The Hillside Beach Club near Fethiye on the Turquoise Coast is very easy on the eye. Set in a secluded bay surrounded by pine-covered hills, the steeply terraced rooms look out over a sea the required shade of turquoise, and beyond to the Toros mountains. For an all-inclusive resort aimed mainly at young families, it is also surprisingly easy on the ear: poolside playtime is softened by snatches of Coldplay wafting over from the nearby bar or simply avoided by stretching out on the child-free Silent Beach. And while it may not be as easy on the pocket as some of Turkey’s more recognisable hot spots further up the coast, it’s not in the same ballpark as many of the Med’s super-inflated resorts.
You can safely banish any images of the bedlam at Kusadasi, Marmaris or Bodrum in high summer; the Hillside Beach Club concentrates instead on promoting “nature and fun in style”. Nature is in abundance in the surrounding sea, mountains and forests (a tree is planted for every guest that stays); fun is catered for by an exhaustive list of activities, excursions and kids’ clubs; and style comes in the form of the tastefully, if sparingly, furnished rooms, all with a large terrace and sea view, and the alluring white cotton loungers and floating sun decks. By any definition, it is a far more laid-back and comfortable approach to style than that of its flashier sister property Hotel Su in Antalya.
In fact, the relaxed atmosphere in the face of all this potentially insatiable playground energy is one of the resort’s most enticing features, even for childless guests. You’d rather expect them to rise with the sun, dodge the breakfast bunfight and steal a precious few inches of space at the Silent Beach or set sail for the nearest island on one of the club’s catamarans. Not so.
Even that universally resented breed, the animation team member, appears to be cast from a gentler mould. They’re playing to a demanding audience, however — the offspring of Turkey’s arts and media set, alongside northern Europe’s comfortably off and a rapidly rising influx of newly minted Russians. A more dip-in, dip-out form of entertainment is on offer than the usual round-them-up and wear-them-out approach.
Hillside Beach Club sees itself as Turkey’s most exclusive and prestigious resort — sorry, club. The look is more polo shirt and board shorts than burnt chest and Speedos, and the preferred mode of transport for infants is the McLaren off-road buggy. The percentage of repeat visitors is extraordinarily high — some have returned as many as 10 times, even though the club has only been open for 10 years. Discounts are offered on repeat bookings, but this is not a crowd scratching about for the odd saving. What keeps them coming back is the standard of service, the range of facilities (from archery to Balinese spa to underwater yoga), the setting and the surprisingly good food (authentic Turkish and international) for a resort of 320 rooms. As one guest put it, “They make everything so easy for you and the kids.” But be warned that baby-sitters come in at big city prices, charging â,¬10 an hour.
Of course there is life beyond the comfort zone. Excursions are offered to the fourth-century rock tombs at Dalyan, the ghost town of Kaya Koyu and the ancient Lycean city of Tlos. There is rafting, canyoning, trekking and jeep safaris; boat tours take in the islands, and the club’s little fishing boat will transport you at sunset to Osman’s beachside restaurant in a nearby cove (discounted menus for club residents), and bring you back by starlight express; a regular shuttle bus services nearby Fethiye and its bazaar. All this and I still managed to fit in a hamman at the old Turkish baths in town and a cut-throat shave at the barber next door.
Would I go again? It would be all too easy. —Â Â