I have stayed in many AI hotels both in Turkey and around the world and i can not understand the reviews i have read saying this resort has nice food..It was horrible none of our party of 5 adults enjoyed one meal there,yes it was varied but did not taste good any of it, sorry have to speak as i find.having said that it is a lovely hotel ,very clean and spacious.

Two drinks per wristband at all times, make sure you get them in before 11pm as there expensive to pay for.

rooms are nice , TV with two movie channels .true movies and movies for men plus a music channel.

Bathroom nice with lots of hot water.
Towels changed daily.

We took a last minute break to the Didim Beach for our first trip to Turkey with the intention of checking on Altinkum as we have a number of friends with apartments in town that have been offered to us for holidays.

The holiday got off to a poor start with long delays to our flight with SAGA airlines (Turkish, not the OAP company). On a weekly basis they combine a Manchester and Gatwick flight with the inevitable disasterous consequences. Finally arriving 4 hours late and after a 2 1/2 hour coach transfer, our first impression of the hotel was favourable, easily the best looking hotel in Altinkum. We were given a room in the new hotel building which looks as though it had escaped from a movie about ancient Rome , with all the statues and Roman pillars etc. The room was very small with virtually no wardrobe space but just about sufficed and on reflection I think we were better off than in the main hotel which would have been quite noisy.

The actual setting and grounds of the hotel were very pleasant. We decided not to try and get loungers around the main pool because they were just too close together. Instead we opted for a grassy area on the cliff above the beach which was perfect - quiet and uncrowded.

There was only one restaurant serving the hotel as far as we could see and the food was generally very poor. The best option seemed to be to get freshly cooked food from the speciality chefs who cooked out in the open BBQ areas. The choice was limited, but the quality was better - the baker who prepared fresh breads and pizzas was excellent. Salads were usually OK but the hot (lukewarm) buffet choices were poor. One memorable moment came when a chap on an adjacent table pushed his plate of 'meat roasting' to one side and said 'I can't eat that, it's pedigree chum'. Looking at it, one had to agree.
Special mention to the two Turkish ladies who cooked sweet and savoury pancakes out in a tent every afternoon, thet were delicious.
The all inclusive drinks stop at 11pm. Thereafter signs warn that you will be filmed so that your drinks can be added to your final bill. The beer was not very good. My wife who drinks gin and tonic was told repeatedly that the hotel had no tonic - in fact the story escalated to become a national shortage of tonic due to problems at the bottling plant. However the hotel opposite had tonic water available all the time. Needless to say she went the entire holiday without her favourite drink.

The evening entertainment that we saw was very poor indeed and poorly attended.

The hotel staff were quite helpful. We found that if you attempted a few words of Turkish they really warmed to you and went out of their way to help.

Our return trip was marred by an aggressive drunk on the coach, a 3 hour journey and a 7 hour delay to our homebound flight, once again thanks to SAGA.

Overall thoughts? No way a 5 star hotel (we were told the Turks can self-assess their star ratings). With a little bit of work the hotel could be very nice, but they certainly need to rethink the food. Would we go back? possibly, but with the knowledge that we would probably want to eat and drink out of the hotel.

We were put into the Ellegence hotel nxt door which was absolutely fab.We were given family room and had 2 plasma tvs 2 queen beds, the whole works.We ate in the didim beach, which was lovely.The hotel was very clean and new towels every day.There was a great selection of salads, veg, and main courses every day.there was also a little man that cooked fresh bread of different types every luch and dinner,which was superb.the snack bar was like most snack bars,burger and chips, but it did make a change from resturant food.There was something for everyone.
The hotel was about a 15-20min walk to Altinkum which has lots of shops,not hassle free,bars and a lovely beach.The hotel does have its own beach with a jetty and bar (not in the all-incl) but not a bad price.A beautiful setting withlots af parasols and sunbeds.
The hotel staff were quite friendly and we had no problem with them at all.There was entertainment if you wanted it in the ball room, not fantastic but ok.
Me and me mate will defo come here to this hotel again.Very clean,friendly people,not far to the town for bars and shopping.

This was the second time we have stayed here as we loved the one week the first time around.We love it there, the one small gripe was the all inc drinks, ending at 11 instead of 12 and the tiny plastic cups during the daytime.the food as always was excellent if a little repetetive after 2 weeks.the pool area now has decking so people and kids dont have to worry about slipping although we heard some people had splinters. We did have to et up pretty early for decent sunbeds as they were being hogged by people still in bed .this really is a first class hotel if you can forget the drinks rule and the cctv cameras everywhere, just book and enjoy.

The hotel is a 5* one, and is a beautiful place, with amazing views, and gorgeous private beach where NO-ONE hassles you or asks you about anything.
The rooms are good, and maid service excellant.
Food wise there are many different choices every night, and as it is buffet style, you can eat as much as you want.
The pool is very nice, though admitedly cold!
The staff are all very friendly too.
Easy to access other places, such as Apollo's temple, Ephesus, where Artimis' shrine is, one of the 7encient wonder's of the world.Plenty to see and do.
Would definately recommend anyone to go there; and cant wait to go back!

