Belek on the south coast of Turkey is the Sultan for All Inclusive golf holidays with a wealth of five-star beachfront hotels boasting fantastic facilities and golf on the doorstep or literally just next door. And the All Inclusive is very, very generous with 24/7 eating and drinking with some of hotels having over a dozen eateries and bars. And the drinking features local, international and premium brand soft and alcoholic drinks. With so much on offer, there’s no need to look outside of the resort and that’s just as well as Belek is a purpose-built resort build from nothing but a sandy headland over the last 25 years.
https://golfholidaysbymorgan.com/hotels/cornelia-diamond-belek-resort/
The golf in Belek is just as impressive as the breakfast spread with six of the 12 recognised courses listed among Europe’s Top 100. The condition is good throughout the year thanks to the fine weather and sandy subsoil. Most of the courses are quite American in design and easy walking with large fairways and dramatic hazards such as enormous bunkers and island greens. It’s all very good fun. My favourite courses in Belek are Carya, National, Sultan, Sueno Pines and Montgomerie – the latter being more inventive than the other Montgomerie courses I’ve played around the world.
And it’s not just Turkey that’s offering All Inclusive. Portugal has followed hard and the Canary Islands and Morocco each offer several resort hotels with breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner included as well as drinks from midday to late…So not as 24/7 orientated as their Turkish rivals but still plenty enough for golfers who are on the fairways during the day and need to keep a few wits about them for the round ahead.
So who takes All Inclusive golf holidays – it’s no surprise that my All Inclusive group sizes are larger than my other holidays as All Inclusive avoids any pricing vagaries and the bill remains the same for you even if some of your travelling companions are eating and drinking as if they life depended on it!
Hotels and restaurants are fighting back with sensibly-priced menus and, of course, taking bed and breakfast at your hotel allows you to explore the destination and try a different restaurant and setting as often as you like. Whatever you choose, vive la difference and we golfers are spoilt for choice with destinations, year-round sunshine and different styles and budgets according to our particular needs.
The featured picture is of the Cornelia Diamond in Belek – a five-star All Inclusive hotel with it’s own 27-hole golf course designed by Sir Nick Faldo