Side Amour Hotel — Hotel in Manavgat

Arrival and first impression:|We arrived Thursday evening/Friday night and were greeted by friendly staff who carried our luggage to the room. Unfortunately, the room was unbearably hot because the balcony door had accidentally been left open, meaning the air conditioning hadn’t been running (a serious oversight). We turned it on and went down to the buffet. The food was disappointing – a day-old soup that seemed thrown together, and cucumbers that had clearly been left out too long.||Back in the room, it was at least 35°C, and impossible to stay in because the AC didn’t work. We googled the error code and found out it was due to missing cooling gas/liquid. Reception sent someone up who simply said: “Yes, it’s very hot, but it’s night, so we can’t do anything. Goodnight.” We asked for another room, but nothing was available. The first night was therefore spent in 35°C heat (I even slept part of the night on the balcony in a plastic chair).||Day 2 – AC repair:|The next morning at 7, we asked when it would be fixed. Not until the afternoon was the AC repaired. Thankfully it worked for the rest of the stay, but it was a very frustrating start after many hours of travel.||Room:|The room size, comfort, and decor were modern, with good beds. However, it was a pity that only one blanket/sheet was provided instead of two. The fridge worked well for drinks, and there was also a coffee machine (which we didn’t use). TV channels were disappointing – mostly Turkish or German, with only two English ones. We didn’t use the Wi-Fi since it was expensive, and we already had plenty of mobile data. Our room faced the street, but it was quiet at night.||Cleaning:|The cleaning was very good on arrival and on day 2. Towards the end of the stay, it became less consistent, though we did get bed linen changed twice and towels 3–4 times during the week.||Food and drinks:|We didn’t get sick from the food, but it was quite boring and repetitive. On special themed nights, the food was a bit better, which was nice. The pool bar was average. Drinks were disappointing – the “juice” tasted more like concentrated cordial. Evening staff were friendly, but daytime staff less so.||Pool and beach:|The pool itself was fine and clean, but the area around it could have been better maintained, especially after events. The big downside was the poolside music: the same ~10 songs played on repeat daily from 10–12:30 and 14–17. “On The Floor” by Jennifer Lopez was played 4–5 times in one morning session. After this trip, I never want to hear Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, or Sean Paul again. The music desperately needs changing!||Signs said sunbeds could not be reserved, but nobody followed this, so you had to be there around 7 AM to get a spot in the sun. Only one side of the pool has sun all day; the other side only from about 1 PM (in August).||The beach was good – the shuttle bus took us directly there, and there were plenty of sunbeds available. We went into the water, but due to the heat we quickly returned, so we didn’t try the beach bar.||Service and staff:|Overall, staff were friendly, but it was clear that tipping influenced how much attention you received. That’s a bit disappointing, especially for us as students who had saved for a long time just to afford the trip and didn’t want to spend too much extra.||English skills were decent, enough to communicate both ways. We saw (what we assume was) the manager every day, and he always greeted us politely.||Spa and check-out experience:|We also had issues at check-out. Our flight was at 11 PM and the bus picked us up at 19 PH Already on Monday, we had asked about late check-out (€10 per hour) and were told it was possible, but we should ask again on the actual day after breakfast. We asked again on Wednesday (the day before departure), and they again told us to wait until departure day – but they did write down our room number.||On Thursday after breakfast, when we asked again, we were told it wasn’t possible because the room had already been rented out. We were very disappointed since we had asked about it several times days in advance. Instead, we were offered to take a shower in the spa.||The spa itself was unimpressive. The man running it was quite pushy in the first days with various offers, and when you politely declined, he gave you the cold shoulder afterwards. On departure day, when we came for the shower, he could only provide one towel because there were apparently no clean ones left. The spa area was also not very clean.||Cleanliness in general:|The hotel and restaurant themselves were kept clean, but the pool area often became dirty, especially after events the previous evening.||Overall impression:|The best part was that all music and noise stopped at 11 PM, so nights were quiet. Side town was also very nice to visit, and we walked there twice in the evenings. Overall, the hotel was “okay,” but definitely not a 4-star hotel as they advertise everywhere. I would rate it at...

