I stayed for almost a week at the end of August 2018 when the hotel was at full capacity. I've been to the Turkish seaside every year since 2013 and would not consider this my favorite hotel, but it's good enough. If you're a very picky traveler, then this won't be a suitable hotel, but I left quite satisfied.
- The beach is sandy with a very nice pier that has its own bar. They provide hybrid cars until 17:55, which makes it more accessible, as otherwise it takes about 10 minutes by foot from the hotel. There is a snack bar near the beach, but it's nothing special, just burgers, fries, spaghetti, and fried chicken most days. They had free ice cream at 14:00 until 17:00.
- Overall, it's a very green territory, with many flowers and trees. The property is generally quite clean. I really liked how they have recycling bins around the property and try to use alternative energy. There are a total of three pools and a lot of relaxing corners (hammocks, swinging chairs).
- The free WiFi is mostly usable in the lobby, main restaurant, and the pools. We stayed in a family room, about 5 minutes away from the lobby by foot, and had no WiFi.
- The free aquapark has one bar, but at first I didn't even see it, and it didn't have any drinks other than tea and coffee. Probably the worst bar they have.
- During the day they have various activities, but at night the entertainment is quite average. One night there were acrobats from Ghana (the best program from the 5 nights), another night a dance group from Russia, and one night there was a program only for kids. Other than that, there wasn't much else to do in the evenings. However, the party on the pier was nice. If you're looking for good entertainment, try Crystal Beach in Beldibi, Kemer.
- If you want to go to Side from the hotel, there is a dolmus bus stop outside, it costs 4.5 TRY per person and takes about an hour to reach the center, where you can see Apollo's Temple. Be aware that the dolmus will stop in one place, from which you will use a free shuttle to the very center. They work until midnight.
- The food was mostly nice but it seems some chefs are better than others. For example, one morning one lady was making sunny side up and they were very tasty, but the next morning a young male was making the eggs this time and was burning the bottoms. Similarly, one day there was a young female making waffles and burning them. However, I was very happy with the assortment of food - calamari, shrimp, chicken, rice, noodles, spaghetti, french fries, baked potatoes, lobster etc.
- There are a lot of staff members who speak poor English, they seem to prioritize Russian and German, but I suppose it's understandable as most guests are from these two countries.
All in all, there are a lot of positives, but the management still has a lot of areas to improve in order to be considered a true 5 star hotel. However, given that there are over 2,000 guests, I congratulate the management, as it is very difficult to manage such a big hotel for so many years!