I have just returned from an 11 night stay at this first class hotel.

I stayed with my wife and teenage daughter, having not been to turkey before I was a little nervous as to the standards to expect. The hotel looked stunning in the brochure, (dont they all? Usually to arrive at a flea pit) well the brochure doesn't do it justice. This hotel is an absolute gem, I am not going to repeat all the great comments below, just add a few must comment on points!

The main complaint is beds/loungers! Well I can tell you there are plenty on the beach all day every day, with plenty of shade a very warm sea and a great pontoon to dive off, with a fresh water shower to rinse off and it's own bar!
I had several walks in both directions along the beach and have to say this hotel has the best presented and maintained stretch of beach by far, it is very safe(we left, as did many others, our beach bag with phone etc, on beds for long periods, and felt at no time in doubt it would not be there on return, the security gaurds are present but discreet.

We travelled with Thomson and Must comment on Mustafa, who by far is the best travel rep we have ever had the pleasure to meet!
I have never met a rep who went to the lengths he did to ensure our stay was amazing, we never normally do excursions but we did Antalya by night which was exceptional value for money and a very good trip! On boarding the bus Mustafa met everyone (42 in total) by there first names, no list just an amazing memory and the desire to personalise your welcome!

Finally a thank you to all of the staff at the hotel for the memories of a great holiday!

If you want 5 star luxury, wonderfully happy and attentive staff, never see any litter or grime, food that looks and tastes like Harrods Food Hall, great entertainment (but not tacky), and the best yoga/aqua aerobics trainers, then the Baia Lara Hotel is for you. The grounds of the hotel are dedicated to swimming pools - they go on forever! You never feel like you are crowded and the sheer joy of swimming to the White Bar for iced coffee! Scattered amongst the pools are all of the restaurants - from the air conditioned buffet - endless high quality, always changing food (we are a family of foodies, and even we didn't manage to taste everything!), to the Pizza Cafe - made to order, The White Bar menu selection and the five snack huts - I can honestly say that every palette is catered for! In the afternoons, you can wander back from the golden sandy beach, and pick up a freshly cooked fish or meat kebab at the boat barbeque. I travelled with my son (11), daughter (16), mother (yoga addict) and father and we all agreed that this was the best hotel we had stayed in. Our rooms were a delight - with walk in showers and the biggest beds you will ever sleep in! The maid service was unobtrusive and to the highest quality - sheets and beds changed daily - with the added excitement of seeing what they had created with towels and petals on the beds. Mustafa the Thomson Rep was amazing - nothing was too much trouble. Thomson trips are excellent value (compared to other countries we have visited). The Lazy Days boat trip was just that - no blaring club music booming, but wonderfully relaxing day spent sailiing around the coast stopping to swim in beautiful bays (the food on board was wonderful). The evening trip to Antalya was a treat - visit the bazaars and sight see the harbour whilst soaking up the history of the architecture. Be sure to see the nine o clock evening water fountain show - awesome. The evening entertainment was of high quality, from the Mongolian Acrobats in the Amphitheatre to the Angels evening in the Beach Bar, also live music in the White Bar. Then on to the Hotel Disco from 12 onwards (for those who still had the energy following all the Water Aerobics and Food!).
To sum it up, 5 star luxury and not a Sky bar to be seen. Not for you if you want to rave the night away, but if you want to enjoy your days and evenings in wonderful luxury - book the Baia Lara

Having been to the Baia Lara before I knew what to expect, but each year they add something new and change things around, so its a whole new holiday every year.

GOOD POINTS

Yet again the hotel was very clean, the maids did a very good job on our room every day, considering I had a 6, 4 and 2 year old who seemed to demolish the room in just the couple of hours before dinner.

The Thomson rep Mustafa was great, friendly and very imformative. He was always around if you needed to ask a question etc.

The restaurant staff were very friendly, inparticular Aziz, who would have our drinks on order before we even sat down. The head waiter was also excellent and always took the time to say hello and have a chat. We could not fault the resaurant staff at all. They also provided cartons of milk for my 2 year old.

The barstaff were also excellent. Very attentive and nothing was too much trouble. We went to all the bars and found them all to be very good.

The entertainment team were also very good, the kids club team was Funda, Ali and Simge and they were brilliant. The children even got a colouring book and pencils when they left, which they were very pleased with. The two Mustafa's of the entertainment team were excellent, they always had a smile and a laugh and joke with my children.

You can walk to the beach without getting sand on your feet which for me is great as I am not keen on sand.

There are a few small shops right outside the hotel, if you want to buy a lilo, some snacks etc, it is better value for money. We bought a paper in the hotel shop, although the paper will have printed on it a price they will charge you a higher price, we questioned this and their reply was we charge 1.50 extra. Not good for the hotel really.

BAD POINTS

I agree with the reviews about the sunbeds, you need to get up early if you want a certain spot with an umbrella, and many sunbeds with towels on were never even used. Some people we spoke to had complained about this, they were advised if the bed was not used within 2 hours, get a member of pool staff and they will remove the towels. We also found that one day we came down, reserved some sunbeds and umbrellas, went for breakfast, came back and the umbrella had been taken, we had only been gone for 30 mins. We spoke to a member of pool staff who got us another umbrella.

I have no other problems with this hotel and would recommend to anyone after coming for 3 years and not being dissapointed. The evening entertainment is quite enjoyable, the staff are friendly and attentive, the hotel is very clean, and everything is catered for.

if you would to ask any questions please go ahead, I am already looking for next years holiday to the Baia Lara.