Arriving at 4pm turned out to be perfect timing. Not least because the hotel was basking in glorious afternoon sunlight, but also because it was happy hour! After a swift check-in process and a golf buggy ride to our room, we took one look at the gorgeous turquoise sea and made a bee-line. Nothing feels like holiday quite like diving into crystal clear sea and instantly you can relax with all your worries behind you!
And breathe…
Hillside Beach Club is five star hotel in Fethiye, Turkey. It has everything you could possibly imagine wanting to do on holiday at your finger tips! I love a cabin the woods, sleeping in my van or camping in the wilderness, but I’m always up for experiencing something different and Hillside is unlike any place I’ve stayed before. It was hard to choose, but here are the five reasons I love this place and can’t wait to go back…
Rise and Shine
One of my favourite things on holiday is waking up to beautiful, warm morning sunshine and deciding how I want to start my day. One day I chose sunrise yoga, the next I swam on the open water swim lane, the next I relaxed in a sun lounger and read my book with fresh orange juice. Divine!
2. Water Sports
I’m a water baby at heart and love challenging myself, so I found myself heading over to the water sports club everyday. I’ve always wanted to learn more watersports so this was a perfect opportunity. You probably know what wakeboarding is and I tried my best to improve, but also wanted to try new sports. Flyboarding is where you learn to balance on jets coming under your feet powered by a jetski. Lots of crashing and falling into the sea and swallowing seawater, but so fun! There’s also sailing, kayaks, SUPs and all sorts of extreme water sports, if like me, you love a hit of adrenalin.
Hillside has a scuba diving shop and learning to dive has always been on my bucket list, so it was literally a dream come true to learn the skills and go for a dive.
3. Heaven On Earth
Taking a daily wander between Hillside’s different beaches was perfect for a little afternoon activity. There’s two adult only beaches and one of them is in a secluded and completely dreamy cove you can reach by a 15 minute walk or a quick boat ride on a gorgeous gondala. Wherever you go, you can order drinks or food via the hotel app or by pressing a button on the beach umbrella you are relaxing under. What a life!
4. Sunset Sail
One evening we boarded a stunning sailboat and headed out to sea for an unforgettable sunset experience. As we stepped on board, we were treated to a glass of bubbly and snacks for the journey. One of the highlights of my holiday; watching the sun go down, rocking gently on the waves and returning to Hillside for dinner and dancing until the early hours.
5. Attention to detail
Every day I was surprised by the attention to detail, the little things the staff did to make us feel good. Fresh flowers and towel art in the room, remembering my favourite drinks at dinner and breakfast and decorating my glass with rose petals, remembering my name and inviting me to events they thought I’d like, or to dance with them after dinner. Breakfast and dinner are an experience, I was honestly blown away by the variety and quality and most certainly indulged.
There’s so much more at Hillside, something for everyone! I had an amazing traditional Turkish Hammam experience in the spa, made a tie-dye beach towel in the arts centre, listened to an evening talk on astrology, danced the night away under a giant rainbow fountain and enjoyed an open-air film night with popcorn. There’s also cycling, hiking, a gym, fitness classes, children’s entertainment and a live show every evening.
Needless to say, I didn’t spend a huge amount of time in my room, but at the end of the day I couldn’t wait to head back there to relax and sink into the comfortable beds. With a pillow menu – yes you can choose your perfect pillows – air conditioning and stunning views, the rooms are the icing on the cake of an idyllic holiday.
Covid Safety
Every year Hillside creates a wellness week and an adventure challenge week, so if you are like me and those appeal to you, this is when I would suggest to visit. Hillside felt very Covid-safe with all staff wearing masks, all guests wearing them around food and when near others and they clearly took many other precautions to make it safe.
How to get there:
Fly to Dalaman and the hotel will organise an airport transfer for you. I stayed at Hillside for five nights and in Turkey for three weeks. My first time to Turkey; I was pretty amazed and cannot wait to go back!
My trip with gifted by Hillside, all views and photos are my own.
