From clear turquoise waters to stunning food, here’s why this family friendly destination needs to be on your bucket list
Why go
Turkey has always been a popular destination because it offers something for everyone with its rich cultural heritage, incredible food and stunning landscapes. And with Tui offering daily three-and-a-half hour flights to Dalaman airport there has never been
a better time to visit.
We were lucky enough to stay in the Fethiye area, which you will find on the southwestern side of the country. It is often known
as the Turkish Riviera or Turquoise Coast, which is no surprise to us with its stunning coastline, lush mountains, sparking waters, historical wonders and delicious Mediterranean food.
The best time to visit is typically during late spring through to October, although July and August tend to be the hottest and busiest months for tourists.
Where to stay
We stayed at the Tui Blue Sensatori Akra Fethiye, which is set on a pretty bay in the resort of Akyaka, a tranquil spot nestled in between a forest and beach. This fabulous 24-hour all-inclusive hotel offers first class service, great restaurants,
an onsite spa, private beach and a selection of swimming areas, including a heated children’s splash pool, plus an adults-only pool with its own water slides.
The hotel offers fantastic family services including a kids’ club and spacious rooms, some with a sliding door to give parents a little privacy. For couples, there is an adult-only part of the hotel which offers exclusive restaurants and bars. The resort also has chic swim-up rooms, which are available in both the family zone and adults only. We were lucky enough to have one of these rooms
and the kids loved jumping in the pool after returning to the room!
If you fancy spoiling yourselves, we recommend booking a cabana on the beach with your own waiter for the day! After dark there is children’s entertainment early evening followed by fantastic shows, tribute acts and comedians, which all ages will love!
What to do
There is so much to do at the hotel that it’s hard to pull yourself away, but we recommend getting out to explore. The hotel offers a shuttle boat from their private pier to Fethiye every Tuesday morning to the traditional market – a favourite with the locals and tourists. There are dozens of stalls offering souvenirs, traditional crafts and clothes – don’t forget to haggle! You will also have the chance to sample the local delicacies. We loved the gozleme, a tasty savoury pancake and, of course, Turkish delight.
The town is modern, with lots of bars, although Paspatur, the old town, has a lovely feel to it with its cobbled streets – it really comes to life after dark.
What to eat
The Sensatori Akra has a fantastic buffet-style main restaurant, probably the best we have experienced with so much choice and of a very high standard. There are various à la carte restaurants serving high-quality Asian, Turkish and Italian cuisine, plus there’s a brilliant steakhouse. The décor and vibe in all the eateries is amazing and we loved having the choice of sitting outside in some of the restaurants. The buffet even offers an area for adult-only dining, a family area and a mixed zone. There’s also a great café offering speciality coffees, ice creams, delicious cakes and milkshakes and it’s all included. We also loved the amazing cocktails served across the seven bars and really looked forward to choosing which G&T to have from the gin and tonic menu – the cucumber one was our favourite!
At lunchtime there was plenty of choice in the restaurants, although we kept going back to the doner kebab and ice cream food truck.
Hidden gems
Beautiful Butterfly Valley is a must-see, with plunging cliffs, beautiful beaches and, of course, lots of butterflies. We also recommend booking the Dalyan River Cruise trip, which includes a visit to the Ephesus mud baths, the chance to unwind on the beautiful Iztuzu, the blissfully natural beach, where you can get a delicious local riverside lunch. Another favourite was the Mount Babadag Cable Car and Kayakoy Ghost Town Tour, which included an eerie trip around an abandoned town that has been left to gather dust for over a decade. We loved taking in the sights up high in the cable car and the sunsets are spectacular. We booked all our trips with the Tui on site rep who were amazingly helpful, and no request was ever too much trouble.
Need to know
-
We absolutely loved our stay and TUI offers a seven-night package holiday Flying into Dalaman, Turkey, staying at the 5T TUI BLUE Sensatori Akra Fethiye on an all-inclusive basis. Prices start from £694 per person. Price is based on two adults sharing a double room with balcony or terrace and flights with 20kg of hold luggage per person and transfers. To find out more about this holiday or to book go to Tui.co.uk, visit your local travel agent or download the TUI app.
-
To book the Tui experiences, including Dalyan River Cruise trip, and the Kayakoy Ghost Town Tour and Mount Babadag Cable Car visit Gotui.com or the TUI app.
Words: Carly Honeyfield