Before we went on this holiday we had read a lot of mixed reviews so were quite apprehensive about going, however we have just returned from a fab holiday. Please do not be put off by bad reviews - we loved it at the Didim Beach Resort.

The Hotel is clean and all looks very new - we were actually in the 'Elegance' Building which is new, and although not quite finished (they are yet to put in the bowling alley, shop, cinema etc) it is fab. However some rooms do not have a balcony or terrace so you may wish to request this if required. We did not and did miss having a balcony, if only to dry wet towels etc! The maid service was excellent.

The staff are lovely and most speak excellent English.

The facillities are brilliant. Both pools are great (although a bit cold!) and the Turkish Bath is a must.

The beach (called rather originally 'second beach')is nice although quite small. The third beach and First beach are both bigger. The 'Marina Bar' which is on the pontoon just off the second beach is very nice although not part of the hotel so you do have to pay.

The food is pretty good compared to other all inclusives we have visited. My partner is very fussy and there were always things to eat. The evening meals were very good, with chefs making things fresh outside as well as the usual buffet stuff. The guy that makes the fresh bread is a genius - the bread is fantastic, and do try the more Turkish inspired food - it really is very good.

Drinks are fine - soft drinks are all known brands, Beer is very nice and even wines OK. Spirits good but maybe watered down? They seemed a little weak. No problems with waiting ages for drinks and they do not enforce the one arm band - one drink rule.

There are signs saying you can't take food and drink to your room, although this is supposed to have been the case everywhere we visited. We never did anyway, but instead bought our own stuff and kept it in the fridge in the room which was no problem.

The Entertainment was actually the best we have seen abroad, The animation team is large with 11 people, all having various talents, and this is a great strength. It is obviously difficult to cater to so many nationalities but at Didim Beach they do it very well, and in a fab outdoor amphitheatre.

The location is also great. It is situated above the second beach and about a ten minute walk from the first beach and the centre of Altinkum. To get there, you go out of the fromt of the hotel, turn right and head towards 'Luna Park' the fair ground. Carry on paat here and if you go stright on down the hill towards the main you will be at the start of the main resort.

If you want to book any trips whilst you are there (Adaland and Ephesus are brilliant) don't book through your rep as they are expensive. Go instead to 'Oracle Travel' (out the front doors of the hotel and turn right as if heading for town. Oracle Travel and Maxi travel (not nearly as efficient) are siutaed there next door to the hotel.

All in all we loved the hotel and would definately go back and recommend it to others.

We found that the food was superb, lots to choose from. The baker was absolutely brilliant. The BBQ food was great too - overall no complaints.
We found the staff as helpful as they could be given the comunication barriers with some - albeit if they couldn't understand they got someone who could. Any request we made for issues with the room were resolved very quickly.
The evening entertainment was great for the kids, but limited throughout the day.
Transport into the local area is easy on the local mini-buses - every 5 mins outside the hotel, always friendly and helpful.
We agree with previous sun lounger comments. There is very limited shade, especially if you've got children. The only shade offered is by parasols around the pool and these are all taken by 09:00. You can get towels for free but there were times when these weren't delivered on time, so it's advisable to take a couple of spare ones.
The drinks were frequently replensihed (hot & cold)so never ran out, and the kids were able to go and help themselves with no problems.
There are pool tables, table tennis and some arcade games, but all extra.

THE GOOD: Lovely hotel, large clean rooms, nice pool area and nice view. The animation programme was very good and the animation team were all very nice and helpful.

The food was far from the best I've ever had but, nevertheless, it was adequate, although breakfasts (as I've found with most Turkish hotels) was poor and not worth the effort.

THE BAD: Too many rules. It was like being in boarding school with teachers telling you off all the time.

The all-inclusive drinks menu was very restrictive. There were no local spirits other than Vodka and Gin. Coffee machines in the restaurant were only switched on during breakfast and were off during lunch and dinner times. It was only possible to be served two drinks at a time and only one drink per person after 11.30pm.

Food and drink was not allowed to be taken to the room so if you wanted to take a tea/coffee to your room signs were displayed and informed you that you would be charged

Family with 2 kids - 12 & 5, Booked with On The Beach - Big mistake. Booked a Family Room that should have had a double bed and two singles in joining rooms, I even confirmed this when the paperwork arrived. Arrived and was taken to a standard room that had a double and a sofa bed in one room and a single in a small side room.

Went to reception, said I should read the small print but the agent, Med Hotels.com had booked a standard room, nothing I could do, had to pay

we went to didum beach in 2008 thought the staff a bit iffy but had a good time we r not a complaining gang and always think you hardly get home comforts when u r away we just go 4 the sun but on reading recent reports i am nervous cause we r going there again on 18 july going 2 make sure got plenty of upset tummy stuff