Hotel Side Star Resort

We stayed at Side Star Resort from 15–25 July in room 5105. This was our 6th stay within the Side Star hotel group, and as returning VIP guests, this was by far our most disappointing experience. Unfortunately, none of the VIP benefits advertised by the hotel were provided. There was no welcome drink, our details were not prepared in advance, and check-in took much longer than expected. When we entered our room, there was an extremely strong bleach smell, together with visible mould in both the bathroom and on the balcony. We immediately requested a room change, but Reception told us the hotel was fully booked and asked us to come back the next day. We did exactly that, only to receive the same answer. The issue was never resolved. The hotel itself is beautiful, but it is extremely poorly managed. Throughout the day, guests had to queue for long periods just to get drinks. The staff worked incredibly hard and remained friendly, but they were clearly understaffed. This is a management issue, not a staff issue. One evening during dinner, we witnessed the restaurant manager openly criticising waiters in front of guests. It was uncomfortable to watch and showed a lack of respect for employees who were already doing their best. The same poor organisation continued during the evening entertainment. On several occasions we waited over 40 minutes without anyone taking our drinks order. Again, the waiters were overwhelmed because there simply were not enough of them. The Wi-Fi was another major disappointment. For around 80% of our 10-day stay, the internet was either unavailable or unusable. Another frustrating experience involved our Asian À La Carte reservation. We booked through Guest Relations and had the booking receipt, yet when we arrived we were told no reservation existed due to a “system problem”. Instead of dining in the Asian restaurant, we were seated in the Turkish restaurant and served Asian food. This was handled very poorly. The biggest disappointment is that the staff are genuinely excellent. Every employee we met was hardworking, polite and professional. They deserve recognition. The real problem is the hotel’s management, organisation and lack of staffing. My suggestion to the owners is simple: review the current management structure, improve staffing levels and start valuing returning VIP guests properly. Sadly, this stay fell far below the standard we have come to expect from the Side Star brand.

This was our first time to Turkey and would come again! The hotel is lovely, very clean and the hotel staff very nice. Rooms were spacious and the big balcony was great as we had a whirlpool room! The a la carte restaurants all very good, we particularly loved the Thai though. Lovely big pool and lots to do. The entertainment team were ok however did feel the majority were not friendly as they didn't even say hello! However this did not affect our holiday and would stay here again.

We had an excellent stay at this hotel and highly recommend it! Everything was perfect: the food was excellent with a lot of variety, the drinks selection was great quality, and there was a wide range of entertainment and activities. You never get bored. But what truly sets this hotel apart is the Guest Relations team. Unfortunately, I forgot my wedding ring in the room safe after checking out. The team showed incredible responsiveness, honesty, and kindness, helping me find a solution from afar to get it back. A huge thank you to Julia and Svitlana for their invaluable support. This is a top-tier hotel, both for its facilities and its staff. We highly recommend it!

From start to finish, what an incredible week we have just had. If like me you scour TA before booking then I'll try cover as much of the basics below: Upon arrival we were greeted warmly by reception staff. This was a standard that was maintained throughout our stay from reception, to bar / waiting on staff, animation team to housekeeping so so friendly and couldn't do enough for you. They work so hard ⭐ Food........ exceptional!! Lots of variety to choose from. We travelled with our fussy eater daughter (the chicken nugget queen) and she tried and loved everything. We booked into the al a carte Tai restaurant. Wow, delicious food and amazing staff. I highly recommend this. The snack bar by the pool opens at 12pm and there is so much variety from burgers, toasted sandwiches, freshly cooked pasta and waffles. You won't go hungry. Pool - it is busy but also very chill at the same time. There are plenty of sunbeds so don't panic!! We would go around 9am after breakfast and never struggled. Beach towels are provided in your room on first day after that there is a drop off and pick up daily from half 4. Rooms - clean and modern, comfortable bed. English channels on TV was a bonus for hubby (catching up on world cup). Mini bar restocked daily with coke, Fanta, sprite, bottled water and beer. Entertainment - always something going on during the day but never felt pressured into anything. The animation team are great. Plenty of themed nights arranged. There are plenty of shops within walking distance to the hotel. These take both euros and English money but I would recommend taking euros. There are cash machines just outside the hotel, use dark blue called Bankasi the other two will charge much more. I would highly recommend a trip into Side old town (Beautiful ❤️)using the dolmus that stops outside the hotel every half hour and is about 2€ each. Side Star Resort summer 2027 pending......see you soon. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

We have just returned from a fantastic week at the Side Star Resort. The hotel and grounds are stunning, flawlessly clean, and perfectly located. There are numerous shops within a 5–10 minute walk and a handy pharmacy just under 5 minutes away. There is also a brilliant, convenient bus route right outside which costs just €2.50 each to head into Side Old Town or visit the Manavgat markets. The facilities are top-notch: a huge pool with great slides, beautiful grounds, a stunning beach, and more than enough sunbeds for everyone. You are completely spoilt for choice with numerous bars and restaurants. The cocktail menus are brilliant with a huge amount of choice, including a large mocktail menu which was fantastic for the kids. For dining, we didn't try the Mexican à la carte, so we cannot comment on that one. The Turkish à la carte was nice, but it wasn't quite up to the standard set by the stunning on-site Thai restaurant, which had absolutely impeccable service and food to match it. The food throughout the rest of our stay was plentiful, varied, and gorgeous. We also loved the little extras like the daily replenished mini-bar, fresh towels every day (including for the pool), and ice cream/lolly ices on tap. A special mention must go to the staff, who were brilliantly friendly and helpful throughout. There were just a few areas where we felt they could improve: The cats on site: While we understand the hotel accommodates the local cats, they really shouldn't be allowed near the dining areas, and especially not inside the main restaurant (which happened on one occasion during our stay). Some of the younger guests were quite scared of them while trying to enjoy their lunch, so the hotel needs to manage this better. Lolly ice timings: It would be great if these weren't restricted to 11am–4pm. Extending this until at least 6pm would allow for a nice treat an hour or so before the main restaurant opens. Food gap: There is a bit of a gap between 5pm and 7pm where nowhere is really open to eat. We arrived just before 5pm and had to wait until 7pm, so covering this gap would be a massive help for arriving guests. A la carte reservations: Currently, you can only book between 10am and 12pm each day, which creates unnecessary queues in the lobby. Opening up this window would make the process much smoother. Overall, a wonderful holiday and we would highly recommend it! The above critical points are really picky and shouldn't stop you at all from booking this gorgeous hotel.