Short Haul - Large Complex - All Inclusive Ideas?

saintscouple

We're used to going to Majorca but rising costs incl tourist tax is making us consider a change of scene. We normally go on a B&B basis, but are looking to experience a complete change, albeit with a destination within a 4 hour flight time.

We want to go 2 weeks, end june / beginning july, somewhere hot, all inclusive, in a large complex with fantastic swimming pools, food and drink, located on a beach. We are 2 mature adults, don't mind family hotels as long as there are quiet pool areas that can be enjoyed. The other thing is we want to feel comfortable and able to walk freely outside the hotel complex and see the local sites. Nearly forgot, a budget between £2.5 - £3k

Recommendations of resorts would be most appreciated as well as specific hotels, as we seem to be going around in circles after looking at so many places and just confusing ourselves.

Thank you in advance for anyone taking the time to reply

saintscouple

Update:

My legwork has taken me to either Turkey or the Canary Islands, and i'm swaying towards Turkey as it will be hotter, and will get more for my money. Would be our first holiday in Turkey, looking at resorts i wonder if Lara Beach feel more 'safe' to us and then take organised excursions to get a feel of the real Turkey... it's either that or perhaps Side.
Then there's the hotel choice, something with some bling like the Delphin Imperial, or one with better reviewed inclusive service like Barut Lara.

Am i missing something and got the blinkers on, or is Turkey a good choice for us? If it is does anyone have any recommendations? thank you

PompeyPete

saintscouple wrote: »

Update:

My legwork has taken me to either Turkey or the Canary Islands, and i'm swaying towards Turkey as it will be hotter, and will get more for my money. Would be our first holiday in Turkey, looking at resorts i wonder if Lara Beach feel more 'safe' to us and then take organised excursions to get a feel of the real Turkey... it's either that or perhaps Side.
Then there's the hotel choice, something with some bling like the Delphin Imperial, or one with better reviewed inclusive service like Barut Lara.

Am i missing something and got the blinkers on, or is Turkey a good choice for us? If it is does anyone have any recommendations? thank you

Apart from the big AI resorts in Lara Beach there isn't a right lot there. There's a bus service into Antalya, but in the summer the buses will be mobbed.

Been to Side a couple of times, last time was out of season a few weeks ago. Stayed at the Sentido Perissia for 2 weeks, which is a really good hotel right on the seafront, about a 35 minute walk out of the old part of Side.

Side benefits from have a very pleasant, lon g and flat, traffic-free seafront path, with plenty of cafes along it. Whereas access to the seafront at Lara Beach is basically only via hotels.

It's easy to get around from Side by Dolmus [shared minibus], which are inexpensive. The closest town is Manavgat, which we really enjoyed.

The locals are friendly, never saw any trouble or any sign of trouble. Having a liking for cats is an advantage, they're everywhere, but well looked after generally by the hotels

Only a 60 minute transfer from Antalya Airport.

So my vote is for Side.....but also have a look at Bodrum, the Bodrum Peninsula is beautiful, and the Dolmus go everywhere. Some of the smaller lesser touristed seaside towns are really impressive.

Here's a trip report I posted about Bodrum...

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4981533

agrinnall

Although I've never been to an AI resort and know little about them, in terms of destination I did think Turkey first of all when I read your OP. However, I wonder if there is anything in Tunisia now it has reopened for tourists? I'd guess that you might well get more for your money while they try to rebuild the number of visitors, assuming there is something available that meets your needs.

PompeyPete

agrinnall wrote: »

Although I've never been to an AI resort and know little about them, in terms of destination I did think Turkey first of all when I read your OP. However, I wonder if there is anything in Tunisia now it has reopened for tourists? I'd guess that you might well get more for your money while they try to rebuild the number of visitors, assuming there is something available that meets your needs.

All buses transferring from Enfidha Airport to their resorts [Hammamet, Port El Kantanou, and Sousse] have an armed police escort. That's the first thing that'd put me off.

Increased, probably over-the-top armed police and security presence all over the Resorts would also put me off.

