We are currently staying at Viking Garden Hotel & Spa, and unfortunately our experience has been disappointing overall.
The biggest issue has been cleanliness. Our room was not cleaned to an acceptable standard, and the toilet and shower were very dirty upon arrival. We also experienced maintenance problems with the doors and windows.
To be fair, during the last couple of days there have been some improvements. Management seems to be paying more attention, the food quality has improved, and there have been evening entertainment programs that guests can enjoy.
The location is acceptable, but the surrounding area is currently affected by ongoing construction work. There is a lot of dust and general mess around the hotel, which reduces the overall holiday atmosphere.
The hotel mainly caters to Russian and Turkish guests. This was not a problem for us, but many aspects of the hotel, including the food and entertainment, seem to be designed primarily for those guests.
The all-inclusive drinks selection is very limited. Only beer, vodka, gin, water, sparkling water, Pepsi, and Mirinda are included. Most other drinks cost extra. The coffee served is instant coffee rather than freshly brewed coffee.
The private beach area was another disappointment. Special water shoes are needed to enter the sea comfortably because of the stones, and all beverages at the beach must be paid for separately despite the all-inclusive package.
We were also surprised that during our stay there was no watermelon and no ice cream available, which are usually basic expectations for an all-inclusive summer holiday in Turkey.
The staff experience was inconsistent. A few employees were genuinely friendly and helpful, some were simply doing their job, while others appeared rude or uninterested in assisting guests.
The atmosphere is not bad, but considering the facilities, cleanliness issues, limited all-inclusive options, and maintenance problems, we feel the hotel is overpriced for what it offers.
Pros: Improved food, evening entertainment, some friendly staff.
Cons: Dirty rooms and bathrooms, maintenance problems, limited all-inclusive drinks, paid beverages at the beach, no watermelon or ice cream, inconsistent customer service, construction work nearby, poor value for money.
Overall rating: 2/5 stars.
Just back from Viking Garden hotel. It's got a really nice vibe. The bar staff are very friendly dinner staff not so much but it is very busy in the restaurant so that does explain it.
Not many English visitors with majority coming from Turkey (+Russia and Poland) but that gives it an authentic feel. About 15 minutes walk into town feels longer than that in 43 degrees heat and 95% humidity but not too far really.
Entertainment is decent in evenings.
Overall I would recommend and we had a really nice stay.
Big shout out to Ali, Niko and Hamza
The management were really good also the staff. The food wasn’t the best. They had Tuborg beer and also Rakı Unknown brand and unknown brand vodka s and various unknown brand whiskeys and booze. Their soft drinks were ok too. The internet was free in the main hotel building. And you don’t get free towels. The swimming pool was small. The beach had a bus service it took about 5 minutes from the hotel.
Great hotel, very central and walking distance to the town, beach only 10 min walk or the hotel provides a shuttle bus. Take beach show les as it is small pebbles and really sore on bare feet.
Staff are fantastic and although we were only a few of the brits that were staying at this hotel we were made very welcome.
The is hotel has the feel of a small hotel and would highly recommended staying here
We booked this hotel in Kemer, Antalya province, with "On the beach" for a very good price in early May (700 GBP for two/all-inclusive/including flights), and we were very happy: Really impressive buffet, very good service and very good location for that price. Sure, there are hotels closer to the beach, but they tend to be on parts of the Kemer beach that are literally packed with sunbeds (difficult to distinguish between closest friends and neighbours). The private Viking beach (for all Viking guest hotels/there are three or four) is out of that packed area and half an hour walk, but there is a free shuttle bus several times per day. We took the shuttle one way and walked back, which gave us more freedom.
Worth knowing:
1) If you arrive at the hotel or leave outside of breakfast/lunch or dinner times, you might not get any food or just a bit of bread and cheese, so you might want to put a sandwich in your luggage.
2) The currency in most of Kemer is the euro, so if you have some euros at home, take them with you for souvenir shopping, food and drinks outside, the market in the city centre on Thursdays and tips. Turkish lira work well in supermarkets (discounter BIM is a 10 minute walk from your hotel!) and some restaurants further away. Also, there are plenty of ATMs not far from your hotel, i.e. It is definitely best to get Turkish lira after arrival from an ATM, if you want to get them at all. We found it worth for BIM (Turkish tea, coffee, sweets, etc. as souvenir).
3) There is a great cat population in Kemer, and cats are tolerated in most places in Turkey: We love that, and we would recommend to carry some dry cat food and water for the little ones, e.g. from BIM. Interestingly enough, we were repeatedly thanked by local people for feeding the cats! It is seen as a show of respect for non-human animals that share your surroundings but are unfortunately unable to book all inclusive.👍
Overall, if you keep the price in mind, a 5 star experience.
Phaselis (Ancient Greek: Φασηλίς) or Faselis (Turkish: Faselis) was a Greek and Roman city on the coast of ancient Lycia. Its ruins are located north of the modern town Tekirova in the Kemer district of Antalya Province in Turkey. It lies between the Bey Mountains and the forests of Olympos National Park, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) south of the tourist town of Kemer and on the 57th kilometre of the An
Olympus or Olympos (Ancient Greek: Ὄλυμπος, Ólympos; Latin: Olympus) is an ancient city in Lycia. Although Olympus comprised an extensive territorium as identified by tomb inscriptions, it had a medium-sized city center. Buildings that constituted the urban texture spread out along both sides of the creek which extended through a deep valley that flows into the Mediterranean in the east.
Tahtalı Dağı, also known as Lycian Olympus, is a mountain near Kemer, a seaside resort on the Turkish Riviera in Antalya Province, Turkey. It was known as Olympus (Ancient Greek: Ὄλυμπος; also transliterated as Olympos) and Phoenicus or Phoinikous (Ancient Greek: Φοινικοῦς) in ancient times. It is part of the Beydağları Coastal National Park.
Konyaaltı Beach (Turkish: Konyaaltı Plajı) is one of the two main beaches of Antalya, the other being Lara Beach. The beach is located on the western side of the city and stretches for 13 km primarily composed of fine pebbles, but also has some sand. The water is beautifully clear.
Beydağları Coastal National Park (Turkish: Beydağları Sahil Milli Parkı), a.k.a. Olympos Beydagları National Park (Turkish: Olimpos Beydağları Millî Parkı), is a national park in Antalya Province, southern Turkey. The national park was established on March 16, 1972, by government decree.
Mount Omurga in Olympos, Turkey, is located alongside the Olympos ruins. It has three peaks in a distinctive arrangement (Omurga means 'spine' in Turkish). There are several ruins adjacent to Omurga, including a Byzantine defense fortification on the north face of Çamoda.
Sıçan Island (Turkish: Sıçan Adası) is an islet in the Gulf of Antalya. In the history the islet had a number of names. The ancient name of the islet was Lyrnateia (Λυρνάτεια) or Lyrnatia (Λυρνατία).