Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay Bodrum

This Kempinski hotel is so well sited and architecturally impressive, the staff are professional and welcoming but the food and beverage side is weaker. Its a 5 star hotel offering food at less than 5 star standard - but still at 5 star prices! We stayed in early October, approaching the end of the season, and found the hotel quiet following breakfast. The beach is excellent. The main pool is large but cannot compete with the Aegean. Bar Blue lacks atmosphere. Barbarossa is just OK, Olives is weaker and Villarosa is sound but quiet and very expensive. Breakfast buffet is OK. Service is patchy and inconsistent, amusingly so. The staff are well intentioned, friendly, hospitable but communication was an issue. The hotel and grounds are fascinating to explore and the property overall certainly does not lack potential, but fails to realise it fully. Housekeeping are faultless, the place is clean but some areas of the hotel are out of use, and therefore neglected. The gym was not tempting. No promoting of activities. No Lady in Red. It is isolated so there are no alternatives off the premises. Overall, we enjoyed our stay but we lost weight and cannot really recommend - unless you're seeking a retreat in which to diet, swim, sleep, read, rest, recoup and recharge.

I love this hotel and was a customer until I was blacklisted for not purchasing a residence. The hotel and its location are wonderful and we loved our visits here. We also inquired about purchasing a residence unit in 2009. I spoke to someone whom I believe is the owner of the hotel property but decided to buy a property elsewhere. After this phone call, we realized that the hotel was no longer making a reservation to us at its residence section. We would call them to book and they would not call back. This happened several times over the years and afterwards I called the hotel to inquire openly and asked if I was blacklisted. I was told “such a thing is impossible and we will check and call you back in 15 minutes” and no one called me. Also to note that our stays were with no problems on either side. We were happy and so was the hotel meaning we did no damage to anything or did not display any wrong behavior. I am not posting this review to ask for a response from the hotel or that they remove me from their blacklist. I would assume Kempinski would audit this hotel and review the list of blacklisted visitors. Probably someone at the hotel made a false entry under my name because they would not be able to write what actually happened. Or the hotel has a hidden blacklist... I simply wanted to inform any interested parties so my name would not be flagged due to a possible false and defamatory accusation. I haven’t been (able to visit) to this property since 2009 but I think you are safe to visit and enjoy this lovely hotel that I would strongly recommend. Just be careful if you make a property purchase inquiry… Note: The hotel’s residence section is different from the hotel rooms and we can visit the hotel via a Kempinski booking but I would hesitate to make a booking under these conditions.

Disappointing Stay at a Supposedly Luxurious Hotel. First, if you want to escape for a few days to relax, this would be one of the options. It's far away, and it takes almost 45 min. From the airport & the nearest shopping center is about 30 min. From the hotel. The view on sundeck is nice, though it's not very big. Also, the beach is 3 min. Away from the hotel, you go by buggy & should be aware that after 6 pm, you might find difficulty to find a buggy taking you back to the hotel. I had high expectations for this hotel, which markets itself as a luxury destination, but unfortunately, my stay fell far below what I anticipated. Upon arrival, I was given a dirty room with a very unpleasant view of the backyard. The pillows and bed cover were just left on a chair, and there was no kettle or cups for tea. Despite the hotel being almost empty during my stay, there were still many issues that simply shouldn’t happen at this price point. Breakfast was underwhelming with very limited variety. The food inside the hotel restaurant was less than average, still overpriced. The safety locker in the room didn’t work, and the water pressure in the shower and bathtub was very weak, especially at night. The temperature in the waiting areas and the main corridor between rooms was uncomfortably hot, and the lighting throughout the hotel seemed faulty and dim. One particularly annoying experience was waiting for over an hour on the beach for service buggy to take me back to the hotel. On another occasion, I spent three hours relaxing on the marina sundeck, only to find my slippers disappeared when I left. The Wi-Fi network was relatively okay, but one night, it wasn’t working at all. To their credit, the staff did try to make things right by changing my room, and I appreciated their effort to please guests. But overall, for a place that claims to offer luxury for the expensive prices , the experience was disappointing and fell far below expectations.

It is a beautiful, elegant, and impeccably clean resort having stunning and extraordinary architecture. I could easily imagine living here forever. The beach is breathtaking, with crystal-clear waters. Peaceful beautiful surroundings. The rooms offer magnificent views of the sea, gardens, and pool. The service is exceptional. This is a resort I never want to leave.

