Barut Hemera

I only have good things to say about our holiday at Berut Hemera. I can’t fault the food, there were plenty of sunloungers available, extensive cocktail menu, and excellent WiFi coverage throughout. Staff were consistently friendly, professional and attentive. The Turkish and Italian à la carte restaurants are highly recommended. Rooms were clean and the pillows were perfect. Loved everything about this hotel.

The introduction to Barut Hotel’s website states that their philosophy is “happy employees - happy guests,” and this perfectly encapsulates why our stay at Barut Hemera was so memorable. From the very start of our trip to the final check-out, every single interaction we had with the staff was flawless. Nothing was too much trouble, and service was always delivered with a genuine smile. On arrival, we were attended to quickly and personally. We were handed reusable water bottles and shown to our room on our own timeline—there was absolutely no feeling of being hurried. Our room was impeccably clean and comfortable, featuring all the thoughtful touches we’d read about in other reviews, including a handy beach bag, a coffee pod machine, and a well-stocked mini-bar refilled daily with beer and soft drinks. We slept incredibly well, which is always a top priority. We even ordered a different pillow type from the hotel’s in-app menu, and it was delivered to our room within an hour—an incredibly convenient service! The dining options throughout the day were fantastic. Breakfast offered an excellent, expansive choice every morning, with the freshly made omelettes being a particular highlight. We also absolutely loved the Hanımeli Patisserie for our morning coffee paired with their incredible selection of cakes and pastries. For lunch, we often preferred the relaxed vibe of the Kumsal Beach Bar, which serves a varied menu from 12:30 until 15:45. If you fancy a change, the Olive restaurant near the Quiet Pool and the Burger House by the main pool both offer great alternative lunch menus. In the evenings, we ate almost exclusively at the main buffet restaurant, though we did try the Olive À La Carte, which was absolutely fabulous. While the overall food quality was commendable, I do have a couple of small quibbles as a vegetarian traveler. The selection felt a bit repetitive over time and was quite limited for non-meat eaters. It was quite difficult to find dishes with a solid protein source; while there was an ever-present chickpea stew, it would have been wonderful to see a chickpea curry or a tofu stir-fry, which I’ve enjoyed at other hotels in Turkey. On a sweeter note, I must warn future guests that the desserts are dangerously nice—there is so much choice and everything is indulgently delicious! As for the bars, the drinks selection at Barut Hemera is genuinely top-tier. They serve premium, branded international spirits at every bar along with a beautifully curated cocktail list. We enjoyed so many of them, but the "Godfather 1970" quickly became my personal favourite. When it came to relaxing, our absolute favourite spot was the 16+ Quiet Pool, which provided the perfect, peaceful sanctuary to spend our days. We cannot recommend this beautiful resort enough, largely thanks to the phenomenal team running it! And nothing confirms how great our experience was that we have already booked to return next year! Can’t wait to see you all again!