Lujo Hotel Bodrum

We had the most amazing time at Lujo! Having never been on an all-inclusive holiday before as a family, we were a little nervous about what to expect. But we needn’t have worried, it was incredible. We travelled in the middle of May with our one year old son. FOOD & DRINKS: there were so many options to choose from - about 8-9 restaurants, a few of which did charge extra, but we decided to eat at the four main restaurants which were already included. ASMA (incredible, authentic Turkish food), Sorriso for Italian, Koza which was quite family-focussed with lots of varied international dishes, and Gaia which was the seafood and brunch option. All of them are table service (no bland buffets at Lujo!) and with great variety and loads of options catered to kids (MASSIVE portions). Our favourite restaurant was GAIA for the amazing beach setting and lovely vibe. We had great calamari and ceviche, and for breakfast there were lots of options from cinnamon French toast to huevos rancheros etc. The staff across all the restaurants (and throughout the hotel) were super friendly and all of them were amazing with our little boy - talking to him, playing with him and even tying his bib on! We did notice towards the end of our week the hotel got a lot busier so the service was slightly slower but nothing major and it was likely only evident because it had been quiet earlier in the week. We cocktails and wine options were also great. Our favourite cocktails were at the Luj bar near reception as they felt slightly more premium and had a brilliant view at sunset. Reception is quite far from the rest of the amenities so we also found this bar to be a bit quieter too. BEACHES & POOLS: again so much choice. We used the adults-only beach a couple of times and it had a good vibe to it but felt a lot busier than the other beaches. Staff we also super attentive bringing drinks etc. We didn’t actually use the adults-only pool area but it was so lovely. We did make use of the Maki pools, some of which have very shallow ends, so great for little kids which was a big plus. The indoor pool was also great for the one day of bad weather. KIDS CLUB: we were a bit apprehensive about whether our son would be comfortable going to the kids club but he loved it. It was super clean and loads of things to play with. I took him to the baby room and parents are allowed to stay and play if they want to, so I was able to do that while Sema, the baby room manager, played with my son. He looked v comfortable with her which gave me the confidence to go back the following day and leave him for an hour or so. We used the kids club a few times throughout the week for a short period, and because there are two bedrooms off the main room which have cots and toddler beds, he was able to nap there which was great. They have a whole programme of activities for older kids too and really cater for everything. ROOM: we booked a terrace room with partial sea view. It came with a jacuzzi which we only used once so in hindsight probably wouldn’t have booked that room type but it was lovely and spacious. It was tucked round the side of the hotel too so was quiet and away from the evening entertainment. JOY ADVISORS: Anna and Elmira looked after us SO well. They called us the day before we arrived to suggest we make dinner reservations for the week, and literally took care of everything. Having them available on WhatsApp meant we really didn’t have to think of anything and could properly relax. From changing dinner reservations to informing us when our son had woken up at kids club they arranged lots of things for us which made our stay extra special. The resort itself is pretty big, although for us it was nice to walk around. The golf buggies are a great addition as it’s built on a hill (there are escalators) so quite steep in places, so they are especially useful for anyone with mobility issues or pregnant women. We didn’t see much evening entertainment as it didn’t start until 10pm but they have a big stage with various performers, plus later entertainment in one of the adults-only bars. There’s also a kids disco at 8.30pm at kids club. All the staff are so friendly and attentive and made our stay extra special - the Joy advisors, waiting staff, housekeeping, drivers and the sports programme staff. We’d love to visit again soon!