Orka World Hotel and Aqua Park

Orka World Hotel Review – Two-Week Stay in the Annexe

We have just returned from a two-week stay at Orka World Hotel, staying in the annexe building on the top floor in room 7301. Overall, we had a pleasant enough holiday and the kids loved it, but there are quite a few areas that need improvement, especially considering the price we paid.

We previously stayed here before COVID, and unfortunately, we haven’t seen any positive changes since then. If anything, some aspects feel slightly worse than before.

The Annexe Rooms

The room itself was spacious, with a large double bed and two single beds. For some reason, a baby cot was also left in the room for the entire two weeks, despite not being needed. On the positive side, the beds were very comfortable, we had satellite TV, and the room was cleaned daily. The cleaners were always friendly and did a good job.

However, there were some significant maintenance issues.

The balconies are a particular concern. The materials and construction feel flimsy, with loose aluminium sections and heavy glass panels. This is especially worrying when travelling with children and, in our opinion, presents a potential safety hazard that needs to be addressed.

The shower door also appeared to be hanging off. Given that it is a very heavy, all-glass door, this is another safety concern that should not be overlooked.

The room safe didn’t work either. We reported the problem, but it still wouldn’t lock, leaving us unable to use it properly.

Staff and Annexe Facilities

The staff around the annexe were consistently polite and friendly, which was appreciated. The lady working in the annexe kitchen deserves a special mention. She was great, and whatever you ordered was freshly cooked and ready in around 10 minutes.

The annexe pool was generally okay, although there appeared to be a build-up of dirt and dead insects at one end. Some of the pool ladders and steps were also very loose and need attention.

There was also a broken slab by the annexe bar that remained unrepaired throughout our entire two-week stay. This is not just an issue of appearance or general maintenance, but also a potential trip hazard for guests, particularly children running around the pool and bar area. It is concerning that something that could pose a risk to guest safety was left unattended for the duration of our stay. It shouldn’t be a particularly difficult or expensive job to fix, yet it was still broken when we left. It’s another example of the lack of attention to basic maintenance around the hotel, especially when guest safety should be a priority.

The annexe bar could also benefit from closing at the same time as the rest of the hotel facilities in the evening. This would give guests who prefer a quieter, more relaxed night the chance to enjoy their stay without the noise continuing around them.

Another useful improvement would be to offer a small selection of pastries in the morning at the annexe. Having to walk all the way up to the main restaurant several times a day soon becomes a chore, particularly when staying for two weeks.

The Pools and Entertainment

The main snack bar and lower pool area regularly had loud music and entertainment. While this will appeal to some guests, it wasn’t always the best environment for families who wanted to relax.

The split-level layout also seemed to encourage some parents to let their children roam around largely unsupervised while they stayed by the bar, occasionally checking on them from a distance. During our stay, we witnessed one child pull down his shorts and urinate in the pool while his parents were nowhere to be seen.

We also experienced occasions when other children picked up our children’s toys and treated them however they wanted. To be fair, there were also plenty of considerate parents whose children happily shared toys and put them back afterwards, so this wasn’t everyone’s attitude.

For us, the upper pool near reception was a much better option for families. It was quieter, with no music, and had a more relaxed atmosphere. It suited us far better than the lower pool area.

The indoor pool was advertised as heated, but during our visit it certainly didn’t feel that way. This was disappointing, as a genuinely heated indoor pool would have been ideal on rainy or overcast days.

The children’s evening entertainment could also do with more variety. It seemed to be the same songs and dances repeatedly, and a little more creativity and variation would make a big difference for families staying for a week or two.

Food and Drink

The food was typical buffet fare. There was generally something you could find to eat, but nothing particularly memorable or impressive. The desserts were especially disappointing, as many seemed to taste predominantly sweet without much individual flavour.

It wasn’t a case of having nothing to eat, but for the price of the holiday, we expected a little more quality and variety.

The Free Water Park – Is It Really Free?

The so-called “free” water park was one of our biggest disappointments.

Yes, transport and entry are included, but once you’re inside, the prices are ridiculous. A can of Coke was almost £5, a slushy was £5, and chips were, you guessed it, £5!

Bags are searched on entry, meaning you cannot take your own water in. This makes the whole experience feel like an opportunity to squeeze as much money as possible out of hotel guests.

We worked out that it could actually be cheaper to get a taxi back to the hotel, have lunch there, and then pay for another taxi back to the water park.

We took the children a second time, but on that occasion we had lunch at the hotel first and walked to and from the park. Only on our second visit was a 10% discount for hotel guests introduced.

In our opinion, 10% is nowhere near enough to make the experience reasonably priced. Had there been a substantial discount, perhaps 50%, we would probably have visited five to seven times during our stay. Instead, the prices made us think twice about going back.

Calling the water park “free” is technically correct when it comes to transport and entry, but it doesn’t reflect the overall cost of spending a day there.

The Local Area – A Far Cry from the Old Hisarönü and Ovacık

This is perhaps the most disappointing part of the holiday for us.

Having visited the area for around 20 years, we have seen a huge change. If you’re used to the old Hisarönü and Ovacık, the area today is a far cry from what it once was.

It no longer has the same family feel that originally made us love it. It increasingly feels as though it’s trying to become a party destination, and an expensive one at that.

Sadly, after 20 years of visiting and loving this area, we have decided that this will be our last visit. It’s difficult to say that about somewhere that has been such a big part of our holidays over the years, but it simply isn’t what we once loved.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we had an okay holiday, and the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves, which is ultimately what matters. The friendly staff, comfortable beds and freshly cooked food in the annexe kitchen were definite positives.

However, the maintenance and safety concerns, the non-functioning room safe, the disappointing indoor pool temperature, the repetitive entertainment and the cost of the water park all detracted from the experience.

There are some straightforward improvements that could make a real difference, particularly addressing the loose balcony fittings, the heavy shower door, the broken slab by the annexe bar, the loose pool ladders and railings, and the cleanliness of the annexe pool.

For the price we paid, we genuinely feel we could have stayed in several better hotels.

It’s a shame, because we wanted to love our return visit as much as we did before COVID. Unfortunately, neither the hotel nor the surrounding area lived up to our previous experiences.

A perfectly adequate holiday, and the kids had a great time, but not the standard or value for money we expected.

Spa was amazing, lovely experience with my daughter with we even got pictures to keep of our Turkish bath. Friendly service at the desk from Eddie. Sindia and Tari did our treatments and were very good.

Eddy was amazing at booking our couples mix spa we got in strait away beginging with a sauna followed by a turkish bath, this was such a relaxing experiance we will 100% be returning