Belek, Side, Kemer or Alanya? Choosing your Turkish resort area
They all promise sun, sea and all-inclusive. But a 4-hour transfer with a toddler, a pebble beach when you expected sand, or a quiet golf resort when you wanted nightlife can decide the whole holiday.
"Turkey" on a booking page hides a coastline of more than a thousand kilometres. The difference between two resorts that look identical in photos can be a three-hour drive from the airport, a pebble beach instead of sand, or a purpose-built golf resort where you expected bars within walking distance.
Here is how the main areas actually differ, using the numbers from the 1,100 hotels we sell: average distance to the airport, share of five-star resorts, guest ratings, and how many hotels have a private beach, water slides or a hammam.
The quick answer for a first trip
If this is your first holiday in Turkey and you want the safest choice: Side for families and Belek if the budget allows. Both are about an hour from Antalya airport, both are built around large all-inclusive resorts with sandy beaches, and both have the highest concentration of five-star hotels in the country. Choose Kemer if you prefer mountains and pine forest to flat coastline, and Alanya if the price matters most.
Belek: the premium address
Belek is where Turkey put its flagship resorts: 86% of our Belek hotels are five-star, the highest share anywhere on the coast, and the area has the best average guest rating of the big three (4.45 out of 5). Golf is the other reason people come: championship courses sit right behind the hotel gardens.
The trade-off is that Belek is a resort area, not a town. You are meant to stay inside your hotel; there is no real promenade, and evenings out mean a taxi. Transfer from Antalya airport is around 40 minutes. Prices are the highest of the Antalya region.
Side: the family default
Side has the largest choice of hotels on the coast after Alanya, with 158 five-star resorts, the most water-slide hotels of any area we sell, and long sandy beaches. It also has something Belek lacks: a real town, with Roman ruins, a harbour, restaurants and shops you can walk to from many hotels.
It is the obvious first-trip choice for families: big pools, kids' clubs, sand rather than pebbles, and a transfer of roughly an hour. The area is large, so check where exactly your hotel sits: Side's western hotels are close to the old town, the eastern ones (Titreyengöl, Kızılağaç, Manavgat) are quieter and more isolated.
Kemer: mountains, pines and pebbles
Kemer is the prettiest of the Antalya areas: the Taurus mountains drop almost into the sea, the hotels sit in pine forest, and the water is clearer than on the flat eastern coast. Our Kemer hotels are also the closest to the beach on average (196 metres), against 380-400 metres in Belek and Side.
The catch is the beach itself: Kemer beaches are mostly pebble, not sand. Bring swim shoes, and if you are travelling with small children who want to build sandcastles, Side or Belek suits better. Transfer from Antalya is around 40 minutes along a spectacular coastal road.
Alanya: the value choice
Alanya and the beaches around Incekum give you the most hotel for the money: it is the largest area in our selection, and prices sit well below Belek for a comparable resort. Alanya itself is a proper city with nightlife, a castle, markets and a long beach promenade.
The price you pay is the transfer. Our Alanya hotels average 233 kilometres from Antalya airport, usually two to two and a half hours by road, sometimes more in summer traffic. With small children after an early flight that matters. Gazipaşa airport is much closer but has far fewer flights.
Antalya and Lara: city and beach together
The Lara and Konyaaltı strips put you 14 kilometres from the airport on average, the shortest transfer in Turkey, often under 20 minutes. You also get a city: the old town of Kaleiçi, museums, restaurants that are not hotel restaurants, and a tram.
This is the best choice for a short break, for a late-arriving flight, or if you want a holiday that is not only the hotel. The beaches are good but the area is urban. It feels different from a self-contained resort.
Bodrum, Fethiye, Marmaris and Kuşadası: the Aegean
The Aegean coast is a different holiday: white houses, bays instead of long beaches, olive trees, and a cooler breeze in high summer. Our Bodrum hotels are on average just 59 metres from the water, the closest of any area, because they are built into small coves rather than behind a promenade.
Fethiye and Ölüdeniz have the highest guest ratings in our whole selection (4.56 average) and the scenery to match: the blue lagoon, paragliding off Babadağ, boat trips along the Lycian coast. Marmaris and İçmeler are livelier and cheaper, with a famous bar street. Kuşadası works well if you want Ephesus and the ancient sites within reach.
The Aegean trade-off is flights and transfers: these areas are served by Bodrum, Dalaman and İzmir airports, which have fewer connections from Riga and the German cities than Antalya, and transfers from the wrong airport can be long.
Choosing by what matters to you
| If you want… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The safest first trip with kids | Side | Sandy beaches, most water-slide hotels, about an hour from the airport |
| The best resorts, price no object | Belek | 86% five-star, the top guest ratings, golf on the doorstep |
| The lowest price | Alanya | Largest choice, lowest prices, but a transfer of a 2-hour-plus transfer |
| Scenery and clear water | Kemer or Fethiye | Mountains and pine forest, hotels closest to the sea |
| The shortest transfer | Antalya / Lara | 14 km from the airport on average |
| A town, not just a hotel | Alanya, Side or Antalya | Promenades, restaurants and shops you can walk to |
| Quiet bays and cooler summers | Bodrum | Hotels an average of 59 m from the water, in small coves |
Tip: before you book, check three numbers on the hotel page: distance to the beach, distance to the town centre and distance to the airport. They tell you more about how your week will feel than the star rating does.
When to go
May, June, September and early October are the best weeks almost everywhere: warm sea, bearable heat and lower prices than July and August. The Aegean coast (Bodrum, Fethiye) stays a little cooler in midsummer than Antalya, which regularly passes 35°C. For a first trip with children, late June or early September is the sweet spot.
Ready to compare? Browse all our hotels in Turkey, or start with the areas above and read how to get an early check-in after a morning arrival.
Frequently asked questions
Which Turkish resort area is best for a first holiday?
Side is the safest first choice: sandy beaches, a large choice of family resorts, a real town to walk to and about an hour from Antalya airport. Belek is the better choice if you want a five-star resort and the budget allows.
Is Alanya too far from Antalya airport?
Alanya hotels are on average 233 km from Antalya airport, which usually means two to two and a half hours by road. It is fine for a week or more, but with small children after an early flight, Side, Belek or Lara are far easier.
Which Turkish resorts have sandy beaches?
Side, Belek and Lara have long sandy beaches. Kemer is mostly pebble, and the Aegean coast around Bodrum and Fethiye is a mix of small sand and pebble coves. Swim shoes are worth packing for Kemer and the Aegean.
Belek or Side, what is the difference?
Belek is a purpose-built luxury resort area with golf courses and almost no town life; 86% of its hotels are five-star. Side has a similar beach but a real town with Roman ruins, shops and restaurants, and a wider price range.
When is the best time to visit the Turkish coast?
May, June, September and early October give warm sea, comfortable temperatures and lower prices than peak summer. July and August are hottest and busiest, and the Aegean coast stays slightly cooler than Antalya.
