Aria Claros Beach & Spa Resort – All Inclusive

The bungalow was clean throughout our stay, we always had fresh bottled water, and the view was nice. We even had a cat visit one evening, which made us happy since we love cats. A few ants got in, but with the balcony at ground level, that seemed normal enough. The beach is beautiful, and there were always free sunbeds even with lots of guests. There was a lot of seaweed in the water and on the sand, though, and I've seen public beaches kept better. The pools and slides were lovely, and my husband enjoyed them. The kids' pool was fun too. The first few days were great, and the hotel itself is very nice. But I gave it only three stars because I got seriously ill with what seemed like food poisoning. My husband and our two-year-old were fine, luckily, but I was so unwell I nearly fainted at the airport. I'd never experienced anything like it, and had to get an IV after landing back home. It's a shame, because the food was genuinely very good and there was plenty of choice. We also had problems with the golf carts. We waited several times and they never showed up. One driver went so fast that we nearly fell out, and I had to grab my baby. It was really stressful.

We had a good holiday overall, but we wouldn't return. The hotel is quite dated and needs repairs, with pool tiles coming loose. A few simple things would improve the rooms, like coffee machines, robes, and replacing the shower fittings. Our shower tray had turned yellow from use. The beach was lovely, the rooms were basic but clean, and they were cleaned daily with fresh towels. Our ten-year-old loved the kids' water park, and most staff were friendly, except the man in the gift shop. The location is very remote, though the airport journey wasn't awful, and the airport itself was nicer than Antalya, for example. There seemed to be a food poisoning problem. I've visited Turkey before without trouble, but my father, who is 60, my six-year-old, and I each spent a day vomiting and feeling awful. I could hear other people being sick in the toilets too. The food selection was huge, but I didn't rate it. The hotel doesn't have many British guests, which was fine for us, though the food seemed to reflect that. The alcohol wasn't good either, with beer that tasted watered down. Maybe that's because many guests are Muslim and don't drink. Because the resort is so large, things took a while. A golf buggy for our luggage was slow to arrive, and we had to call reception twice. There were several power cuts, and once the water wouldn't turn cold. Lots of flies bothered us while we ate, though the hotel did try to keep them away. Despite being advertised as all inclusive, the free ice cream was limited to two options from a box, served only from 2pm to 4pm. The hotel sits on a cliff, so getting around means tackling lots of stairs and slopes. Staff drove golf buggies too fast and were sometimes on their phones. A few times we had to pull the children out of their way. The kids' entertainment didn't start until 9pm, which felt late for little ones, and some rooms faced the entertainment area, so nights could be noisy.

The staff are the hotel's best feature. They're consistently polite, helpful, and accommodating. It's good value for a family trip, with a choice of food, clean toilets in plenty of places, 8-9 slides, two large pools, and a private beach. The water park is great, the food is good, and the hotel is clean. It has a five-star rating, but some areas look tired and could use a bit of care. It's not a luxury stay, though I'd definitely recommend it for families.

We were happy with the holiday because we hadn't come with high expectations. The price was reasonable and the location convenient. Food was average, but the staff were kind and did their best to meet our requests. There were activities throughout the day, plus bars serving drinks and snacks. We really enjoyed the water park and sandy beach. Thanks to the friendly team for their warm hospitality and great service.