Hotel Grand Yazici Club Turban

Situated on the seashore between Marmaris and Icmeler, Club Turban is 56 miles from Dalaman Airport.

Club Turban is open between April and October.
Pool/beach towel rental requires a deposit of 15TL (£5.80).
In the winter season, Club Turban offers a custom-designed wellness program that includes a specially designed nutrition plan and activities.

Club Turban and its 454 rooms are nestled in pine-tree covered grounds. Guests enter a grand lobby with high ceilings and large windows; rustic light fittings and ornate antiques add character to the room. The buffet restaurant is in the same building as the lobby (see Food and Drink), with tables that spill out on to an outdoor terrace. Club Turban is fantastic for families, the proof: a large mini club with several activities rooms, children's wading pool and outdoor playground under the pine trees. Apart from the varied programme of activities and sports games on offer by the in-house animation team, the hotel also boasts tennis and beach volleyball for the athletic guests.

At the heart of the resort are the main swimming pool and amphitheatre (there's nightly entertainment). The main pool is the hub of activities and animation. The spacious pool deck is covered in sun loungers (we're told there are more sun loungers than guests so no fighting for one!) There is also a baby pool, changing cabins and a pool bar nearby, everything only a few convenient steps away.

Club Turban also boasts a decent health and wellbeing facility with well-lit fitness room, sauna with panoramic window, huge Turkish bath, massage rooms and indoor swimming pool heated at 26°C (although think about bringing a swimming cap otherwise you'll have to buy one there!). For those who really want to get away from it all, there's a 'relax pool' situated far away from the activity of the main pool for guests over the age of 14 only. We really appreciated the smart planning of Club Turban: for example, the 'relax pool' placed far away from the busy main pool (some resorts throw everything together in the one place), or the kids' club in its own area so as not to disturb anyone. Even the aqua park with waterslides is situated far from the relaxation areas so that kids can splash about and not hassle any adult guests.

Rooms are divided between the L-shaped main building (only 20 rooms out of 454 face the main road) and the 'Village' part of the resort, the latter surrounded by lush gardens and shady pine trees. The village consists of low-rise buildings in shades of moss green, musk or pale mustard and contain standard bungalows (2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom) or family bungalows (2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms). Other room categories include marine suites and king suites.

The standard bungalows are simply but tastefully furnished but we found that they do not receive a lot of natural light (on top of that the lighting in the bathroom is not great). Overall these rooms are comfortable but not particularly spacious. The family rooms are more spacious thanks to the addition of another bathroom. However, the second room seems a squeeze, even for two children.

Meanwhile, the marine suites are enormous and tastefully decorated. The contemporary furnishings look great but these rooms look a tad bare due to their sheer size. We loved the spacious balconies and bathrooms (the latter with Jacuzzi) as well as the espresso machine. The king suites are almost as spacious and feature more of the same contemporary resort look. Both the marine suite category and king suite category have their own private swimming pools.

Like any large all-inclusive resort, there are plenty of food and drink options available. The main restaurant serves a wide variety of dishes (international and Turkish) at its breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet. There are various snack times such as afternoon tea, late breakfast and night soup, so guests won't get hungry in between meals. Various all-day snack bars are dotted throughout the resort, while there is also a beach bar (with live music every night) and disco open from 11:00pm until 1:00am.

There are three à la carte options available at Club Turban: Italian, Turkish and seafood. The latter is situated in a bright blue and white wooden house at the far end of the beach. The Italian and Turkish restaurants are found in an open-air setting a few steps from the main pool. On a deck overlooking the sea, the Italian and Turkish restaurants feature a chicer set-up with crisp white tablecloths, elegant tableware and smartly uniformed waiters - a change from the buffet restaurant scene. We sampled the very copious Turkish set menu with tasty meze platter, a hot and cold starter plus a main (choose from a list of five or six) and dessert. All à la carte restaurants cost an extra £5 per person, reservations are necessary.

Club Turban boasts its own private beach in between the busy public beaches of Marmaris and Icmeler. The beachfront features a large deck area, two jetties and a small sandy area, all covered in sun loungers. Beach chairs and straw parasols are free, however there are no beach attendants for drinks service: guests must order drinks directly from the beach bar or 'quiet' Panorama bar at the opposite end. Motorised sports are varied; an example of 2011 prices are £30 for one 5 minute parasail flight, £25 for 15 minutes of jet ski, £25 for 10 minutes of water ski, £10 for 1 round of a tube ride, and £8 for 1 round of a banana ride. Non-motorised water sports are free. The motorised water sports are very popular (especially the tube ride) therefore the beach is often noisy with the whirr of boats and guests' screams of delight.