Barut Goia

We stayed here previously, scored it highly (4/5) and were massively impressed, so returning this year felt like an easy decision. Unfortunately, whilst many of the facilities remain very good, the customer service has fallen off a cliff to the point where we would seriously question returning. Let’s start with the positives, because there are still quite a few. The rooms remain modern, clean and a good size. The facilities are still really good, the beach area is excellent, and the hotel itself remains well maintained. The issue this time was almost entirely the service and atmosphere. Restaurant service in particular has become really poor. Staff generally seemed disinterested, drinks service was inconsistent at best, and there was very little sense that anyone particularly wanted to be there. Orders were regularly wrong and we were either left hanging or had courses brought out before we had even finished the last. We appreciate the hotel was busy, particularly during Bayram (Turkish Holiday), but this felt less like pressure and more like indifference. On multiple occasions staff gave the impression they either didn’t care or simply couldn’t be bothered (or both). The evening service at Olea and the beach bar were particularly poor. The buffet restaurant remains chaotic in both layout and service. It feels crowded, people constantly bump into one another, and the evening experience simply is not particularly relaxing. Combined with rubbish table service, we tended to avoid it where possible. The smoking situation has also become absurd. For smokers, this hotel is something of a hidden gem. If you enjoy smoking in restaurants, covered bar areas, all pool areas and generally wherever takes your fancy, you will feel thoroughly accommodated. Smoking in semi-enclosed dining and bar spaces appeared to go largely unchallenged, meaning you were left taking meals in a haze of smoke reminiscent of an 1970s work men’s club. What made this more disappointing is that we know how good this hotel can be because we have stayed before. Last year we left genuinely impressed and happy to recommend it. This year, despite the facilities remaining largely unchanged, the drop in customer service was obvious and persistent throughout the holiday. It wasn’t all bad. Nisa in the Sunset Bar really is a credit to the hotel and could not do enough for guests, just a shame she felt like the exception rather than the norm. There is still a good hotel here, the facilities prove that. Unfortunately, good facilities only get you so far when service consistently disappoints. A real shame, because we know from previous experience how good this hotel can be.

We’ve just returned from 8 nights at the Barut Goia. It’s the first time we’ve been back to a hotel, and we’ll be going back again next year. When reception realised we had stayed before, they added some lovely little touches eg fresh flowers in our room with a note welcoming us back. As ever what makes this hotel so fantastic is the staff. 4 key mentions Ozi - brilliant fun for the kids with the entertainment team Nisa - brilliant in the sky bar, nothing too much trouble Yasmin - runs kids club. This was a highlight of the holiday, Yasmin remembered our boys names 1 year later - they were looking forward to seeing her and delighted she remembered them. Unbelievable Merve - really love waitress in the restaurant. Chatty and friendly. Can’t wait to return

We usually holiday at the Akra Sensatori in fethiye so we have high expectations of a holiday and I will say this holiday met high expectations in most areas, drinks were fantastic, branded which is the best! Food at breakfast was my worst meal but the food when they had themed nights was absolutely fantastic My only negative is the entertainment, kids disco played the same songs every single night would have been nice for a bit of variety in that area and the entertainment was always very samey, that said the staff here are fantastic Sunset bar is the one for cocktails, the young lady behind the bar serves the BEST cocktails We did find the sunbeds get reserved a lot round the louder pool so we did have to get a bed but that’s every hotel in this day and age, there is always plenty left L although I don’t know how this would be in the summer when it’s busier x

All the employees were friendly and helpful. We felt truly special, especially thanks to Chef Zekai. We hope to come back again.

We really enjoyed our 13 night stay at the beginning of May. We were a party of 5, myself, daughter, her partner and their 4 and nearly 2 year old daughters. We were on the quiet side of the property and that definitely suited us. They shared a one bedroom poolside room which was great and I had a 1 bedroom garden suite that also happened to have a pool view too which was amazing to myself which was a real treat. I have stayed at the Barut Lara with my daughter several times when she was a teenager and I have also been to the Barut Hemera with friends a few years ago. Pricing both of these they were both outside of our price range and for just regular rooms. The rooms that were had at the Goia were definitely superior in size and were excellent value for money. We also enjoyed the evening entertainment and the whole family loved the entertainment manager (sorry can't remember his name) but he was 'super'. The shows were mainly touring dance / acrobatic shows, which were right up our street, so we were really happy. Most of them were excellent, the Colombian groups were exceptionally good. A couple of the shows were not quite as good, but still watchable and in general we were surprised and delighted just how good they were. There was also a mini disco every night before the show and we managed to make that most nights which my grandchildren loved. The older grandchild did a couple of activities at the kids club but preferred to spend most of her time in the pool. The 3 ladies that worked there were all lovely. If you have stayed at other Barut properties then the trade off for the cheaper price is definitely the food and the number of a la carte restaurants (just 2). The quality of the protein offerings meat and fish is definitely not as good in any of the restaurants, but I am giving my 5 star review based on the price paid and we definitely did not go hungry. The wine with meals and drinks in general were absolutely fine. We are all meat eaters, however I eat quite a lot of vegetarian food, and I would say if you were vegan there was a lack of protein options available. Plenty of lovely salads but apart from hummus that was available just about every lunchtime and dinner as part of the salad offerings, there was not always things like bean salads etc and the hot vegan offering would often just be vegetable based. A warning about the time the meals finish in the main restaurant, lunch finishes at 1430 and the staff are there clearing the dishes away immediately, the clock hits 1430, same for breakfast and dinner, so do not arrive at 1425 and expect to get 2 courses! The first week the pools were on the cool side but the eldest grandchild wasn't bothered and was in it every day, the rest of us didn't go in until the second week. We also spent a day on the beach and ate in the cafe there which was absolutely fine. A big shout out to the 2 young ladies that were working in the patisserie, we used to go for coffees and desert after lunch and they go to know our order very quickly. Another shout out to the two young ladies that work in the beauty salon, who were also lovely. My daughter and I both had manicures and pedicures and they were very good value for money. My daughter also had her hair trimmed and she was happy with that too and again a brilliant price. As it was the beginning of the season we never had any issues getting sun beds but the second week it was definitely busier. We were also able to get bookings for the restaurants via guest relations which also worked well for us but I expect it is much more difficult as the season get's busier. We preferred the ambiance and menu at the Fely Restaurant to that of the Olea Kitchen (the later open for lunch and during the afternoon too). All staff were lovely and helpful, including the ladies that cleaned the rooms. The property itself is very clean, only tiny negative, I felt the poolside toilets could have been serviced more often. To summarise, this holiday exceeded our expectations based on what we had paid and we would definitely book again.