Karya Beach

I went to Karya Beach and thought it was a fantastic place to enjoy life. There’s not much more to say, it’s a nice spot to visit. Thanks.

My family and I were there from July 14th to 19th, and the experience was awful by hotel standards. We’d paid extra for a sea-view room, but on the first day they sent us to a guesthouse that looked nothing like the photos. They blamed a booking mistake and moved us the next day. We saw the same thing happen to other guests, and their problems weren’t fixed, which felt dishonest and completely unprofessional. The room cleaning wasn’t bad, but the guesthouse was dreadful. The restaurant was awful too, with unhygienic plates, forks, and spoons. Most of the staff seemed indifferent and discouraged, apart from a few. There’s an elderly woman at the hotel who I first mistook for someone from the animation team, but she’s actually the owner. I wouldn’t spend my money, time, or, most of all, my peace of mind here.

I spent my August 2015 holiday at this awful hotel, and even a year later, just hearing its name made my hair stand on end and got me angry. I lost 4 kilos in one week on the all-inclusive plan because the food was so bad I couldn’t eat it. The rooms weren’t cleaned. They changed the towels, though not every day in our room, and left new ones that were already yellow. We complained several times and got told they’d handle it, but nothing changed. Everything felt filthy. The elderly woman who owns the hotel sat in the garden every day, scolding staff and customers and talking constantly. I also saw her go into the sea in her clothes and empty her excretory system into the water. She cleaned her nose and phlegm there too; if she did anything else, may God forgive her. There was no professionalism. We wanted a refund and to leave, but they wouldn’t even acknowledge us. I’d rather sleep on the beach than stay there again. I definitely don’t recommend it.

The owners, an elderly couple, were around a lot during our last two days, and I found it uncomfortable. They approached guests to say they owned the hotel and would get into aimless conversations, telling stories about the past and how the land and hotel belonged to them. The woman stayed in the front room and sometimes called loudly to the poolside waiters to give orders. Of course they have a right to stay at their own hotel, and you respect their age, but after four days you just want to go on with your holiday. The staff, though, were attentive and friendly, and the place is quiet and boutique-style if that’s what you’re after. It isn’t one of the first hotels I’d think of for a Bodrum holiday. The food is weak: breakfast was very ordinary, without even kaşar cheese. Dinner menus felt careless, and if you didn’t want rice there was no pasta alternative. When they served pasta, it was made with tomato paste or tomatoes, so you couldn’t have it plain with sauce on the side. We didn’t get yogurt or ayran at all during our four nights. Drinks were limited too, with no juice or iced tea, just fizzy drinks. If you wanted vodka, you had to have it with cola, with no lemon juice or anything else to add. We stayed cheaply as a couple and aren’t fussy eaters, so I didn’t make a big deal of those food issues at the time. I thought, for that price, that’s what you get. Still, Karya Beach will stay in my mind as a place with bad food, and if food matters to me, I’ll rule it out easily. If I went again, I’d ask about the meals or bargain harder on the price. Otherwise, I’d try somewhere else.