Parkim Ayaz Hotel

“A relaxing break at a lovely friendly hotel”

We flew back from Parkim Ayaz today. We booked this hotel on the recommendation of our daughter, who enjoyed a week there in April. We instantly felt like valued guests. The staff are all very friendly without being intrusive. It is clean. Our room did have a dated feel, but it was cleaned to ... more

We flew back from Parkim Ayaz today. We booked this hotel on the recommendation of our daughter, who enjoyed a week there in April. We instantly felt like valued guests. The staff are all very friendly without being intrusive. It is clean. Our room did have a dated feel, but it was cleaned to a high standard daily. The air con worked really well, which was essential as it was 35 degrees every day. We had a lovely balcony that overlooked one of the pools, and we had a view of the sea and bay, which we found lovely early in the morning and late evening. A kettle in the room would have been nice but wasnt a huge inconvenience as tea and coffee readily available both self service and served. We did stay largely near the slide pool due to it being just below our room. It felt clean and well cared for by the Parkim Ayaz team. We didnt explore the entertainment to a great extent, but there was something on every night that was enjoyed by families. We found the Ladybird Bar a great place to find some shade in the day and in the evening it had a chilled atmosphere for a later evening drink... it closes at midnight. We couldnt understand the negative reviews about the food on offer. The restaurant provided a fresh breakfast selection to suit all cultures and tastes. Likewise lunch and dinner. The yoghurts with fresh fruit were fantastic and a whole honeycomb where you can scrape off some honey for breakfast was something unusual. I haven't eaten such fresh salad at a 4*AI hotel. The authentic turkish dishes were very good, and there was plenty of choice for those who prefer a vegetarian option as well as those who enjoy their meat dishes. I had a whole sea bass and some of the whole Tuna cooked, there wasnt loads of fish but these two stood out. Turkish Night was fantastic food and the restaurant staff took grear pride in promoting and staffing this fantastic range of foods. The kebab selection was delicious! The baklava for dessert was something to look forward to and there lots of cakey, desserty things as well as lots of fresh fruit. The alcoholic drinks were typical all-inclusive but not the worst... you didn't really get too much of a buzz from the cocktails, but they were okay, and the bar staff were efficient, despite the hotel feeling full at times, we rarely had to queue. The beach feels part of the hotel, and although a shallow beach with coarse sand, there are plenty of beds and shady trees and shades. There are lots of water sports and a shallow swimming area. We did love sitting on the beach till the chairs were stacked with the warm wind washing over us and people watching. There were some noisy bars around the bay playing loud music which did get a bit annoying but Gumbet itself is geared to a lively time so it want utter peace and quiet its probably not for you. If you're scared of or dislike cats and dogs, this probably isnt the hotel for you, but we loved meeting the large but friendly beach dogs, and the hotel had loads of lovely cats and some kittens! As well as tortoises in the gardens. They all seemed looked after and happy, and loads of people were really enjoying their company. This is a hotel that has guests with a real mix of nationalities. Everyone enjoyed their holiday happily alongside each other. It made us smile to see families just being families and enjoying each others' company wherever they were from. Dont let the negative reviews put you off if you know what to expect from 4* AI, want good customer service and like animals. We had a lovely relaxing week here.

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