If you hear the word Xanadu, you may think of  the elaborate city built for the Mongolian Emperor Kublai Khan. Or perhaps it conjures up images of Olivia Newton John in the 1980s film of the same name.

Every morning, around 10am, in a lush part of southern Turkey,  Olivia Newton John’s famous title song echoes round the faux pillars and themed artefacts which represent extravagant 13th century architecture.

We are staying in The Xanadu Resort Hotel  in Belek, part of the Thomas Cook Ultimate Style range which offers a high quality, all-inclusive experience.

Using the  original Kublai Khan legend as the inspiration for its exterior design, the Xanadu is set in an established pine forest, less than 20 miles from Antalya on the beautiful Mediterranean coast. It is one of many luxury hotels purpose-built to cater for sun worshippers, lovers of adventure sports, tennis players and keen golfers.

 

 

Travelling with Thomas Cook direct from Manchester, you fly into recently-renovated Antalya airport. The transfer from the airport to the hotel is an easy drive and takes around 40 minutes.

It was my first visit to Turkey and I found the stereotype of Turkish people being extremely friendly to be accurate. The Xanadu staff are helpful and eager to please.

This modern, five-star hotel sits on the edge of a private  beach, opposite the Noblis golf course. It has excellent facilities including a buffet restaurant, a couple of a la carte restaurants,  four pools, one of them indoor, a spa, a ten-pin bowling alley and a secret garden bar.  What more could you want?

My previous experiences of all-inclusive holidays, whilst not unpleasant, have been a bit of a let down in terms of the quality of the food and drink. At The Xanadu, however, both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are top, named brands and the food is of the highest quality, whether dining a la carte or in the buffet. Very impressive.

The 420 rooms have up to three beds, and come with everything you would expect, including a balcony or  terrace. Sheila and I stayed in a junior suite with a fairly large lounge area which led on to the balcony, offering a view of the pool and the sea.

 

 

As well as rooms of all sizes, the Xanadu has bungalows. These are set in the beautifully kept gardens close to the hotel’s tennis courts and offer perfect accommodation for families or small groups wanting a little more privacy.

This is clearly a destination loved by golfers, with shuttles taking them to the numerous courses close by. Neither Sheila nor I play golf so we were happy spending our time by one of the pools or on the beach, less than a two-minute walk away.

We did venture out to do a bit of shopping, once to Antalya  and once to the more local shopping centre in Belek.

The city of Antalya was occupied by the Italians from the end of the First World War until the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923 and is one of Turkey’s largest metropolitan areas. As with many places in this country,  there are echoes of Christian, Jewish and Muslim cultures. We made our way to the old town and enjoyed the hawkers, traders and street entertainers.

I was seduced into buying a big bag of fragrant pomegranate powder, which, at the time I wondered how I had ever managed without but which is now stuck in the back of a kitchen cupboard .

Closer to the hotel, Belek’s shopping centre is compact, clean and tidy with a wide range of shops. Sheila bought handbags and jewellery whilst I opted for a compulsory souvenir red fez. Strangely, that has also found its way into the back of a cupboard.

As Belek has been developed for tourists, the planners have laid the town centre out symmetrically and with flowered verges running down the middle of the streets, you could almost be wandering around a film set.

One of the out-sourced activities offered to guests at the Xanadu is white water rafting, an adventure sport which is incredibly popular in this part of Turkey. The rivers are amazingly beautiful as they gush and glisten through spectacular, ancient valleys.

In the spirit of gathering unique experiences, Sheila and I sat in a  ramshackle restaurant and, rather than actually getting our feet wet, enjoyed a traditional artisan lunch whilst watching the rafting from dry land.

The Xanadu has a full-size, outdoor amphitheatre in which  extravagant shows are produced nightly. The standards of production and performance are impressive, with professional performers giving their all.

If you take a stroll from the hotel, all you really come across are golf courses and other hotels, so it can’t be said that the Xanadu is situated at the hub of a town’s activities. However there is a bus  which runs  into Belek every half  hour. The journey takes under 15 minutes and costs about £1.

There is also a taxi rank right outside the hotel and journey prices are quoted or haggled over before the journey starts. Be careful, though, because three currencies are used regularly: Turkish Lire, Euros and US Dollars. Make sure you’re on the same wavelength as taxi drivers and shopkeepers.

It is hard to find fault with a holiday at the Xanadu and we had a great week. There was an unfortunate delay on the return flight which we could have done without, but for sunshine, service and super food and drink, a stay here is worth the money – particularly if you like the sound of Olivia Newton John’s voice.

FACTFILE :

Thomas Cook Holidays with Style offers 7 nights on all-inclusive at the 5 star Xanadu Resort Hotel in Belek, from £558 per person, departing from Manchester on 15th April 2013. Price based on 2 adults sharing and includes direct transfers, 20kg luggage allowance and in-flight meals by TV celebrity chef James Martin.  10 and 11 night holidays and room upgrades are available.  Correct at time of issue and subject to change, optional extras may be applicable at the time of booking.

thomascook. com, 0844 412 5970, or visit the nearest Thomas Cook or Co-operative Travel.