Location was excellent away from the melee of Marmaris but within walking distance. Nice beach and good views. The sea was very calm and good for swimming and watersports. The foyer and main bar are modern and stylish. Accommodation however, is variable. Set out in blocks, our room although clean with good facilities had a garden view that consisted of muddy ground weeds and a large wall. Not a place you would sit out in . The wall let little natural light into the room. This combined with a clanking noise in the pipes all night meant we moved rooms . Another concrete block but at least natural light and a balcony overlooking a corridor. However not an issue as it was a clean comfortable room. I accept this was a last minute deal and we did get moved. As outdoors & sporty people we chose this hotel for the beach and gym. As well as a break from cooking. The gym was disgraceful full of broken machines and filthy despite bringing this to staff's attention on several occasions. This significantly impacted our plans.The water cooler was full of mould. No staff on hand an accident waiting to happen (partner thrown off running machine when it stopped randomly). I will end on a positive note though, the vast majority of the staff were lovely we had some good food and cocktails.

The hotel complex is large but easy enough to get your bearings quite quickly. We stayed away from parts of the hotel, like the swimming pools and evening entertainment areas as they’re not our scene, so couldn’t give you an honest review on these areas. Hotel is clean, rooms are quite large and are cleaned daily. Our cleaner was brilliant, towel art most days left and deservedly deserved a tip and a mention. Beach area is tidy with a hotel bar in situ and a small hut next to it that sells the most lovely savoury pastries. Went the gym a couple of times, small and very basic but just enough equipment for a small workout. The bars around the hotel are ok, we quite liked the blue bar on the top floor which was a mellow area to drink. The cocktail list was extensive and quite good to try out, the staff here was the most friendly we met. Where do I start with the food!!! Breakfast, same everyday but more than enough to choose from. Poolside Bar (Tapas) same everyday, boring but I’d recommend the kebab wrap from time to time. Evening Food, oh dear, forget about a nice dining out experience of an evening, the main restaurant, in what can best be described as a school canteen, with a free for all. There was a choice of foods, but they were just a different take on the night before. We tried to find a quieter area to have our evening meal but had to run the gauntlet of cigarette or vapes smoke. The food was LUKEWARM EVERY NIGHT and I was told I could use the microwave to warm it up… if you took your food back to any top notch restaurant all the way down to a McDonalds, they would take the food from you, apologise and replace it! There was no visual provision for those with dietary needs and you had to ask for it and when you did, you were made to feel that you were asking for the world. The last 4 nights we dined out elsewhere and it was a much more enjoyable experience. Out of 10 for the dining experience, just about got a 1. 90% of those working at the hotel around ‘the school canteen’ and bars have next to no customer service knowhow about them, to an extent the running joke we had was that they were AI generated… although I suppose you could program an AI person to have at least a little bit of personality. The guy who heads up the Massage Area, in our opinion is rude and arrogant and really does need to go on a course in Customer Service along with the red haired girl in the Lobby bar (just a smile would be an improvement). We did enjoy the holiday, but I certainly would not re visit The Orka Lotus Beach because of the dining experiences and the less than enthusiastic staff. A nice holiday which could’ve of really been a holiday not to forget but for the dining of an evening and the customer service that worked there. … and a bit more sunnier weather! Trips - we did the Rhodes trip for a day, highly recommend.