I stayed at Hotel Mavi Kumsal between 26-31 August with a friend in two single rooms. Our reservation was for 2 rooms in the main building with sea view. The rooms and bathrooms were very spacious, carpet clean, bed very comfortable, and view was BREATHTAKING. Each room had its own a/c - self operable. The closets had more than enough hangers, safebox was free of charge, and beachtowel was available with a 20 Turkish Lira deposit to be refunded at end of stay.
Restaurant staff were friendly and very helpful. We stayed on halfboard basis and buffet had enough variety to choose from. Breakfast included cereal, pastries, omlets, boiled egg, variety of jam/jelly, at least three kind of cheeses, charcuterie, sausages, variety of breads, fresh fruits..... Dinner had grilled meat, fish, variety of salads,rice, Turkish vegetable dishes made with olive oil, fresh fruits, several desserts,... tastes for every palate. For lunch, the a la carte menu offers salads (delicious !!), pizzas, sandwiches, grilled items, toasts at reasonable prices for a 4 star hotel.

Other details to keep in mind :
- hotel has a large swimming pool, chaiselongs and umbrellas. For swimming in the sea, there are chaiselongs on small platforms as well as a Beach Club. The entrance to the Beach Club is 20 Turkish Lira per person however this amount is used against lunch items consumed.
- hotel has a small market and hair dresser
- travelling to the center is very easy. Either take the boat from the platform of the beach club which comes almost every 10 minutes or catch the minibus at the top of the hill. The one way fare from Bardakci (where the hotel is located) to the bus station is 2.75 Turkish Liras.
- The bus station where all the minibuses and intercity buses are is well located - just at the end of the Bodrum center, near the harbor. The organization is just great - you can take a minibus to almost all areas of Bodrum - Akyarlar, Turgutreis, Bardakci, Gumbet, Yalikavak, Golturkbuku, Yahsi, etc etc. The fares are very reasonable and the minibuses run well through the night - some until 05.00 in the a.m.

The hotel was worth the the amount we paid. I will definitely return.

Just got back from 10 day break on the whole the Hotel is fine "BUT" a lot of little things let it down badly When we arrived there were no towels in room and that was after climbing 77 steps to get to it although the views were stunning once you had got your breath back. Staff ok but not very good with english the power in the rooms is a bit intermitent had to have that sorted a couple of times and the safe had a mind of it's own. If you go don't try walking into Bodrum its a very steep hill and a busy road BUT do use the water taxis which call at the Hotel about every 10mins a fantastic ride into the marina in Bodrum all for 10TLR.

This "4 star" hotel is failing in many things including 'clean towels' 'on time service' 'smile' 'clean bathrooms' 'service in general'
Staff is so unhappy and unwillingly doing their job because they are expected to do more than they can handle. As a result they are very bitter and slow in service.
Nobody seems like they would like to listen your problems and try to help.
A lot of guests including us left the hotel earlier than planned.
No way I suggest the hotel to anyone.

Mavi Hotel is so far best four-star hotel I've stayed in Turkey.

In spite of uneven reviews I've chosen it for our recent family vacation with our 4 y.o. daughter. We all liked it. The best at Mavi hotel is: location with a scenic view on Bodrum bay, very friendly staff even though only a few waiters spoke English and the receptionist Mehmet who has the best English of all staff we've met.
Great breakfast: yoghurt, vegetables, fresh fruits, cheese, olives, eggs, crêpes or custom made omelets, nice tea (çay).
Consistent dinners including a grill of the day: kebab, fish, chicken.
Good white wine though rather expensive from the point of view of a Moldovan.
Walking 10' distance to Marina and 15' Cumhuriyet street (shopping district).
Recently renovated, June 2011.
Good live music during evenings at beach side bar terrace.
To improve the things management should consider:
waive the policy of discouraging guests to bring in their own drinks.
have still water on included basis or reasonably price it. Currently it is TRY 2.-- per 33cl plastic bottle of Erikli.
expand the wooden deck by the sea side and make its usage free (included in room price).
improve the English of staff (provide training) as only do not rely on a few of their colleagues to complete requests of international guests. Otherwise the staff is very much client oriented.
expand collaboration with boating tour companies to enable guests having boat trips with boat pick-up from the wooden deck in front of the hotel.