Hotel Baia Lara

First time visiting Turkey and Visited Hotel Baia Lara from the 16th-24th October 2026 with my family. We booked this hotel on prior research of it catering well for coeliac guests, as promised in an email it had a dedicated gluten free section. Only to find out on arrival it did not!! My mum can have serious reactions if cross contamination occurs. At first not much sympathy and help, their was a language barrier but google translator and chat GPT helped in the end. First night GF Burger offered ( nothing amazing from main buffet see photos attached. Not all food on main buffet was labelled with allergens not good enough for a 5 star hotel. Couldn't risk the cross contamination. With having a hospitality background I did have a strong word with them that it was not good enough, their was a small vegan and veggie section and kids section but no GF. Guest relations then said it had to be prepared in the kitchen which is understandable and that my mum could have whatever she wanted, but yet no physical menu of choices given as an example so hard to decide. We did however get a list of desserts. We where then told we had to pre order meals and state time of meals everyday unless you wanted the same to be honest a bit of a nightmare when you just wanted to rest and relax and not clock watch!! One Lunch time I queried a dish on the main buffet as stated okay on allergen card however chef and waiter disagreed but no allergens listed. Never assume. A few days later they stepped up big time and my mum had to reactions to the food and enjoyed what she asked for. Her favourite was the Sweet and sour chicken, chicken salad and Turkish pizza. Main buffet area was lovely and always clean, had themed dinners and a variety of food on offer. Although at breakfast and evening meal sometime hard to find a table at peak times. Recommendation If you want relaxation by the pool take music seems like theirs always someone asking if you want to visit spa, get family photos or engaged in activities ( not a huge issue but we were just wanting to switch off and not be harassed). Overall the hotel was and staff were lovely and it was very clean, right on private beach, close to shops and 20 - 30 mins to airport. Lovely surroundings with plenty bars, snack areas, sushi, patisserie and coffee station and shops in hotel with arcade. Pool bar service waiter on roller skates was fab. One thing to note cats freely wander the hotel, pool area and buffet area although staff do take them out of buffet area. Finally recommendations I think the hotel should consider - Designated smoking areas - Entertainment inside in cooler months - All dishes in all snack and buffet areas labelled as no labels on any dessert. -Physical menu choices for GF guests - Band system to alert people of allergen guests - Separate utensils for ice cream cart.

