Turkey stretches across two continents and contains more variety than most travellers expect. Along the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts, it delivers some of the finest beach holidays available from the UK. Inland and further north, it offers culture, history and landscape that few destinations can match. Most UK visitors come for the coast — and the coast consistently delivers.
The Antalya area is the heart of Turkey's luxury resort scene. Belek, located 35 kilometres east of Antalya city, is Turkey's premier resort destination: a purpose-built strip of five-star all inclusive hotels set in Aleppo pine forests, each with its own beach, pools and restaurant offering. Belek is also Turkey's golf capital, with over 20 championship courses within easy reach. Lara and Kundu, immediately east of Antalya city, are home to some of Turkey's grandest hotel properties — enormous ultra all inclusive resorts on long sandy beaches with short airport transfers. Side, further east along the coast, combines excellent beach hotels with a genuinely beautiful ancient Roman town built on a peninsula — one of the most atmospheric resort locations in Turkey.
Alanya anchors the eastern end of the Antalya riviera: a lively resort town dominated by a dramatic Seljuk castle on a clifftop promontory, with a long beach, a wide range of hotels at every price point, and excellent value for money. Kemer, to the west of Antalya, sits at the foot of the Taurus Mountains in a bay of exceptional natural beauty — a smaller, more intimate resort than its neighbours, popular with guests who want pine-forested hills alongside their beach.
The Dalaman area covers Turkey's western Aegean coast, where the landscape becomes more dramatic and the sea turns a deeper turquoise. Fethiye is the gateway to the region: a working harbour town surrounded by a bay of extraordinary beauty, with the famous Blue Lagoon at Ölüdeniz a short drive away. Marmaris combines a lively marina town with a long beach and excellent hotel choice — one of Turkey's most popular resort destinations for UK families and young couples alike. Dalaman itself offers a quieter base, with easy access to the surrounding coastline.
The Bodrum peninsula is Turkey's most fashionable coastal destination — a finger of land jutting into the Aegean, lined with whitewashed villages, boutique hotels and stunning bays. Bodrum town is anchored by a medieval crusader castle and a working harbour; the peninsula around it offers some of Turkey's finest luxury accommodation in an intimate, characterful setting that is quite different from the large all inclusive resorts of the Antalya coast.
Further north, the Kusadasi area sits on the Aegean coast opposite the Greek islands. Kusadasi is a lively resort town with a long beach, a vibrant harbour, and the ancient city of Ephesus — one of the finest Roman ruins in the world — just 20 kilometres away. Didim, to the south, offers a quieter alternative with excellent beach hotels and the Temple of Apollo at Didyma nearby.
Turkey’s food is one of its great pleasures. The all inclusive programmes at Belek and Lara resorts are renowned across Europe for their quality — broad buffets, multiple à la carte restaurants, and a standard of cooking that consistently exceeds expectations. Beyond the resorts, Turkey’s coastal restaurants serve exceptional fresh seafood, wood-fired kebabs, and a cuisine that has been refined over centuries. The combination of extraordinary food, warm hospitality, reliably excellent weather from May to October, and outstanding value for money from the UK makes Turkey one of the most compelling holiday destinations in the world.
