Have a question for anyone who's been or going to the Royal Wings Hotel in Lara Beach. My wife and I are going there at the end of August, with our 2 sons, (8,4). My youngest son is a Coeliac, (he requires a Gluten Free/Wheat Free diet). Can anyone tell me if the restaurants at the Hotel are able to accommodate his needs. Have found majority of places/staff overseas very helpful, although first time travelling to Turkey. Would be useful to know in advance.

PS. Any other useful info on the hotel would be appreciated, as well as cost of trips, what facilities you need to pay for outwith AI, water sports, health spa, turkish baths, etc.

Thanks AA.

Hi
Why not e-mail the hotel the e-mail address is below.
info@royalwingshotel.com
I have not stayed there but we did a tour of it a couple of years ago and it is a great hotel. I have e-mailed them because we were thinking of going and I got replies back quickly! I am sure your kids will not be wanting to move very far from the fantastic aqua park and fun fair!

Thanks Violet,

I have actually e-mailed the Hotel, but as yet, they haven't replied. I'll have another attempt though, as it may have got lost in the system.

Sounds as if the funfair and aquapark are as good as they look, which was one our main reasons for going there.

Thanks again.

We go at the end of June so will hopefully be able to answer any qeries you may have after then.

Thanks. Looking forward to hearing from you. Hope you have a great time and come back with lots of positives.

Cheers.

Hi,

17 sleeps to go, and if you think I'm bad enough you want to listen to the kids.

Anyone who's been, can you give me any tips please? I would like to know if you need beach towels here too please? With the 6 of us, it can save a whole case not packing them.

Have had a look at our reviews here but it doesn't mention towels I'm afraid. If anyone has been recently we would welcome reviews

Got back last night. Will do review when recovered a bit! Pool towels are provided. Any other questions?

Oh loads mehmeh,lol, looking forward to your review.

Dare I ask, was it ok?

Yes, it was fine. Not as good as Lykia World, but nothing ever is! The food and service were good. Our son loved the water slides, wave pool which is on for half an hour morning and evening - check signs for times or you'll miss it- and the lazy river which had no current, but had rowing dinghies on it! There were notices that there was a mini-club each morning and afternoon, but as we had no children, can't comment. However there was no children's show as done at LW and other AI hotels we have visited. There was no teens club. The funfair looked good and operated each afternoon and evening. The Italian a la carte was excellent and not full, so presumably not difficult to get booked in. Reservation of sunbeds not allowed before 9am and strictly enforced, which is brilliant!

Hi Mehmeh1, thanks for that.

Is there alot of choice with regard to food? Did you try any of the other restaurants, and do any, incuding the main one, have any tables outside?

Also what activities are there? Watersports and any prices you may have?

Have you any suggestions of what rooms to request, what floors?

Any other info greatly received.

Shame, I was rather hoping it may have been up there with Lykia

There is a lot of choice of food. The main restaurant has outside tables. The Chinese and Fish are outdoors. The Turkish and Italian indoors. The lunchtime snack bar is outdoors and is actually a waiter service restaurant and really good. Get there before one to get a table. All outdoors are under cover if you see what I mean! Shaded. Only went for a week and only tried the Italian. You can see the menus in reception before you book.

There is a watersports outfit on the beach offering the usual things, but afraid I didn't bring the price list home. Daytime animation offered boccia, darts, archery and aqua aerobics. Claimed to offer air gun shooting, which husband and son were keen to do, but apparently the guns were broken......... Try dive in pool. Ten minutes mini-disco in the evening at 8.30 in the amphitheatre, which seemed rather short to me. Evening shows at 9.30 in same place, of variable quality. Two comedy sketch shows in one week and one should definitely have been adults only in my opinion, so beware if you have children and are bothered by this. Ten pin bowling and a cinema. Showed us around the spa and that looked great and the treatment prices were not astronomical.

No point requesting anything for rooms. We had paid quite a lot extra for a seaview room and didn't get one. Were told hotel was full, so couldn't be moved and to lean over balcony looking right so could just glimpse the sea! This apparently constitutes a seaview to them!

Of course, Lykia wins every time with the beautiful setting, the excellent food and the wide range of activities. But we like to try new places. The Royal Wings certainly has the wow factor in its design and newness. The swimming pool is the biggest I have ever seen and beautifully designed, wandering through the grounds. Many nationalities there, but the biggest group was probably the British, maybe because it was half-term for us.

Thanks Mehmeh1, really helpful.

Am I right in thinking there is no charge for the other restaurants? And is ice-cream really available all day? you say there is a lot of choice, but is it good?

I hope there's enough for the kids to do, and I assumed that the slides would be open all day.

Mmm we encountered a couple of shows like that last year at Aqua Fantasy, I think the Turkish humour is a little off radar with ours!

I was rather hoping we would find somewhere that matched Lykia, looks like we wil have to really save for next year!!!
Have you any thoughts for 2011?

There is no charge for the first visit to each restaurant, after that it is 15 euros each.

Ice cream is not available all day, only at dinner in the main restaurant and from 1-3pm near the main pool. It is by the scoop in cones with a wide variety of flavours and is Walls judging by the logo though not the name.

