Amara Luxury Resort and Villas

It is a completely russian hotel; it feels like you’ve arrived in russia, not Turkey. Staff always greet you in russian, and even if you reply in English, they continue speaking russian. Although the music and evening shows are in English, it is difficult to communicate with the staff in that language. Even if you say "thank you" in Turkish, you still get a russian response. An absolute disaster.

This was probably the best vacation we have ever had in Turkey and it is all because of people working in the resort! We arrived early in the morning and we had to wait for our room for quite a long time. However, it was all worth it because the management, especially Hamza, took care of us for the rest of our vacation with VIP treatment and services. We were offered to stay at a villa although we booked superior room land view but it was not to our liking, so they upgraded our room to superior sea view - a nice touch was a bottle of champagne and fruits left at our room by Hamza :) The room was spacious, it was cleaned every day and the minibar was being restocked daily with snacks (chocolates, Haribo bears, biscuits) and drinks. Initially we had a problem with ventilation system, but Alperen from the reception team was so kind to come to our room and fix the problem although it was not really his responsibility - thanks to him a lot! Although the food is quite repetitive, you can never go hungry. There is a lot of fresh meals and we couldn't even taste everything - there were so many choices! Cocktails all tasted good, I especially recommend trying signature cocktails. We went to fish a la carte restaurant, which also was wonderful and the waiters working there are real professionals - we did not enjoy the main course we chose so they offered us a meal we liked from hot starters (shrimps) and they even made it a double portion! We enjoy Magnolia dessert and we were so glad to find it at this hotel because not all hotels provide it. Also, a huge plus is Magnum ice cream selection in one of the bars near the pool :) The territory itself is huge, well-maintained, green, with quite a few pools to choose from. There were always free sun loungers even if we came to the pool at 10am - we did not have to reserve sun loungers, which was very relaxing. We went to eat at Olivin restaurant a few times. The food there is very delicious, especially their omelettes selection during breakfast. In the evening, there is a mixology bar in the lobby area although the mixologist working there needs more training but overall the cocktails he made were quite good :) Overall, we are very pleased with our vacation and we want to thank Hamza from the management team for his assistance during our stay at FashionTV :)

We have holidayed in Turkey around 20 times, staying in hotels of different standards, so we have plenty to compare with. We spent two weeks here in October 2026.

What we liked: • Beautiful, well-maintained grounds with varied planting, peaceful areas and livelier spaces. • Stunning mountain views, clear sea, unobtrusive entertainment and various sporting activities. • A photogenic setting with attractive, comfortable white loungers and a lovely lunch restaurant overlooking the grounds. • Fast service: the AI-assisted chat connected us with staff and provided answers in under a minute. QR-code orders usually arrived within ten minutes. We cannot comment on peak season, but service in October was quick. • Spacious grounds, with the children’s area away from other guests. • Staying in a villa was our best decision. Rooms in the main buildings can be noisy, with sounds from neighbouring guests, balconies and the restaurant. For a peaceful stay, I recommend a villa if possible.

What needs improvement:

Food: The main restaurant was generally clean, and waiters were attentive, but meals became repetitive after two or three days. Themed evenings would help. Breakfast offered many variations of tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs and pastries, but limited real variety, particularly for someone avoiding gluten. Avocado and fresh juices were positives, although smoked salmon appeared on only two days of our two-week stay. The dessert selection was extensive, but very few tasted good to us; the pâtisserie had the same issue. A smaller, better-quality selection would be preferable. The 24-hour restaurant served tasty food, but its menu also became repetitive over two weeks.

Sun loungers: This was our biggest disappointment. Despite visiting in October, we never found available loungers on the pier in the morning, and the beach was similarly full. Guests reserved places from 7 a.m., against hotel rules. The notice on the pier was unreadable and was not replaced despite our comments. Around 30 loungers were also removed from the right-hand side of the beach near the start of our stay. We consequently spent much of our holiday lying on the wooden pier decking to be close to the sea. This is unacceptable at a five-star hotel. Please restore the additional beach loungers and enforce the reservation rules.

Spa: Some female staff members could show more hospitality. When we could not find towels, we were simply directed towards the pool area to take them from a plastic package on the floor and unwrap them ourselves. A tidy towel station or an employee handing us towels would be more appropriate for a five-star hotel. The spa also looks worn and appears not to have been refurbished alongside the rest of the property.

Overall, the hotel has a beautiful setting and considerable potential, but the food, shortage of beach loungers and spa experience need improvement before we would consider returning.