Aydinbey King's Palace & Spa

Set on just under four acres, the Aydinbey King’s Palace Spa & Resort is compact by all-inclusive standards. Unlike in other properties, there is no grand driveway winding through manicured grounds, and no sprawling gardens with several pools. The hotel’s main entrance opens directly onto a small street lined with other resorts, and its long, narrow grounds abut another property. A single large building houses all 359 rooms, most restaurants, the spa, the fitness center, and the meeting rooms, and all outdoor spaces are packed into a small area. Interiors are ornate but not overly so, with elegant white floors with dark patterns, tufted couches and chairs, a few golden details, and heavy drapes decorating windows in common spaces. The large main pool takes up much of the main deck, which is shared with the kids’ water park and the somewhat quieter Relax Pool. This leaves little space for greenery, but a small door in the back of the property opens onto a cute public promenade with lots of plants and flowers. On the other side of the boulevard is the hotel’s lovely stretch of beach, with fine sand, several rows of loungers under big awnings, and a snack bar. The Aydinbey King’s Palace is especially popular with German families, and the atmosphere is lively in the summer. The main pool deck is lined with loungers (many of which are snatched at the crack of dawn), and the entertainment team keeps guests busy with pool games, sports, and competitions. Kids run around and play at the adjacent water park, while couples seeking a quieter spot lounge by the Relax Pool, located on a separate deck right above the main pool. In the colder months, most guests at the King’s Palace are couples, many of whom come back year after year. Rates at this hotel are average for an upscale all-inclusive, but those seeking a more sprawling, slightly quieter property may want to consider the Club Hotel Turan Prince World. The similarly priced Royal Dragon Hotel has one of the largest water parks in the region. Sentido Zeynep Resort offers a similar array of kid-friendly features, plus access to an on-site golf course.

The Aydinbey King’s Palace is located on a small street lined with other all-inclusives in a tourist complex south of Evrenseki. There is a popular shopping strip lined with clothes stores, spa parlors, and tour desks selling day trips within a five-minute walk of the hotel, but there is little local charm in the immediate vicinity. The shopping area gets busy with tourists in the evening, but is mostly quiet during the day. Side, known for its stunning historic ruins and charming seaside cafes, is just a 15-minute drive away. Other local attractions, including the Manavgat Waterfalls and Lyrbe, are within a 30-minute drive of the hotel. Antalya and the airport are about an hour away.

The hotel has 359 clean rooms, all decorated in a simple style with laminate floors, dark wood furniture with white accents, and beige bed runners. Small paintings above the bed add some color, but rooms are overall a tad bland. Large windows open onto small balconies with plastic furniture, but only a couple dozen rooms have sea views; the rest offer views of the street or the adjacent property. All rooms feature LCD TVs with many international channels, central air-conditioning, safes, and minibars stocked with water, sodas, and one beer (replenished daily free of charge). Slippers are provided in all rooms, as are electric kettles with free tea and instant coffee. Surprisingly, in-room Wi-Fi is not available in any room type. Family Rooms have two bedrooms separated by a half-wall, and a larger bathroom than Standard Rooms. There are four wheelchair-accessible rooms. Shower/tub combos have been replaced with large walk-in showers in most units, but bathrooms are a tad dated overall, especially the brown counters around the sink. Shower gel, shampoo, nail files, cotton buds, shower caps, combs, and hand soap are provided in all rooms along with wall-mounted hairdryers and magnifying mirrors.

One of the hotel’s best features is its excellent beach, which has powdery sand, lots of loungers under big awnings, and a snack bar with sweet treats, drinks, and fast food. Loungers can be hard to come by during school vacation periods, but the vibe is quieter than around the pools. Water sports are available for a fee, and haggling is recommended as prices can be steep. The spa has a soothing atmosphere, with dim lights and simple Buddhist-inspired decor in earth tones. The all-inclusive package offers free access to a sauna, a hammam, and a steam bath, and there is a decent array of massages and treatments available for a fee. Private rooms for couples are available for a fee as well. The fitness center features a handful of cardio and strength-training machines, but there are no personal trainers and no classes available beyond those offered as part of the daily entertainment program.Daily activities are also offered to kids 4 to 12 at the kids’ club, which features indoor and outdoor areas, a small plunge pool, and a covered playground with swings, a see-saw, a trampoline, and a small slide. There are also a few beds for naps during the day. The hotel does not offer a special program for teens, but there is a game room with two bowling lanes, ping-pong and pool tables, a few arcade machines, and an internet corner (all for a fee). The hotel also features three meeting rooms with audiovisual equipment, including a ballroom for larger events. Evening shows are held in the ballroom during the colder months and when it rains. 

The main restaurant serves a quality buffet spread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a large dining room with a spacious covered terrace. Late breakfast offers a smaller array of items, and weekly themed nights provide some more variety. Fast food is served at the beachside snack bar for lunch, along with waffles and ice cream in the afternoon. A cute a la carte restaurant serves traditional Turkish breakfast in an outdoor space with picnic tables located between the pools and the beach. For dinner, guests can choose from six different a la carte restaurants once per stay, including Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian, Italian, barbecue, and Turkish. All a la cartes require reservations. Food gets good reviews at the Aydinbey, but a guest favorite is the barbecue restaurant, which allows guests to cook their own food in a portable grill. Although there are no 24-hour restaurants at the Aydinbey King’s Palace, midnight snacks are available daily as part of the all-inclusive package, and the Irish bar located off the lobby serves 24-hour drinks. Some imported drinks are included in the Ultra All-Inclusive package, which is available during the summer only; in the winter, all drinks after midnight are an extra charge.

The hotel’s large, freeform pool is the heart of the action during the day, with games, competitions, and water activities. There are dozens of loungers and umbrellas all around it, but some guests have complained that many get reserved with towels before breakfast, which can be frustrating. A bar with several tables keeps alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks flowing until after the end of the evening show. The small water park -- shaped like a castle, and complete with three slides for children -- is adjacent to the main pool.There is a smaller pool on a separate deck above the main pool, with plenty of loungers under a long awning, and no music. The atmosphere is more relaxing than at the main pool, but noise from the entertainment and the water park carries. The heated indoor pool is a good perk for the colder days, and has separate areas for families and kids, and a small whirlpool.