Hotel Baia Lara

This hotel was fantastic everyone was friendly the whole hotel was clean and tidy the reason I’m writing this is because the hotel is full of Germans I have absolutely nothing against them but I found the food to be very German centric as an English person I could always find something to eat but was very limited for choice I can understand the business reasons for the food choices just wished i had more choice Regards Jim

We have just returned from 10 nights at the Baia Lara. We have stayed in a number of 4 and 5 star hotels both within Turkey and further afield and whilst we had a pleasant stay, there were a number of things that we felt quite strongly should be improved on to make it a truly five star hotel, but first of all the positives … Positives: The hotel is only 30 minutes transfer from the airport! There are lots of malls/shops dotted around that you can easily walk to. Check in was easy and straight forward. Staff were friendly and polite. The food was good, flavoursome, lots of choice, however there were no labels on any of the desserts so we were unclear what we were eating and it also didn’t have reference to any allergy specific information. Our room was spacious The grounds are well kept The indoor pool is heated Having a private beach was a real bonus and it was generally well kept. Negatives: Despite us going in October you still had to get up early to have a lounger by the pool or on the beach When there was rain, the restaurant struggled to cater for the number of guests, and on a couple of nights people were queueing with plates of food waiting for a table. Lifeguards, would benefit from training on how to manage the boisterous behaviours of teenage guests in the indoor pool, so that it can be enjoyed by everyone, not just teenage boys who decide to take over the pool area by competing on who can create the biggest splash! Purely subjective, but if you are a non-smoker, staying in this hotel will be a challenge at times. Whilst there was no smoking indoors, the compactness of the hotel means that even when sitting in the main lounge area smoke will waft in from outside. There were no designated areas outside meaning you could sit anywhere and smoke, which is great for those that do but for those that don’t, having to be subjected to smoke constantly is extremely unpleasant. Every other 5 star hotel we have been to have had smoking areas away from the main hotel areas for this reason. I also think the hotel needs to give consideration to the health impact on their staff who are constantly working in areas where people are smoking. We were frequently being ‘encouraged’ to have a massage or visit the spa, and whilst I appreciate they have a job to do, when I go on holiday, I go to relax not to be harassed to use their spa facilities. So overall, a pleasant stay, but we would not choose to return.

