Club Aida Apartments

Myself, my husband and 2 kids aged 11 and 6 arrived back 3 days ago from an amazing holiday in Marmaris at the Club Aida Apartments. There is so much to say that I don't know where to start! I'll go from the beginning: We travelled with Thompson from Doncaster Airport to stay at Club Aida. The flight was on time and the plane was clean and comfortable. It was a bit of a pain having to queue for ages at Dalaman Airport to pay the £10.00 each visa fee. The Rep that met us at the Airport was nice and the coach lovely and cool (you could buy cheap cold drinks on the coach which was great). The coach journey is a long one to Marmaris (about 1 hour 45 mins) but the scenery is beautiful. We arrived at Club Aida and were met by friendly and efficient staff. It is a modern and clean complex, the bar food is lovely and staff polite and helpful. The rooms are bright and very clean, the maid was an absolute hero, she went that extra mile every time she cleaned our room. The pool area was very clean with plenty of sun beds. Club Aida will not let the towel tyrants reserve sun beds before 8 AM which made things much fairer. We did not stay at Club Aida in the evenings to watch the entertainment but I heard people talking about how good it was (warning they have 2 Snake Shows a week so one to avoid if you are not a fan of all things slithery). We only spent 1 full day around the pool and found that there were lots of things happening. Every day we chose to go on the beach in front of the Maris Beach Hotels 'Venus Beach Restaurant. The sun beds are free; you are expected to buy a drink from the bar (it is the same across the beaches in Marmaris). The guys who work at the Venus beach are FABULOUS! They made us feel so welcome. They could not do enough to ensure that we had enough sun beds and shade. They offer a full waiter service on the beach. These lads do not make mistakes or forget you. They make a real effort to know your names, when you return there you are treat like old friends. Every member of staff was lovely. I am sad that I struggled with some of their names due to the language barrier but can remember one (my little boy is still talking about him). We ate there every lunch time and found it reasonably priced. As for the food.........well, we ate there every lunch time! Venus Beach has a makeover for the evening and becomes a lovely candle lit bistro serving a lovely selection of food. The waiters there are on fire in the evening charming everyone and even doing a bit of dancing. What more can I say Venus Beach and its lovely guys made our holiday! Marmaris itself (we were just outside the old town bit) rocks on an evening. Don't get me wrong we are NOT talking stag dos and brits abroad downing 2 4 1's. Every bar or restaurant has something happening, it could be a belly dancer, waiters doing the Macarana or even a break dancing robot. Whichever bar or eatery you go into you will receive a warm welcome and friendly service. We found the best music bar was Barran Karaoke and Disco. There is this great guy called (probably the best dancer in Marmaris) on front of house and will have you seated, laughing and a drink in your hand within minutes. It is a real family venue, as with everywhere, the kids are made a real fuss of. I felt very safe in this resort even though it is bustling. It is clean throughout the resort and beach. The weather was hot hot hot and the sea calm and great for swimming. I would recommend Marmaris 100% I would return to the Club Aida but this time I would remember to take antiseptic and a pack of plasters my daughter cut her foot by the pool so I asked the Receptionist if she had a plaster and antiseptic cream. She suggested that I take my daughter to the onsite nurse. I did and she made a lovely job of wiping the cut and putting a plaster on she then told me it cost me 10 Lira - £5.00!! Also, as we checked out, the Receptionist asked if there had been any breakages in the apartment. I told her we had dropped a dish onto a glass in the sink (they had checked anyway). She politely told me that I would have to pay for the damage which I was happy to do until she asked for 20 Lira ( £10). I explained that in England you can purchase a glass and dish for about £3 and asked to see the receipt to show how much Club Aida had paid for them. The Receptionist appeared \flustered and then said 'ok, you can pay £5 '......one to watch Thomson! We would go back to Club Aida and we will definitely return to Marmaris........the best holiday ever!