Hotel Ramada Resort Lara

This was our second stay at the hotel, and while we still had a lovely holiday, it has unfortunately gone a bit downhill since our first visit. The food is decent but does become quite repetitive after a few days. The entertainment is very hit or miss—some evenings are brilliant, while others are disappointing. One thing that deserves a special mention is the pool area. We never had any issues finding sunbeds thanks to the older gentleman who works around the pool. He is absolutely amazing and will always go out of his way to find you beds if you can’t see any available. He’s a real asset to the hotel. Every member of staff we encountered was incredibly friendly and hardworking. The female lifeguard also deserves a special mention—she is the sweetest, kindest person and is a real credit to the hotel. The Italian à la carte restaurant is an absolute must and was easily the best meal we had. The other à la carte restaurants were just average in comparison. The rooms are modern, clean, and comfortable, and the balconies are a great size, giving you plenty of space to relax. One thing I’d recommend avoiding is the shop inside the hotel. The prices seem to change from day to day, and it felt like they were simply making them up as they went along. The location is good, and there are plenty of excursions available to book. Just don’t expect lots to do within walking distance. It’s a five-star resort area, so it’s mostly hotels, shops, and restaurants, and the restaurants outside the hotel can be quite expensive. Late check out is not a guarantee and the spa showers are not the cleanest or best to use so keep this in mind Overall, we still enjoyed our stay thanks to the fantastic staff, excellent drinks, comfortable rooms, and beautiful hotel. Although there are areas that could be improved compared to our previous visit, we’d still recommend it for a relaxing holiday.

I can't fault the hotel. The staff are brilliant and super attentive to both the client and the cleanliness of the hotel. Visiting the bars and restaurants was super easy with two young children and we were made to feel very welcome, and had some terrific food, and plenty of drinks. The entertainment staff in particular are really passionate about their jobs and the Russian lady who runs the kids club is an absolute gem, the kids loved her and couldn't wait for kids club to open. The room was big. I didn't expect it to have such large rooms, and we had not only a master bedroom, but a kids room AND a living area as well. It was air-conditioned and very comfortable, and for the kids first holiday abroad, really sets the bar high! The weather was not massively hot, but very pleasant, and warm enough to walk around in a t-shirt, but the outside pool was pretty cold and not used for anything other than sunbathing around. The inside pool was our go-to spot during the day because the kids absolutely love swimming and it was nice and heated, and manned all day by staff, who kept on top of keeping everyone safe. Location-wise, we were a little disappointed. It's a nice hotel but in the Winter there is very little to do outside of the main hotel. The water park is closed and the beach is deserted and full of feral dogs; it was not the safest place to walk. The shops nearby are also full of bored shopkeepers who literally have nothing else to do but try to fleece tourists (during the winter season anyway), and aside from a busy road running through, the rest of the area was pretty run down or being developed. Also worth noting that there are tons of cats and the hotel say they feed them and they just kinda mooch around outside the hotel during the day, and they are all feral, so if you aren't a cat person or have allergies, this could be a bit of an issue, but we have cats at home, so it wasn't a huge issue, but with them being feral, I might advise against touching them. Overall I'd love to return to the hotel in the summer and see all the bits we missed out on in the winter. The hospitality is first rate, and the food and drink was brilliant. Great sized rooms, and plenty to do during the day and in the evenings. The kids didn't want to leave!

Turned out to be a good stay however we raised issues in the survey that came via email which we’re addressed promptly by guest relations, so we found the last few days of our holiday with staff going out of their way to be courteous and helpful. PROS 1. Food was very good in the restaurant compared to other all inclusive hotels but i notice there are mixed reviews so i guess it is down to personal preference and standards. 2. The cocktails were mostly good, however inconsistent depending on bar server. 3. A few staff members in the restaurant were excellent and attentive but not all of them, seemed to depend on personality 4. The hotel is spotless and room service is daily 5. We had 4 children between 2 families who loved the pools and entertainment however I would not have chosen this hotel if I was travelling as a couple 6. The Italian restaurant is excellent but you need to pre-book early on in your stay to guarantee a table CONS 1. Reception staff lacking in customer service which can be off putting as this is the first point of contact. The female staff were particularly unfriendly and one of them shrugged her shoulders when I asked a basic question. They have a lack of knowledge of local area and were not able to direct me to a specific shop but told me to try the supermarket within the hotel which was lacking in choice and very expensive 2. The staff in the spa can be pushy and hard to avoid but I think this is standard for any hotel in Turkey with a spa 3. The spa is expensive compared to 5 star hotels elsewhere 4. The entertainment and beach is a short 12 minute walk away or you can get shuttle bus but the hotel is advertised as having its own private beach, which is true however you need to travel to it 5. The staff have a strict “do not feed the cats policy” which is heartbreaking as there is a wee cat family who are desperate to be cared for however they hide from the staff and seem scared which suggested they are not well treated. We ignored this policy and made sure the cats had water at least however this was removed at every opportunity by the staff when discovered. 6. In general, the staff customer service is inconsistent and varied depending on personality of each individual member of staff which indicates they do not focus on staff training. For example one particular female bar tender made faces and was quite rude however the others seemed polite, just a bit reserved and unfriendly. Once we raised some of the issues in an apparent “anonymous survey” sent out by email I was approached by guest relations to ask for more details on the issues with the staff. I was a bit embarrassed at this however we did notice a huge difference afterwards but it was clear the staff had been told I had complained.

1st time to turkey & also a solo traveller picked Laura for location & recommendations of the resort. hotel was very clean, no litter & loads of staff constantly cleaning & emptying bins & clearing away glasses etc of tables. vast variety of food to suit all & couldnt fault the food & service. i was in block 4 on 6th floor, had a large double bed & single bed with a decent sized bathroom & corner shower. also small fridge in the room which was constantly re stocked with water, coke & fanta. my only real whinge is the towels on the sunbeds!! i was up for breakfast around 7.30am most if not all sunbeds had towels on them. some werent coming to their beds till well after 10 but if you asked for a sun bed they would squeeze them in which i found out on my last day when i was told to move to accomodate an extra 4 beds, it was cramped enough. i got up in the end & stopped sun bathing as it wasnt a relaxing experience. agree with another comment on here, had to check out by 12 but they couldnt offer a room for me to get ready for my transfer at 6pm so spent the 6 hour wait ready & in reception when i could have gone to the beach. beach pool & beach was a better option for me as more chance of a bed. food at beach pool was just as good as hotel, didnt get chance to try the pizza bar but it looked good from what i saw. this hotel is perfect for families but unfortunately i wont be returning as it was just too manic.

The room we couldn't fault. Unfortunately our stay was not one of the best, evening food was poor. The hotel only caters for families with Children, which were running riot. Trouble with drunken residents causing sleepless nights resulting in altercation. Dress protocol was none existent. We will not be coming back.