Grand Park Lara

Great hotel very good service staffs are nice thanks

For the price we paid for this holiday, we honestly had a great time. There were 7 of us travelling at the beginning of April and overall we really enjoyed our stay.

The weather was a little chillier than usual for the time of year and, as only one pool was heated, everyone naturally gathered around that area. This did make getting sun loungers quite difficult, especially on busier days.

There are two buffet restaurants available. The main buffet restaurant does get very busy, particularly during school holidays, and there were queues for food at times. We discovered the second buffet restaurant near Block H, which was a lovely surprise. It had a much nicer atmosphere, was much quieter, and felt like a hidden gem compared to the main restaurant.

The rooms were lovely and clean. Our only issue was that we had booked a room with two separate sleeping areas so our 2-year-old son would have his own space, but this room was located right next to the main entrance door. We didn’t feel comfortable leaving him in there, so he ended up sleeping in our room instead.

Unfortunately, we also had an issue with our key card entry. The battery had run out, and someone was able to simply walk into our room. Luckily we happened to be inside because of the weather, but had this happened while we were out or asleep it would have been very concerning. We reported it to reception, but it took around an hour for someone to come and resolve it, which wasn’t ideal while we were also trying to settle our son for bed.

The balconies aren’t the best design and the views aren’t particularly impressive, although I think it would be difficult to find a room with a truly great view due to the layout of the resort.

The beach was lovely and easily accessible. You can walk down in around 5 minutes, or there is a golf buggy across the road that takes you down, which is also included as part of the all-inclusive package. The beach area has the same drinks available and also has a food bar, which was a really nice extra touch.

The food was good. It wasn’t anything that blew us away, but we certainly never went hungry. If you are expecting a traditional English breakfast, you may be disappointed, but there was always plenty of choice and we could always find something we enjoyed.

We booked the à la carte breakfast one morning, which was lovely, and also booked the à la carte evening meal, which was another highlight. The only issue we had was during the evening meal when a waiter dropped a plate which cut my fiancé’s leg. They were trying to clean it up while he was still eating, which wasn’t ideal. On a positive note, the waiters gave my son and goddaughter an iPad to play with during the meal, which they absolutely loved.

The cocktails were good, as were the other non-branded drinks. The sports bar was a great addition and showed all the major football games, including Champions League matches.

The entertainment team were fantastic and there was always something going on.

We also visited Land of Legends for the day and booked our transfer through the hotel desk. It was reasonably priced and the communication was excellent, with updates provided through WhatsApp.

One lovely surprise was seeing a familiar face. Having only visited Turkey once before, we had previously been to Side and visited a steak restaurant in the old town for my fiancé’s birthday. The owner now works in the hotel spa and actually recognised us, which was such an unexpected and lovely experience.

Overall, considering what we paid, we would definitely recommend this hotel. There are a few small things that could be improved, but for the price, facilities, entertainment and overall experience, we had a fantastic family holiday.