Just returned from Gumbet and never thought I would say this

Jay Trip

2009-05-26 17:39:10

The hotel was the best I have stayed at in Turkey!

I wasnt looking forward to this holiday after reading comments about the area but had a fabulous holiday.
The Parkim Ayaz hotel is a great hotel and I have done a review if anyone is interested.
The guests were from UK,Turkey,Holland and Belguim,a perfect mix.Everyone was friendly and there was no queue jumping

It is now a 4 star hotel after refurbishment and I would go back tomorrow.
The staff are the best I have met in Turkey,nothing was a problem for them.
The 2 hotels are now one and they have large grounds which are filled with beautiful trees and plants.
There are 2 areas of decking under the palm trees that have 120 and 80 large bean bag cushions.Perfect for relaxing.
The food is fabulous and its the only hotel where I have stayed that there were 2 huge bowls of freshly picked strawberries every night!
I was surprised I didnt put on a lot of weight but as Slimming world recommend strawberries I certainly ate plenty.

We ate our lunch every day at the delightful Saray Zetas and had Lambachun every day.
Lambachun here was 2.50TL and was served with salad.Draught Efes was 3.50TL.
The bars are noisy and I am used to the music going of at 12 but luckily we heard no noise from our room.
There were plenty of quiet bars and restaurants.
The prices were reasonable and beer ranged from 2.50TL for draught to 4 for bottled.
We only managed a visit to Bodrum and Bitez which I was very disappointed in as it looked unkempt.Maybe the season hasnt got under way there yet.
The first 8 days were 30+ and didnt see a cloud.The last 3 days it rained on an evening but it was still warm.The other days it clouded over about 4pm which to me was a bonus.
The transfer hand over is farcical as its in a dark gravelled area.I would get a taxi the next time.
Our friends had difficulty getting there cases off the big coach on to the small one and were not offered any help.We saw large Thomson coaches going past the hotel and up bar street so I dont know why they insist on changing coaches.
I was hoping to go to Icmeler in October but this hotel may have changed my mind

We were allowed through Bodrum airport with bottled water but my friend flew our 2 days later and was told to leave it at check in.

Kedi Yavrusu

2009-05-26 18:04:34

Re: Just returned from Gumbet and never thought I would say this

I'm so glad you enjoyed your holiday and that Parkim Ayaz was good. Nice to see you went to Seray Zetas, it is very good there isn't it? I love their lahmacun too. So many people think that Gumbet is just all noisy bars and loud music but there is a lot more to it than that.

Jay Trip

2009-05-26 18:10:10

Re: Just returned from Gumbet and never thought I would say this

Hi Kedi,I have done my review and cant wait to go back.
I am hoping to persuade my hubby to hire a car next time so we can get out and about.
I was not looking forward to this holiday as you know but it went fine.
Our friends are in their 70s and also enjoyed it.They got a lovely surprise when their daughter and son-in -law arrived.
They were also impressed with the hotel and they were at the Hyatt Regency in Sharm in January and though the Parkim was excellent value for money.
I am now looking for my next holiday in Austria in July. :sun2

neknit

2009-05-27 08:50:36

Re: Just returned from Gumbet and never thought I would say this

One place I would love to go to.
Marg

sandra25

2009-05-27 08:57:50

Re: Just returned from Gumbet and never thought I would say this

So glad to read that post of yours jay trip as im off to the parkim ayaz in july, have read some reviews but they have been very mixed
Was just wondering though about currency, im in southern ireland and we have euro and we were planning on just taking euro to turkey with us, does anyone think this is a good idea or should we change it to turkish lira ? They dont stock it here in bank so it would have to be ordered
I would prefer to use euros as will then have rough idea on price of things
Thanks
sandra

Oh just 1 other thing have all the rooms been refurbished in parkim ayaz as on another post i read that only half had been done

Kedi Yavrusu

2009-05-27 09:03:32

Re: Just returned from Gumbet and never thought I would say this

You would be better of taking Euros than lira. You can then either change them into lira when you get thre or just spend euros.

Jay Trip

2009-05-27 15:21:38

Re: Just returned from Gumbet and never thought I would say this

Sandra,Our friends changed some Euros left over from a previous holiday and got 2.05TL for 1 euro.Wait until you get there as the rate here is not as good.There are ATMs just outside of the hotel and shops nearby than give a good rate without commission.
All the rooms at the hotel seem different.
We were in the Parkim side and our 1st room was beautiful and looked newly refurbished.We moved because of the large extractor fan nearby and the 2nd room didnt seem as modern.
Our friends were allocated one of the rooms in the next block but were facing a wall.This room looked smaller than ours with a lot of dark furniture.
They were offered 2 rooms at the very edge of the Parkim side near the tennis courts and these rooms didnt look as if they had been refurbished.They still had tiffany cloth lampshades and were also small.
They settled on a room in the Ayaz side which they were happy with.It had dark furniture but had a large balcony with a better table and chairs than we had.These rooms also have an enclosed shower cubicle whereas ours had a shower curtain.
It seems as they are refurbishing each room bit by bit.They are still fine and I didnt spend much time in my room.
If you arrive in the early hours, wait until the next morning before you unpack and if you are unhappy the staff are willing to let you change if they have spare rooms.
Only pay for 13 nights for the safe ,4 lira a night, as we paid for 14 nights despite having not used one the 1st night.
Its a fab hotel and better than the 4 and 5 star AIs I have stayed in in Turkey. :sun2

Northern

2009-05-28 16:59:04

Re: Just returned from Gumbet and never thought I would say this

Bit sad to see a report say Bitez looked unkept. Hope it is just because of early season, but its a jewel of a resort that should be maintained to a very high standard.

Jay Trip

2009-05-28 18:44:27

Re: Just returned from Gumbet and never thought I would say this

Northern,When I mentioned this to a local they said they didnt know why this has happened as it was voted the best village a couple of years ago.
There were some lovely sea front bars with colourful cushions to sit on but the whole resort looked deserted.It was on a Saturday we visited and there were a few locals on the beach at the far end with lots of dogs.
I have always wanted to go to the Manuela but the area to the right of the Temple bar,looking out to sea,was like a rubbish dump.
Shame really, but hopefully it is because the season hasnt got under way yet. :que

Kedi Yavrusu

2009-05-28 18:57:37

Re: Just returned from Gumbet and never thought I would say this

I don't undrestand why Bitez looked like that either, it isn't that early in the season, I have been there in April and it has looked good. I wonder what has been happening :que

Northern

2009-05-28 21:24:27

Re: Just returned from Gumbet and never thought I would say this

I seem to remember the area between the Manuela and the beachfront walkway looking a bit untidy 2 years ago at the end of the season, but more in terms of the standard of the beach at that point. What you are suggesting seems to be more of a worry though.

Its little things like this though that leave a lasting impression with tourists, and could damage potential visitors for the future.

Here's hoping Bitez council look to address this.

turkishvisitor

2009-05-29 12:34:52

Re: Just returned from Gumbet and never thought I would say this

Could it be because Bitez is on a decline as they've priced themselves out of the market!

Kedi Yavrusu

2009-05-29 12:41:24

Re: Just returned from Gumbet and never thought I would say this

I wouldn't think so