Alva Donna Beach Resort Comfort in Side provides extra comfort. The service is excellent and the staff is friendly. The rooms are also very comfortable and cozy.
- Website https://www.alvadonna.com/
- Address: Çolaklı, 07550 Manavgat / Antalya, Türkiye
- Prices on booking.com
The hotel has free amenities such as a safe, beach towels, a mini bar, access to most restaurants, a gym, a sauna, a hammam, an indoor pool, and a jacuzzi. However, please note that there may be charges for certain alcoholic beverages, à la carte restaurants, and spa treatments.
At the time of your arrival, you will receive two keys and a card that you can use to obtain beach towels. And when you leave, all you have to do is return the keys and cards.
Alva Donna Beach Resort Comfort infrastructure
There are six buildings where people stay in the Alva Donna Beach Resort Comfort hotel. The first, second, and third buildings are close to the pool. The fourth building is partly close to the pool. The fifth and sixth buildings go towards the bazaar, away from the pool.
In this picture, the round building on the left is the lobby of the hotel. It’s where you enter and check-in. On the right side of the circular building, there’s the third building. A bit further from there, there’s another building at the corner, and two more buildings to the right – the fifth and sixth. In the center, there are small houses with beige stretched tents over them that form a bazaar.
View of the Alva Donna Beach Resort – in the middle is the third building, on the right is the dome of the front desk and the first and second buildings. And the fourth, fifth and sixth buildings are between the neighboring hotel and the market. There are two swimming pools, a water slide, palm trees in front of the pools, and then a pathway to the sea and a green area.
There are rooms in the first, second, third, and a bit in the fourth building that have a view of the sea. In the other buildings, the windows face either the market or the hotel next door.
We stayed in the second building, which is the closest to the sea. In this building, there are restaurants, a bar, a swimming pool, a green area, and a stage. By living here, you’ll be right in the middle of all the activities.
In the picture on the right, there is Second building, and on the left, there is a First building. Below, on the B2 floor, there is a big bar and restaurant on the B1 floor. We stayed on the third floor, on a balcony with dark green wooden beams, right under the roof. Additionally, there are rooms like attics on the 4th floor.
In the evenings, we could see this beautiful sight from the balcony.
Sea view room at Alva Donna Beach Resort Comfort
We had a standard Sea view room in the second building on the third floor, room number 2309 with a balcony.
The room has a bathroom with a big bathtub, a large flat screen TV, a small fridge with snacks and drinks, a kettle for hot water, a safe for your valuables, and an air conditioner to keep you cool. Every morning, the mini fridge is restocked with delicious treats for you to enjoy.
The bathroom has fancy cosmetics – hair products, lotion, various hygiene items. There are different types of towels, slippers, and bathrobes. Bathrobes are the best thing. The cleaning staff also provided different gifts – exfoliating washcloths, dental kits.
The hotel service is very good, the cleaning staff treats you like family. The bedsheets are changed every day. Naturally, we left a nice tip for everyone – between 1 and 10 dollars or 10 to 20 lira.
The room on the balcony has a special dryer for swimwear and towels.
Views from the balcony at different times of the day
The swimming pool is beautifully illuminated in the evening.
Cons and pros of our room
Our room had one big problem – all the discos, parties, and karaoke happened right below us, under the palm trees. We couldn’t help but hear all the loud events and listen to all the singing during Sunday karaoke. The window reduced the noise, but not completely. On Monday, during the Red Party, the room shook so much that it was frightening to open the balcony doors. I can’t imagine what it would be like to live here with young children. The evening activities didn’t start until after nine in the evening, but by nine-thirty, we were already going to bed.
One of the good things about this place is definitely the view and the fact that it’s close to the pools and restaurants. It’s also really convenient to keep an eye on the area to find an available sunbed or make sure your belongings are safe on a sunbed. Plus, you can also see all the events happening, like the Oktoberfest.
In the photo, you can see the preparation for the Red Party and Oktoberfest party
Dining at the Alva Donna Beach Resort Comfort
The hotel has a large shared restaurant called Horizon and several a la carte restaurants as well as cafes and bars.
Breakfast is served from 7:00 am to 10:30 am at Horizon Restaurant. If you did not have time to have breakfast, then everything is transferred to the BISTRO cafe.
Lunch from 12:30 to 14:30 at Horizon Restaurant. You can also dine at the ANATOLIA restaurant, you just need to come to the restaurant in advance and make an appointment. Usually at 12 o’clock there is a queue. In the ANATOLIA restaurant, it is also fashionable to take ice cream and bake flat cakes there.
Between lunch and dinner, you can grab some waffles and sweets at the BIGHUT Pool Bar or eat at the BISTRO Café. Order à la carte, there are salads and sandwiches. I ordered the tuna sandwich, it was delicious. BISTRO works 24 hours.
There is a Starbucks-style coffee house called The lounge and is located in the fourth building. From the outside it looks like a European cafe. I didn’t drink coffee here, I’m not a fan of such establishments.
In the third building there is a cozy LOBBY BAR and the Wine House wine room is also located there.
Dinner is served from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm at Horizon Restaurant. You can also sign up for dinner at one of the A la carte restaurants – Italian or fish. Entrance to the Taka A’la Carte and Capri A’la Carte restaurants costs 7 euros.
