Antalya

Antalya combines Mediterranean beaches with the depth of Anatolian history. Ancient ruins, resort coastlines, mountain backdrops and a historic old town give the destination a sense of place that reaches well beyond the shoreline.

Antalya sits on a cliff above the Gulf of Antalya, with the Taurus Mountains rising almost straight from the sea behind it. At its heart is Kaleiçi, the walled old town of Ottoman houses and narrow lanes that descends to the Roman harbour, entered through Hadrian’s Gate. East of the city lie the long sandy beaches of Lara and Belek; to the west, Kemer and the mountains of the Lycian coast.

Few resort coasts are so close to so much antiquity. Perge and Aspendos, with one of the best-preserved Roman theatres anywhere, lie within an hour of Belek; Termessos stands high in the mountains; and the ancient city of Phaselis has its three harbours among the pines south of Kemer. Belek itself has become one of Europe’s principal golf destinations, with more than a dozen championship courses.

Antalya enjoys around three hundred days of sunshine a year. The beach season runs from May to October; July and August are very hot and the busiest months, when the large resorts are full of families. Late May, June and September are the most comfortable, with warm sea, clear skies and temperatures that still allow a morning at the ruins.

Spring and autumn are the golf seasons in Belek, when the courses are green and the heat has eased. Winter is mild and quiet on the coast, while snow often lies on the Taurus peaks behind the city. In most years the Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival brings performances to the Roman theatre, one of the few in the world still used for its original purpose.

The leading resorts are on the coast either side of the city. In Belek, Maxx Royal Belek Golf Resort, Regnum Carya, Rixos Premium Belek and Kempinski Hotel The Dome Belek combine long beaches with golf and extensive spas; west of Antalya, Maxx Royal Kemer Resort stands between the mountains and the sea.

LVXVRY books Kempinski Hotel The Dome Belek through Kempinski Club 1897 — at the official hotel rate, with the privileges the programme attaches to the stay. For the other resorts, most of which work on an all-inclusive basis and are busiest with families in summer, LVXVRY advises on choosing the right house and season and arranges the stay.