Last Updated on: 7th March 2023, 01:42 pm

Samara Hotel Bodrum was one of my most pleasant post-pandemic travel surprises. This five-star, private beach, ultra all inclusive hotel is an excellent choice for an amazing beach holiday in Turkey, or Türkiye.

This is my honest review of Samara Hotel Bodrum. I’ve included both pros and cons of choosing this hotel for my stay in Bodrum. I’ve also added some of my best photos of Samara hotel, gardens, pools and amenities.

turkish tea cat samara bodrum

Tea time at the buffet restaurant of Samara Resort, Bodrum

During high season, you’ll want to do your Samara hotel booking early. This is how you can land a great deal and secure your holiday in Bodrum.

Samara Hotel Bodrum Ultra All Inclusive Location

Samara hotel is located in Torba, at about 10 minutes’ drive from the center of Bodrum and 30-40 minutes from the Milas-Bodrum airport.

Like all resorts in Torba, Samara sits on its own bay, away from the center of the town.

turkyie summer holiday samara bodrum

The sandy beach and the beautiful water of the cove where Samara Hotel sits

Apparently, Torba is a cute, little town. Nonetheless, I preferred to go to downtown Bodrum more than once, so I didn’t find the time to visit any other village or town in the area. Did I ever tell you how 10 days aren’t enough for a proper holiday that mixes beach relaxation with exploring the beautiful Turkish coast, its national parks and its beaches.

While it’s true that everything you may ever need during a beach holiday in Turkey, or anywhere else for that matter,  is there, you may feel the need for a long morning or afternoon walk. That’s not a nice option at all. You’d better take a taxi and go to Bodrum to walk alongside the marina.

About Samara Hotel Bodrum

The 5-star Samara Hotel spreads over a very generous area in a private bay with beautiful sea views. The resort consists of a main building featuring a huge lobby and apartment sections, and several smaller apartment buildings scattered across a carefully manicured lawn.

samara resort all inclusive bodrum

The hotel buildings are small and scattered over a huge garden with beautiful grass, flowers, palm trees and olive trees

The hotel has its own private beach with fine sand, sunbeds and umbrellas. This sandy beach is nicely complemented by a calm blue sea, clean and full of fish.

One downside of this private cove is its enclosure. You can never swim too far from the shore, as there are buoys and ropes preventing swimmers from escaping the bay area.

True sea swimmers won’t be happy here. On the other hand, families with inquisitive and adventurous children will have the peace of mind that their kids won’t be able to swim or snorkel too far away in the deep blue sea.

I was happy here because all I wanted was to swim with the fish, to snorkel and to shoot funny videos. I had bought this waterproof cover for my phone, that enabled me to shoot underwater.

samara hotel adults pool

This is the circular pool with water fountain – children aren’t allowed in

It was fun, even though more than once I ended up filming my belly. That was a good laughter.

I have some fun fish videos to watch with friends.

What I missed were the long morning walks on the beach. On the map, Samara hotel appears to be on a very long beach, together with other 5-star resorts in the area. The territory is different than the map, as each of these resorts enclosed their beaches. The result is that you can’t pass from one private beach to the next.

Amenities at Samara Hotel Bodrum

There are three restaurants and two bars catering to the guests of Samara Hotel. The main restaurant has a big terrace and also plenty of space inside. This is where guests have breakfast, lunch and dinner, buffet style.

The “à la carte” fish restaurant offers awesome sunset views, as it sits on the top of one of the buildings in the resort. The food and the service are very good. This fish restaurant caters exclusively to the guests and the access is by reservation only. It only serves dinner.

fish restaurant bodrum samara

What to eat in a fish restaurant, other than fish? That was delicious!

samara resort appetizers

The starters weren’t too shabby, either!

The third restaurant is also a dinner one. Once the beach day comes to an end, the staff set tables and chairs around the pool. The food selection includes a mix of local cuisine dishes. Turkish food is delicious and these dishes make no exception. This restaurant is also available by prior reservation only.

turkish meze samara bodrum

Turkish meze – starters – dinner at the restaurant by the pool

In fact, these two restaurants aren’t genuinely “à la carte”, as guests don’t get to choose what they want to eat from a menu. However, tables are waited, so you don’t need to bother with running around with your place to put food on it. You can enjoy a lovely dinner outdoor together with your family, friends or romantic partner.

Two swimming pools welcome guests with clean water, comfy sunbeds, music and a fun animation team. There’s also a spa center with an indoor pool. I prefer outdoor spaces, so I can’t really tell you how this is.

The pool bar is awesome. You basically stand in the water and you ask for drinks. It can’t get better than this.

Even though the beach is small, there’s enough place for everyone. I stayed Samara Hotel in August, in high-season, and I always found available sunbeds.

samara beach palm tree shadow

This is how I like to lay on the beach

The best place to lay your sunbed, though, is under the palm trees. There’s nothing like the cooling shadow of a lush tree, you can take my word for it.

When you want to take a break from this ‘dolce vita’, you can check out my article about several unusual things to do in Bodrum. You’ll love my ideas, I’m sure.

Photos of Samara Hotel Bodrum

What I liked most about Samara Hotel is how photogenic it was. I took awesome photos by the pool by day and by night. Here are a few of them.

samara hotel bodrum garden

The garden

samara hotel garden pool

The main pool – Samara Hotel has the longest swimming pool I’ve ever seen in a beach resort

samara hotel pool by night

Samara hotel – the same pool by night

samara hotel torba night moon

The moon eclipse over the pool of Samara Bodrum

Latest deals for Samara Hotel Bodrum

The best way to land a great deal is to keep an eye on booking.com and on other hotel booking websites.

Pros and Cons of Booking at Samara Hotel Bodrum

Here’s a summary of this article, for you to decide whether Samara Hotel & Resort in Bodrum is for you.

Samara Hotel Pros:

  • Cleanliness
  • Comfort
  • Proximity to downtown Bodrum (10 minutes by taxi or bus)
  • Private beach by a quiet cove in the Torba area
  • Excellent food, even at the open buffet restaurant
  • Two a la carte restaurants, a fish and sea food one and a Turkish specific one
  • Sandy beach with sunbeds and umbrellas, clean water and snorkeling opportunities
  • Modern spa center with indoor pool, Jacuzzi and sauna (massage services available at extra cost)
  • Lush garden with huge palm trees, a well-maintained lawn, flowers, wooden benches, and hammocks
  • Pool bar with beers, wines and cocktails
  • Three swimming pools: one for everybody, one for adults only, and a third, shallow one for children.

Samara Hotel Cons:

  • No way to take long walks on the beach or alongside a seafront promenade (there’s no seafront promenade in this area) – if you must take long walks on the beach, you may want to check out Oludeniz or other resorts and towns in Tukey such as Fethyie, Kusadasi and Marmaris
  • No way to swim far away from the shore
  • Going out to Bodrum center in the evening can be tricky, as taxis can be in high demand by that time, so you’d need to wait for 30 minutes or even more to grab one.
  • Bodrum is a bit too far for day trips to Ephesus or Troy

beach view Bodrum

 

Violeta Matei