National Golf Course
other resorts to match.
A spacious foyer. Stunningly attractive
ladies, from places like Albania and Estonia,
to help you refresh yourself on arrival and
to help check you in. Viktoria and Olga
became our Private Assistants, conveniently
connected to us by WhatsApp, to take care
of any special needs we may have. The usual
assortment of 24-hour (Azure) and specialty
restaurants, bars (Royal Horse Lounge),
pools and beachfront relaxation awaited us.
And, Harinakshi’s favourites, the Chocolatier
and the Le Melange (patisserie), where one
could pig-out on fab desserts from around
the world with no care for what they cost!
But with so many shops slap in the middle
of the hotel, you almost felt like you were
living in a mall!
The third resort we visited, the Gloria,
comes with three five star hotels (Serenity,
Verde and Golf Resort) and three golf courses
(Verde, Old and New). With a practice facility
that is not only the largest in Turkey, but also
one of the largest in all of Europe!
As David Clare, knowledgeable manager
of the Gloria golf courses declared, “The
owners of Gloria are constantly re-investing in
their hotels, golf courses and, most recently,
a new Sports Arena, which has proved to be
a runaway success. Also we are constantly
training the staff to be more friendly and
professional, so as to deliver a unique guest
experience. Resulting in a huge number
of repeat guests. Not only do we cater to
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Gloria resort beachfront
golfers in the winter months (October to
May), but with the beautiful beaches and the
warm Mediterranean sea, it has also become
a wonderful summer holiday destination.
A repeat guest recently wrote, ‘The Gloria
resort is like being at private Members Club,’
because of the high quality of it’s hotels,
service, and golf courses, offered at such
reasonable prices.”
We stayed at the Serenity. Offering all
the usual amenities. But with a different feel:
less harried, more serene, warm and intimate.
Harinakshi loved the sound of a thousand
birds chirping away in the morning and at
dusk. She loved when guests would meet
in the main bar after dinner for a night-cap
and conversation. And I loved the different-
tasting local cheeses (peyniri) at breakfast:
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braided and smoked Chechil, Tulum and
Koyun from sheep’s milk, Circassian Cerkez,
yellow Kasar from lamb’s milk, Otlu with
herbs, and braided Orgu.
Other attractive golf resorts in Antalya
include the Cornelia, Kaya Palazzo, Titanic,
and Lykia Links; look at their websites for
details. The fancy Kempinski Dome has a
tie-up with the championship-standard PGA
Sultan and the shorter Pasha courses (see
the November 2018 edition of Golf Plus
Monthly for an article on this resort).
I thoroughly enjoyed playing the
Regnum’s National and Carya courses in
the company of affable Ozhugan Alp, the
Maxx’s Montgomerie, and the Gloria’s
Verde, Old and New. If you are a beginner,
play the Verde. If you know you won’t