-
in Turkey hoteliers do not allow you to bring beverages or food into hotels. However four members of staff ganging up on one client for bringing in a bottle of water is taking it a bit far. Bearing in mind the bar was poorly stocked and u couldn't get a drink in the middle of the night cos all the staff had gone home.
We had constant problem with hot water (lack off) For three days we had no hot water then it was fixed but supply stopped again. apparently the manager kept switching off the back up system to 'save the enviroment. More likely to save money!!!!
When we arrived at 5.00am there were 5 staff waiting but none of them had any idea about room allocation and I ended up giving out the keys to new arrivals!!
All in all it was fun and this si a nice quiet clean hotel with attentive staff and no children. I hope our week there was a learning process for the staff cos they may have clients who are not so undertanding of them!!!!!!!!!
Bitez itself is really laid back but if you wlak along the sea front you will be hassled by "fishers" trying to entice you into their restaurant instead of the one next door or next door or next door. Yesy ther are lots of bars and restaurants along the front. It can become quite tiresome after a while with the constant hassle.
however when you consider the staff in restaurants have to survive on 500 Turkish Lira a month you can understand why they are so pushy.
we found a nice restaurant away from the see front by the taxi rank adjacent to the Orion. It did lovely tasty food with large portions at reasonable prices with free bread and the occasional free coffe or tea thrown in. The 'fisher' speaks good english (with a midlands accent!!) and they are eager to please. So if you have any probs with the food tell them and they will put it right. 80% of Bitez population is Kurdish with the menfolk's family back in South East Turkey so do not be suprised at the prominence of male workers in Bitez. By the way the name of the restaurant is Nar Cecegi and the "fishers" name is Mustafa.
Excellent boat trip can be booked at one of the travel agents on sea front for about 10GBP and icludes lunch. Recommend you go to Dalyman and if you interestedin archeology visit Ephisus (but beware of the pressurised sales techniques if you go to the Carpet factory - we wer persuade by the owner and asked why we would not by a woll carpet for 275GBP which measured 1 sq meter!!)
The market in nBodrum an a Tuesday is good with lots of cheap 'real fakes' in clothing and watches. designer lables like DG. Levi, Nike, La costin abundance for about 10GBP for three items!!! remember these are real fakes. You will be hassled by the stall owners.
All in all we had a good time in Turkey despite the small niggles at the Orion. The people are friendly and helpful but their insistance to make a sale can become annoying.
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