rated the Serpina Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The Serpina is a fantastic hotel with fantastic staff who will ensure that you have a lovely holiday packed full of good memories to take home with you. The rooms are bright, airy and kept extremely clean by a lovely housekeeper who works very hard but always has a smile on her face. The rooms are air-conditioned and have satellite TV aswell. There is a large pool between the two apartment blocks with plenty of sun loungers for everyone. If you do not like sitting in the sun, there is a lovely shaded area beside the poolside bar where you can relax and have a drink while looking out at the sunshine and the lovely surroundings.
There is a great menu at Serpina that should cater for most peoples tastes. Ozzy and Ali make gorgeous food that makes you want to eat in Serpina every day like we did. There is such a wide range of Turkish and European dishes available that you could try a different dish every day of your stay and be truly satisfied.
Serpina is ideally situated as it is just five minutes walk from all of the bars, restaurants and shops but just far enough away so you are not disturbed by constant noise. It is also ten minutes walk from the beach where you can enjoy water sports or just lounge around in the sun. Serpina is also only twenty minutes walk from the historical windmills that overlook the city and also the dome that gave Gumbet its name. This part of Gumbet is truly unspoilt and when you get to the top, you will be astounded by the views as you can see Gumbet bay on one side of the hill and Bodrum bay on the other. On a clear day, you can also see Kos.
And leaving the best until last, I would like to tell you how lovely the staff of the Serpina were. They truly did everything to make us happy and to ensure that we had a fantastic holiday. Ali, the owner of the hotel treats all of his staff members like his family and this really made us feel at home in the hotel. He always had time to sit and chat with us and went out of his way to accommodate us. He often brought his beautiful daughter to the hotel which added to the family atmosphere.
Dilek is a wonderful hostess, running the restaurant very efficiently while always having time to spend with everyone. She has time for all of the guests in the hotel and you will find she is always there if you need anything. Engin runs the bar and always has a smile on his face. Turkish nights are on Thursday where there is belly dancing, music by Ali and his friends and traditional Turkish dancing. But the highlight for us was when Engin lead the staff in a Turkish dance and made sure all of us were enjoying ourselves while teaching all of us how to dance to it. Levent works behind the bar also and always has a smile on his face too. There is a wide range of cocktails available that Levent makes perfectly. He always makes time for a chat no matter what time of day or night while constantly restocking the bar and making sure eveyrbody has a drink.
Abidin is always on hand to serve at the table and is always ready to crack a few jokes. He is an expert at balancing great service with friendly chat and always ensures everybody has everything they need. Ilhan works closely with Abidin in making sure you feel comfortable and happy all of the time. We enjoyed learning some of the Trukish language with Ilhan and he also made time to teach us the Turkish dancing along with Engin. When we went for breakfast Ilhan was there every morning with a smile on his face ready to greet everybody and ensure that we had eveyrthing we needed.
Adem, Matin and Umma were on reception and were there to greet us when we returned to the hotel day or night. They went out of their way to help us with any queries we had.
The staff of Serpina are the life and sould of the hotel and we will miss them alot.
I would thoroughly recommend Serpina to everyone of all ages as our party ranged from ages 21-58. It has something for everyone. I am really looking to going back next year.
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rated the Serpina Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: With inspiration taken from ‘Dublin’s’ post last year, hear goes: We have just returned from a two week holiday in Gumbet, Turkey and felt, like others before us, that we had to write a review in order to express our thoughts.
Upon reading Dublin’s review from last year we booked our trip and stayed in the Serpina hotel, (which is around a forty minute journey from Bodrum airport) and we feel we cannot articulate enough just how wonderful this hotel is! From the second we arrived we knew we were in for a superb holiday, upon arrival we were greeted by Bahar and Ummuhan – two very lovely and very helpful ladies that work on reception during the day they swiftly booked us in and our cases were brought up to our room for us where we were greeted by a clean, spacious room with beds that had been hand-decorated with traditional flowers.
The Serpina hotel provides either bed and breakfast, half board or all inclusive accommodation and we decided to go for the bed and breakfast option as we like to try different restaurants, the breakfast that is served is of a buffet style with a wide range of foods to choose from, including a traditional Turkish breakfast. However, if you prefer a more simple plate they also offer toast and a range of breakfast cereals.