Kempinski Barbaros Bay is truly one of the best hotels in the Kempinski chain. Rooms: Absolutely superb – clean, beautifully decorated, and with unforgettable balconies overlooking breathtaking views. Breakfast: A true traditional Turkish breakfast, rich in variety and flavor. Staff: Exceptionally friendly and always ready to help, ensuring you feel well taken care of at all times. Pool: Simply incredible – large, uniquely designed, and with a stunning view you have to see for yourself. Beach: Above all, the beach is the real highlight. The sea is crystal clear, and the excellent service makes your holiday truly unforgettable. Restaurants: The dining experience is top-notch. Be sure to try the Italian restaurant and Villa Rossa – both are outstanding. I repeat: this is an excellent hotel that you absolutely must experience!

Overpriced for what it is Edit: After this review, the hotel management took time to meet with me, listen carefully, and told me about upcoming renovations and service changes that address many of the points I raised. I got the feeling they genuinely cared to improve my experience and listen to my feedback to improve things. They also made a generous gesture of goodwill during my stay to put things right, which I appreciate. Thank you. Original (unedited) review TLDR; PROs: very friendly staff, great pool area, chilled vibe CONs: lack of variety in food options, no entertainment. Premium price tag without 5star feeling. Overpriced We had a nice week here in Bodrum. Staff is very friendly we liked the pool and pool area If this was a 4 star hotel and 30-40% cheaper than it is my review would end here and I would not have many complaints. However as we spend more than the average annual salary in Türkiye here on accommodation and food over 6 nights I feel either the price was too high or the quality was too low for that sort of money. - Our room was an upgrade to a ‘Grand Deluxe King room’. Great Ocean view and a balcony and nothing wrong with it but for 580 GBP per night it was small and not as luxurious as title and price made me expect. - There are 3 restaurants that serve dinner, there is one more that is open for lunch. If you eat lunch and dinner here you quickly exhaust the small menu especially if you have some dietary restrictions (one of us was Vegetarian) a 2 course dinner with a glass of wine can easily set you back 200 EUR (2 adults and a kid eating from the reasonably priced kids menu). I’d be happy to pay that if the food was spectacular but it only lived up to that price tag once maybe. You are better off (price and quality wise) to get a taxi into Bodrum (30 min , 15 GBP or less one way) and pick a good restaurant there. 30-50% of the cost including the price for the taxi. - There’s a Spa, gym a great pool and a water sport centre at the beach. Outside that I don’t think the hotel offers any other activities, there’s no evening entertainment. We organised things ourselves but again I’m used to having more options here in a hotel of this price category. - There’s a bunch of small things which I wouldn’t normally mention in a review but in the past when I stayed at resorts of the category the Kempinski aspires to, I would have mentioned half a dozen of small things that surprised me positively whereas here there was none of that and instead there were tiny nuisances like they ran out of spoons on the breakfast buffet (which again is good but falls short for 5 star) on every other day, when I ordered a coffee I needed to call the waiter again to ask for sugar, they brought chocolates for bedtime but it was 2 even though we were 3, some parts of the facilities seem slightly dated, there were showers in the spa not working, one restaurant was closed permanently. A sanitary item from the hotel shop has a ca. 6x markup which feels unnecessary for that sort of think (charge silly prices for jewellery or clothing if people want to spend money but not for that sort of thing)… none of that spoiled our stay but it doesn’t give you the premium feel to match the premium price tag. More often I was somewhat disappointed rather than wowed and I would not book here again.

We have been coming to this hotel almost every year during the last 19 years, with the exception of Covid period. Our children were grown up here and almost every corner, we have very pleasant memories. If you go back, you will read my many 5 star reviews about this hotel. However, this summer has been a major disappointment. The hotel still has an excellent view and one of the best beaches in Bodrum. The property is outdated and under invested. However, our major disappointment was at the Olives Restaurant which is the main dining hall for breakfast and dinner. Air conditioning is not working well in the closed area and open area is too warm in the morning. One morning, I discovered that all plates at the breakfast buffet were wet straight from the dish washer. When I warned them they started wiping with a fabric towel. During dinner, meals were unacceptable for a 5 star hotel. You can get better meals at a school cafeteria. I appreciate they may not make decent Risotto but I cannot accept how they cannot cook proper lentil soup in this restaurant. The funny part is they start collecting the menus before you make your choices. When you ask why they are rushing, they say they don’t have enough menus for the other guests as if we are not the guests. In fact, that is true, not only they don’t have enough menus but some of the menus are from last year with wrong price. I feel very sorry for the young staff members who were brought into this place without sufficient training. They carry all the burden and try to defend and justify the current circumstances. There is an excellent game room with 2 pro size pool tables and a table tennis and also a small auditorium with a projector. However, the area has never been supervised and most of the time used by 4 - 5 year olds without their parents’ supervision. We were not able to play any game because of the noise. Not only the children were creating noise but also have been fighting each other with cue sticks and ruining the very expensive pool tables. To summarise, we would not come back to this hotel again. Not only our money and holiday have been wasted, but also our memories during the last 19 years have been ruined.

