Andy Mossack stays at the all-inclusive family-friendly Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort and Spa.
If an authentic Turkish snack is called for then my spinach and cheese gözleme is a perfect contender. Fresh off a traditional sac griddle, this paper-thin flatbread pancake is a Turkish street food staple. No wonder this tiny stall is such a popular lunchtime spot. Mind you, it also does proper crispy jacket potatoes too: the insides deliciously mixed with melted butter and cheese. A dream combo way too scrumptious to shun.
This is always the dilemma with all-inclusive, you’re continually spoilt for choice. Particularly so at Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort and Spa, a five-star resort where Ultra All-Inclusive means just that. Excluding a few speciality dinner restaurants where a cover charge applies, the gloves are well and truly off on the food and drink front. Well almost all the drinks, unless you fancy guzzling champagne and vintage spirits of course.
But the sheer scale of the Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme footprint is extraordinary. 300,000 square metres of prime Aegean coastal land including a 650-metre-long private beach, ten outdoor pools and one indoor, a waterslide park, 24-hour fully equipped fitness centre, a huge spa, tennis courts, a diving school, windsurfing, beach volleyball and archery to list just a few activities let alone all the food outlets, bars, and entertainment options. I do an impressive number of daily steps simply walking from one place to another. A perfect solution for avoiding calorie guilt at the buffet!
But let’s face it, for families, it’s the kids that have to be kept busy to give the adults a relaxing holiday too and this is where I reckon Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme really comes into its own. It’s classed as family-friendly for a reason because kids of all ages are kept amused and entertained every day and evening by a trained team at the Kidz Paradise facility.
Whether its swimming or monitored activities like cooking lessons or dressing up for the younger ones; football, volleyball and video games for the teens, they will be royally entertained giving parents free time to relax and enjoy themselves. That goes for the evenings too with kids-centric live shows, movie screenings and discos.
The 538 guestrooms are impressive. My pool access sea view room is an excellent space, akin to a suite in most hotels with a large couch, desk, and huge flat screen TV. The mini bar is free (obviously) and refreshed daily together with tea and coffeemaking via a kettle and Nespresso machine. The outdoor terrace equally spacious – and, through a wooden side gate, a few steps down to a pool. There are robes and slippers in the bathroom, along with some very acceptable toiletries.
All good then. But for me, the secret of an Ultra All-Inclusive package is the quality of the inclusive food and drink on offer. The number of bars here is staggering. Down by the beach, dotted around the acres of lawns, and within the main building where I found a multi-screen sports bar, and a couple of late-night cocktail bars. All of them offering extensive drink menus that not only include local beers and wines but also an impressive list of international premium spirits.
Monumental buffets are obviously standard. And even though for evening meals there are six surcharged a la carte restaurants (each one specialising in a different cuisine), I’ve found the buffet quality so good, I don’t bother trying anywhere else. The volume of salad options is impressive and all of them top quality, while a long line of food stations deliver different choices of hot food that chang daily. Add to this mix a nightly food theme and you’ll quickly get the picture.
And let’s not forget the midnight feast if you still hanker for a late-night nibble.
One thing is certain at Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort, you won’t go hungry no matter what your diet or palate needs may be.
A daily guest entertainment program runs throughout the day, from beach bar singers to nightly shows in the outdoor performance spaces in English and Turkish. It might be dancers or acrobats or maybe even a local rock band.
This is a dream destination for families looking for peace of mind and value for money. The service teams are friendly, welcoming, and very responsive with a good command of English. There’s a large contingent of British guests, but there are also many local Turkish residents who come here to enjoy a resort getaway. The local seal of approval is a very good sign.
Turkey is the uncontested champion of the all-inclusive concept, with Turkish brand Rixos perhaps the market leader, but having sampled both, the Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort is right up there. Perhaps even sharing pole position.
As for me I feel the need for another tasty gözleme coming on. Well it’s been over an hour since the last one.
Tell me more about Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort and Spa
Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort and Spa, Sarıgerme, Tourism Center, 48610 Ortaca/Muğla, Turkey.
T: +90 252 444 19 81.
Sample entry rate for 7 nights Ultra All Inclusive is £1,750
The resort is just a 20-minute cab ride from Dalaman International Airport which should be a flat fare of £20, (if you pay in local currency it may well be cheaper).
Getting to Gatwick by train:
Fast, frequent train services are provided to Gatwick Airport by Gatwick Express and Southern from London Victoria, and by Thameslink from London St Pancras, through central London via Blackfriars and London Bridge. Single fares start at £11.90 (weekends on Thameslink); a Thameslink Anytime Return is £25.70.