The hotel's official slogan is "imagine...", which couldn't be any more inappropriate. The only thing that springs to mind when you're actually here is: imagine what this place could have been if it was properly managed. I wouldn't return to this hotel even if you paid me. Calling this place a 5-star hotel is an absolute fraud when it's very clearly not. It almost feels like the hotel is paying someone off just to keep their 5-star rating, and TUI certainly has a lot to answer for by continuing to promote this total illusion. Anyone leaving reviews telling people to "ignore the bad reviews" I suspect are just repeat guests who are having a hard time accepting that their beloved hotel has turned into an absolute failure. Accommodation & Room Condition The room standard was appalling. The one positive note was that we emailed guest relations ahead of time to let them know we were celebrating a special occasion and requested a preferred room. To be fair, they honored our request. Unfortunately, the room itself was a massive disappointment once we settled in. The bed was so rock hard that I spent the second half of my first night sleeping in a chair because it was actually more comfortable. Management gave us a mattress topper, but it barely made a difference. Between the awful bed and the constant noise, I didn't get a single decent night's sleep. I looked so exhausted that two separate members of staff actually commented on how red and tired my eyes looked. The bathroom was in terrible shape too. The hard toilet flush buttons were falling out of the wall, and the handrail in the shower came completely off. Water pressure is poor, and the shower doesn't drain properly, meaning you have to stop halfway through just to keep it from flooding the floor. The air conditioning was questionable at best. To top it off, the balcony door doesn't even lock, there's no functional light inside the wardrobe when you open the door, the towels are paper-thin and threadbare, and the bedding is rough and full of bobbles. Noise & Environmental Disturbance Sleeping past 7:30 or 8:00 AM was completely impossible without earplugs, and getting an early night was out of the question. Internally, a fire escape door which was a few doors down from us banged every 4 to 5 minutes from the moment housekeeping started in the morning. When we asked reception to sort it out, they unbolted the auto-closer, and staff kept slamming it shut anyway. Externally, the noise from the hotel entertainment next door was ridiculous. Looking at local noise regulations for music at hotel venues, this was clearly breaching limits—on one night, the loud music blasted continuously until 12:30 AM, making an early night impossible. Overcrowding & Infrastructure They've clearly slapped a few extra floors on top of the hotel to squeeze in more guests without expanding any of the facilities to handle the crowd. The result is manic overcrowding everywhere. The lifts are slow and unpredictable. When it rained, there weren't anywhere near enough tables and chairs in the lobby bar for everyone—it felt like management was completely surprised that guests actually existed. Rain also forced evening entertainment into a meeting room that couldn't fit half the people wanting to watch, so you had to go hunt down and drag your own chair in if you were lucky enough to find one. On top of all that, charging €10 an hour for late checkout is a total rip-off. Dining & Food Quality The main buffet was a horrible experience. Food was routinely lukewarm or cold, whether you turned up right at 6:30 PM opening or went back at 8:00 PM. On top of that, we ended up with upset stomachs every single day we were there, owing to either dodgy food or dodgy drink—we're not sure which. One evening, the main restaurant was so overrun that I had to stand up and start eating my meal while waiting for a table to clear. The few alternative dining options were the only saving grace. Food around the pool at lunchtime was noticeably better than the main buffet, the food in Scalini from 10:00 PM onwards was decent, and the Davidoff coffee bar outside the main lobby was good. Bars & Service A severe lack of bar staff led to massive queues about 10 people deep, taking roughly 15 minutes just to order a drink—this was true at both the lobby bar and the bar nearest to the beach. It almost felt like a deliberate tactic to slow down service and save the hotel money on alcohol. The best way to actually get a drink was table service, provided you tipped. Staff & Customer Service While some staff were friendly and helpful—and the stray cats were certainly friendlier than some of the employees—the general attitude toward customer issues was disgraceful. When I mentioned in casual conversation to one of the animation team that our food was cold at 6:30 PM, he rudely snapped that "this was impossible." No attempt to check or understand the issue; we were basically accused of lying. Summary Not a single day of this holiday was relaxing. I ended up far more stressed here than I am at home working. Between overpriced massages, cold food, constant stomach bugs, manic overcrowding, unusable facilities, and unacceptable room conditions, this hotel fails on every level. Stay far away.

​Best Turkish vacation experience so far! ​I had an absolutely unforgettable stay at this hotel. To my wonderful surprise, instead of the standard room I had booked, I was upgraded to a stunning suite on the 9th floor upon arrival at around 9:30 a.m. It was the most fantastic birthday surprise I could have asked for—thank you so much to the team for making me feel so special right from the start! ​The suite was exceptionally spacious and featured breathtaking panoramic views. Beyond the room, the hotel grounds are spacious and lovely for relaxing walks. I also really appreciated that there were plenty of sunbeds both by the pools and at the beach, so finding a good spot was never an issue. ​The dining experience was equally impressive. The food in the main restaurant and the various cafés was delicious and varied, with a great selection of quality drinks available throughout the day. ​Everything you could possibly need for a perfect vacation was right at hand. I couldn't have wished for a better stay. Highly recommended!

Great for wheelchair users. We had a fantastic stay at this hotel. It's right on the beach, very clean, lovely pool area. Loads of eating options, basically 24 hour food and drink. No wrist band or having to give room numbers. Found all the staff friendly and helpful. Theres a few shops inside the hotel. It has everything you need. Entertainment in the evening and quiet areas if you prefer. Very multi cultural. Just a beautiful place. Great for families of all ages. We really enjoyed our 10 night stay