Melas Lara Hotel

Went 8 years ago and came back. Even better this time round, for my wedding anniversary trip! Food is amazing - really tasty and the variety is incredible. There is something for everyone and the hammam experience is really relaxing. Totally recommend - beautiful hotel and great value for money!

Hotel Melas Lara is an excellent hotel. Would I go here again? Yes, I would. I've been to several hotels in Turkiye multiple times, so I also compare these experiences with others. I've read positive comments about the food, and I can confirm this. It's one of the best hotels in terms of food quality. What sets it apart is that the food in all restaurants is freshly made. For example, during breakfast, the scrambled eggs are genuinely made by stirring many eggs. In most hotels, water is added to a dry mixture. Other dishes are also freshly made, with plenty of variety and delicious flavors. In the main restaurant, there's a different theme every evening. There was also an Asian theme, and for example, sushi was served. If the Japanese had seen this sushi, they would have declared war on Turkiye. It was really poorly made. Tip: stick to the themes where you excel. However, the Turkish theme was absolutely delicious. All dishes were delightful and a showcase for Turkish cuisine. At the pool, you're served and food is made to order. There, too, you get the freshest food. At the beach, food is also made to order, and you're also served. There's also a daily buffet with doner, rice, salads, etc. It's true that the food can often be lukewarm to sometimes cold when eating from the buffet. This also applies to the restaurant. Apparently, they can't keep the food warm. Also, there's not always a sign indicating what each dish is, which can be quite annoying for people with allergies. But as far as I'm concerned, still by far the best hotel in terms of food. The à la carte restaurants provided mixed experiences. The Turkish restaurant was fantastic. Really delicious! However, the seafood restaurant was a disappointment. The fish was overcooked, and the menu wasn't well composed. The view, however, was spectacular. 80% of the staff are really super friendly and they really try their best for you. Very sweet and genuine. 15% just do their job, and 5% are really worthless. The people behind the pool bar never smile. What a huge difference from other staff who work hard and run for you. I love good coffee and saw in the lobby bar that they had a professional coffee machine where you could make ground coffee with the right pressure. I asked if I could have coffee from it. Eventually, I got coffee from the Nescafé machine with the message that both machines are the same. It seemed more like the bartender didn't want to do extra work because as a coffee lover, you can't convince me they're the same. I might not come back to the hotel for this reason. Additionally, I often drank alcohol-free cocktails in the evening. I often had a mojito, and my children had other cocktails. I don't know how they do it, but I never had the same mojito twice. I even got one with alcohol once, very bad! From that moment on, I always tasted my children's cocktails first. But anyway, I've never stayed at a hotel in Turkey known for its cocktails, and Melas Lara is still not known

This is our first time in Antalya and we had an excellent stay. The hotel is clean and our room was a good size. The staff are very warm, friendly & helpful. They are genuinely interested in you and willing to engage in conversation. They had a wide variety of food to choose from. There is always something on offer throughout the day. The patisserie is an added bonus. The hotel amenities are varied and we always found something to do during our stay. They offered a wide variety of activities both for adult and children. Special shout out to Ebru & Arif at the restaurant. They made us feel so welcome. Very attentive and couldn't do enough. Also to Leyla who kept our room clean. A suggestion to management would be to offer a free shuttle service to the city centre even if it's only once a day. This will be helpful for first time visitors who are not familiar with the area. They can orient themselves with what is available and with the public transport system. If a shuttle service is not possible, perhaps the hotel can provide better and clearer information on the public transport sysyem especially on the buses that can take guests to the city centre, information like which bus number, bus stops, the cost of tickets and where to buy them from.

Lazy rude and intrusive reception, guest relations and housekeeping and Poor Management I have been at this hotel less than 24 hours, so far I have been harassed by another guest who was Turkish. I have found my safe open, have been accused of sneaking in another guest after the housekeeper riffled through my belongs & decided my trainers and coat belonged to a man. Guest relations and management were as helpful as a chocolate teapot. This is not a 5 star hotel by British or Turkish standard. The place is tired & needs updating and I have never received such appalling customer service in my life. Don’t waste your money, go somewhere else. The Delphian Palace, Laura Barut and Royal Wings would be my recommendation. Oh and I almost forgot the bath doesn’t empty..

This was our 5th visit to this hotel. Great staff and fantastic food. We treat it like our second home. Only the animation team let's it down, no imagination. Beware of ordering a taxi at the end of the street Kemeragi taxi rank, they are total ripoffs, not using their meters and overcharging passengers.