Wyndham Garden Lara

Had a great stay. The food and drinks were amazing the staff were super friendly and. Looking forward to booking again soon.

We stayed at the Wyndham from 9th to 16th May as a family of four with an 11-year-old and a 16-year-old, and honestly had a brilliant time. We arrived late at night and were welcomed by a really friendly receptionist who upgraded us to a two-bedroom suite. After a long day travelling, it was a great start to the holiday. The room was massive and much bigger than we expected. The suite had a twin room for the kids, loads of storage space, a huge bathroom with an excellent shower, a big living area with sofa bed, TV, table, fridge stocked with drinks, tea/coffee facilities and a large balcony overlooking the entertainment area. The main bedroom also had its own balcony access and plenty of storage. Everything was spotless. Our 11-year-old made a friend on the first day, so most of the holiday involved pools, slides, mocktails, ice creams and staying in the water as long as possible. One thing we really liked as parents was the number of lifeguards around the pools and slides. They were constantly paying attention and it definitely made it easier to relax. The buffet restaurant had loads of choice every day and the food was always warm and fresh. We also used our free à la carte meal at the Italian restaurant across in the Ramada. Both hotels basically share facilities, which was a huge bonus. The Italian restaurant was lovely and a nice change from the buffet for a night. The beach area was another big highlight. The hotel’s private beach section is huge and has pretty much everything you need down there: another pool, kids’ slides, bars, food places, pizza, seating areas and loads of sun loungers. You never really had to go looking for food or drinks because they were everywhere. The Wi-Fi even worked properly down at the beach which surprised me. What really stood out though was the Guest Relations team. My son accidentally left a jacket behind one evening which was important to him. I explained the situation to Guest Relations and they genuinely went out of their way to help, including checking CCTV. They found it and returned it to us the next day. They also sorted us out with a late check-out before we left which made travelling home with kids much less stressful. On our final day they even phoned the room to check if everything was okay and ask if we needed anything else. We travel a few times a year and have stayed in a lot of hotels, but the level of customer care here really stood out. Big thanks to Cem, Asiye and all the staff. Everyone worked incredibly hard and it showed. Would definitely return.

When we arrived, only 2 of the 6 à la carte restaurants were open. A third opened the day before we left, but the rest remained closed throughout our stay. The outdoor BBQ grills beside the buffet — which had always been open on our previous visits — were never opened at all. The Chef even promised my wife they would be available “in a few days”, but this never happened. There was also no evening entertainment by the beach, despite it being a nightly feature on our past trips. The beach bar next to the pizzeria was closed as well. We were not informed in advance that these facilities would be unavailable. When I asked why so much was shut, I was given various excuses, including “the weather” (despite temperatures between 23°C and 29°C) and “lack of demand”. When I requested the hotel manager’s name, Guest Services refused to provide it. Overall, it felt like the hotel was cutting operating costs at the expense of the guest experience. Positives: The hotel was spotlessly clean, and most of the staff were friendly and genuinely good at their jobs. Negatives: There was no dress code enforcement — men were allowed into the restaurant shirtless, and women in bikinis. One of the Guest Services staff, Katerina, was consistently unhelpful to everyone, and a woman working in the lobby bar (wearing a polo shirt) always seemed to be in a bad mood. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t return. I really missed the Turkish and seafood à la carte restaurants and the evening entertainment by the beach — the things that made previous stays special.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We had a fantastic stay at the Wyndham Garden Lara. The food was brilliant with so much choice, and the best part was you could pretty much eat 24 hours a day! The drinks were also really good for an all-inclusive hotel, and the entertainment each evening kept everyone entertained. We stayed in a family suite which was perfect for us, with two bedrooms and a separate lounge area giving everyone plenty of space and comfort. The local area is also great for shopping with loads of shops offering amazing bargains. Top tip — buy an extra suitcase locally before you come home and fill it with all your Christmas presents and shopping bargains! 🎁🧳 Would definitely return and highly recommend for families looking for a fun and relaxing holida

As a general point, if you like to stay in the hotel and sunbathe, this is an ok option. However, I wouldn’t recommend this hotel if you want to be kept busy, if you want a huge range of activities, or a big complex. I also wouldn’t choose Lara Beach as a resort if you like to wander out of the hotel at night for entertainment/bars etc. - bars/restaurants outside of the complex are few and far between, there are a few “malls” but they are all the same type of shops selling either knock off clothing or tourist souvenirs. The main strip is a dual carriageway, which detracts from the holiday vibe. Overall I was very unimpressed with Lara Beach as a resort. In terms of the hotel itself: Pros: - It is a very clean hotel. - The food is excellent! Really excellent - the best I’ve had at an all-inclusive style hotel, both in terms of quality and variety. - *Most* of the staff are very friendly. - The rooms are very basic and a little dated, but nice enough and clean. My son threw a toy under the bed and when I went to retrieve it, the floor was clean (I know it’s a common complaint in some places that the floor under beds is dirty). - You get access to the facilities at the sister hotel opposite - bear in mind this is where 3 of the pools are (and they’re the same slides/features etc. as in the other side, so in my view advertising them all as X number of pools is a bit misleading, even if factually accurate). The pools are clean and well maintained. - The beach area is lovely, and the kids’ splash park over there is excellent. - In general, the kids’ facilities (kids’ buffet, provision of travel cot, splash pools on both premises, kids’ club with ball pit and slide) are all excellent. It’s a great kid-friendly hotel, especially for over 4 year olds (minimum age for unsupervised time at the kids’ club). Cons: - Although it’s very family friendly on the whole, the daytime snack bar closes at 4, and the kids’ buffet isn’t until 6. This means that during most kids’ usual dinner times, there is nothing available for them. Whilst friendly, I don’t think the staff provided anything exceptional by way of service. - The staff running the spa on the premises are quite pushy and will attempt to sell their services to you regularly - which you walk past them often as their spa is next to the doorway between the foyer and the pool area. - It is fairly basic as far as higher end all inclusive hotels go. - Rules seemed to be imposed for no good reason, ie all of the food for the snack bar was out and ready but they wouldn’t let anyone get a place until exactly midday. For a family friendly hotel, when kids are hungry, this seems futile - especially when you’ve paid for all inclusive. - If you are eating in the pool area, the staff are attentive but to the point where it’s uncomfortable - trying to clean tables/take plates when you’re still eating. Neither a pro nor a con, but a bad experience for me personally - when my 1 year old son had a bad allergic reaction to food eaten at breakfast, they were fairly useless in providing me information about ingredients. The “guest services” rang the chef to ask, but then said that breakfast was closed so they couldn’t help me (it had only closed 5 minutes ago). She then said she had to go to her office but I could come back later if I still needed help, and if we wanted medical assistance we could speak to the doctor but it would cost us (fair enough that they would charge - but I hadn’t asked for that and it seemed more like a cash grab opportunity than assistance).