Barut GOIA

We’ve been home a day and wanted to share what a brilliant 2 week holiday we had at Barut Goia.

Reception are very welcoming and gave us lots of information when we arrived.

We had a standard room on the ‘noisy side’ which was spacious and soundproofed with a very comfortable bed (both the double and the sofa that my daughter slept on). The balcony was huge and we overlooked the kids’ club and the fields behind. Our mini fridge was re stocked daily and Neslihan did a great job of keeping the room clean.

The noisy side doesn’t mean that you are disturbed, it’s just where the activities are.

The pool is lovely and my daughter loved the slides and the foam party. Sunloungers went pretty fast in the morning but we were down pretty early so that was ok for us.

Cocktails are great and served in proper glasses unless you’re by the pool and the alcohol was named brands as well as local. We liked that you can get drinks in cans as well as on draft and there was always loads of bottles of water available. Nisa in the Sunset bar works so hard and her attention to detail with the drinks is brilliant.

Buffet food was great, always fresh and lots of variety, I particularly liked the Italian theme night. We ate in both à la cartes twice and really enjoyed our meals each time.

I went to the yoga classes every day and Angel is a great teacher. They were relaxing and calming and she always offered extra help to people when they needed it.

My daughter accessed kids’ club a couple of times as she was officially too old for it but went with a friend and her younger brother and had a good time when she was there. She also had her hair braided in the hairdresser’s downstairs, a big thank you to the lovely girl who did that for her.

As the title says, we had had great time and have already booked to come back but there were just a couple of things that we feel could be improved: The hotel is understaffed, particularly at the bars. The staff work extremely hard but we did have to queue at times. More seating is needed in the entertainment area in the evening. We’d love to see more activities for older kids - my 10 year old was too old for the kids’ club and there only seemed to be a couple of sessions of darts and some table tennis on offer. In her words ‘more craft or a hair and beauty club, something like that’. The booking system for the à la cartes is odd. I don’t understand how I can send a what’s app at 9am exactly and be told that the restaurant is fully booked. There must be a more efficient way to do this but I do wonder if it’s because of the above mentioned understaffing.

This review is based entirely on our genuine experience after spending a week at Barut Goia in Side, Turkey. We had a truly fantastic family holiday and wanted to share our experience to help others who may be considering booking.

After reading so many glowing reviews before our holiday, I had very high expectations of the hotel. I’m pleased to say that those expectations were completely met. Everything people had praised in their reviews turned out to be true, and Barut Goia really did live up to its outstanding reputation.

We travelled with our three children, including our nine-month-old baby, and I honestly couldn’t fault the hotel.

The bedrooms were beautiful, incredibly spacious, and decorated to a very high standard. Everything felt modern, stylish, and comfortable.

The food was outstanding, with an excellent variety for both adults and children. Travelling with a baby can sometimes be challenging when it comes to mealtimes, but there was always something suitable for our nine-month-old to eat. The hotel also had a dedicated baby food area with a blender and jars of baby food available if needed, which was a lovely touch and much appreciated.

Every member of staff we encountered was friendly, polite, and always happy to help. Nothing ever seemed too much trouble, and their warm, welcoming attitude really made our stay even more enjoyable.

The hotel grounds were immaculate. The gardens were beautifully maintained, the pool area was spotlessly clean, and the pools themselves were pristine. Despite the hotel being busy, the pool area never felt overcrowded, making it a lovely place to relax.

The location was also excellent. Side Old Town was only around a five-minute taxi ride away, making it easy to visit for shopping, sightseeing, and restaurants. There isn’t a huge amount immediately outside the hotel, but there are places like Burger King and McDonald’s within a flat 10–15 minute walk if you fancy a change.

The only small downside for us was the evening entertainment. It didn’t begin until 9:15 pm, which was a little late when travelling with a baby. As the entertainment was held indoors, it was also difficult to find a seat unless you arrived well in advance, so we didn’t get to watch many of the shows.

Overall, this was a fabulous holiday, and we felt the hotel offered excellent value for money. We would 100% recommend Barut Goia to families and would happily return in the future.

Thank you to everyone at Barut Goia for helping us create such wonderful family memories.

With gratitude,

The Shad Family

Very highly recommended. Food, location, rooms, entertainment, drinks and staff were amazing. Big thankyou to the Yoga instructor