Balkaya Hotel Reviews

You get what you pat for i guess we paid bad money got a bad hotel ...

After I had booked this hotel on a late I then looked at HU the reviews were mixed and nothing recent so I was a little cautious However the rooms were clean and bright the staff were very friendley and the food was also good. there is a walk either into Hisaronu or to get a dolmus which did'nt bother us but it was quiet at night. If you want a peaceful value for money holiday It is fine

rooms allocated on arrival damp dirty
on arrival late in night could get no food
food was poor standard
went all inclusive no snacks nothing for children to eat if you took them
no apology off staff or manager
no cushions available for sun beds
al inclusives drinks ended prompt at 11pm
you could not get more than one drink each bar manager going round checking your table if you had more than one drink he went mad

stayed eventually in rooms above reception staff playing snooker all night noise was terrible also playing music staff
had to ring down as other guest up all night noise nothing done chickens walking through dining area all the time faeces from them on floor food was cold
i could go on a big factor also was staff spoke little english

On arrival the H4U reps do not speak good english, roads where just rubble.
when we got to the hotel it looked very nice and the staff were friendly.
we had booked TWO rooms but never got them.we asked for extra pillows, never got them. we asked for another put you up bed as the one my youngest child had was very uncomfortable, but was told there was not one spare, so for the two weeks she had to sleep on the floor on a mattress.

The food was awful unless you like chicken,rice and chips every day for lunch and dinner,and eat off side plates.
the all inclusive package was to the minimum and the most dissapointing.
the music around the pool was very loud and guests were allowed glasses in the pool, WHEN they got broken nobody seemed to bother about checking pool.
the pool table was lobsided,the table tennis table was broken, there was no darts, no childrens play area as stated.
the smell of the drains by the dining table's were very pungent.
the entertainment was none existent.

ovacik itself was lovely and we found some nice places to eat out and the taxis are cheap enough to go to hisoranu, which is really lively with lots of good bars and restraunts, if you like good music go to effies bar at the end of town,excellent.and most of the shops have bargains as good as the markets and a lot cooler,if you go tothe market go early morning as it is absolutely roasting.

you must go for a turkish bath highly recommended, but dont go to the gold centre unless you want to be ripped off.
the lagoon in olu deniz is stunning and all the beaches which ever you choose down there are really pretty.

i would deffinately go back to turkey, ovacik, but never to this hotel and certainly not with H4U. i know that turkey is laid back and basic but this hotel was supposed to be a 4 rating in our opinion it was more like a 2,the average age of the staff was 17, and it really wasn't a family hotel more like 18-30.

This was our first visit to Turkey. T

he people are lovely. We have two daughters and had heard all sorts of horror stories with regard to the men and their attitude. This was not the case at all.

We visited the market on Tuesdays at Fethiye for lots of haggling though we went on our own steam via a taxi not on an arranged trip. We felt very safe and secure and wandered of an evening with no worries.

The beach at Ovacik is the most beautiful I have ever experienced. Forget your lines of sun beds and brollies here! There are plenty of sun beds and brollies but in little coves amongst the pines just off the lovely white sandy beach. .Hisaronu is the busy end of the resort and all the pubs clubs shops and restaurants are here. We found cocktails expensive (around 30 Million for 4 drinks)but the food very reasonable. Especially as we were all inclusive and had little variation from chicken, rice and chips there! We were a little dismayed when we first arrived as Ovacik is pretty much in the middle of no where or at least that is the first impression. The cockerels and goats highlight the mountainous region though once we settled in we soon appreciated not being in the middle of Hisaronu.

We visited Dalyan for the boat cruise and had a mud bath which ranks as one of the strangest things we have ever done, but definitely one of the most memorable! We also had a Turkish bath and my other half had several Turkish shaves which meant he only shaved five times during our 2 week stay instead of every day - just beware of the fire!

We really enjoyed our holiday though if we were to go to Turkey again we would go up a star rating as the 3* Balkaya was not what you would call luxurious! Quite small rooms and basic with a very small balcony with just a table and a wet room bathroom that doesn't drain very well. The electricity supply in this reagion is also intermitent and look out for the mosquito spraying!

We booked our 2-week holiday the week before we went and got a great deal, even cheaper than other self-catering holidays we had seen. It was our first time to Turkey and had no idea what to expect and we would definitely go back (although earlier in the season as we are both fair skinned!) Ovacik is in a great location as, although it is still very hot, it is much cooler than it's neighbours Hisaronu, Olu Deniz and Fethiye (you could feel the difference instantly) and this made for a much more comfortable holiday.

The Hotel was basic but had everything you needed. Don't go expecting 5 star luxury, it is a typical Turkish hotel and is similar to what you would find in Greece. Low rise building, small-ish bedrooms, lovely pool and very clean and friendly. The pool is definitely a great asset to the hotel and so are the staff, who made our holiday complete.

Last year the hotel was bed and breakfast and I don't think they expected changing to all-inclusive would demand as many changes as it did. We were some of the first holiday-makers to experience their all-inclusive,so we felt a bit like guineapigs at times. However as we got such a great deal we were more than happy! It seemed the hotel/staff were learning as they went along and so any comments were welcome and immediate action was taken. At first we mentioned about the food (which is cold mezze style salads and the hot food was seperate) not being on coolers or covered from wasps. A couple of days later brand new coolers had being bought-talk about swift action! We welcomed the food at the hotel as we got to try out Turkish food and loved it! It really gave us a chance to experience Turkey. However if you are a fussy eater and don't want to stray too far from egg and chips I wouldn't recommend the food to you. The hotel was swift to try and cater for your fussy eaters and chicken and chips became more of an occurance! We predict by next year the all-inclusive menu will be much more varied as we could see changes made everyday to suit their customers.

We went on 2 different day trips while we were there, which we booked from places in Hisaronu (much much cheaper than the reps). We went on the Dalyan trip and lounged in the mud baths and this trip was fantastic! we booked this through a place called Focus and they were great!
We also went on the 12 Island boat trip which was ok for the money (£6 per person) but the expression 'herded like cattle' comes to mind.

All in all we had a fantastic holiday and will definitely go back to Turkey!