Our stay was fantastic ! We went as a young couple (19 and 20) and couldn’t have asked for any more. Staff were so helpful, lovely and friendly (with a special shoutout to Elif and Yagmur at the free bar, Cihan at the extra bar, who frequently checked in on us during our stay as well as providing the most fantastic margarita !). We booked all inclusive and were unsure before our stay of what this would entail, but it more than exceeded our expectations. The food was unbelievable. We only went to breakfast once as we laid in most days, and it was just as brilliant as the lunch and dinner spread. There is ample variation, all tasting unreal, with options for even the pickiest diner (Chicken nuggets, burgers and chips served daily). This includes a salad bar, bread and soup station, hot food sections prepared in an open kitchen - so very fresh- as well as a huge array of desserts (although bare in mind they are standard all inclusive desserts) . There are also snacks throughout the day as well. The drinks are superb as well, as I said we were unsure of what would be included, assuming only Efes and local wine, but there is a whole cocktail list available at the free bar including mojitos and tequila sunrises as well as a few house specials. There is slushy and coffee machines as well which you can help yourself to, which was brilliant on the hot days. The rooms were spot on, cleaned daily with fresh towels, very modern and comfortable with enough space for our 10 day stay. Each room has a balcony either with a street or pool facing view. We had the former, which worked for us as we liked to peace and quiet. The evening entertainment/ music will carry on until 11, so if you have younger children maybe request a street facing view. There is generally some form of entertainment every other night, ranging from singers to dancers, and on the Sundays ‘Turkish nights’. This included an outdoor bbq and a brillant show with belly dancers and music all with the opportunity to get involved. (The indoor restaurant is also open on the bbq nights Sundays and Tuesdays so there is still plenty to choose from). The only downside is that it gets very busy on the Sunday and we were unable to find a seat when we went down at about 7:30, but once people had eaten, tables freed up and we were able to enjoy the evening. On the evenings where there is no entertainment, there is music playlist and the free bar is open until 11, with drinks available to purchase at the extra bar until 12, but definitely bring some cards. Although, there is a games room in the shops and spa section with darts, pool, table football and ping pong as well as the gym. The hotel itself is beautiful, the pool is clean and big for the size of the hotel with music playing throughout the day, which we really enjoyed, it was never too busy or loud, and had a great atmosphere. It is open until 6pm or earlier if there is entertainment planned for the evening, but they start moving the sunbeds early so I suggest packing up your belongings or they get swept up haha (this happened to my flip flops but they were safely returned). If you are a more sociable character, I would note that there are very few English guests at this hotel, which we had no issue with, but if you like to socialise, this may be something to consider). The sunbeds are usually no trouble to find, but there are tables all around the pool as well which were always free. There is a free shuttle to the beach (about 5 minutes) where there were always sunbeds (although no WiFi if you’ve paid for it). The beach is also all inclusive food (although less range) and drink (only beer and soft drinks though ). Definitely try the gozleme if you go ! There is loads of stuff to do outside of the hotel as well. We frequented to old town during our stay which is only a 10€ taxi away and only a 25 minute walk. There are loads of shops, bars and 2 clubs there all about 10€-15€ a cocktail and about 5€ beer. We had a brilliant time visiting and would definitely recommend going for a night if there is nothing going on at the hotel. There are excursions ran from the hotel, although more on the expensive side, but there are plenty of local companies that offer good deals. We couldn’t have had a better stay ! We would both highly recommend, especially for the price. It’s a brilliant get away with everything you would need, we will definitely...

Side Amour Hotel – A Hotel That Deserves 5 Stars

We recently returned from Side Amour. I work in tourism and have visited hotels all over the world, from 3* to 5*+, and I can honestly say that I had an unexpectedly beautiful vacation at Side Amour. I can confidently recommend this hotel.

Reception: Extremely friendly – we received our room immediately upon arrival. Many thanks to Mr. Ferhat for all his support.

Room: Small but charming, with new furniture and a nice design. All rooms have balconies. Ours faced the street and it was quiet.

Cleanliness: This could be improved. I'm not obsessed with cleanliness and I don’t want to go into too much detail, but this is an area where the hotel falls short. The air conditioner had a terrible smell when first turned on, although it would go away after a while – possibly the filters need cleaning.

Restaurant: The hotel truly excels here, and I want to once again congratulate the head chef. The food is of extremely high quality. I read the reviews and saw everyone praising the food, but I honestly didn’t expect it to be this good. It was varied, and in the evenings there was always something different and delicious.

Bar: Excellent drinks and cocktails just as good.

Beach: We didn’t walk to the beach because the road is exposed to the sun, but the hotel offers shuttle service to and from the beach. The beach is extremely clean, and the staff are friendly. Soft drinks and beer are included at the beach. If you don’t want to return to the hotel for lunch, you can stay at the beach – the food there isn’t as varied, but it’s still good.

Entertainment: There were a few evenings with either live music or Turkish shows. They don’t have an amphitheater, but the shows were very nice and relaxing.

Location: It’s fairly easy to walk to Side. It’s a bit of a walk, but after a tasty dinner, a little stroll to Side is actually quite nice.

Other points:

Internet is for a fee. I suggest using an eSIM instead, as the paid internet only works in the hotel, not on the beach.

It would be helpful to have more shuttles to and from the beach, as they get very crowded.

Very pleasant atmosphere – the guests at the hotel were quiet and respectful, and the same goes for the beach. A perfect vacation vibe.

I confidently recommend Side Amour Hotel if you're not specifically looking for a beachfront hotel. Side Amour is a compact hotel, close to the city of Side, offering charming rooms, very friendly staff, and...