I think it was a good choice of food, from the familiar like spag bol, pizza, chips, carvery to Turkish specialities. Most evenings had a theme like Mexican, Chinese or Italian. The desserts were great and equal to Lykia's.

The slides are open from 10-12 and 2.30-5.30. Oh yes, there are table tennis tables and pool tables, plus a small arcade near the bowling alley. Also free wi-fi in the lobby and most of that floor including the outside bar tables.

Still searching for inspiration for next year! There is always the new Lykia near Antalya now they seem to have got a Children's Paradise, but waiting for more info on this!

Anyway, I am sure you will have a great time - it is easy to find fault, but overall, it was excellent.

Thanks again mehmeh1

Do you book the specialiy restaurants the night before?

I gather then that apart from the pools there isn't too much for the kids during the day. Can you remeber if there was a football court at all?
Anyhting esle you can remember, I'd be really grateful to hear about. I keep searching all the sites looking for recent reviews which are mainly good, so fingers crossed we enjoy it. Really need this holiday, it's been a bad year for us worry wise.

Well, there is the funfair in the afternoon and also trampolines. Didn't notice football, but not sure - there may be. Beach volleyball and tennis courts, I remember. There is the kids club if they are under 12. Also the table tennis, snooker and bowling.

We booked the restaurant the day before - I think the sign said between 10 and 4, so I went at 10 to be on the safe side.

Hotel has gone up to no 1 on Trip Advisor, so it must be good! I think you just have to remember it is a hotel, not a holiday village, which is what Lykia is. I recall ellie-meg saying once you have been to Lykia, nowhere else lives up to it and I agree.

By the way, keep flip flops on at all times around pools. Very slippery. I sat down with a bump the first morning - ouch! There are mats near the slides, but not the main pool and they really should have them there too, but I suppose it would spoil the look! So be careful, because I certainly wasn't running!

We (my wife, 9yr old daughter and myself) are going to this hotel on the 12th July for 2 weeks and I have found this thread very useful so thank you mehmeh1. Its great when people come back and answer questions as all too often people ask questions and then when they return they don't log on and inform other users - so thanks again!!

I have 2 questions regarding the drinks on the all inclusive - Do they have bottles of lager or just draught? and do you know what imported drinks where included?

I also have 1 regarding the sunbeds - I have read that you cannot reserve these until after 9am which is great but did you notice if there where some available during the day or did they simply all get taken at 9am?

Thanks again,

Z

Thanks for the advice on the swimming pools mehmeh1.

Yes Lykia was something else, I'm waiting for the brochures and we're going to really try and manage it for next year, the kids still talk about it and it was 3 years ago now. We went to Aqua Fantasy last June and the aqua park there was fabulous and there were several pools with slides inside the hotel area. The kids really enjoyed it there too although the food wasn't anywhere near that at Lykia, it was still ok. in October we went to the Grand Azur in Marmaris which is H/B, really missed the FB or AI though. It was a good hotel but nothing there for the kids except one waterslide but we took advantage of being in a town and did several trips including turkish baths with the kids and horse riding in the mountains which were great. So all in all a good holiday, but very different to the others we have been to in Turkey.

I take on board what you say about the Royal Wings being a hotel and not a holiday village though, and as long as the kids can be kept occupied and the food is good we should be happy enough.

Can you tell me where you have lunch, is it in a restaurant? Also I have seen other hotels have popcorn for the kids, is there anything like that? And is there a beach bar and those lovely cushions to relax on?

What was the temperature of the pools, was it Ok for us nesh adults? I gather it is nice and hot out there now.

Thanks again for all your help.

zoso - the beer on draught was Efes, which made my husband happy and was better than Lykia where it is Tuborg. They also had bottles of two other types of Efes, possibly dark and light, but don't drink beer myself, so not sure. Husband tried them but preferred the draught Efes. I saw imported bottles eg Gordons gin, whiskies and Baileys on the shelves of the bar, but whether they were 'inclusive' or extra, afraid I don't know. I stuck to working my way down the cocktail list and white wine at dinner, which was very nice and better than white wine at other AI hotel in Side two years ago. It came from a proper bottle, not a barrel! Husband had the red and approved. Alsp drank the raki with ice, which is great.

Sunbeds around the waterslides all went early on, but there were still a few available around the main pool later on and on the beach. The beds by the slides and on the beach are not very nice ones; main pool ones more comfortable. None of the beds have padded mats on them. On the jetty, they have very nice foam mattresses with big cushions.

pamplemousse - I think you can have lunch in the main buffet restaurant, but we never did. We ate in the 'shore snack bar', down near the beach, which was waiter service with a salad bar. Did burgers, pasta, lamb on skewer, etc. There was a nomad's tent near it, which did pancake wraps and pizza. By the main pool, under the amphitheatre are kiosks doing various things. At lunchtime, they did kebabs. A bit later jacket potatoes (why not at lunchtime?) Here too was the lunchtime ice cream. Also fruit and in the afternoon, luscious waffles and pancakes with different sauces eg cherry or chocolate. Yum! From I think 4pm, there is the patisserie inside the hotel, doing lovely cakes and also filled rolls. You won't starve.......

Didn't notice any popcorn. There is a beach bar.

Pools pretty cold, but I did go in every day, so not TOO bad and should be improving. Sea temp was OK.

Think that's everything!