Selectum Colours Bodrum

This is my eighth stay at this hotel, and I really enjoy coming back. All of the staff are incredibly kind, friendly, and helpful throughout my stay.

The food is excellent, with a wide variety of international dishes served across five different restaurants. The rooms are cleaned every day and are always kept in good condition.

The beach is not overcrowded, and the sea is clean and enjoyable. The guest relations team is also very helpful and attentive. I would especially like to thank Mahmut from the Guest Relations team for his exceptional kindness, professionalism, and genuine willingness to help. He made our stay even more enjoyable and always made us feel valued as guests.

If I had to mention one negative point, it would be the Wi-Fi, which could be better. However, it was still acceptable overall.

I’m currently staying at the hotel with my wife and 18- and 17-year old children. I have to say I was concerned by some of the negative reviews of the hotel on Tripadvisor which I read after we’d paid our deposit. I feel compelled to post this review now rather than wait until our holiday is over as I simply can not correlate any of our experiences with so many of the negative comments from some of your previous guests. You can argue whether this is truly a 5 star hotel or not, but regardless, our experience here has been extremely positive from start to finish. Some entitled guests seem to expect there not to be a single blemish on the walls or floors, not a scrap of litter (who drops the litter by the way?! not the staff), and get upset when not absolutely every detail of their own very specific spoiled tastes is not met. This is a hotel catering to hundreds of guests from dozens of nationalities….some of them quite rude and ignorant of the attentive staff. It’s a miracle that the place is so well managed and neat and tidy and that the staff are not all miserable.

For what it’s worth here’s my own review…

Hotel- Really well designed with lots of different areas where you can either be in the thick of things or find almost complete peace. The 7/24 bar/restaurant is well worth a few visits at various times of the day. The views are amazing, it’s generally pretty quiet, the food and drinks are good, and there are a few residents cats/kittens that love to be stroked. The hotel is kept very well presented and clean and tidy given the number of guests. It’s worth bearing in mind that the complex is built on a steep slope so there are a lot of stairs all around the resort. Perhaps 120+ steps from the beach up to the pool. Even for a fairly fit person, in 35c heat, after a few trips it’s quite tiring. There are plenty of toilets dotted around that are kept fairly clean throughout the day. There is always a bar open somewhere for coffees, soft drinks, or if it’s your thing, alcohol in the morning.

Clientele- Mainly a mix of Turks, Russians, and Eastern Europeans. We are here the first 10 days of August and there aren’t so many Western/NW Europeans, perhaps 15% of the guests. As North/Western Europeans we felt a little out of place the first couple of days. We noticed early on that the majority of guests barely acknowledge the staff serving them or even bother with please and thank you. I’d say half the guests smoke, which, for someone from a country where smoking is fairly rare now and generally a bit taboo in public places, I found it one of the worst things to deal with at the hotel. We’d be lucky not to have someone smoking within a few metres of us anywhere around the pool or in the outside restaurants. It would be nice if there were some strict no smoking areas around half the pool and half the terraces of the restaurants. And the food waste is truly shocking. I’ll never understand why guests at an all inclusive buffet with endless supplies of food feel compelled to cover their table with far more food than they could ever possibly eat in one sitting and then leave half of it untouched.

Food- The choices are so varied that everyone, even fussy teenagers, are well catered for. A lot of the food in the main buffet, especially at breakfast, seems geared towards Eastern European, Russian and Turkish tastes but there really is enough choice to cater for all tastes. I took it as an opportunity to try some things I’d never even seen or heard of before. I recommend the Italian restaurant during the afternoon when you can visit it without using your 1 à la carte allocation. The options are limited but the pizzas, pasta dishes and fish and chips are excellent.

Entertainment- Whilst our kids are in their late teens it was very clear that the kids club is well organised and quite present. They have their own buildings with lots of facilities and dedicated kids club staff. The entertainments at the open air auditorium and on the beach at night are high quality. The entertainment crew are very visible and seem to love what they do and are not too pushy. There are lots of organised games throughout the day. You can not fault their enthusiasm. There is music around the pool from 10:00 until maybe 17:30. Mellow music in the mornings and a bit more dancy/upbeat and louder in the afternoon. Unless you really like peace and quiet around a pool it’s just the right balance and you can always choose to sit further away from the 2 main speakers that are on the bridge.

Pools- For the number of guests at the hotel in peak season you’d think the main pool would always be rammed but actually it was pretty quiet from 08:30 (officially opens at 09:00 but no one seems to mind if you get in at 08:30) until early afternoon. It’s only really busy around 14:00-17:00 but even then you’re not all on top of each other. If you want poolside loungers, especially if you’re a family of 4 or 5, you need to get down there by 8:30 absolute latest during peak season. Having said that there are always some free loungers dotted around that are set back from the pool even in the afternoon. For those without younger kids and if you’re in need of a break from the music at the main pool, the adult pool is a haven of peace and shade. You can’t escape the cigarette smoke but if you’re lucky you’ll be the only one down there. And it’s open for 12 hours a day, 07:00-19:00. When it gets too hot outside for us we have a dip in the indoor pool which is small but cool and hardly occupied.

Staff- Generally friendly but I get the feeling many of them are so used to rude, entitled tourists that you need to make a small effort to get them to smile and engage. I learnt a few basic Turkish words and with a good morning and a smile the staff were nearly always warm and friendly back….and they remember you for that too. They appreciate small gestures and the odd tip from time to time. At the Windmill Bar, Fatma is lovely. Give her a smile and a teşekkürler and she’ll beam back at you. My flip flop broke twice and both times the guest relations arranged for it to be repaired, no issues.

Beach- If you prefer to be by the beach than the pool all day then get there early to bag your loungers. Those with parasols seemed to be pretty much taken by 09:00 every day. The larger of the 2 piers is a great place to lie in a lounger around 17:00-19:00 where you can watch all the water sports and appreciate the amazing view. You can also jump and dive off the pier despite it supposedly not being allowed.

Gym- Don’t expect too much, but there’s enough there in the way of cardio and weights. Generally pretty quiet.

Gumbet- There’s not much to the town itself so for shops and nightlife you’re best taking the bus (50 Lira) or taxi (460 Lira fixed price from the hotel) to Bodrum. A taxi back, with a little negotiation, should be cheaper.

All in all a fantastic hotel, with friendly attentive staff and lots to do. Highly recommended.

Rihanna from the animation team at Selectum Colours Bodrum was one of the highlights of our holiday. From the moment we met her, she was friendly, welcoming, and full of positive energy. She has an amazing ability to get everyone involved in the activities without ever being pushy, making guests of all ages feel comfortable and included.

Whether it was the daytime pool games, sports activities, or the evening entertainment, Rihanna’s enthusiasm and professionalism really stood out. She always had a smile on her face, took the time to chat with guests, and made everyone feel like part of the fun.

Her passion for her job is obvious, and she played a huge part in creating such a fantastic atmosphere around the resort. If you’re staying at Selectum Colours Bodrum, be sure to join in with the activities Rihanna will make your holiday even more enjoyable. Thank you for helping create such wonderful memories. We can’t wait to come back!