Wind of Lara Hotel & Spa — Hotel in Aksu

Arrived at 2am at the hotel and my 12 year old daughter was hungry but there was no food facility on site. The lifts kept getting stuck. Restaurant food choice was very limited compared to Aska Lara where we stayed last year. For morning breakfasts they can try adding in things like croissants etc and also a bit more choice of food for kids during lunch and dinner like pizza chicken nuggets burgers etc even tho these were available at the pool area but not in the main restaurant. The restaurant should introduce a little more variety of food. Very few fluent English speaking staff and also no normal tea bags available at breakfast time only lemon tea, green tea, etc and I don't drink any of these so had to just make and do with orange juice every morning for breakfast. Also there was a very bad smell coming from the bathroom pipes all the time even tho the cleaner would come and spray air freshener to rid of the smell but a while later it would come back. Even cleaning wise if I left the cleaning symbol on to clean the room the ladies would do a good job but when the male were cleaning they would not do a good job at all. If you ran out of milk at night and wanted to make a tea in your room and called reception asking for a little milk they would charge whereas Aska lara never charged for additional services. During busy times it was very hard to get a table in the restaurant. Even the mini bar in the room the choice of drinks was very limited to just fruit juice cartons and water and obv EFES for those who drink alcohol and as I am muslim I had to request reception many times before they came and removed the alcohol from my mini fridge even tho I had emailed the hotel a few days before arrival advising please ensure there is no alcohol in my fridge. It would be good if the hotel start offering cans of coca cola Fanta sprite etc as some kids don't drink fruit juice and the weather being so hot when we would come back to the room we needed cold drinks to cool down and sometimes the fruit juice and water just doesn't do the trick especially for kids as they are looking for fizzy drinks. Even tho there is a shop on site to purchase cold fizzy drinks but defeats the purpose of all inclusive if you have to purchase the drinks from the shop whereas most hotels provide soft drinks as standard for the mini bar in your room. Also if you have booked a private hire or taxi the security will not allow the drinker to come to the main reception instead you have to walk down to the security on the main road to meet your driver there and as my mother was elderly and couldn't walk a lot this is one thing that put me off knowing that the driver was here for me and the hotel knew I was staying at the hotel still they did not allow my driver to come to reception and my poor mother had to walk down the slope with me and my daughter to get to the driver however on the way back security was fine took my room number and allowed the driver to drop us back at the main entrance. When they can do this on the way back why not when the driver originally came to pick us up? Also everyone on reception has alternative information to give u. A day before checking out I called reception to ask do you have suitcase weighing facility the female worker advised yes we do and it's free you can weigh your suitcases before you depart I thought brilliant I will get to know if any suitcase is over weight however on the day of checkout firstly i had to call several times to reception before they sent someone upstairs to take my suitcases and then when I got to reception and asked them to weigh my suitcases the woman spoke in a very dry voice saying we don't have the facility... Seriously the staff need to learn some customer service skills The best highlight of this hotel was the spa service and especially NOURA she really is very helpful and nice. Also another highlight of this hotel is location as its right next to all the bazaar etc the entertainment was good and pool activities. But very few fluent English speaking staff...

This hotel is a fraud and deserves below 1 star. I will go through each of my points in my review addressing each point. I have serious doubt about how they got 5 stars.

First we arrived late at night. The guy at the reception was the least helpful guy ever. His name was Murat. I have 2 babies and had luggage’s and he expected us to take the luggage ourselves. When I asked him he laughed in my face with a smirk but then eventually went and got it.

When we entered our room the room smelt of bad drainage like a human excrement smell. Nothing was cleaned to high five star standards. The bed sheets they had hardly covered one person at night. The room itself is old and has a mold smell. The tv does not function properly, Does not connect to the internet. Don’t let the fancy lights in their pictures fool you on their website. As everything else in turkey the hotel itself is a scam. There is no iron or ironing board in a five star hotel if you want something ironed you are obliged to pay for it through laundry services. They do not clean the room daily unless you ask them to which should be standard in a five star hotel specially a hotel with people using swimming pool and beach. When they do clean, it is not cleaned well. Table tops are not wiped and disinfected down rubbish pushed under the bed and sink area in bathroom still has hairs. If you loose your room key you will be charged 10 euros each time. Something that is not mentioned anywhere when checking in. The receptionist will get rude and say it’s policy and that “they are not ordinary cards” probably made on another planet like everything else in turkey.

The pool area lacks seats. They don’t have enough seats for the amount of guest capacity in the hotel. If you are with family and kids and can’t rush down you will be left without a seat. 95 percent of the staff are unfriendly and don’t know how to smile in the hotel. They respond rudely like they are doing you a favour by you spending money to stay in their hotel. This is the case with the staff in the buffet restaurant, the pool staff, and generally nearly everyone apart from the cleaners who are probably under paid anyway. The driver who takes you to the beach only helps mainly Turkish speaking people with pushchairs and is more kind towards them. The staff generally give more preference and service to Turkish speaking guest.

