Hotel Otium Zeynep

The Otium Zeynep is located on the east coast of Antalya (28 mi from the airport), 3 mi from the centre of Belek.

The clientele, mainly fa,ily based and discreet, is German in winter and of several nationalities in the summer.

Built in the early 1990's, the Otium Zeynep is not particularly remarkable, architecturally speaking. A several storey high concrete block painted light green, the main building stands before a small village of 172 small houses and eight villas lost in an immense garden brought to life by the singing of its various birds. The effort made for the renovation in 2006, and the decoration of the lobby in particular (origami-like boats seem to float in mid-air), deserves mentioning. Unfortunately, the rest does not meet these high standards. For example, the fitness centre remains very basic for both its style and services; the mini-club amenities are poor and the only place to offer children a little refuge in the hottest time of the day is below the amphitheatre. Talking about the amphitheatre, it was well designed, as it is possible to have a meal during the shows (dancing, comedies or 'guest shows'). We loved the three big slides giving great thrills to children and grown-ups alike.

There are five categories of accommodation: standard (248 sq ft, two people), bungalow (280 sq ft, three people), family (398 or 431 sq ft, two bedrooms, four people), executive (657 sq ft, two bedrooms, four people) and villa (850 sq ft, three bedrooms, two bathrooms). Although all 403 bedrooms do not have a view of the sea, the view of the garden is nevertheless pleasant: you will feel like you are in a park. As far as the equipment is concerned, a standard room has air conditioning, a free safe, a telephone and a TV set, as well as a mini-bar stocked everyday with water and soda. Numerous shelves and a clotheshorse on the balcony complement this. But the decoration is far from luxurious; the flowery bedspreads are very ordinary and the whole aspect is not very cosy. The villas have however higher standard amenities with parquet flooring, a kitchen area, a flat screen as well as a hammock and garden furniture on the terrace. Note that: 41 bedrooms do not have a balcony and six rooms are non-smoking.

The restaurant, a little like a work canteen, has a capacity of 800 guests at the same time, which is impressive when you think that the Otium's total capacity is 900 people. The dishes served are local/international. A diet menu is available with three salt-free, diet cheeses, some meat and three sorts of steamed vegetables. One part of the buffet is dedicated to children. Note that the Otium's summer option gives you the possibility to have dinner for free in one of the three à la carte restaurants: Zefir (fish), Luna (Italian) and the Sedir (Turkish). Do not miss out on it?

The beach is not very far from the bedrooms. It is a long beach (955 ft), made of fine sand and rather peaceful. There are numerous showers available and enough deckchairs and parasols. The jetty is ideal for diving into the clear water. And finally, an life guard is present and on the alert all day long.