There is also a bar on the beach.
I don’t know if this is due to covid restrictions, or if this is a common practice here, but all the food is given to you at the counters, the drinks are brought by the waiters. Appliances and napkins are sealed in paper packaging.
In the photo there is a dining room during breakfast
Breakfast
The breakfast here includes standard European options like eggs, sausages, and different types of scrambled eggs. You can also request omelets with various fillings. However, I didn’t enjoy the omelet when I tried it once. On the other hand, I really liked the egg rolls with spinach. There are also options like milk cereals, fruits, vegetables, sausages, cheeses, stewed vegetables, pickled vegetables, olives, and stuffed tomatoes with cheese. Additionally, there are pancakes, waffles, jams, canned fruits, various yogurts, snacks, muesli, cookies, and buns available. Lastly, there is also soup offered as part of the breakfast menu.
When it comes to drinks, they offer various options like coffee from a machine, Turkish tea, tea bags, fresh orange juice, packaged juices, and brewed coffee. If you really want, you can request alcoholic beverages too. I once saw a waiter carrying champagne.
Lunch
For lunch, they usually served two kinds of soup, two types of pasta with different sauces, and two or three options of fish (such as haddock, mackerel, sardines, tuna, or trout) on different days. There were also meat dishes available. Additionally, they offered local cuisine dishes, a variety of salads, stewed vegetables, and hot dishes like stews. For dessert, there were sweets and fruits.
During lunch and dinner, a special buffet was available for children. It offered a variety of dietary dishes such as pasta without sauces, buckwheat porridge, and dietary meat. Personally, I preferred having pasta from this buffet.
Regarding drinks, there were various options available such as packaged juice, tea, coffee, wine, and beer. If you wanted something different, you could request raki or any other drink from the bar.
Dinners
For dinners, they add a special table with delicious food, in addition to the usual lunch. One evening they served grilled salmon, and another time there was some meat, which caused a long line. The delicatessen table had sushi, different types of meat delicacies, salmon rolls, and various shrimp snacks. I have to mention that the sushi were unusual – the rice and fillings were different than I had at home. However, I really enjoyed the salmon rolls and grilled salmon too.
Alcohol
The hotel offers an ultra all inclusive program where you can enjoy a variety of free imported alcohol at the bars. These include popular whiskeys like Ballantine’s and Red label, as well as martinis and more. They also serve cocktails made with imported alcohol. If you prefer, you can also choose to purchase alcohol, such as Jägermeister, for 7 euros. Alternatively, there is a free alternative called Jagdtraum liqueur, which tastes similar to Jägermeister. They also offer Efes beer in both cans and on tap. I personally tried the wine, but I did not enjoy it. Additionally, there is a wine cellar located in the Lobby bar, but I’m not sure if it’s available for free or if there’s an additional charge.
In the photo below, the interior of the Lobby bar, my Turkish tea and Jagdtraum liquor and the Lobby bar assortment.
Turkish coffee is available in the hotel’s cafes and bars. It is prepared and served in lovely small cups.
Pools at Alva Donna Beach Resort Comfort
Alva Donna Beach Resort Comfort has multiple swimming pools to enjoy. There are three large pools and a small one specifically for babies. Additionally, there is an indoor heated pool and a jacuzzi located in the fourth building, near the SPA center. Outdoors, you’ll find two large swimming pools. The lower pool has warm water and is popular with people of all ages. The upper pool has colder water at around 24 degrees and tends to be less crowded, making it a great option for swimming laps or doing sports.
There is a small pool with water slides. There is an indoor small pool for toddlers and an outdoor one.
In the photo is a cold pool, I called it adults only, to the left is a warm pool.
There is an upper pool with colder water. At the edge of the pool, there is a clear barrier where you can enjoy the view. The lower pool is for everyone and hosts various activities like contests, water aerobics, and water games. Music is played here, creating a lively and fun atmosphere.
If you’re looking for a calm and quiet environment without children around, the upper pool is the place for you.
The territory of the hotel Alva Donna Beach Resort Comfort
Between the pool and the beach, there is a big green space. It has sun chairs, covered areas with swings and hammocks. It’s a nice place to relax and it offers some shade. The only downside is that when you walk on the grass with wet feet from the sea, you might step on the ground and leaves, which isn’t very pleasant.
When the evening comes, the lights turn on, and you can relax here by lying on a hammock or sitting on a sofa.
Green space and beach
Beach and pier at Alva Donna Beach Resort Comfort
The hotel’s beach is not very good. It’s small and the sun loungers get taken quickly, usually by 11 o’clock. The coastline is also short. People start occupying the sunbeds very early in the morning, around 6 o’clock. The beach has a pier where many swimmers enter the water. There are sun loungers on the pier as well. Be careful, though, because there are big stones in the water. Unfortunately, my husband hurt his hand on the stones on the first day, so we didn’t go swimming again.
Hotel beach and pier
I took a walk by the sea during dawn and dusk, it was incredibly beautiful. The pier looks stunning with its evening lights.
For kids
The hotel has a big playground and a kids club where children can have fun. I saw the children playing games with the entertainers. In the evenings, there is a mini-disco or some kind of show specifically for kids.
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