The food was only good one of the nights. Which was the Turkish themed dinner, the rest of the days were poor. For lunch you are eating the same boring stuff. Burgers pizza and pasta with some chips nuggets and some rice. Nothing of great standard either. Food is often cold even though it’s in warmers. The hygiene in the buffet restaurant is poor, dirty undried plates. Not very well cleaned cutlery. And if you pay attention to the areas where the staff work behind the kitchen and the drinks area there is black damp mold on the floors the cups are not kept clean or cleaned well. The hygiene of the staff serving drinks in the drinks area is also very questionable. The children’s seats are always dirty even with the plastic on top many are even broken. Which is dangerous. The food on the other nights was not that great compared to other places I have stayed in Antalya in the past. They served prawns one day but you could tell the prawns were frozen and old because as soon as you peal it the whole prawn dis integrates and falls apart. There is no hygiene to how they keep their bread or display some of the foods and even inside have many flies sitting on the food.

The bar upstairs in the lobby never has gas. 2 days I went to the bar to ask for sprite and they served me a sprite with no gas. When I confronted them they said we have a problem with oxygen sometimes but I don’t buy that because it’s 2 days in a row.

Beach area and chair is dirty and stinks the child playground is unsafe.

Don’t let the photos deceive you. Just the reception has been made well. The rest of the hotel lacks service and needs an...

Booked this hotel as a quick and lastminute.com break away for a week. After reading the other reviews I had mixed feelings about this hotel so took a chance and booked it.

In short, I don't think I'll be booking this hotel again, see my reasons below.

Reasons to book this hotel: 5 star decor Some friendly staff, i.e. Guest Relations manager, Receptionists, Some bar staff Very responsive and proactive Guest Relations manager, i.e. If you ask her to do/request something she will go out of her way to help and ensure it is done! Food is ok but not brilliant Rooms are spacious with good views overlooking hotel pool Hotel is only 20mins away from Airport Bus for Beach transfer is free and often, timetable is located in reception. Booking taxi's by hotel staff was easy for single and return journeys. Clean outdoor pool but very cold, perhaps it would be better suited for hotter weather in the summer (maybe?!). Efes and Becks beer on tap but only half pints Kids evening entertainment too repetitive but kids loved it! Shisha on site in evenings but not part of All inclusive, each Shisha is £20. Beach sun lounge staff/lifeguards were polite and very helpful.

Reasons NOT to book this hotel: Food is average at best with not much information on allergies, i.e. nuts, diary, etc. No real queuing system in restaurent or at the bar. At the bar, staff often see the person central to the bar as the first customer they want to serve rather than someone who has been standing to the side and waiting for some time. Some/majority of staff do not provide a 5 star service as per hotel rating, more like a 2/3 star service, simple things like if you are approaching/choosing a table at meal times that has been used they see you but do not openly approach you to clear/clean the table, provide cutlery and napkins, etc. Some/most staff dont seem to want to be there nor are they friendly, namely, staff in the restaurent. Be cautious with Salads, as I got food poisoning on the 2nd day I was there! Indoor pool was not heated, only after we complained it was slightly warm. Indoor pool staff/life guards were non-existent at times, especially at busy times! Showers in indoor pool area had no shower heads attached to them, only shower hoses! No direct access from indoor pool to toilets, you have to go back to spa reception and then gain access to changing rooms/toilets. Hotel cleaning staff have to be told/asked to clean bathroom and room floor, change bedding. Understaffed in some areas of the hotel, i.e. upon check-in at 11pm no staff were available to help transport luggage to room. No 24 hour restaurent Late meal times should you miss the major windows is only 30 mins, i.e. breakfast was between 7am and 10am, late breakfast was 10am to 10.30am. House spirits only Beach restaurent poor quality food, i.e. chips for kids on more than one occasion were not fresh, often undercooked or refried. Upon complaining to staff, I was ignored. Kids club is very poor, i.e. a room with a tv and some toys, little/no physical staff on site at all when kids wanted to actually go there during the day. 2 additional restaurents (italian and another I forget what cuisine) is £30 per head and has to be booked in advance. Not once was this spoken about by any staff member or recommended to book nor was it open for that matter during our entire week we were there. Wifi in hotel could be improved, as it drops out often! Wifi on the beach (sun loungers area) is non-existent and is only really available in the beach restaurent. TV is room is very slow to respond and sluggish.

The above is what we experienced as a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids).

In summary, this hotel is good for a quick short, reasonably priced lastminute.com break away but be cautious if you want a 5 star service and dont mind paying a little more I would look elsewhere! I certainly wont be booking this...