Lykia World / Residence – Olu Deniz – Turkey

This was our first time to Turkey and as a family of four. We arrived on the 1st April which I think was one of the 1st days of opening! There were only 3 of us checking in so check-in was quick. We had a family room in the L’s (cant remember the names!) on the ground floor. The room was large enough for us 4.

We had a bed settee for our eldest, who is 4, and a travel cot and there was still plenty of space. The bathroom was large and the shower was excellent, warm and powerful. The rooms were cleaned every day and the towels were supposed to be changed 3 times a week but i’m sure we had clean towels every day. The whole hotel was very clean.

The Residents restaurant was the only one open when we arrived for the first 5 days so we had a bit of a trek for meals, but it didnt bother us. The food was excellent: much better than I expected it to be. There is loads to choose from on the menu so we didnt get bored. A couple of times the restaurant had something different like sushi which was made in front of you (which was very good). When the village restaurant opened the food was almost the same and just as good. For breakfast there was a choice of cereals, museli, yogurts, meats, salads, cheeses, breads, omelettes waffles, pancakes, and the usual hot things like sausages, eggs, french toast etc. At lunch there were grilled meats (lamb and chicken usually), salads, stuffed veggies, rice, pizza, chips, different kinds of potatoes, salads and breads. dinner was almost the same but with pastas and some other specials suck as stuffed chicken, stuffed lamb, meatballs (koftas), chilli, fish, chinese meals I could go on! Everything we ate, and we pretty much tried everything between us, was lovely and the staff were fab. They loved the kids!!

The hotel is built in a cove and so is built up the sides of mountains. As a result it’s a bit of a climb up to children’s paradise but alternatively there is a bus that runs around the hotel that also ventures down to the beach. The hotel is massive! It is only 5 mins away from Olu Deniz and there is a bus that runs every 10 mins down to the town. We didnt go to Olu Deniz but the beach did look lovely. The beach at the hotel is pebbly but does have sand around the sunlounger area. The beach is a nice one though.

Fethiye was about 20mins away and was a lot bigger than I expected. We went to the market which is HUGE. There is a bus from Olu Deniz which runs to Fethiye regularly.

The staff at the Lykia were fantastic, especially the children’s club guys. Only our 4 yr old went along and only to the evening times. They were fab though and I cant emphasise enough how good they were. How they remember so many children’s names i dont know! The kids club ran lots of activities but i’m sure you will have seen the brochure. The Judo lessons looked excellent and the guy who did them is an ex world champ. He looked like he was having a fab time and the show he did with the kids was fab.

All the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful and were very impressed. The entertainment was also very good. there were a couple of theatres around but only the residence one was open when we were there, so I dont know how it works at peak time. The shows that were on were really good. There was an entertainment team who performed nearly all the shows. We also had a Turkish night with Turkish dancers (with belly dancers!)and a magic show. The kids loved it!

Overall We had a fantastic time. The weather was decent although we had 4 bad weather days. The temp when we got there was around 19-22 and when we left (2week holiday) it was getting up to around 25-27′c. Like I said earlier we were one of the first to stay and so quite a lot of the hotel was closed. Only the residence indoor/outdoor pool was open but our kids were happy swimming anywhere and there are a couple of slides there. The outdoor pool was freezing but I expect when the weather is warmer it would warm up and be refreshing as we were told temps last summer got up to 55′c! The childrens paradise opened after about 5 days.

We would definately go back and already we are looking at next year. For anyone thinking of going at the same time of year just bear in mind that Olu Deniz is basically closed and the hotel may not be completely open which we weren’t told, but maybe should have expected. Also the weather can be unpredictable. We did have plenty of gorgeous days but as I’ve said it did rain for 4 days and when I say rain…it was like a monsoon!

Another point to make is that prices at the hotel are quite expensive. We paid £4 for a large bag of doritos from the shop and a large beer was £3.75. Glass of red wine was £4.25 so make the most of your drinks with meals. Suppose they are typical hotel prices but just to make you aware! Also I had a look, the shop sells baby food (jars for different stages and Hipp organic milk, baby cereals), nappies etc…

Great holiday and I think the Lykia will be hard to beat.
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