Water Side Resort & Spa

Current almost halfway through a week long stay. I would not of originally chose to stay in this hotel but it was a last minute deal at a very good price for myself and my partner. There are some very good points about this hotel. It is clean and the staff are very quick to take away dirty plates and glasses and clean up spillages. The buffet food is very fresh and there is plenty of choice of foods. I've read other reviews that state there isn't much choice and I'm baffled by that to be honest. Another nice touch is that they have nice toiletries and complimentary shower wash mitts in the room which I found a really nice touch. The end suite bathrooms are really nice and the shower is lovely. There are some negatives, there are lots of children, it is very much a family hotel, perhaps because it's reasonably priced. This is a bit of a nightmare at mealtimes as kids are just all over the place, unsupervised and sometimes touching the food with their hands. There is one massive pool which would of been better if they had 2 or 3 smaller pools, one for children and one for adults only or a quiet pool, as you can't really swim without being splashed or kicked by children jumping in the pool. Also the sun loungers are very squashed together, like sardines in a tin. Overall, its been a lovely holiday for the price. We had a beautiful view of the sea from the balcony, but we don't think we would stay here again though. However, in summary, If you're wanting a good priced get away, that's a nice place and has good amenities definitely consider staying here as it really good value for money.

We arrived on 28th may this year, and got in our private transfer booked with antalya excursions. This was an easy process, however we required the return coach transfer so made the easyjet reps aware of this, they made this easy and made a note. we got into the private transfer which arrived within 15 mins of waiting (which was no problem) and swiftly made our way to the hotel. The transfer had free water, free wifi and a tv for use. By using the private transfer (we paid £45) it only took us 1 hour to get to the hotel. Everything went smoothly and would highly recommend. We arrived at the hotel around 10:30pm, and went to the reception to check in, this was a speedy process and the 'bell boy' took our cases to our room. Once we arrived to our room, he showed us how to use different things, the safe etc. Once he had shown us this, he hung around inside our room for a good few minutes just looking at us and smiling. As a young couple, we did feel slightly on edge- however we knew that he wanted a tip but as we had done 9+ hours of travelling, all we wanted to do was sleep. After saying our thanks, he left our room after approximately 5 minutes. I understand it is kind to tip, however when you feel pressured to do so, it is off putting. However, people had said that the staff were weird and really really vulgar, however we experienced none of this! All staff was very friendly. The first thing we did was use our safe (which was free and really easy to use), and we put our bags in our room and went down to meet friends. We went down to the bar next to the evening entertainment area, and had 1 beer and 1 cocktail. My boyfriend enjoyed the beer, (but like many men he is not fussy when it comes to alcohol🤣). The cocktails were nice, i mainly has the 'water side special' which were absolutely stunning! The room we had no complaints, we were situated in room 1448, and the room was lovely and spacious, it had plenty of drawers, wardrobe space and areas to get ready. Bathroom was spacious too and the shower was amazing and powerful. The pool area was huge and the pool was more than big enough. Finding sunbeds was not a problem at all, we went down at 10 some mornings and it was easy enough to find 2 together (with a table and parasol too). The only issue we found was the pool was cold when you first got in, however we expected this anyway- once you were in you warmed up. You are allowed pool floats and balls in the pool no problem and the lifeguards do not tell you off for this. Around the pool was rather slippy, so just be extra cautious when walking around it. The hotel in itself was lovely and clean, could not fault anything to do with cleanliness the maid was around the rooms early and you had the option to get it cleaned with a light switch, on the days it was not cleaned, you still had a bag attached to your door handle with water, fizzy pop. The pool bar was open from 10am i believe, and they started serving alcohol from this time forward, including soft drinks, hot drinks etc. The snack bar was open from 12:30 onwards, and had lots of different foods, from burgers to chicken nuggets, chips and salads, pasta etc. Myself and my boyfriend are rather fussy and we were concerned when reading reviews, however we always found something at each mealtime. The main restaurant was open for breakfast, dinner, and tea, and also their 'midnight snack'. They catered for all needs for the mealtimes, once again there was always something for everyone. For breakfast, there was always pancakes, fried and scrambled eggs, omletted, and chips. As Well as fruits and cereals. For dinner, mentioned previously they also had stuff like this in the main restaurant, and also had fish, bread, soups etc. For tea, they had similar to dinner, and they also had a grill which had freshly made chicken/meats, and also a fresh pasta making station, you can choose how you like it which I found excellent. For deserts, there was plenty of variety of mouses and cakes, a taste for everybody. The food was always hot and tasty, always putting fresh food out and replenishing things that had ran out. The entertainment was consistent, with something always going on during the day and night. Entertainment included Volleyball, waterpolo, water aerobics, darts etc. On an evening there was a mini disco for kids, and also a variety of shows, dancing, magicians, disco nights- something for everybody. The main downside of the hotel was the location, this is no fault except our own as we knew where it was situated, however there was nothing around the hotel except from the beach. We got a taxi into Manavgat one day which was primarily shops (VERY EXPENSIVE) and a taxi into Side one day, which had some beautiful ruins and shops and restaurants. There was a bus service from outside the hotel into both of these areas, however we did not use these. A taxi into manavgat was 13 Euros and a taxi to side was 15 euros. All in all, the hotel was absolutely fabulous, but the main downside was the location and the food for us being fussy- but both of these being known, we were prepared. If anybody has questions, please feel free to pop these in comments and we'll try our best to answer!