Mandarin Apartments

for self catering allowed us to make a cup of tea. There was no Kettle - no toaster - no cups, after complaining at reception we were eventually given a kettle and 2 cups.

The hotel staff were rude and surly, and did not seem to care about the guests in Self catering,although guests staying all inclusive at the hotel seem to be treat slightly better.

Location wise the Mandarin is good for Central Bodrum, althought Disbled gusts staying in SC accommodation may have access problems as there are very steep slopes, and steps to negotiate.

Don't be fooled by the smart appearance at reception . . . it\'s all downhill from there . . .

but the bar staff I found rude!

All inclusive and half board people were able to get food at bar but we was told to wait until later after sitting waiting 15minutes then getting my own drink then a further 15min before I asked if we could order some food, then to be told later, not now!

As for Bodrum I have not got a complaint. Had some lovely meals and the people are very friendly. Very central hotel 5min walk to the shops and beach.

they were very helpful and friendly.

Location is great if you go out the back gate through Sam The Man\'s bar its a 5 minute walk into the town and Sam\'s bar was great as it was 2 minutes from the room but not too noisey.

Also use the mini-market by Sam\'s to change your money it has the best rate and no commission charges don\'t use the hotel to change your money.

There is a larger supermarket by the bus station which we used to stock up on cereal fruit coffee fizz etc it was alot cheaper than the local shop.

The only entertainment at the hotel was a weekly held belly dancers night which we never saw.

Our first choice rep was really helpful too.

Overall a good basic apartment in a great location and would go back.

older self catering accomodation down the bottom. The newer rooms are subject to blasts of loud music well into the night from a hotel opposite and Jimmys bar.

The rooms however in the old part of the hotel where we stayed (self catering) are in the quiet part of the complex but past their sell by date with early 90\'s decor which was in poor condition. Decorated with grey painted architrave it makes the rooms a little dark. The doors and walls were filthy in parts. They suffer from noise of other guests in rooms above and to the side. The walls are thin and you can hear alot!

On arrival, we rejected our first room firstly because it was dark and really filthy and secondly because it overlooked an antiquated childrens slide area. If children played here they would be screaming and shouting literally 2 yards from our window and balcony which was ground floor.

The staff were very pleasant and accomodating and swapped our room for another couples room who\'s plane had not landed yet. I feel very sorry for them because the second room whilst still very dirty, was much better located overlooking the pool. In fact probably the best positioned room.

The self catering facilities are very basic with a little two ring table top cooker. There is no microwave or oven. Having said that, eating out is so cheap, if you stay off the harbour area, that there is no need to cook at all. There is a small fridge and a TV which is no good really unless you can speak Turkish.

The bed was the most uncomfortable I have ever slept on and I wouldn\'t recommed this accomodation for more than the two of you because otherwise you would have to use the sofa beds and they are in a bad state.


I was disappointed with the quality of the bathroom area. The toilet was not stuck to the floor and would move when you sat on it. I am not a slim person but I am not huge either. I found using it difficult and anyone large in size would find it extremely difficult to sit on the toilet due to its close proximity to the wall. You wouldn\'t be able to move your elbows.

The bathroom door used to stick and you had to lift it to get it to open otherwise you were stuck with no way out. There is no bath just a cramped shower tray which was cracked with water that continually changed temperature from very hot to very cold. The floor flooded every time it was used because there was no solid screen, just a shower curtain which water bypassed at the bottom where it didn\'t meet the floor.

We were given a free voucher for a breakfast and evening meal to encourage use of the restaurant. After trying the turkish \'breakfast\' we didn\'t bother with the free evening meal because the food was appalling. We happily eat turkish breakfast elsewhere which we thoroughly enjoyed. We heard of many complaints regarding the food in the complex but there are so many nice cheap places to eat that I would not go to Bodrum and eat in the hotels anyway.

We also saw many people from the newer part of the hotel complaining about numerous things including some people who had been without electricity for a considerable length of time (days I suspect). I never found the illusive Jacussi. I found something in one of the pools which looked like it could be one but it didn\'t work.


The staff are extremely friendly and helpful and are clearly under pressure. I think they know there are problems here. I spoke to some locals who say that this complex has changed hands this year and that the new owner is trying to cut corners and do everything as cheap as possible and it shows.

Having said all this, the location of the hotel is really good and it is this that makes a good holiday. Everything from the harbour to the Dolmus buses are within 10 - 20 minutes walking distance. There are little mini - supermarket shops just outside which is very convenient. Don\'t bother changing your currency until you get here because the shop down the side alley offers a much better exchange rate than I got back home with no commission charge.

Depite the disappointment of the room I had a really good holiday. The pool is small but pleasant when the kids have finished. This complex has such great potential and lovely staff but spoilt by poor quality rooms and room cleaning. If they were to gut the rooms and start again this would be a superb comnplex. As it is I wouldn\'t go back to this accomodation. Shame.