Unfortunately, our experience at Baia Lara was extremely disappointing, and we left feeling that the hotel fell considerably short of the five-star standard it advertises. As a couple in our 30s, we have stayed in a number of five-star hotels, ranging from more affordable options to considerably more expensive luxury resorts, both in Europe and further afield. Having experienced these different standards, we genuinely struggle to understand how Baia Lara qualifies as a five-star hotel in its current condition. In our opinion, four stars would be a more appropriate rating at best. ROOM CONDITION AND CLEANLINESS The condition of our original room was particularly disappointing. The wallpaper was peeling and bubbling in places, there was a noticeable build-up of dust in various corners, a stain on the bedside table and the balcony was covered in grime and dirt, making us reluctant to use it. The beds are extremely firm, almost solid to be exact. The shower was another significant concern. There was substantial mould around the shower area, which made the bathroom feel unclean and unpleasant to use. Some of the tiling around the shower drain also had extremely sharp edges and poorly finished cuts. This is simply not the standard of workmanship or attention to detail we would expect from a hotel advertising itself as five-star. The toilet flush button was practically broken. It regularly required two attempts to flush, and on several occasions it felt as though the button could come away from the wall entirely, to the point where we found ourselves putting our hand underneath it when flushing so it didn’t come away. On a couple of nights, we also experienced the smell of cigarette smoke coming through the air conditioning, which was unpleasant. The minibar was practically empty on arrival at 9pm containing just one Sprite and one beer. However, following the first housekeeping visit the next day, it was suddenly stocked with chocolate, Fanta, beer, water, nuts and crisps. This gave us the impression that the room had not been properly prepared before our arrival. THE BALCONY DOOR AND ROOM CHANGE EXPERIENCE One of our biggest issues was the noise coming from the balcony doors. Wind was getting through the seals and creating an extremely loud whistling noise, particularly during the early hours of the morning. This was loud enough to prevent us from sleeping and enjoying the opportunity to have a relaxing lie-in, which is surely one of the main reasons people book a holiday. We initially raised this with reception on our first night but felt our concerns were dismissed. The problem continued throughout our stay and eventually became so bad that, seven nights into our 12-night holiday, we had to request maintenance to attend our room at approximately 2am. Their solution was to apply masking tape around the balcony door seal in an attempt to reduce the noise. The following day, we spoke with guest relations, who assured us that the issue would be resolved by midday. When we returned to the room, not only had the problem not been fixed, but the room was filled with an extremely strong silicone/chemical smell that hit you immediately upon entering. We returned to guest relations, who offered to come and inspect the room personally. Her reaction upon entering was essentially “Wow” due to the smell, which spoke volumes. She photographed the balcony door and the masking tape that had been applied, and almost immediately confirmed that a different room would be made available. We were then shown an alternative room. However, when we opened the balcony door to check whether the original noise issue had been resolved, the balcony door lock actually fell off in front of the very same guest relations representative who had been dealing with our situation. At that point, we were genuinely questioning the overall maintenance and condition of the rooms throughout the hotel. The fact that we had to go through this entire process seven nights into a 12-night stay, including a 2am maintenance visit, a failed repair attempt and ultimately a room change, was extremely disappointing. Rather than being an issue at the start of our holiday, it disrupted a significant portion of our stay and left us with only five nights remaining in the replacement room. FOOD AND RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE The food was another area where we felt the hotel fell short. The main restaurant was often repetitive, with relatively little variation from day to day. Warm-ish food most of the time also and by the time you had sat down, if you could, it was practically cold. The hotel advertises themed evenings, such as Italian night, which naturally creates an expectation of a more varied selection of themed dishes. However, on Italian night, the additional options appeared to consist of little more than lasagne and pizza alongside the usual food selection. Even the pizza was the same cheese and bacon variety throughout the evening, rather than a selection of different flavours. There were also issues with food availability. On one evening, we arrived at approximately 8:15pm hoping for it to be easier to find seats, expecting to try the advertised Mexican specialities, only to be told that they had all gone and no more would be prepared. This left us with the choice of finding a table first and potentially missing out on the speciality food, or trying to get the food while it was still available and potentially not having anywhere to sit which we did, no surprise the food was then cold when eventually sitting using this method. The restaurant situation was particularly frustrating, with nowhere available to sit and eat. In our opinion, the restaurant should not have continued allowing guests in when there was clearly insufficient seating capacity. The other restaurants advertised by the hotel also come at an additional cost, reportedly around €30 per person, and require advance reservations. This further limits the dining options available without additional expenditure. STAFF AND GENERAL HOTEL EXPERIENCE Unfortunately, we also found that a significant proportion of the staff appeared disengaged and lacked enthusiasm. At times, it gave the impression that people were simply going through the motions and waiting for the end of the season. There were, of course, exceptions, including one waitress and a couple of barmen who were genuinely pleasant and stood out positively. Other smaller issues also contributed to our overall impression. We experienced a power cut one morning, and the Wi-Fi regularly disconnected, seemingly every 30 minutes or so. We also noticed that grass cutting was taking place behind the pool area during the day. This seemed to disturb insects and bugs in the surrounding area, which subsequently became noticeable around the pool. This is something that could surely be scheduled for the evening when fewer guests are using the facilities. BEACH AND HOTEL FACILITIES Another disappointment was the condition of the hotel’s beach pier. The lower tier of the pier was completely closed off because the decking had been removed, leaving only the exposed steel supporting structure. This meant guests were unable to use the lower level or jump directly into the sea from the pier. What made this particularly noticeable was that guests at the neighbouring hotel were able to enjoy exactly this facility, with their beach pier fully accessible and providing the opportunity to jump into the sea. Given the hotel’s beachfront location and the facilities you would expect from a five-star resort, it was disappointing to find such a prominent feature partially unusable. It further contributed to our impression that the hotel and its facilities were not being maintained to the standard we had anticipated. Individually, some of these issues might seem relatively minor. However, when combined with the condition of the room, cleanliness concerns, maintenance problems and disappointing food experience, they contributed to an overall feeling that the hotel lacked the attention to detail expected of a five-star resort. OVERALL VALUE AND FIVE-STAR EXPECTATIONS We appreciate that no holiday is ever going to be completely perfect, and we would not normally focus on every small imperfection. However, when you book a hotel advertised as a highly regarded five-star resort, you naturally expect a certain level of quality, cleanliness, service and attention to detail. Unfortunately, Baia Lara did not deliver that experience for us. Throughout our stay, we found ourselves walking past other hotels along the Lara hotel strip and wondering whether we had made the wrong choice. We had considered several alternative hotels before booking Baia Lara, and it was genuinely disappointing to find ourselves questioning that decision throughout the holiday. For context, we previously travelled with TUI to Haven Riviera Cancun in Mexico, which was an experience we absolutely loved and regularly recommended to friends and family. We recognise that the Mexico holiday cost approximately £900 more per person overall. However, when considering the difference in flight costs between the two destinations, the actual difference attributable to the hotel was considerably smaller, approximately £350 per person for the same duration. Having experienced what we consider to be a genuine five-star luxury resort at Haven Riviera Cancun, the difference in quality, presentation, service and overall experience was substantial. We would have happily paid that additional amount again had we known the difference in standard we would experience. For us, Baia Lara felt like a four-star hotel at best, with our overall holiday experience falling considerably below that. The hotel itself feels dated in several areas and would benefit enormously from investment, refurbishment and a much greater focus on cleanliness and maintenance. FINAL THOUGHTS Ultimately, we are extremely disappointed with this holiday, particularly because our previous experience with TUI in Mexico had been so positive. We booked Baia Lara expecting a relaxing five-star holiday in Antalya, but instead spent a considerable amount of time dealing with room issues, maintenance problems and avoidable frustrations. Having to change rooms seven nights into a 12-night stay made the disruption even more disappointing, as it affected most of the holiday and left only five nights to enjoy the replacement room. We do not expect perfection, but we do expect the hotel to deliver a standard that reasonably reflects its advertised star rating and the price guests are paying. Having experienced both Baia Lara and Haven Riviera Cancun through TUI, the difference has been significant. Unfortunately, this experience has seriously damaged our confidence in booking future holidays with TUI, and we are now very doubtful that we will use them again. We genuinely believe the hotel falls well short of the standard that customers should be able to expect from a five-star holiday is so many way and will definitely not recommend.

What an enjoyable experience at an all inclusive hotel on the Mediterranean not far from Antalya airport. The food is unbelievably varied and delicious. The staff, like Asli, in the lobby area, are very friendly and helpful. Great value for the price. I'd definitely come here again for vacation.

I have been many times to this hotel but this year I was disappointed with the hotel because it seams that they have cut back on staff meaning that there are long rows at the bars 10 to 15 minutes waiting time. This is not acceptable. Looking after staff & customers should come first instead of thinking about making more profit. I will have to think really think before booking again.

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