Cullinan Belek in Antalya, Turkey, has quickly become a premium destination for golfers seeking a luxurious retreat. The resort features two courses on its grounds, the Olympos and the Aspendos. The hotel also offers a driving range, chipping and putting greens, and golf lessons.
The Cullinan Links Golf Club is situated a short lift ride or stroll from the main hotel. The rooms back up to the golf greens on one side and the beach flanks the other.
Travelers can reach Antalya via a three hour and 45 minute EasyJet flight. Taking off from London, a 7:40 a.m. departure allows visitors to arrive in Turkey with the majority of the day remaining. The flights feature clean planes and friendly staff, with efficient service at both ends of the journey.
Premium guest services
About a 30 minute drive from Antalya airport, guests are greeted at Cullinan Belek by personal assistants who offer champagne, drinks and snacks. Guests are placed in a WhatsApp group with their assistants, such as Ece and Ilorna, who handle requests including booking golf lessons, securing early tee times, and hiring clubs.
The resort includes unlimited food and drinks. This covers domestic and imported beer and daily restocked minibars. The offerings include the Chocolate House and Caprice Pattiserie, which serve a vast array of sweet treats including brownies. Dining options feature Turkish, Italian, and Japanese restaurants, a high quality steakhouse, and an expansive buffet.
Luxury accommodations
The Lagoon Golf swim up rooms feature two rooms in one building with separate decking. This leads to shared personal pools that directly overlook the golf course. Guests can find golf balls by the side of their pools due to the proximity. The resort also boasts 13 indoor and outdoor pools elsewhere.
The spacious rooms include a 70 inch television, a fridge, and a bathroom with a handheld and rainfall shower. There is a sit down area and a touch screen system that controls the air conditioning, fan, lights, and can summon a golf cart to pick guests up to navigate the vast grounds.
Course amenities
A 7:45 a.m. tee time allows guests to eat breakfast in the 24 hour bistro before heading to the golf club. The bistro also delivers 24 hour room service. A round of golf costs about 50 euros for a buggy and 40 euros to hire a set of clubs.
The buggies come with an ice box complete with bottled water. A staff member drives around the course offering complimentary beers. Both the Olympos and Aspendos courses feature water huts after the ninth hole, and players face tricky water hazards throughout the rounds. Golf balls are available for purchase in the club house.
The clubhouse bar and restaurant overlook the first tee and 18th green of the Olympos course. The Aspendos course is located about 500 yards to the right, and the driving range and chipping greens are down the steps out the front. The hotel overlooks all of these facilities, featuring an Irish bar serving Guinness.
Family facilities
The resort caters to families with facilities like the C'espace Spa, where guests can book treatments such as full body massages. Sharna Elson, a guest, said the masseuse was incredibly professional and constantly made sure she was comfortable. Elson added that she would certainly return for more treatments.
The Upupa kids club spans two floors in the main building. The first floor features a room for toddlers, a soft play area, a sand pit, and two arts and crafts rooms. A cafeteria with a chef is available for children to pick up healthy snacks and drinks.
The upper floor includes a gaming room equipped with PlayStation and Xbox consoles, gaming chairs, and headsets. Staff monitor the gaming room to ensure fair play during designated times. A cinema room is also located upstairs, where children can watch films such as Garfield. Outside, the play area is kept cool by huge gazebo roofs, and there are three separate rooms for woodcraft, fashion, and ceramic art.
A double lock system on two sliding doors ensures child safety, and amateur photography of Upupa is prohibited. The kids club hosts shows in a mini theatre at night, while adult performances take place on the main stage.
Beachfront access
Cullinan Belek provides direct access to the Mediterranean Sea. Guests can hire cabanas on one of the two piers at the resort. Each cabana features a shaded decking area with a nap inducing bed and a fridge full of cold beverages.
More decking leads into the sunshine, and it is a short stroll onto the beach. The beach features perfect sand near the cabanas, but it becomes filled with stones closer to the sea, making footwear ideal.
