Wind of Lara Hotel and Spa

I have just returned from a week's stay here with my young family and, after much concern following recent guest comments, I needn't have worried as the majority of things about our stay were great!

There is plenty to do to keep everyone occupied, including activities by the pool side and again during the evening at the amphitheatre with something different every night. The hotel offers a shuttle bus service to the beach which is no longer than 10minute ride. The beach itself is beautiful and there was plenty of food, drink and shelter from the sun available.

Our room was cleaned daily, bins emptied and beds made up however, there were slight imperfections to certain areas of our room that made it feel more 4* than 5*. The shower was a little mouldy, a couple of stains noted on the curtains and some of the furniture was chipped and scratched, nevertheless, this didn't affect the quality of our stay.

Most of the staff we encountered were friendly, polite and happy to chat whereas some appeared less so, but that may have been due to the language barrier and the temperatures that they were working in.

Some of the public spaces e.g. toilets and spa showers were a little untidy at times however, this, in my opinion, is not down to the lack of cleaning taking place, but more down to the people who are using these spaces!

Our return flights to the UK were delayed by 12hours and we tried on a couple of occasions to extend our check-out time, however, we were eventually told that this would not be possible. We were, however, kindly allowed to continue using the hotel facilities (including food and showering facilities in the spa) until we were eventually collected to go to the airport.

Overall, we had a pleasant stay and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others.

Really nice hotel. A lot of things that could make it a five star hotel but despite the rating we feel it’s more of a four star stay. This was our second visit as we came last year- lots of improvements noticed: Waitress service around the pool on rollerblades-this girl is worth her weight in gold and the hotel should be proud of her, friendly and attentive and great service. More rep interaction this year which was nice- they came out every day around the pool to say good morning and entertained with dancing and activities throughout the day- they weren’t pushy like in some other hotels. Food: Breakfast- lots of nice dishes on offer- freshly made scrambled egg and omelette, yoghurts, pastries, make your own toasties, fruit. Lunch- repetitive but always find something to eat and if not Turkish pancakes available freshly made with your choice of filling. Again the lady doing these (and the scrambled eggs at breakfast) needs recognition for her hard work- she always had a smile on her face and worked long hours in the heat making lovely Turkish pancakes. Dinner- outside bbq and fresh pasta dishes. Always found something to eat and large variety of dishes also available inside restaurant also. Be prepared to queue but doesn’t take too long apart from the pasta queue. Turkish night was the best night. Very busy but very good food. Well organised and staff work very hard. The lady manager always looked busy and solved problems quickly and efficiently and was very friendly. Rooms- they are a good size but do need updating to make this a 5 star. Nice pool view. Slight drain smell occasionally in bathrooms but this was the same last year. Air con very good. Beds could do with softer mattresses- my son was uncomfortable and we asked for a topper or an alternative mattress 3 times but this was never resolved and he managed by using pillows to sleep on. Our bed was firm but ok. Mini bar has water, juice which will be occasionally topped up and efes beer (on the first day) some cokes or sprite would be a nice addition and have had this in other hotels. Beds are made up with a flannel blanket but we prefer sheets so got some from the store. Maids do a good job and tidy everyday with fresh towels. Spa- we had a scrub, bubble foam and 2 massages each which were great and well worth the money. The ladies were lovely and really looked after us. Again a credit to the hotel. Pool- great size, warms up well during the day as only 1.4m deep but fine to swim in first thing in the morning when cooler. Sunbeds are ok and no problem getting 4 together everyday. Towels available to use from the spa to save you taking your own. Great location to walk 5 minutes to the shops but not be on the main strip. Beach nice and good facilities down there. Easy to walk to or hop on the regular shuttle bus. We had a lovely family holiday for 9 nights and would be happy to stay again.