this was the 3rd time ive stayed at the ayra. i love going to the hotel so much i dont even leave, this is all due to the staff. people forget we have different traditions from the turkish. of course they will try to get us in their restraunt or bar but why shouldnt they? they need the business. go anywhere else in the world and all the staff are trying to do it.
the hotel and apartments are clean, the pool is cleaned everyday and its cheap.
Turkish night is great, you get a bbq, tradional turkish dancers and belly dancers plus the entertainment from the bar men.
if u have kids they are safe, there is a kids pool, pool table in the shade along with huge cushions if they want to lie in the shade, also there is martins lovely dog, 2 ducks and loads of toirtoises to look out for, the staff will keep the kids happy and the parents bank balance up with free kids meals.
the turkish baths are a must do, yes you have to pay for it but its definitely worth it. i always get 1 on my first day and a massage every day. it doesnt cost much compared to how much we would pay here.
ill be going back again this year and as much as i can next year. yes i do go out with the bar manager Ali but i wasnt the first time i went across and even if i wasnt with him id still go.
if you want a week or 2 of relaxing, having fun and cheap food and drink Ayra is the place to go.

We went to this hotel last year and liked it so much that we went back again. The welcome we received was wonderful and the staff were genuine.
The pool and bar are very good, because everyone mixes in and socialises, particularly the kids.
The restaurant is very good and the staff are excellent.
Our favourites were: Bayram, Hassan, Stu, Gogol, Kesh and Abdul.
Specail mention must be made of Turgut (Toogood) whose smile is a mile wide.

We booked the Aya apart hotel through Direct Holidays, when told i was not so keen on Turkey as a whole, but after being there i have to change my mind it was by far one of the greatest places i have visited. The weather was excellent, the food was great & the staff at the Arya are wonderful & treated our 10yr old daughter like there own & in particular Bayram & Abdull. Hasan was also a legend & for what these guys get paid its simply not enough. The apartment was very basic but did the job that we all want & that would be a place to eat & sleep. There are many wonderful places in Turkey with some wonderful sights in Gumbet with the market a must for bargains (please note that the heat there is rather unbearable at times) i would go back to Turkey & the Arya tomorrow if i could.

I got a great bargain package deal to this hotel/apt and prepared myself for the worse as I thought the price is just too good to be true... however I was plesantly surprised the cleaniness standard was excellent & room was a decent size. Sheets and towels, toilet paper bin (cant flush paper in turkey in case its your first visit) changed almost every day and only a couple of times it was left till the next day. Bathroom was very clean and looked newly tiled and had good sized shower. The only problem with the room was there was a filthy old toilet that had been stashed in the balcony and was left there for the first week of our holiday which meant it wasnt an inviting place to sit first thing in the morning or at all really. They did eventually did remove it. This didnt bother us too much but the staff attitude did.

They probably didnt like the fact that we are the type that only sleep and wash in the room and spend all day and night out of the hotel and dont sit around the pool all day buying drinks and food at their bar. It being our first time in turkey there was so much to do, white water rafting, jet skies, trips to other resorts, water sports and going into Bodrum. As we did exurcusions and trips sumtimes we missed bfast in the hotel and think they resented this, they seemed to notice every time and did comment on it.

Then if you do eat bfast in hotel the onsite massage/turkish bath person tries to talk you into having a turkish bath with his hard sell. (we didnt use the on site T bath so cant comment on that as we got a free one in a different location when we purchased an excursion) The receptionist also gave us a hard time for eating out and not drinking enough in the bar he even tried to guilt us into it in quite a menacing tone. He was generally very pass remarkable which sum people may find friendly (i think this is what he was going for but didnt always pull it off!!)

This is only reason why I gave it 4 instead of 5 outa 5. I wouldnt let this put you off tho I just ignored it or made light of it and on the whole it became a running joke for us as to what would happen next.

It seems to be the turkish way to hussle people to come in to restuarants, shops etc and I was fine with that it can even be good crack but not in your hotel when you are trying to chill out after a long day.

I hope my experiece with the staff does not put anyone off this hotel as I really was happy with it and would recomended it, I just want to give an honest review. I would go back to the Ayra the staff were only a minor annoyance it is in a good location in Gumbet very near the beach and all the shops and bars.

Gumbet is a lot of fun and Bodrum is a very short mini bus trip away and worth visiting for very good restaurants and more up market shopping. Turkish people are very friendly and welcoming in Gumbet and everywhere else we visited in Turkey. I would def holiday here again.