Hotel reviews for Saffron Apartments

If you come to Saffron Apartments expecting to actually be able to prepare your own meals in the apartment's kitchen area, then you're in for a disappointment. You get a two ring kitchen-top unit and that's it. No kettle, toaster, oven, grill. You do get a fridge, but ours had the top freezer section door missing and it consequently dripped inside constantly, and the door didn't close properly. Basic cutlery is provided, along with one saucepan, one frying pan, four plates and three bowls. No tea towels or dishcloths. The crack is that they want you to eat out, preferably at the hotel restaurant, and providing what you need to make your own meals is not in anyone's interests except yours. There are plenty of little food shops immediately around the apartments, but they only provide the very basics - there's no decent grocery/delicatessen provision unless you're prepare to travel around and look for it in a larger 'supermarket'... something that's difficult to do in the hot summer months. Restaurant fare in Marmaris is almost exclusively English, catering for those who want the sun but aren't interested in exploring the local culture. Food is cheap here, though, so it's not that taxing to have to eat out all the time. You'll find a few Turkish dishes on most menus, but they're heavily Anglicised for the British palate and more expensive than the ubiquitous burgers/pizzas.

Noise: don't expect to be able to escape loud disco music and doors constantly slamming until 12am when it all stops. At Saffron there's a small swimming pool facing the main street, but it is quite small. Take your own towels as you can't use theirs at the pool. Our two bedroomed apartment was in fact one bedroom and one living room with sofa beds, and the air con (?20 a week extra); was a unit in the bedroom only ? none in the rest of the apartment.

Good thing about this holiday is that the Turkish people ARE very friendly and don't turn nasty if you don't buy from them. The excursions (cheaper if booked in town rather than through your rep); are very good value and give you something to DO other than lounge on the beach (10 mins walk away); or round the pool, and lots of wide-ranging excursions are available. We visited the beach once only(!); as 1. even 10 mins is a long walk in the strong heat, 2. it's jam-packed, and 3. it's a fairly nasty, volcanic grit beach that's quite narrow (about the length of your living room to the water's edge); and being non-tidal, it's always like that!

That's about it. Oh, and if you're going with Goldtrail, beware the hotel transfer coach - our driver took half an hour out to stop at a cafe and have a drink with his mates at 4am when all we on the coach wanted to do was to get to our hotel and sleep! And then he reversed into another vehicle leaving the cafe! Although the accident was a one-off, the unscheduled stop to accommodate the driver's social life would not have been. The holiday spirit is much needed to get the most out of a stay in Marmaris. If you're looking for things to moan about, you'll find them.