Turkey has been catering to the luxury market for the 118 years since the deluxe Pera Palace Hotel opened in Istanbul for the deep-pocketed passengers stepping off the Orient-Express.
And that’s not counting the centuries of experience catering for the Ottoman Sultans, who demanded a level of accommodation and service so opulent it made five-star seem like a slap in the face.
The luxury market in Turkey is growing once more. The Pera Palace, closed for two years for renovations, is reopening in June, and luxury hotels, long two-a-penny in Istanbul, can now be found outside the city too.
Development now leans towards the top end, and international luxury brands and one-off luxury properties are to be found in most coastal areas, with a strong concentration in the Antalya region.
Classic Collection Holidays started offering Turkey last year and were pleasantly surprised at the selection of luxury product available. Head of purchasing and commercial Ian Boyer says: “Some of our featured hotels are among the very best we offer anywhere.
There is an increasingly broad range of holiday options in the five-star category from the rural, boutique hotels and spa retreats of the Turquoise coast, to all-suite and larger resort properties, superb family and all-inclusive hotels.”
The diversity of product means Turkey can cater to a broad type of luxury traveller.
For those who require extensive facilities and enjoy recognised brands, the luxury properties from worldwide companies and larger hotels offer high standards and comforting familiarity.
For those who seek a more authentically Turkish experience, there are boutique properties and family-owned establishments that, though they might be unable to compete on facilities, can offer an unrivalled warmth of welcome and cultural immersion.
Akin Koc, managing director of specialist tour operator Anatolian Sky, sends some clients to hotels in quiet, uncommercialised spots such as Akyaka, a relaxed, rural beach resort on the Aegean coast.
“The environment here has been protected, and the hotel we use, the Ottoman Residence, is built from wood in a traditional style, with fountains and courtyards, and offers authentic Ottoman cuisine. The hospitality is genuine and repeat business is high.”
In addition to specialists such as Anatolian Sky and Mosaic Holidays, and luxury tour operators such as Classic Collection, Cadogan Holidays, Cox & Kings, Kuoni, Sovereign, and Elegant Resorts, Turkey is widely featured in the luxury brochures of the big two, including Thomas Cook Ultimate Style, First Choice Premier and Thomson A La Carte.
Istanbul
The Pera Palace
Overlooking the Golden Horn and set in the upmarket Tepebasi district – known as Little Europe due to the preponderance of embassies and foreign residents – the Pera Palace was designed with a nod to art nouveau and art deco styles, with an Oriental edge.
When it opened in 1892, the Palace was the only building other than the Ottoman palaces with electricity and hot running water. It has played host to Ernest Hemingway, Greta Garbo, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and countless heads of state, and after a €20 million restoration is set to welcome a new generation of celebrities.
The renovation has updated the 115 rooms and 17 suites while retaining their original grandeur. There’s a spa and indoor swimming pool, and a range of restaurants, including the Kubbeli Saloon, where afternoon tea is a must for any visitor to Istanbul.
Ciragan Palace Kempinski
A former Ottoman Palace sitting on the western banks of the Bosphorus, its wide gardens and swimming pool provide an oasis of calm in this hectic city.
Most of the rooms and suites are housed in a tastefully understated new building – choose the slightly more expensive rooms with a river view – it’s worth it, but for extra luxury, book clients into one of the suites within the old palace itself.
There is a spa, Turkish bath and indoor heated swimming pool, so guests can relax in winter too. The hotel can organise transfers from the airport by limousine, boat, or even helicopter, as this is Istanbul’s only hotel with a helipad. Scenic flights over the city are available too.
W Istanbul
In sharp contrast to the historic luxury hotels, the first W to open in Europe stays true to the brand’s cutting-edge design credentials. However, there are definite nods to Istanbul’s Ottoman past, with deep purple velvets and ornate mirrors.
