Stayed at the Lidya in September 2011 for 2 weeks on an all inclusive package........?
The good - we met some good people, both English and Turkish during our stay, even the poor people that were brought to the Hotel as their own hotels had been overbooked !!! Not isolated cases it was THE NORM !!! To John and his crew at The LostBoys Fun Pub thanks for serving us with edible food and entertaining us. The room we had in the hotel was at the back and was clean. The Cleaner worked hard and we could not fault her throughout.
The bad - the food was dire !!!!! We're both from the catering trade, and know that food gets recycled, but this was terrible! Cold chips in mayonnaise and penne in tomato ketchup do not count as salad dishes in my world. Bread, olives, tomatoes and cucumber were served at every meal, which in itself isn't a bad thing but does get a bit boring. Lunch and dinner were in the same format, three not so hot dishes, usually a carb dish such as pasta, rice or potatoes, a vegetable (cauliflower, aubergine and courgette featured a lot) and a "meat" dish, which was usually broiled chicken or the most revolting kebab things which were worse than the cheapest beefburger we've ever been unfortunate to eat elsewhere in the world. Fish featured once during our stay. These were accompanied by salad trays usually composed of the above mentioned staples or recycled food. Even the bread got recycled! We noticed on two occassions that bread which had been taken by guests, that hadn't been wanted was placed back on the bread table by a member of management - not good! Hygiene was also questionable, occassionally the salad trays and cold meats and cheeses were covered in clingfilm, but more often than not they were left to the elements and flies. Table cloths were rarely changed. If you are staying with children, expect them to be used as free labour, either behind the bar or clearing in the restaurant area.
The ugly - All inclusive is from 9am until 10pm, but only if someone is available. One morning we were all left until 10.35 in the morning before there was service from the bar. This service includes squash machine, the hot water/tea urn and the cold water dispenser. Guests were having to turn these machines on so that there were ANY drinks available - again, not good! Usually by 9.50 in the evening, the bar would also become deserted! Funnily enough, someone could be found to serve again by 10.05, when drinks had to be paid for! Also watch your hard earned holiday money go down the drain literally! Whilst we were on local branded drinks, which were OK, management were quite happy to help themselves to the Jack Daniels and Jim Beam! Finally, and most disturbingly, we heard rumours of agression from the management when residents complained about the food, (a chair being thrown across the dining room for one) and witnessed an incident of agression at the pool from management towards a guest over a broken glass - why the hell are the serving glass around the pool anyway???
Our advice - go somewhere else, but be warned that you might end up here anyway if another hotel in the area chooses to overbook!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
