Turkey

The hotel has three wings, the original Palace wing (with the hotel’s most expensive rooms) and two auxiliary wings. The latter contain most of the hotel’s low- and mid-range rooms, and – IMHO – lack architectural harmony with the Palace wing (some would call them a ‘painful sight’). Restaurant choice is a bit limited for a hotel of this size and standard. The flagship restaurant is Italian: while it enjoys a gorgeous setting (especially when you can dine al fresco next to the water), the food was good but not excellent. The more casual Turkish restaurant has great food but is located next to the lobby; seating is more lounge-like with small tables so it’s not ideal to have a decent meal (unless you can sit outside, weather permitting). The hotel has some minor noise issues. Right behind the hotel is a major street, with the occasional speeding car at night that might wake you up. And in front is the Bosphorus with the … [Read more...] about Hotel review: Four Seasons Bosphorus Istanbul (Turkey)

Today (January 14, 2014): Hotel review: Kempinski Barbaros Bay, Bodrum (Turkey). Location: Google Maps Address: Kizilagac Koyu Gerenkuyu Mevkii Yaliciftlik, 48400 Bodrum, Turkey Hotel website: Kempinski Barbaros Bay Bodrum Tip: enjoy complimentary VIP amenities with Virtuoso Set on a hillside overlooking its own private bay, Kempinski Barbaros Bay Bodrum beckons travelers with its gorgeous white architecture, natural wood accents, and turquoise blue pools. The 149 rooms and 24 suites all have balconies or terraces overlooking the Gokova Gulf. The resort boasts a rich variety of restaurants, bars and a wonderful spa. … [Read more...] about Hotel review: Kempinski Barbaros Bay (Turkey)

Serving a wide variety of freshly baked, homemade delicacies including pastries, chocolates, and cakes, the Mandarin cake shop is a must-stop for anyone looking to indulge. Families will love the resort as the children facilities are excellent. There is a great kids’ playground next to the children’s pool. Inside the hotel is a well-supervised toddler’s play-room and computer games room for the older ones. There’s even a dedicated children’s only room within the Sofra Restaurant. The beautifully designed, three-level spa, surrounded by idyllic gardens, is one of the most impressive spa facilities that I ever visited at a hotel, at least from a design’s perspective. It has  5 treatment rooms, 3 beauty rooms, a VIP Suite, a couple Spa Suite, two outdoor treatment cabanas, extensive heat and water facilities, luxurious hamams with private scrub rooms, a comprehensive fitness centre featuring state-of-the-art equipment, and … [Read more...] about Hotel review: Mandarin Oriental Bodrum (Turkey)

PROS & THINGS I LIKE The Bodrum by Paramount Hotels & Resoirts enjoys the most spectacular setting in the larger Bodrum area, commanding its own hillside overlooking the Bodrum peninsula and the azure Aegean Sea. The resort is conveniently located: its approximately 15 minutes to Bodrum city centre and only 20 minutes to Bodrum International Airport. The ‘palace’ moniker of this sprawling resort is far from a misnomer: the sumptuous design is reminiscent of an exotic fusion between an opulent Roman villa and a baroque palace, and the property itself covers a colossal 110,000 square metres (or 1,184,000 square feet). There is truly the wow factor when one walks into the extravagant lobby, with its gold clad dome, marble floors, antique furnishing, and bountiful floral displace. The resort spills down the hillside from its lobby to the sea, offering phenomenal views of Zeytinlikahve Cove. Dancing fountains … [Read more...] about Review: The Bodrum by Paramount Hotels (Turkey)

The resort is oriented towards the east. This means that it is in the shade about one hour before sunset, when the sun disappears behind the hills. The Beach Club is in the shade about 2 hours before sunset; in fact, only the sun loungers on the jetty will enjoy sunshine in the afternoon, as the sun loungers on the shore are in the shade by noon (which might be a blessing in summer). Sunsets cannot be seen from the resort. Wasps were incredibly annoying during my stay (October), especially at the Beach Club where people were literally fighting against these insects. Having breakfast and lunch with all those wasps attacking the food was a challenge from time to time. I am not sure whether Amanruya has any natural wasp control in place, but if not, they should increase their efforts. Wasps seem to be less of a problem during the summer months. The resort is located hillside, offering good but not really excellent views of the sea. There are pine … [Read more...] about Hotel Review: Amanruya, Bodrum (Turkey)