Azur Hotel

Rooms

There are 4 types of accommodation: the original 8 stone bungalows, 21 wooden bungalows dotted among the lush gardens, 2 Green Valley Houses, and 2 Azur Villas. We’d recommend the wooden bungalows for couples with (or without) one child; the stone bungalows for families of four on a budget; and the other villas for families wanting a bit more space.

Dotted around the garden, and screened by fig, palm, orange or mulberry trees, the Wooden Bungalows (or cabins) are all identical. Inside are two small rooms - a sitting room and a double bedroom, separated by a sliding door - plus a tiled bathroom with powerful shower, and a small veranda. Overall it feels compact and rather boxy, but perfectly comfy. Mosquito-netted windows are handy for night breezes, and there’s also A/C. The double beds have pocket-sprung mattresses, and the double sofabeds are comfy too (but only 140cm wide, so better for two smaller kids, or one teen). There's also one Wooden Studio which is simply an ensuite bedroom without the living area, offering a more basic but great value option.

The slightly larger Stone Houses are next to the restaurant, which can be handy for families wanting to use baby monitors. All of them have a secluded rear terrace looking onto the gardens and playground. The main bedroom is spacious, the children’s twin-bedded (or bunk-bedded) room less so; both have simple decor with a couple of kiddies’ sketches on butter-coloured walls. They share a more dated but still perfectly effective bathroom with shower.

Set slightly away from the main site, the Green Valley Houses and the 2 Azur Villas are new since we last visited. They are also functional rather than stylish, but much more spacious inside. The Azur Villas are good for families as they have two double bedrooms each, plus a kitchen. The Green Valley Houses have a polygonal shape with raised sleeping platform, and an enviable location close to the beach.

Features include:

• Air conditioning
• Beach towels
• Cots available
• Hairdryer
• In-room treatments available
• Mosquito net
• WiFi

Eating

Breakfast is a blissful start to the day. At wooden tables shaded by palm and mulberry trees, staff bring a platter of rolls and homemade spreads (we loved the poppy-seed paste and cinnamon-flavoured marmalade), perhaps fresh cherries or succulent orange loquats from the gardens, and healthy Turkish fare (cucumber, tomatoes, wrinkly black olives and mild feta cheese) for those who’ve gone native. For the more conventional, there’s also cereals, eggs as you please, fresh OJ and local yoghurt which you can sprinkle with walnut halves and viscous honey. The coffee is strong, and there’s all manner of teas and infusions including a powdered apple cay to set you up for the day, or what’s left of it after such a lavish, leisurely spread.

The hotel serves lunch and dinner by the pool: a limited but delicious array of grilled meats, seafood and homemade salads, followed by baklava-style sweets and thick Turkish coffee. We ate here on the first night, and rapidly realised there was no real reason to do anything else during our week. Lamb skewers, fresh calamari and the local ratatouille were highlights, but nothing disappointed - least of all Hassan, Chennai and Turkan’s cheery service.

If you do want variety, there are plenty of restaurants by the beach. We plumped for sistyer restaurant Azur Aïda, whose octopus salad, marinated sardines and aubergine-garlic yoghurt all slipped down a treat. Alternatively you can try pide (delicious Turkish savoury pancakes), or drive to Ulupinar (5km) for fresh trout on the banks of the plane-shaded stream.

If you're staying in the Azur Villas you get your own kitchen for preparing food - handy if you've got kids in tow.

Features include:

• Bar
• Kids' meals
• Organic produce
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby

Activities

• Walk to Cirali beach (2 mins away along a direct path) and swim in the wonderfully clear blue waters, grab a sunlounger at Azur's sister restaurant Azur Aida, hire a kayak, go snorkelling - or come for a night-time dip and marvel at the underwater phosphorescence
  
• Explore the ruins of the Lycian city of Olympos at the end of the beach: a riverside quay (it was a wealthy port) with ruined houses, cisterns and vaults, a small theatre, a hammam, scattered sarcophagi and a monumental arch hidden in the jungle... you could spend hours here
  
• Head the other way to the astonishing natural flames of the Chimaera (2km), where sulphurous flames lick out of gaps in the rocky hillside; sailors once used these as navigational aids, and they're best seen as night falls (bring a torch for the walk back down)
  
• Follow footpaths north along the coast towards Tekirova (signed 'Lycian Way') to reach a series of lovely secluded beaches fringed by vibrant green pine forest and clumps of pink oleander
  
• Book a cruise on a gulet (traditional wooden boat) - the hotel can advise - for secluded coves, snorkelling and picnics Robinson Crusoe style
  
• Take part in a yoga class, held in an airy wooden hut nestled within the lush gardens
  
• Drive or sail to the atmospheric Lycian ruins of Phaselis (20km), another 2500-year-old town with aqueducts, streets and a theatre looking out to Mt Tahtali
  
• The hotel arranges occasional jeep tours into the mountainous interior, all jagged peaks and wild forests dotted with boar, eagles and riots of wild flowers
  
• Keen hikers can tackle the 2,300m summit of Mt Tahtali (starting from Beycik), and descend by cable car; families can book a gentle donkey tour to Beycik waterfalls (book through Vira Natura)
  
• Kick back on the loungers by the pool if you want a lazy day
  
• The towns of Tekirova and Kemer (20-30km) offer an unexpectedly bling taste of shopping and nightlife

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Boat trips
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Kayaking
• Mountain biking
• Nightlife
• Plantlife / flora
• Private guided tours
• Shopping / markets
• Snorkelling
• Swimming
• Trekking
• Yoga

Kids

Despite having no formal creche nor much in the way of baby equipment, this is a fantastic place for children of all ages. The huge lawned gardens are safe, and when our son did manage to get lost he was quickly returned by a member of staff (they learn your names, and whose child is whose, within minutes). The 20-metre-long pool is great for splashing about; it has a separate shallow section for children (but no lifeguard). It's 5 minutes' walk to a partly sandy beach with warm, safe waters for swimming - though it does shelve quite steeply. The hotel can book boat trips which are extremely popular with older children, visiting secluded coves and stopping to swim in the most azure waters. Above all, the staff and the other families - German, English, Turkish or other - were all extremely friendly and welcoming when we arrived. By the end of our first dinner, our 4-year-old had made firm friends while being chased around the mulberry tree.

Best for:

Toddlers (1-4 years), Children (4-12 years)

Family friendly accommodation:

The Stone Houses are best for families of 4-5, having 1 double room and 1 twin (with kid-sized beds), plus space for 1 baby cot (provided on request). They are also within baby-monitor distance of the restaurant, though you'll have to bring your own monitor. The Azur Villas have two double bedrooms and their own kitchens so are ideal for a family of 4 - providing the kids don't mind sharing a bed. The Wooden Bungalows are perfect for a couple with 1 child, using the double sofabed for the child.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available, Family Rooms

Distances:

• Supermarket: 30 mins (Tekirova)
• Hospital: 45 mins (Kemer)
• Airport: 60 mins (Antalya)

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Azur Hotel is situated in the seaside village of Cirali, near ancient Olympos, and about 80km south of the city of Antalya. It's in the shadow of Mt Tahtali, the Lycian Mt. Olympos, on the Mediterranean (south) coast of Turkey.

By Air:
Antalya (80km / 1 hour) has lots of flights from Europe, mostly charters. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving this airport.

From the Airport
If you don't intend to explore much, you can book an airport transfer through the hotel (see Rates), and then use local buses or taxis for the occasional day trip.

By Car:
Otherwise you might prefer to rent a car - see our car rental recommendations.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to Turkey and getting around