Cullinan Belek already had a must-visit golf destination in Europe, but the resort has refused to rest on their laurels as they revamp their course and take the hotel to another level.
Belek, Antalya is one of the continent’s most popular golf hotspots, firmly catching up with Spain and Portugal in recent years.
When it comes to luxury, Cullinan is right up there with the very best in the area and has been setting the bar. But with new hotels popping up in the region all the time – like Regnum the Crown this summer – they have refused to stand still.
The 36-hole offering is no more and big names are coming in to entertain the guests.
Daily Mail Sport decided to go and check out the new and improved Cullinan Belek as golf in Turkey continues to soar with interest.
The golf course
If you read our last review you’ll know Cullinan boasted 36 holes across two courses; The Aspendos and The Olympos. Now, it is one course taking the name of the latter.
The first nine holes of the Olympos, which plays directly up to and along the beachfront, is the new front-nine that at times plays like a links course with those sea winds.
The front nine of Aspendos with some small alterations now plays as the back nine and after playing it twice, we can confirm that it’s a genius decision.
They’ve taken the best parts of both courses and meshed them into one. The first nine can be tricky depending on the weather, but even on a calm day, half the holes play against water on one side and the ninth hits down towards the clubhouse with a big hazard of water on the right.
It’s a challenge, but a fun one. On the back nine, it is filled with birdie opportunities for half competent golfers. Par fours that go under 300 yards and pretty straight forward par threes.
It’s a nice balance and a potential scorecard soother. The site is working on a new halfway house set next to the tenth tee that has the hotel serving as a backdrop no more than 200 yards away.
Hiring clubs, getting a golf cart and even having a pint and some breakfast in the club house are all delightfully easy. They knew exactly why we were there and everything was ready as asked – including some ice-cold water in the cart’s cool-bins to deal with the 35 degree heat.
Our favourite stretch is the 12th and 13th holes which are par fours that play with opposing doglegs around the same body of water both under 300 yards.
The 18th hole that brings you back to the face of the hotel is also truly gorgeous scenery and a tough task. A par five that needs two good shots to get close to shooting for the green, but that same green is protected by a sizable stretch of water that will have you conflicted on how to play it.
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Hotel
If you wanted to come for an upmarket lads holiday to play some golf, you certainly could. The Noble Irish Pub is open 24 hours a day and is constantly showing sport. They even have Guinness on tap now!
Kids? Absolutely. There is a chocolate counter and special desserts restaurant that you will visit more than once and their kids club, Upapa, is the best one I have seen in my life thus far – I kid you not (pun not intended). Not even a smidge of hyperbole!
The shows at night and activities like art, woodwork and such during the day are one thing, but their own mini restaurant – which they can do cooking lessons in too – along with soft play, a cinema room, a gaming room with all the latest consoles in addition to a reassuringly high count of friendly staff means you don’t have to drop the kids off there for some private time, they want to go!
And it’s open until the early hours of the morning. We went to see international superstar DJ Black Coffee perform – which was an evening you’d pay good money for at any time, let alone a holiday – and we found our kids tucked up in bunk beds ready for us to pick up just after midnight.
We should also mention that right outside of the kid’s club is the fabled water park with enough slides to keep your children busy all week long.
Partners? Also yes. The C’erce Spa has a wide range of treatments that while they do cost a pretty penny, my partner had a full body massage and would not stop raving about how it totally relaxed her.
There is also a hairdresser on site I was forced into taking my kids to (lost that battle with the Mrs) and both of them had haircuts for a combined €100. I’d consider that good value, we were very happy with the work.
There’s a pool next to the slides and another separate pool where Cullinan has added the same cabanas they keep next to the beach. My family rented one for the day for €150 and that comes with a shaded bed right on the water, a fridge and service at the touch of a button, which includes a special cabana only menu.
There’s also an indoor pool flanked by saunas and plunge pools for those of you with a health kick and all of these are served by rollerblading waiters who will bring you food and drink all included.
As far as good goes, the buffet is among the best quality and widest variety I have ever seen. My kids were very quickly more excited to eat there than the actual a la carte restaurants.
That’s not a knock on the other options. The steak place is well worth your time and money – the filet mignon is otherworldly. The Italian offering leaves a little to be desired. For an Italian, it doesn’t have enough traditional dishes like variations of pasta and pizza, cannelloni or calzone – none of that. The food is good, it’s just not what you hope for from an Italian.
The Nori Asian restaurant had excellent options. The sushi, duck and hot sauce beef were right from the top drawer.
Rooms
We stayed in the Golf Lagoon rooms which is almost a bungalow that splits into two separate rooms and has a shared swim-up pool and decking attached.
A nice perk of being down this end of the hotel is being opposite the back nine of the golf course, but also having your very own restaurant in the middle of the accommodation that only Lagoon residents can take advantage of. All room service, except for breakfast, is free of charge.
The rooms themselves are intoxicatingly elegant. The marble floor soothes you with the aid of the much-needed air-con as soon as you walk in, the bathroom is full of treats that you’ll want to take home and the bed is as enormous as it is comfortable.
You can order exactly what kind of pillows you want and the room is cleaned and freshened up multiple times a day, if you want it to be. Given it’s 35 degrees or so, there is also a button which calls a cart to your room and will take you wherever you want to go around the hotel.
Overall
Cullinan Belek remains one of the standard bearers when it comes to a luxury stay in Turkey and indeed Europe. The golf element? They’ve made massive strides with their new 18 hole golf course.
Being able to play 36 holes is absolutely a selling point, but the standard of their course has gone up dramatically by combining the two and that’s a decision I have to applaud. Executed really well, too.
They do offer night golf, but sadly only in groups of eight – which seems large – and I was not afforded the chance to join anyone. That was a shame.
I’ve stayed in many places at this point, but so far I don’t think I’ve seen anyone quite understand the all-inclusive paradise people are looking for quite like Cullinan Belek.
I’ve been there to play with my dad and have a few beers and I’ve been with my family and both scenarios fit perfectly. I’d always return to to this hotel and given the golf course is still developing, it seems as though there will be plenty of reasons to.
