Limak Lara De Luxe Hotel and Resort

Visited this hotel again and had a good time as expected… but… there is clearly a reduction in numbers of waiters serving during meal times. As we’ve been to this hotel before, we are able to compare. On almost every occasion, we had to ask for table to be cleared and cleared 2-3 times, ask for cutlery etc and even help the waiter with plates etc just to get a table. The waiters they do have seem quite young and need training. A couple of times we could see that the waiters wanted to avoid making eyes contact so they don’t have to serve you and claim they didn’t notice. Some of them were complaining how overworked they are. Unless you found a waiter and asked them to assist, we could sit there for half an hour and no-one would approach.

Apart from this, everything was a good as before and we had a great time. If they up the service skills of the waiters then this hotel would be up to the 5 star rating it claims to be.

So this is my honest review of Limak Lara, writing it as I enjoy my last day by the pool.

Pool areas.

There is a good variety of pools and layout is good too. One main lively pool with games through the day and music. But if the music is too loud or you just prefer a more relaxed vibe then there is a more "chilled" pool near the beach. The three water slides are fun and although we didnt use it the splash park for little ones was well frequented. Never had a problem finding beds for the four of us at any time of the day which was handy considering it was peak season.

Beach.

The hotel has its own private stretch of sandy beach and a small pier both with a good availability of sun loungers. Watersports are also available here. Definitely have footwear as the sand is hot!

Bars.

A good selection of bars available. We always ended up in the pool bar. Three bars inside, the Lobby bar (quiet), Oasis bar (big but quiet) and the Sports bar which oddly enough didnt show any sports (no TVs) but did have very loud live music every night and a dance floor. Avoid if you want to hold a conversation. There is also Laila bar (near to the main entertainment area) and the beach bar. Service at all bars was excellent but special mention must go to the staff at the pool bar who always went above and beyond.

Restaurants.

This I feel is one thing that lets the hotel down. There are al a carte restaurants available but we didn't use them so I cant really review them, only the main Buffet restaurant and two snack bars.

The main Buffet seating is adequate for a hotel of this size however the food choice is not the greatest, probably because of how small the buffet is compared to other hotels of similar size. Yes there is something for everyone including "picky eaters" but choice is extremely limited with no apparent theme nights and the same menu aeems to be repeated day after day. Service also tends to be very slow unless you speak fluent Turkish. Something I haven't experienced in other hotels, but other guests of various nationalities have noticed this as well so its not just a biased opinion of mine.

The snack bars offer either a sit down and order off a menu, or a sit down and self service buffet style. Again both offer very little choice and the service can be hit & miss.

Room.

The rooms were adequate with an unusual walk in wardrobe layout. One cupboard containing a safe and seven shelves, plus a small table and a shelf above the hanger rack, plus two small drawers sums up the room storage. Some may struggle but we were fine with this. Hardly any English TV channels but again this didn't bother us as we don't watch TV on holiday. Bathroom is of a minimalist style but does have a large shower, toilet and sink area with shelving. Most standard rooms have a large seaview balcony.

Location

Outside the hotel directly across the road is a small selection of shops, walking down to the right will bring you to a "luxury mall" and cash machines. However turning left out of the hotel and a 10 min walk will bring you to the Sultan Bazaar and a range of other shops nearby that we found offered more than the shops across the road and better value too.

So, would I come again? Probably not to be honest. When I booked I did get it at a very reasonable price, with it being around £600 cheaper than comparable hotels. With this in mind and reading many other reviews, I did set the bar a little lower than previous Lara Beach hotels and I would say overall it's met my expectations. However looking at prices for next year, this hotel is more expensive than other hotels that I know from experience to be better.

The hotel was not bad at all, however it also needs an improvement on some of the details. The staff were kind and helpful, the food was decent but not terrible at all. The rooms were pretty nice, but they were not getting cleaned that neatly and oftenly. The events can sometimes affect the noise level, except that, the noise level is much. The atmosphere was calm but some of the pools were dirty and the aqua park was really small. So, I personally was expecting a better vacation.