Side, Arum Hotel & Apartments Review

Good Points
5* Service all the way, great food, great staff, clean and comfortable with plenty of room to relax and chill.

Bad Points
12 O'clock checkout means if you have an early morning flight, changing in the toilets is not the 5* way to end a holiday, temporary rooms can be hired for £40 up to 6 O'clock only, which is no good if you have a 6am flight.

General Comments
This was our second stay at the Arum Hotel in Turkey, our first being in 2002, and it was like coming home. Everything you have read in previous reviews about this hotel is true.



The Arum is a great hotel in which to relax. The card system means you have no need to carry cash, which eliminates the problem of how much to tip. You can pay your bill or get a statement at any time during your stay from reception, and if you pay in cash you receive a 7% discount. The grounds are spacious and beautifully maintained with plenty of sun beds around the two main pools and private beach, although some of the guests still insist on getting up in the middle of the night to place towels on their chosen spot.



Arum is a German owned hotel so German is the first language spoken here, but most of the staff have a good understanding of English. The waiters are very friendly, and nothing is too much trouble. The Animation Team provide plenty of entertainment during the day with activities such as volleyball, water polo, darts, aerobics and even bingo, they also have a kids club for 12's and under which seemed very popular. Every day at 5.30 there is a happy hour (buy 1 get 1 free), and in the evening a free show at the amphitheatre or disco, which is geared mainly for the German guests with dancing and elaborate costumes. I would strongly recommend you see the "folklore" show which is put on by an outside group. Every show is followed by the second happy hour in the disco.



The food is of a very high standard with plenty to choose from, and you can eat as much as you want (although I would not recommend it, unless you want to buy a complete new wardrobe). We had water with our evening meal as the wine was overpriced for the quality, followed by coffee at the show, and drinks at happy hour, the perfect and most economical way to spend an evening.



As previous reviews have said, prices here are very high compared to other Turkish resorts, but we found that drinks outside the hotel were not much cheaper, especially if you take advantage of happy hour, but if you do go outside I would strongly recommend Linda's Bar for great music and dancing. If you stick to just 1 bar throughout your stay you will find that by the end of your visit you are treated like royalty. We received plenty of free drinks and snacks, and were even able to reserve tables for the following evening, which when we arrived were covered in flowers and decorations.



Side is a pleasant little town full of shops bars and restaurants, which can easily be explored in the morning. The goods in all the shops (including jewellers) are not priced, which means if you are interested in buying something you have to ask. Be prepared to haggle, otherwise you will be better off in the hotel shops. Never pay the asking price, and don't be afraid to walk away as they will soon come after you if the price can be lowered. A calculator with an exchange rate option will help you secure a bargain.



Take a Dolmus to travel locally. For only 65p you can visit Manavgat market on Thursdays. I would recommend this to buy Jeans, T Shirts and Leather Goods at the best prices locally, but as in most cases you get what you pay for, don't buy the cheapest (4 for £10) T Shirts unless you want them for dusters after a couple of washes.



On previous holidays we have always booked our own excursions using local tour companies to save money, however this time we failed miserably, we used Island Touristic who managed to send us on the wrong tour, left us stranded 50 miles from the hotel, and overcharged us. I would recommend you use your travel company for all excursions in this resort to save time and money, even trips to Antalya and Alanya by bus were dearer than with Thompson.