I stayed in Marmara Bodrum and I was not particularly impressed. The strong point of the hotel are the views but many hotels in Bodrum also have nice views. The quick summary before I give details below is that the bathroom was outdated and the room was not very spacious like some of Marmara’s competitors. One advantage is that Marmara stays open 12 months per year whereas most hotels in Bodrum close in the winter so if visiting in the summer I would choose other places. I stayed in a corner sea suite and one could argue that it is a suite in name only, first of all at 40 square meters it was not particularly spacious in fact the size was similar to the entry level room at some other hotels, but I guess it was better than the standard rooms at Marmara which are only 32 sqm. There was no separation between the living room and the bedroom other than a single step. However the main issue was that the hardware was aging, perhaps for the living room it was fine because it gave some character to the room and I liked the stone and wood floor combo, but the bathroom was in need for renovations. The shower was in a dreaded bathtub with a partial wall glass panel, leading to some occasional flooding on the bathroom floor. Thankfully water pressure was excellent. There were electric wooden blinds in the window of the shower for privacy or they could be left open for natural light in the bathroom. Bathroom amenities were Gilchrist and Soames which was adequate for a hotel of this caliber. The bed was comfortable but some nights we could not sleep well because there was no air conditioning. I guess it was deactivated for the winter but our room was too hot. Opening our patio door somewhat helped but we could not have cool nights like we had at the more modern Swissotel (which had AC) before moving to Marmara. Soundproofing was quite bad and we could hear loud banging of doors outside. Fortunately the hotel was very low occupancy so it was not a major issue during our stay but would most likely be a problem in the busy summer. The free breakfast amenity as SLH Indulged tier member was not available as room service – it was in the restaurant only, which was disappointing given covid circumstances; just a few days prior Swissotel Bodrum did not enforce this restriction. The restaurant itself was visually attractive like other common spaces of the hotel and some guests did not mind the cool weather and had breakfast on the terrace in order to enjoy the beautiful views overlooking Bodrum. The buffet was not self-serve and there was a daily rotation of hot dishes which was appreciated. So overall the breakfast was decent but it would have been more luxurious if they had an a la carte menu to go along the buffet. Service was a mixed bag, sometimes for breakfast service was good and they remembered our choice of drinks and our desired fruits were brought straight to our table, other times for orders from the kitchen they forgot (even twice the same morning). On New Year’s Day they brought a few goodies to our room which was a nice touch, including a bottle of wine which was in addition to the bottle we had in the room at check-in as a welcome amenity. Wifi was a problem during our stay. Occasionally speed reached as high as 8-10 Mbps which was fine but at other times it was below 1 Mbps which was unacceptably slow. However the main problem was not speed, it was the fact that wifi kept disconnecting, sometimes my laptop would work but not my phone, or vice versa, and I frequently had to reboot devices to make them work again which was irritating. On occasion the wifi problems were more widespread and we could not use anything at all and after I complained a technician finally brought a portable router to our room which helped matters but I could not connect to a VPN from that network so it was only partially useful. After discussing the problem again with staff they ended up giving me the password for a non-public network and it helped at first, but it did not take long that speed and connectivity issues resurfaced and I just had to deal with bad wifi as I did not want to complain to hotel staff a third time. Overall when a hotel has subpar hardware if they want to live up to luxury standards, they need to make up for it with a superior soft product which was not the case here. Breakfast was ok but not unusually good due to the lack of a la carte menu and not being available as room service, and wifi made it for a frustrating stay. In the summer when there are lots of choices of hotels in Bodrum I would probably book elsewhere next time. In the winter it’s usually slim pickings but I had a strong preference for Swissotel where I stayed a few days before Marmara. In non-covid times there should be a few more choices such as DoubleTree and Le Meridien which I would probably try in the winter before returning to Marmara.…
Overall we had a fantastic stay just a few minor improvements needed. Positives - view is 10/10. It’s amazing - make sure you get a sea view room. Staff are great, friendly and helpful. Negatives - sunbeds are terrible. So uncomfortable, they desperately need to change them. - bathrooms are shabby and old. They could do with a renovation. For a 5 star hotel they are below par. Overall I would definitely stay again - the view is worth any negatives.
Very comfortable rooms. Spotlessly kept, luxurious linen, big TV and discreet air conditioning. Pool and surrounding area is first class. Very attentive and helpful staff. This is one of the best boutique hotels we have stayed in and would strongly recommend it to all.
We have never been to Turkey before and it’s been the most wonderful surprise. This hotel is incredibly comfortable, spotlessly clean, social distancing practiced and service is impeccable. The staff are charming and helpful. We have enjoyed quiet breakfasts and delicious lunches. The cocktails, particularly the mohitos are the best ever with fresh ingredients and not over sweetened. All at reasonable prices. The pool is beautiful and a perfect temperature with stunning views looking out over Bodrum towards the castle. Taxis are cheap for the short ride into town. We will definitely come back.
Beautiful design, nice personnel, Well cooked food in the restaurant and excellent breakfast. The territory is beautiful. We enjoyed every moment staying there. Quite close to Bodrum Marina where you have seafood restaurants. Private area at the beach 20 min far from the hotel. Towels are given there, drinks and food - all is everything is available. Only one transfer from hotel to the beach - the timing didn’t match us. It was from 11-30 to 17-00. So we took taxi twice. The rest of the stay spent at the pool which has amazing view on the city and Marina. We’ll be happy to stay again when visiting Bodrum.
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