I imagine that package tourists will be very much encouraged by Reps not to venture too far on their own, so as Thos Cook and Thomson can flog as many of their own expensive excursions as they can.

Personally, I wouldn't find all that very relaxing.

Browntoa

I wouldn't travel to either Turkey or Egypt if you want to wander

Tunisia is back on the market , one of the most stable countries in that region , completely avoided the Arab Spring . I know there was a shooting there but it was external people and a one off . If you search news stories you will not find much in the way of trouble going back several years

PompeyPete

Browntoa wrote: »

I wouldn't travel to either Turkey or Egypt if you want to wander.

Disagree 100% regarding Turkey.

Browntoa wrote: »

Tunisia is back on the market , one of the most stable countries in that region , completely avoided the Arab Spring . I know there was a shooting there but it was external people and a one off . If you search news stories you will not find much in the way of trouble going back several years

Tunisia didn't avoid the Arab Spring.....it started there!

Not much trouble going back several years? What about the tourists massacred at The Bardo Museum in Tunis in 2015, and not long after the 38 Brits mown down on the beach in Sousse. There were also a couple of close escapes.

saintscouple

Pompeypete - thanks very much for your reply, i enjoyed reading your review and it seems what you were doing there i similar to what we do in majorca. What i didn't realise until i read your post and looked up Bodrum is just how big Turkey is and the choices there are. So whilst i think we have narrowed down the choice to Turkey, it now opens up a bigger question of what resort, although as i say, as it's our 1st time and we've always wanted to try a large hotel complex with many pools and all inclusive, it will be looking for the best hotel rather than resort perhaps. The large hotel complex may not be for us, and i would certainly like to try the self catering side of things there at some point, but if we don't do the large hotel now i fear we never will as we've put it off so many times before.

agrinnall & browntoa - Tunisia was my first port of call when looking, knowing they were back on the market, and that it was only us, the brits, that stopped going there - all other nationalities continued. The prices are certainly the lowest, but... armed guards and patrols is not something my wife is comfortable with. and we also want to feel relaxed and safe walking outside the hotel complex. For this reason, at the moment tunisia is a no from us, but will keep an eye on tripadvisor reviews to see how others are finding it this summer.

Egypt, is a destination we only considered briefly, my wife is no fan of flying, and seeing as Turkey can offer all what egypt can (we're not interested in snorkelling) with the shorter flight time, it was written off quite quickly.

Going back to the canaries briefly, i think that can be revisited one year perhaps out of season what be a better time to catch some winter sun.

So Turkey it will be! Just back to the drawing board on resorts that we can have a wander around, and hotels that will give us a 'wow' factor and spoil us with gastronomical delights and swimming pools. The other thing i neglected to mention was i like to swim in the sea, my wife doesn't, this means on holiday i will leave my wife around the pool whilst i go off for an hour for a swim in the sea, thus a hotel on the beach would be preferable.

Thanks for all the recommendations and advice thus far, very much appreciated.

PeacefulWaters

Browntoa wrote: »

I wouldn't travel to either Turkey or Egypt if you want to wander

Tunisia is back on the market , one of the most stable countries in that region , completely avoided the Arab Spring . I know there was a shooting there but it was external people and a one off . If you search news stories you will not find much in the way of trouble going back several years

Baffling post. Sorry.

richardw

Browntoa wrote: »

I wouldn't travel to either Turkey or Egypt if you want to wander

Tunisia is back on the market , one of the most stable countries in that region , completely avoided the Arab Spring . I know there was a shooting there but it was external people and a one off . If you search news stories you will not find much in the way of trouble going back several years

I’m more worried about being shot in parts of America.

PeacefulWaters

richardw wrote: »

I’m more worried about being shot in parts of America.

There's nothing I enjoyed more than the family at a Walmart somewhere near Death Valley.

Small kid sat in the trolley holding a decent size box of ammunition while Dad holds a pump style rifle handed over from behind the counter.

We just moved on to the more secure liquor section ...