The rooms live up to their names – the Spectacular rooms have private gardens with cosy cabanas, and the Fabulous rooms have large skylights. The Extreme Wow Suite has played host to 50 Cent, who probably made good use of the Jacuzzi on the private terrace and mood lighting.
There’s a small spa and fitness centre, and an Asian-inspired Spice Market restaurant from renowned French-American chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
No room at the inn? Why not suggest Four Seasons at the Bosphorus, another converted Ottoman Palace. Or book the Four Seasons Sultanahmet, a former Turkish prison turned into a 65-room luxury hotel just steps from major attractions such as the Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque.
Aegean coast
Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay – Bodrum
With an infinity pool as blue as the waters of the Aegean it overlooks, this Kempinski property sits on its own private beach not far from the whitewashed houses and cobbled streets of Bodrum.
The quiet, spacious resort is designed with relaxation in mind, with a Six Senses spa with a whirlpool, hammam and indoor pool, in addition to the outside pool area overlooking the bay.
There are 25 suites and 148 rooms, each have a balcony with a sea view. The hotel offers water sports, cruises in a traditional wooden gulet, a kids’ club, four restaurants and two bars.
Xanadu Island, Turgutreis
Sister property to the Xanadu Resort Hotel in Belek, this all-suite property is opening this summer. Situated on a private peninsula near the village of Akyarlar, some of the suites are within the main Manor House building, others, and the range of villas, are dotted around the grounds.
Sizes range from one to six bedrooms. Courtyards and covered walkways guide guests around the peninsula, where they can relax on the beach, at one of the three pools, or in the extensive spa.
Families are well catered for, with babysitting services, a separate kids’ pool and kids’ club, and an amphitheatre with daily shows. Activities include water sports and scuba diving.
Casa Dell’Arte, Bodrum
Turkey’s first contemporary art boutique hotel is set on the seafront in a village near Bodrum, and furnished with the private collection of one of the country’s foremost art enthusiasts.
The hotel is split into two. The Residence only accepts children over the age of 12, and is a peaceful, contemplative area with 12 guest suites and a private villa, decorated with works by Turkey’s foremost modern artists.
There is a spa, private pool and beach, and a spa bath in the middle of the garden. Group and private workshops in art, sculpture and photography are available.
Next door, the luxury family resort has 37 suites, similarly artistically furnished, a kids’ club and separate pool, a playroom and babysitting services, a private jetty and beach club, live music, and yoga and pilates sessions, as well as art activities. The Casa Dell’Arte also owns three yachts, which can be chartered for blue cruises (see right).
No room at the inn? Why not suggest The Marmara Bodrum, a fresh, contemporary-looking small hotel set on the hill above the town, or the Solto, a sleek boutique with a real Turkish feel in the quiet old town of Alacati in the northern Aegean, featured exclusively in the UK by Anatolian Sky.
Turquoise Coast
Hilton Dalaman Resort and Spa, Saligerme
The first Hilton Worldwide Resort in Turkey sits on its own kilometre-long private Blue Flag beach, where the Dalaman River flows into the sea – and it’s only 15 minutes from Dalaman airport.
Of the 410 rooms and suites, 26 are family rooms and 28 are connecting. Kids will love the aqua park complex with water slides and the entertainment centre.
There are plenty of activities from water sports and diving, tennis and squash courts, a bowling alley, and a games room, which will suit big kids too. Adults will also enjoy the 21 restaurants and bars, the shopping arcade and spa, and the golf course, which is due to open soon.
Select Maris, Datca
Sitting in a conservation area on the forested Datca Peninsula, the Select Maris has a stunning location on the cliffside and five private beaches, including one for families and one for water sports, plus three quieter beaches a short shuttle boat ride away on the other side of the bay, so sunbathers aren’t disturbed.
Recently bought by Dogus Holding, the hotel has undergone extensive renovations which have just been completed, so the terrace, pools, decks, bars and kids’ club have been renewed, and there is an open-air cinema, a new spa, a helicopter and a range of yachts.
