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  • Turkey Holidays
  • Side
  • Arcanus Side Resort

Arcanus Side Resort

TripAdvisor Review
Turkey, Europe
Side

This hotel is located on a private sandy beach with a dock over the turquoise water of Mediterranean Sea. Side is 3 km away, with its amphitheatre and ancient city, and it is 5 km to Manavgat. Restaurants, shops, bars and nightclubs can be found in the touristic centre, around 4 km away, and the city centre is approximately 6 km from the hotel. There is a train station 25 m from the hotel.

Facilities

  • Wheelchair-accessible
  • Car park
  • 24-hour reception
  • Mobile phone coverage
  • Wired Internet
  • Wi-fi
  • Airport Shuttle*
  • Room service*
  • Laundry service*
  • Medical service*
  • *Some facilities may incur an additional fee

The Local Area

Tripadvisor Reviews

4.5 Excellent4,442 reviews
Trip Advisor
Excellent
80%
Very Good
12%
Average
5%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
TripAdvisor Review
Amazing

This was my first time on turkey and I came with my partner and we had the most amazing time. The food is very good and the entertainment team are amazing especially for the couple rainy days we had. One day we played darts with Burak and he was fantastic!

TripAdvisor Review
Amazing time

We had such an amazing time at Arcanus and so grateful for Altan, he made our trip and evenings here so much fun! He took time to get to know us, the most entertaining and fun persons we met! Thank you very much!

TripAdvisor Review
Excellent holiday at the Arcanus Sorgun

Amazing hotel with staff that match and a very well organised animation team, top marks to all of them including Burak, thanks to them all for their games and entertainment

Review by Barbara K Chesterfield, United Kingdom
TripAdvisor Review
Don’t recommend

I initially wanted to give this hotel a 3-star rating, but now I’m giving it 1 star. After 10 days of staying here, two adults developed severe food poisoning symptoms: fever up to 38.5°C (101.3°F), diarrhea, weakness, and nausea. Our two-year-old child also showed the first signs of stomach distress. My husband went to the reception to inform them, and their response was simply, "So what?". We still have to survive 3 more nights here somehow.

On neighboring sun loungers, two other children were also vomiting during their stay at this hotel.

A month ago, someone else posted a review stating their children caught Salmonella and Rotavirus here. There is definitely something wrong with the food in this place. This hotel is nowhere near 5 stars.

Cons:

  • Smoking everywhere! Especially on the beach, making it impossible to breathe. The same goes for the show and disco areas. In the morning, you want to open the balcony to breathe fresh sea air, but instead, you inhale cigarette smoke.
  • Boring! Very little entertainment. If you want to have fun, you need to look for another hotel.
  • The mini disco is way too late: It runs from 20:30 to 21:00. It would be much better earlier, around 19:30–20:00, so a child can calm down after loud music and bright lights.
  • Boredom after dinner: If you dine at 18:30, there is absolutely nothing to do until adult entertainment starts at 21:00. No music is playing anywhere, including the main lobby bar. Dead silence.
  • Lack of nightlife: Virtually no discos, dance performances, or karaoke. I think many people would prefer to just dance and relax.
  • Unfriendly staff: Reviews mention friendly personnel, but in reality, few people smile. The girls in the coffee shop might not even greet you, especially if you are a woman entering alone. Conversely, if a man enters, flirtation starts immediately. It’s very unpleasant when your greeting and thanks for the coffee are ignored, or they turn their back on you completely.
  • Terrible coffee: Machine coffee in the main restaurant is completely awful, and the coffee shop coffee tastes burnt, like at the worst Starbucks.
  • Dirty Kids' Club: A great idea, but many toys are very dirty, especially the LEGO. It’s unpleasant to touch; dirt is literally caked on. I'm convinced it's never sanitized, or maybe done only at the very beginning of the season.
  • Subpar food: The scrambled eggs are tasteless—I don't know how you can ruin eggs with milk, but you have to add something on top just to swallow it. Same with the oatmeal—the only porridge for breakfast—it tastes terrible, as if flour was dumped into it. Oatmeal with milk shouldn't taste like that. Sometimes there is tasty meat at dinner (turkey, beef). Breakfasts are very poor. Fish often has tiny bones, and red fish (trout) was served only twice in 10 days.
  • Unhealthy kids' menu: Nuggets, plain pasta, sugary yogurts, greasy deep-fried patties. Not healthy food at all.
  • Housekeeping issues: Sometimes they don't vacuum, so the floor remains covered in sand. They forget to replenish the minibar and leave a large bottle of water. They might forget to replace some towels. Our child slightly wet the bed; I left a tip to ensure everything was cleaned and changed, but the bed was left wet.
  • Loud music: If your room faces the sea, you will hear loud music until 22:30. However, this didn't bother us much.
  • Watch out in the hotel shop: Too many items packed into a tight space. Our child accidentally fell onto some toys sitting on the floor and "supposedly" broke one, forcing us to buy it for €10. We are still not sure our child actually broke it—a very unpleasant incident.
  • Worn beach towels: Periodically, you get towels that are threadbare and practically worn through to holes.
  • Private Pavilions (€75/day): You get private loungers and service with champagne, fruit, chips, nut mix (in reality mostly chickpeas and corn with a few cashews), waffles, ice cream, and pastries. The pavilion itself is comfortable, but the waitress didn't understand English—she messed up orders and forgot to offer items already included in the price. It's annoying having to struggle to explain what you want.
  • Rush & cold service at bars: Bartenders are always rushing and do not leave a friendly impression. A stark contrast to vacations in Greece, where the bartender gets to know everyone and you can enjoy some warm small talk.
  • Weak Wi-Fi: You constantly have to reconnect, especially on the beach.
  • Cold kids' pool: The water in the children's pool is cold, likely because it's under a canopy in the shade and never warms up.

Pros:

  • Large territory.
  • Generally quite clean VISUALLY, despite periodic issues with room housekeeping.
  • Warm sea (a mix of sand and fine pebbles, with some large stones near the shore in certain spots).
  • Water slides for adults.
  • Delicious desserts and pastries with a wide variety. Excellent tea as well.
  • The friendliest staff members are the housekeepers and the gentleman cleaning the beach.
  • Always available sun loungers, no need to worry about reserving them.
  • Beautiful sea view from the room.
  • Excellent water pressure in the bathroom, and the room itself is quite cozy.
  • No queues at breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

There are many cats living on the grounds, as well as turtles (though you don't see them every day). Standard daytime animation takes place near the pool (aqua aerobics, pool games, etc.). However, the complete disregard for guests' health and safety overrides all the positives. I strongly do not recommend this hotel!

Review by Callibri United Kingdom
TripAdvisor Review
The best of the rest

This fantastic hotel sits on a beutiful beach which is accessed by landscaped gardens.Everything about this hotel is first class the setting ,the service, the cleanliness,the quality of buffett food and the a la cartes are first rate all this complete with the best staff who are so friendly and welcoming always ready to go the extra mile .The water park is accessable and safe for children of all ages and totally seperate from the main pool and even has its own snack bar making this an ideal hotel for families and couples.The variety of food is incredible as is the 24 hour piano bar canot ask for anything more from this hotel it is amazing valueWe have visited 3 times and never been disappointed

Review by Maureen B Liverpool, United Kingdom
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