My daughter and I traveled to Turkey and our stop at Bodrum couldn’t have been better. The staff was just incredible. My daughter and I felt like royalty and were treated like one! From concierge to receptionist to the crew who cleaned our rooms to the staff who drove us around - we thank you for an unbelievable experience. Hotel is immaculate and will go out of their way to make you feel like family. Food was amazing and so was the experience. Definitely coming back next year with the entire family ! If I can give more than 5 stars- I would

We stayed here on vacation as a family. Arrived late at night after a flight from Istanbul. Here are a bunch of random observations from the family: Wonky wifi. Doesn't even work. Pay upfront. Good shuttle service from airport. Staff English not great. Coffee maker flooded. Weirdly empty hotel. Sunscreen outrageous at 400 TL. Breakfast and lunch included. Beautiful views. Pool deck not well attended. Weather awesome. Great babysitting service, they take great care of kids in the playroom which is onsite. Dwight by the seaside with gorgeous water and views. Food solid.

My family and I arrived to this hotel this afternoon and we couldn't be more disappointed, this hotel is overrated and is definitely not a 5 stars. We arrived at 7pm, our first impression was that the hotel is charmless we had a reservation of 3 rooms for 4 nights, at the check-in we were asked to pay the full amount of money for the whole stay, I have never been to a 5* hotel where the customer has to pay in advance, normally they require a credit card as a guarantee, and we pay the full amount at the check-out, but in this case no, we were asked to pay everything in advance, I felt like the customer isn't trusted in this hotel!!. We were so disappointed that we decided to leave the hotel, but we couldn't since the reservation for one of the three rooms was not refundable. We got our rooms, they are small and I have never seen such an uncomfortable bed!!! Then we decided to have diner at the restaurant " la Luce ", I asked at the reception where the restaurant is located, and I was told that the restaurant is full and we shouldn't go there, I decided to go despite of that, and surprise, the restaurant was half empty ( I don't know why they lied). On our way to the restaurant, the corridors were all dirty as you can see on the pictures, and on top of that we found a big and dirty BICYCLE in the middle of this so called " 5 stars " hotel ( as shown in the picture), also the walls are all dirty. Long story short, this hotel doesn't deserve to be a 5 stars hotel, I hope in the future the prices will match the quality.

When you pull up it doesn't look like a 5-star hotel. When your in the lobby it looks kind of nice but when you get to the rooms they are very tiny and uncomfortable with shitty furniture. They didn't refund us for the nights we had cancelled when they said they would. It is also 25 minutes by car to bodrum and a bit of a treacherous walk down to the beach. Worst experience in all of Turkey DONT COME HERE!!!!

I am staying at this hotel in Bodrum, Turkey. Just checked in and everything about this "5-Star" resort has fallen short so far. We had an emergency and I needed to stay in Antalya one extra night. We notified the hotel three days before hand to see if they would be flexible and refund us some of our money. They told us that since I booked through a travel agency that they could not do that according to the international contract their corporate office holds with agencies. That if I was to book it through their website or directly to the hotel there be more flexibility. I conveyed that message to my agent. She called the hotel and the manager, Soner, denied saying that to me. That is extremely unprofessional. Their front desk has been not very accommodating. We have stayed at many five star resorts and this is not a five-star resort. I cannot believe that you can get away falsely advertising that this property is five star. Maybe someone from corporate office should come here and see this property first hand to see how ill kept it is. The steps going down are wood planks that are rotted through and discolored. I almost fell going down the stairs. There are weeds everywhere along the pathways. The grass is not cut. Landscaping is not maintained at all. There are chips and cracks in every wall. The rooms are small and smell. The beds are extremely uncomfortable. They had us in one room and our children all the way in the other end of the hotel. That is not acceptable. And they have yet to give us any refund and claim that they cannot because it is your corporate policy even under emergency circumstances. I've never had that kind of an experience staying at a Ritz Carlton or four seasons before. I would love the opportunity to talk to someone from your corporate office in more depth. I have taken many pictures and I'm more than happy to share them with you. I will be sharing them in a review online. The agency we work with on this trip has sent many people to your resort. I made sure to send them all the pictures so they can see firsthand what this resort looks like now because it looks nothing like what is on the website. Horrible!!! Cannot believe a large hotel company such as yours, falsely advertises the way you do with this resort. It is a rip off.

It does not seem like a five star hotel , when the spa won't put on air conditioning (trying to save money ) or the rooms which also do not have great a/c or many of the public spaces . The food is mostly good. The staff has basic English , but not above that . The breakfast does not have soy or almond milk. Which is a joke consider how many people no longer drink milk. Also no stevia or Splenda anywhere in the hotel