As well as sampling the Serpina’s breakfast menu we also ate lunch there everyday and must say the menu verity and the food they serve is absolutely delicious, they have a wide selection, all of which is very reasonably priced – the food chef Ozzy and chef Ali serve would, in no doubt, please even the most skeptical food critic.
As for the staff that work in the Serpina they are the dictionary definition of gracious and we cannot say one bad work about them! The Serpina hotel is a family run business and is a credit to the owner Ali who really has brought together a wonderful team, so much so in fact that we feel staff members need there own introduction:
Reception (daytime): as mentioned above Bahar and Ummuhan, two very helpful ladies who are there to assist you at the drop of hat.
Reception (evening): Adem, a lovely gentleman ready to insist with any queries or troubles you may have.
Kitchen: Chefs Ozzy and Ali, providers of the wonderful food the Serpina hotel serves.
Bar: Firstly Abidin and Dilek, how helpful these two people are! Abidin is the life and soul of the bar area, always cracking jokes and ensuring everyone has a smile on their face. Dilek a fabulous and very special lady whose warmth and friendliness has no bounds, on top of the Dilek also makes wonderful garlic bread which you must try!
And the other members of the bar area: Engin, Eray, Ilhan and Yildo, all of which are there to help no matter how small the request, ensuring all needs are fulfilled. A special mention for Yildo – probably the craziest person we have ever met his happy-go-lucky attitude will cause even the most cynical person to crack a smile.
And last but by know means least the owner of the Serpina Ali, words cannot express how hard this man works to guarantee everyone’s needs are met and that people who stay with him really do have a wonderful holiday. Ali’s hospitality is by far the best we have ever experienced and because of him we experienced our best holiday to date, and probably the best holiday we will ever have!
All of the staff at the Serpina hotel are wonderful and always have a smile for you, nothing is too much trouble for them and they work very, very to ensure people really do have they holiday of a lifetime.
We personally believe the Serpina’s three star accommodation rating is not a true reflection of how this hotel is run because from the moment you arrive you are treated as if you are in a five star.
The hotel has a lovely pool/bar area with a large main swimming pool and a smaller children’s pool – they have more than enough sun loungers situated around the pool if like me, you are a sun worshiper. However, if the sun is not really your thing (as Turkey is rather hot) they have a shaded area which you can sit under.
The pool area itself is lovely, situated between the two accommodation blocks it has wild flowers growing all around and really is picture perfect. The hotels location couldn’t be better the beach is a stones throw away and as you exit the Serpina you only have to walk two minuets up the road before you come to the main street which houses all the local shops, bars and restaurants.
The property also has a pool table and table tennis as well as a satellite television room and internet access. All rooms have air conditioning facilities (a god send) and televisions.
Although we have no children to travel we feel this hotel would make the perfect location for a family holiday as everything is kept very clean and is thoroughly maintained. They also provide their own entertainment twice a week on a Tuesday which is quiz night and a Thursday which is Turkish night both of which are equally wonderful and a must to attend – Turkish night provides a live band, a belly dancer, a traditional three-course buffet dinner and a dance show from the hotel staff, thoroughly enjoyable!
We really did experience the holiday of our dreams at the Serpina and without a doubt will be returning whilst also recommending it to everyone we can because no amount of money could buy the level care and warmth we received from the staff at the hotel. Should you need anymore information or would like to view still photos of the hotel they have their own website: www.serpinahotel.com
A little about Turkey itself, before we set out on our holiday we looked up some reviews on the internet to get an idea of Turkey in general and I must say after being their and experiencing it first hand there is a lot of incorrect and misguiding information that you may come across should you do the same. For example, we read one report which stated that the Turkish people were the most hostile on earth, using tactics such as locking people in their shops until they brought something – this is utter rubbish! True the Turkish people will try and get you in to the shops (like anywhere else n the world) especially in the resort of Gumbet but this is because the resort is only open for six months of the year so the people rely of the summer trade to see them through the winter but all you have to do is say ‘no thank-you’ and they leave you be.
Turkish people are very friendly, polite people who work hard for little money therefore a tip really dose go a long way. Whilst in Gumbet we visited many restaurants and would like to recommend some that were particularly good quality:
Annalivia’s: a beautifully modern restaurant with a menu to match, they serve huge portions of food you’d expect to see at home. The restaurant has a very warm, pleasant atmosphere and staff are wonderful, they also provide a free taxi service from Gumbet if you phone 3166294 however, Annalivia’s is only around a five minute walk from the Serpina.
