Belek

Last update September 26, 2026

Belek is roughly thirty kilometers east of Antalya Airport and doesn’t hide the fact that it was built with a particular purpose in mind. Having been established as a resort in the 1980s, it offers sixteen kilometers of excellent white sand along the Mediterranean, with a pine forest behind it and more than thirty five-star all-inclusive hotels situated along the coast. You wouldn’t happen upon this place by chance; it’s one that you have to book, and from the first moment you get there, all the features of it—such as the well-tended grounds, the imported sand, and the beach bars operated by the resorts—make it clear that this is where you’re meant to go.

Golf is the main reason why a large number of visitors come. Belek has more than a dozen championship courses, some of which were designed by people such as Colin Montgomerie, and the entire area acts as a complete golf circuit. It’s possible to spend a week travelling between Montgomerie Maxx Royal, Cornelia Diamond and Sueno Golf Club without ever leaving the resort premises except when going to the courses. Even if golf isn’t the reason for your visit, the beaches still offer something worthwhile: real golden sand, a gradual slope leading into the water, and Blue Flag certification on a number of sections, a feature that is rarer along the Turkish coast than one might expect.

If you leave the resort area, you’ll find yourself nearer to history than the well-kept lawns indicate. The town of Aspendos, featuring a Roman amphitheater that has been remarkably preserved, is only a short drive away and still holds outdoor opera and ballet performances. The ancient ruins of Perge are equally nearby. Most of those staying in Belek never go on the journey, a fact that shows more about how comfortable the resorts are than anything regarding the sites.

If you go to Belek with an understanding of what it is—namely, a luxury resort area designed from the start, not a destination for experiencing Turkish culture—then the beaches are excellent, the golf is truly world-class, and the service lives up to the five-star rating on the door. But if you’re looking for markets, the narrow streets, and the more rough-and-tumble side of Turkey, you’ll have to drive to another location; Belek was never aiming to be such a place.