Hello

Club Asteria in Belek is brilliant just read reviews on it

There say it all

We are going to Tuscan Beach in Kussadai in 5 weeks

Thats got lots off good reviews i can let you know on our return what its like

The above hotels are A/I

There looks to be lots of fantastic hotels now at Lara Beach near Antalya - nice short transfer too !

The only problem we have found is that there are considerably fewer day time flights into Antalya airport (though we have managed to track some down). Maybe if you are ding a fortnight this would not be such an issue though.

Graham W, did you like the Belcekiz beach?? Hadnt heard anything from you on the BB thread since you came back. We thought it was fantastic, going back to Ovacik in October - cant wait!

What about the Pegasos Palace in Sarigerme? We went there last year, and had a good time, but now it has been taken over by Iberostar, it appears to be fantastic, and has nothing but good reviews. (see pegasos thread). It is about 5 mins taxi ride from the resort, but it is very small- nothing as big as Olu. However there is so much to do on site.

Good luck with wherever you choose, i for one will keep returning to Olu Deniz or Hisaronu, they really take some beating IMO.

Thats for those replies.
Susien, BB was fantastic, really must get round to put on a review. Everything at the hotel was great and its the attention to detail that pays off for them.

I consider myself a bit of an expert on Turkey and All inclusives having stayed at the following

Phaselis Princess (twice)
Club Grand Side
Hemera (Side) (twice)
Atlantis (Belek)
Pine Beach (Belek)
Greenland (Ovacik)
Aegean Dream Resort (Turgutreis)

Have booked for WOW Topkapi Palace for this October and have booked to go back to Aegean Dream for 20 July 2007

Overall I felt that the Aegean Dream Resort was the best all round hotel, lots of free watersports including water skiing and banana, good food and drink, no getting up early to reserve beds (in peak season!), good location, good disco for teenagers, pleasant breeze so no humidity problems in peak season that we have experieced in the Southern areas of Turkey and possibly best of all the hotel can be booked at a sensible price through Portland, Thomsons or Thomas Cook. N.B. Hotel guests approx 40% British which I think is a good ratio, would hate to be all British! (also no german clientel)

Dave,
Thanks for the info on the Aegean Dreams. I have booked for 2007 via Portland. Have had 2 great holidays at the Belcekiz Beach in Olu Deniz(my first experiences of both A/I and Turkey) so hope it will match up. Could I ask what difference there is in the "ultra" A/I to the normal ?
Thanks, Lally

Lally

When are you going to Aegean Dream?

Basically the ultra all inclusive covers the fact that banana boat / water skiing plus tuition / wind surfing plus tuition is covered. These are the main extras compared to other places we have stayed at.

We met on holiday another family (who have also rebooked for 2007 to Aegean Dream) whose previous all inclusive in Turkey was the Olu Deniz Resort. They said that the Aegean Dream was the better of the two hotels.

Dave

Thanks Dave
we go early August and I am already counting down! Loved the BB in Olu Deniz but need to try somewhere else and the ADR looks right for us (myself and 2 daughters who will be 14 and 11 when we go)- Don't like being tied in , we always eat out 5/6 times so the fact we can walk in to Turgutreis is a plus - probably need a cab back though
Lally

weve stayed at the phaselis princess hotel in tekirova 2 years ago and were really disppointed with it, we didnt like the fact the slides were only open certain times which upset the kids, the food was only average compared to other hotels ive stayed in that were lower star rating, friday was the worst as none of us in our group ate fish and the restaurant only had mainly fish and the only other speciallity restaurant open was the fish restaurant which was very silly if you didnt eat fish !!! tekirova itself is a real disappointment with nothing there but a small street of shops and bars we couldnt even find another beach except hotels beach, i wouldnt recommend it or return to this area, but we all enjoy different things, and i like the sound of the aegean dream resort

Maybe see you there Karen! Did you have a good holiday?

yes we had a fab hol thanks going to turkey again in oct cant wait this time going to letoonia all inc looks good, free international brands so hopefully they will have archers lol, we stayed in akyaka last mth its so lovely there. was tempted with bb but decided on letoonia drinks swayed it for me as im very fussy with my drinks lol, but we will go to olu deniz for a day as i love it there

karen

Dave Thomas,

You stayed at the Aegean Dreams. On their website there is a photo of the bedroom which has a glass wall which you can see through to the shower room. Did you find this on your stay? that worried me.

Aha!! that has solved the mystery.

Someone left a review on the Belcekiz beach hotel and mentioned the glass wall, and us regulars on there, including some who had been before were saying that they had never heard of the glass wall.
It must have been put on Bel Beach instead of Aegean Dreamsin error.!!

On the subject on Aegean Dreams, it says in the brochure that water skiing and banana boat are part of the all inc. once a week??

How does this work? Do you get a voucher or something??

Had a look at this hotel after the good reports on this thread, and I must say im quite tempted, and it is at a good price with Portland at the moment.

Hopefully to answer your questions about Aegean Dream:

a) don't worry about the glass wall - this configuration maybe only applies to a few rooms. No-one on holiday mentioned it. In our case the bathroom door was glass but frosted and not see through!

b) regarding free water skiing; this was available at 9.30am 6 mornings a week and lasted through to 11.30 or 12 depending on demand. You just turned up at 9.30 on one of the jetties and when the ski boat turned up you were handed a clip board and put your names down on a sheet. First there first to ski. Beginners were made welcome, lesson generally given (even children as young as 11). You were given 3 or 4 efforts at "getting up" and if you failed that was the end of your "go". But you could always go back the following day. Most beginners would be able to do a circuit of the bay by the 2nd or 3rd day.

c) regarding free banana boating; similar arrangements regarding skiing but at 2pm 6 days a week. The sheet handed out at 2pm was split into blocks of 6 (6 people per banana) and you just wrote your names down were you wanted to go. Banana finished at approx 4.30 and you could go as many times as you wish subject to numbers but we were there 24 July for two weeks and no problems with queues.

d) windsurfing lessons at 11ish and 2ish. Once had a free lesson you could take a windsurfer out FOC whenever subject to conditions and demand. Again no problem with demand in peak season. They had a variety of winsurfers from beginner to advance.

e) pedaloes and canoes; available free of charge. no problem with demand.

To fill in a bit more about Aegean Dream:

a) you could go to Fish, Italian, and Turhkish A l Cartes as much as you want (same menu though). You went to guest relations at 10am and put your names down. No problem getting in somewhere (Italian a little tricky)

b) disco "the rave cave" (mainly taken over by teenagers) was open from 11 to 2am with free bar.

c) free internet cafe (about 8 computers) plus free pool table plus free cinema was in the same location as the disco. The teenagers in our party reliably informed us that this area was the best of any hotel they had been to before.

d) lobby bar (above disco area) open until 2am for last drinks / chill out.

Dave Thomas

Dave Thomas,

Thanks for the information.

Ace

Just been on portland website, cant book a room for 4, is there none n the hotel.

Dont think there are rooms for 4 as I looked. I think you have to book 2 twin rooms if there are 4 of you.

There are two types of family rooms for 4 people in the Aegean Dream.

Thomas Cook's family room consists of two standard rooms with an adjoining door, however the supplements are ridiculous.

Portland/Thomsons do offer (but sell out quickly) a room consisting of two rooms (2 people in each) with one bathroom. This actually works out slightly cheaper than two separate rooms.

We book two separate rooms because our "children" are older and like the independance.

Dave Thomas

Thanks for info Dave. I must have missed the Portland family rooms for next summer, they have probably been sold already.

Might have a look on Thomas Cook although I suspect they will be more expensive (and their web-site is a nightmare).