The Columbia: a lovely ‘open air’ restaurant around five doors down from the Serpina again, the serve large portions and have a very friendly service.
We must also mention our holiday rep Emma, working on behalf of Thomson’s she really is a credit to the company – Emma visits the hotel twice a day (morning and evening) most days and is a world of knowledge should you need any information on the surrounding area as she has been in the resort for around three years and really dose know her stuff! A very charming, lovely lady Emma is always there for you no matter how small your query and will do her upmost to guarantee everything runs smoothly throughout your holiday.
Whilst in Gumbet we booked some excursions through Emma all of which were superb and listed below – the particular excursions we booked, (you will notice if you book the same) can be found cheaper in one of the many excursion shops around Gumbet however, we must say if you book through one of these although its cheaper you will get what you pay for!
When in Turkey a Turkish bath is a must, a thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable experience it will leaving you feeling clean and revitalised.
We also visited the Turkish shopping market which is held on Saturdays which is great fun and a hagglers paradise however, do be careful what you buy as some things can be poorly made so do check.
Dream Girls the show which is held most evenings is fantastic! A double drag queen comedy act it will have you rolling on the floor with laughter, find out more at www.thedreangirls.co.uk or www.dreamgirlsshow.co.uk
Another must is visits to Pamukkale and Ephesus both of which are equally inspiring.
Pamukkale is a natural, one of a kind phenomenon which has left thick white layers of limestone and travertine cascading down the mountain slopes resembling a frozen, snow-white waterfall. For our Pamukkale trip we set off by car in the afternoon (as it takes around four hours to get there) and stayed in a hotel overnight – the next morning we were taken down by our guide to Pamukkale where we were taken round the different sites. This particular trip included breakfast, lunch and dinner and more information can be found at www.pamukkale.com
Ephesus can be down in two ways, by day or by night – for our Ephesus trips we choose to go by night (you leave the hotel around mid-afternoon and return at midnight) as during the day particularly June-August it can get very hot. Ephesus is the best preserved classical ancient city of the Eastern Mediterranean, and among the best places in the world enabling one to genuinely 'soak in' the atmosphere of Roman times. Further information can be found at www.kusadasi.biz/ephesus/
For both our Pamukkale and Ephesus trips we had the same tour guide, Tunju and feel we must give him a special mention all his own because he was just wonderful! A fountain of knowledge he really gave us a deep insight into the history of the places we were visiting and was open to all questions we had. He was extremely friendly and gave us time to meander around and really explore these fascinating sites – so a very, very big thank-you to Tanju!!
The one and only bad thing we have to say about Turkey relates to Bodrum airport, when departing on the outbound journey please bring with you your own bottled water and snacks as the airport is fast becoming the most expensive in the world! We wish we could go back and follow this advice (and the advice of Dublin previous) as two minuscule meals one being a cheeseburger and chips the other being chicken nuggets and chips cost us nearly £30!!! And although Bodrum airport does have a duty-free it is tiny and doesn’t have a great selection.
All in all our holiday was fantastic so a very. Very big heartfelt thank-you to the magnificent Ali and all his team and Emma our Thomson rep – Ali we will be back to see you very soon! :)
Caroline and Matt
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rated the Serpina Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: This is a small hotel but excellent in every respect. My wife and I made an exception to our rule abpot package holidays and we were pleased we did so. We were met at reception allocated room 208 rhe our cases were taken to the room by the reception staff.
We followed and the room was great. The thickest mattresses we had ever seen and a television and phone in the room.
The bathroom was also great, with a shower cubicle with solin plastis doors. A hair drier was also provided. During our stay, 14 nights, we got to know all the staff from the manager, Ali, Michael the bar manager cum entertainment supremo and the lovely lads and lasses of restaurant, bars and cleaners.
The staff were always ready to help if needed without being obtrusive. Every week there was a staff entertainment nigh which was hilarious. First class fun and some near proffessional music and dancing.
All the other guests voiced the opinions that it was the best hotel the had ever been to. We made more friendships than we had ever made before and like us most of the other guests will be back next September.
As I have said, the BEST holiday ever.
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Paul from Somerset travelled to Serpina Hotel with
Thomson
on a couples holiday.