Mediterranean coast
Mardan Palace – Lara Beach
Sharon Stone and Richard Gere turned out for the opening of this grand hotel last year. The term over-the-top hardly does it justice. The bridge over the Mediterranean’s largest swimming pool was constructed from an unbuilt design by Leonardo Da Vinci, originally intended to cross the Bosphorus.
The 546 rooms are all marble bathtubs, Hermes toiletries and velvety, gold-plated layers of bling. There are 21 restaurants and bars, one of which is nestled behind a waterfall. The huge spa even has a snow room – a novel way of cooling down after a hammam.
Gloria Serenity, Belek
The Serenity is the most upmarket of the three Gloria resorts in Belek. It’s also the quietest so lives up to its name.
The pools are tranquil, the 500-metre stretch of beach has a bar with day beds, there’s a large spa and the restaurants – including French, Asian, Italian and a steak house – are tailored to adults.
However, guests at all three of the resorts can use the Gogi Kids’ Club, so it’s by no means an adult-only zone. There are two 18-hole golf courses and one nine-hole course attached to the hotel, as well as other courses close by in the Belek area. There are about 300 rooms, and nearly 100 villas, some located in the garden, and some by the pool.
Rixos Premium, Belek
Kids will love many aspects of the Rixos Premium Belek – especially the Troy aqua park with a flow rider, slides, a cave and an adventure river, not to mention the dolphinarium, where the twice-daily shows are followed by the chance to swim with dolphins.
There is plenty for parents to do too, with extensive sporting facilities and a French-themed boulevard of designer shops including Calvin Klein, Tiffany & Co and La Perla. Of the 730 rooms, 10 are two-bedroom family suites.
In addition, there are 39 multi-room villas. Eight à la carte restaurants serve a wide range of cuisines, all of which are included in the all-inclusive package.
No room at the inn? Why not suggest Kempinksi the Dome, a luxury golf and thalasso resort in Belek, or Alp Pasa, a sensitively restored boutique heritage property in central Antalya.
Sample product
Classic Collection Holidays offers seven nights’ bed and breakfast in a Grand Hammam suite at Mardan Palace from £2,350 per person this July. Price includes return flights and private transfers. classic-collection.co.uk, 0800 008 7288
Anatolian Sky offers seven nights’ all-inclusive at the Hilton Dalaman Resort and Spa from £875 per person including flights and private transfers. anatoliansky.co.uk, 08448 757681
Kuoni offers three nights’ bed and breakfast at the Ciragan Palace Kempinski in a park view room, including flights with British Airways from Heathrow, private transfers, and use of an airport lounge in the UK from £899 per person based on two sharing. agents.kuoni.co.uk, 01306 747008
Thomas Cook Ultimate Style offers seven nights’ all-inclusive at Xanadu Island from £989 per person departing from Gatwick in September. thomascookworld.com, 0871 230 2399
Gulet cruises
Gulet cruisesTurkey is famous for its ‘blue cruises’, where guests relax on the deck of traditional wooden gulets and meander around the coasts and islands, sunbathing, swimming and hopping off at points of interest to look around.
The most popular itineraries make their way around the winding Aegean and Turquoise coasts, boarding in Marmaris, Bodrum or Fethiye.
Anatolian Sky offers three luxurious, family-run gulets, with spacious, air-conditioned rooms fitted out in teak and mahogany. Even the largest has only 10 cabins, so it’s an exclusive experience.
The operator is currently building a new gulet which, when it starts sailing in 2011, is poised to become the most high-end in the fleet.
Classic Collection offers a choice of seven luxury and five deluxe gulets ranging from 24 to 45 metres in length and with five to eight cabins. The cabins have en-suite bathrooms and some have TVs and music systems.
These gulets can be chartered for families and groups of friends, or the operator can book guests on to a scheduled gulet between Marmaris and Bodrum.
