We spent a four-night stay here in mid July. During the first two nights, we stayed in a corner family suite near the amphitheatre, as we had originally noted on ETS's online reservation system that we were coming with our child. Fortunately, we did not bring him in the end because, unfortunately, this suite had a connecting door. The first night passed uneventfully, but the next day we endured an entire night of loud arguing and door slamming by some couple in the adjacent room. This was far more unpleasant than the noise from the nightly entertainment show, which never really bothered us all that much. We were able to move to a new room in another wing that was blissfully silent, but the previous night's stay killed the following day for us.
In terms of space and layout, the resort itself is a bit of a squeeze. The place features one large, but overcrowded pool and a narrow beach. Chaise lounges are plentiful enough, and there are a number of pool activities for children going on most of the day. However, even though this resort claims the title of "blue flag" (Mavi Bayrak) beach, indicating its supposedly high environmental quality, we are fairly certain that one of us came down with an ear infection from swimming in the sea.
The meal services were standard for Turkish all-inclusive resorts, although the same type of food tended to crop up at every meal session. We got to like the snack bar (with pizzas, sausages, fries, etc.) the best, as the food there was basic but tasty. The bottled wine that we sampled during one of our suppers was gut-wrenching, and after one sip of it, we opted for soft drinks instead. Another problem was that one could obtain extra bottles of water only from the restaurant bar. Those on room-service duty and the bartenders at all of the other smaller bars referred us back to the main restaurant when we requested bottled water.
The service in the underground spa-and-gym complex, which we needed to use on check-out day for the showers, was, to put it politely, sub-standard. It has a small overchlorinated indoor pool and a tepid "hot" tub. The guy working at the reception desk claimed that the complex was administratively separate from the motel itself and as such couldn't provide water, only squeezed orange juice for a fee. Of course, we didn't learn this simple fact without hearing a gratuitous mini-lecture on the salubrious effects of fruit juice and other health foods. This is a good example of the silly business that sours so many people, both foreign and national tourists, on tourist establishments in Turkey. On the other hand, the staff at the outdoor bars, some of whom are either vocational school interns or university students working there summers, were friendly and made excellent fruit-mixed alcoholic beverages for us.
- Samara Hotel Bodrum
