Royal Asarlik Beach Hotel

We spent six days at Royal Asarlik in Bodrum, and despite a few problems during the first couple of days, we ended up having a wonderful holiday.

The hotel has a lot to offer, with food, drinks and facilities available pretty much around the clock, but what really made the difference for us was the staff. There is a genuinely friendly team here who work hard to make sure you enjoy your stay.

I do think there is one area where the hotel could improve: the general condition and, especially, the cleanliness of some of the rooms. We had a few issues with the rooms we were initially given, and if more attention was paid to this, I honestly think the hotel could receive top marks from many more guests. That said, what matters is how a hotel responds when something goes wrong, and this is where they impressed us. İsmail, the Front Office Manager, was incredibly friendly, professional and solution-focused. He listened to our concerns and resolved everything very quickly, which completely changed the start of our holiday. A big thank you to him.

We also tried the Italian restaurant, one of the hotel’s three à la carte restaurants, and absolutely loved it. The ravioli, risotto and tiramisu were excellent. A special thank you to Muhsin as well for making the experience even more enjoyable.

Another highlight was definitely the entertainment team. Emre, Muhammed, Sevim and the rest of the team kept the atmosphere alive throughout the day. From poolside activities and water sports to the evening shows, there was always something happening, but without feeling like you were forced to take part. They brought a lot of energy and fun to our holiday.

There are also so many small details that you start appreciating after a few days. Cutting fresh honeycomb at breakfast and having it with fresh yoghurt. Seeing dishes that clearly take time and effort to prepare being served every day. Having unlimited drinks and snacks around the pool throughout the day, then finishing the evening with a Turkish coffee at the reception bar.

And then there is the location.

Having dinner while watching an incredible Bodrum sunset is something special. Waking up in the morning and seeing the first red light of the day reflecting across the sea is equally beautiful. The hotel feels surrounded by nature, and there are plenty of places where you can simply sit, slow down and enjoy where you are.

For anyone wanting to relax even more, the Turkish bath, sauna and indoor swimming pool are available free of charge. You can also book a traditional Turkish scrub and massage at the spa, which is definitely worth considering.

Is everything perfect? No. There are areas that could be improved, particularly the rooms and housekeeping standards. But a holiday isn’t only about finding a perfect room or a perfect building. It is also about how you feel while you are there, and the people at Royal Asarlik made a real effort to make sure we were comfortable, happy and enjoying our time.

By the end of our six days, the small problems we had experienced at the beginning felt far less important than all the good memories we were taking home with us.

We can genuinely say that we are already looking forward to coming back.

Leaving was harder than we expected.

I’ve been to Bodrum/Gümbet many times, but this was my first stay at this hotel.

The location is great — easily walkable into the centre of Gümbet, with beautiful views across the resort and private beaches. The resort is a great size, with two pools (one lively and one quieter), the quiet one could’ve done with a better maintenance as the drain need was plastic and some sections were broken so it was a bit of a trip hazard . plenty of activities for children and a spa for adults.

There are lots of food options, although the main buffet was fairly average. Food was often lukewarm if you weren’t there at the start of breakfast or dinner and wasn’t always replenished quickly enough. The snack bars were a good alternative, particularly the one by the quieter pool. Free bottles of Nestlé water were also a nice touch.

The à la carte restaurants were much better, but booking them was unnecessarily difficult. You have to queue at Guest Services to reserve, rather than being able to book by phone or easily through the hotel. I was told I had to go early morning so I went at 9 o’clock then I was told to come back at 10 o’clock. I did ask, can you not just take my room number so I don’t have to come back with the program but I was told now I have to come back and queue.

We stayed in a Comfort Room in the main building as we were travelling with our 5-month-old. The room was spacious enough for a travel cot, but very dated. The wallpaper was old, the toilet seat was broken and the mini fridge actually made things warmer rather than colder! The air conditioning worked well but was extremely noisy. A kettle was provided when I requested one for preparing formula.

The biggest disappointment was housekeeping. Our room wasn’t cleaned, the bins were overflowing, towels weren’t changed and I had to ask for toilet paper and fresh bedding. When I raised this with reception, I was told our room had been marked as “Do Not Disturb”, which was simply not true. I could hear housekeeping working in the rooms around us, so my guess was if the room wasn’t vacant Clean they just marked she was doing not disturb they didn’t have to come back

The soundproofing was also poor — you could hear pipes and water running whenever people in neighbouring rooms showered.

We plan to stay after checkout as our onward travel had been delayed and I couldn’t get a late checkout but Reception called me 15 minutes before checkout to remind me to leave, and someone also knocked on the door. I explained that I would be out on time but was feeding my baby. Considering housekeeping hadn’t serviced our room, it was frustrating to suddenly be chased out so early so the room could presumably be prepared for the next guest.

Another concern was how easily people appeared to enter the hotel without wristbands. Security checks seemed very inconsistent, which is particularly frustrating when guests have paid for an all-inclusive stay. Another guest even commented on this.

The porters were by far the friendliest staff and were always lovely when they saw me with the baby.

Overall, the location, views, size and facilities are excellent, but the dated rooms, poor housekeeping, average food and below-average service really let the hotel down.

It may look like a 5-star resort from the outside, but based on our experience, I’d rate the actual accommodation and service closer to 3 stars.