A long weekend at the Hillside Beach Club

There are many great hotels and resorts in the world but I’ve never been to even one that is affordable and provides mind-blowing luxury experience at the same time. I’ve called this post ‘10 reasons’ but believe me there are so many more reasons that you’ll enjoy Hillside Beach Club and will want to book your next holiday here too. No wonder this hotel has an incredible 70% return rating! The rarest thing in hospitality!

Now let’s start from the full disclosure. This was a press trip BUT three out of five of us in the press group went to book a personal holiday here on our last day. I’m not joking! I would be the fourth one but for this season the hotel is almost fully booked and you can now book for the next summer. I simply can’t plan so much ahead. And here is the first reason to book it ASAP.

1. Room Views.

The hotel is built on the hill hence almost all rooms are facing the sea, beach and lovely pine trees. My suite had two rooms (perfect if you travel with kids), bathroom shared between two rooms and this incredible terrace.

2. Food.

Your holiday at Hillside includes ALL food and some drinks. The resort has three restaurants and a daily BBQ at the remote Serenity beach. The main restaurant offers buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is not a secret that a hotel buffet can be not the highest quality to say the very least. Let me reassure you it is not the case here. A fresh fish counter, grilled to order meats, huge salad section, bakery, fresh pasta and don’t event get me started on the dessert room. Insane! Additionally you can choose to have lunch or dinner at Pasha or Italian restaurants that has different menus.

3. SPA

The resort has two onsite SPAs and I’ve checked them both. I’ve never had a traditional Turkish Hammam before and may I say, it was amazing! The idea of someone vigorously rubbing you was a bit strange but I was curious to try. Now I will definitely visit Hammam in London, it was a great experience and I felt like a new person after. I also visited Sanda Nature SPA for a massage and it was exactly what I needed on this holiday. In almost secret location among trees you can relax all day.

4. A Day at the Serenity beach

This accessible by boat adult-only hidden beach was probably my favourite place in the entire resort. Never crowded, it has views to some luxurious yachts moored along the coast, own bar, soft sun lounges and fresh grill cooked at 1pm and 3pm every day so you don’t need to make all the way back to the resort for lunch.

5. A Day at the Silent Beach

If you’re a parent a day at Silent beach is a must (or if you’re not a parent it is a must too). No wi-fi or signal on the beach, it is perfect to forget about the entire world and just be in this very moment with the gentle sea breeze and cocktail in hand.

6. Entertainment

Just to name a few (because I’m sure I’ll forget something) you can enjoy water sports, sunset cruises, pool competitions, wellness workshops, open air cinema, beach parties, cocktail making workshops, theatre and many more daily events.

7. Local history

On our third day we took a tour to the ghost town of Kayaköy.

The valley of Kayaköy has an intriguing history and an abundance of nature. This makes it ideal for hikers staying at Hillside Beach Club, as well as those interested in Turkey’s rich past. Just 8 km due south of Hillside Beach Club, the valley is believed to be the site of the Lycian city of Karmylassos. There are still a few Sarcophagi, along with several rock tombs from the period, which are well worth exploring.

Levissi (an old name for Kayaköy) is an extraordinary, poignant place. Also known as the “Ghost Town,” the ruins are gradually being reclaimed by nature; a testimony to events that took place in Turkey and neighbouring Greece, less than a century ago.

In Ottoman times, Kayaköy had a mixed Muslim and Greek Orthodox community. With cooler summer temperatures than on the coast and rich soil for orchards and produce – the valley’s black figs are legendary – the families who lived here thought their valley was idyllic. Muslim families mostly lived in smallholdings, on the valley floor, while Christian families preferred the rocky slopes. As well as houses, Levissi had schools, a library and shops, as well as 21 churches and chapels.

Neighbourhoods like Levissi lived in relative harmony for centuries – often sharing rituals, traditions and cuisine. But nationalism, the demise of the Ottoman Empire after WW1, followed by the Turkish War of Independence, had a devastating impact on Turkish and Greek communities.

In July 1923, there was an event that Turkey still refers to as the Mübadele, Population Exchange, and Greece as the Asia-Minor Catastrophe. Overseen by the Great Powers of the day, the Treaty of Lausanne, decided to ‘repatriate’ Christians to Greece and Muslims to Turkey; countries where they had never lived. The town gor abandoned and never recovered.

It is an incredible place to visit and I would recommend a stop at the local cafe called Antik to experience traditional Turkish breakfast.

8. Wellness and Gym

Now I’m not a person who hits the gym while on holiday but there are many other options to keep your body happy at Hillside. I took morning yoga classes on the beach every day and signed up for a Wellness and Fitness Workshop with an amazing Adrienne Herbert. It was an inspiring workshop to take my mental health seriously and do those little steps out of the burn out.

9. Sunset Cruise and wild swimming

The highlight of the trip and something you don’t want to miss while staying at Hillside Beach Club - sunset cruise. We started with a welcome glass of champagne and went into exploring nearby beautiful wild bays. We dropped the anchor in one of them and jumped into the pure Mediterranean waters. It was a magical moment!

10. Service

A good service is a service that you don’t notice, they say. But I couldn’t stop being amazed how effortless and at the same time attentive the service was throughout our stay. Every single detail is thought through! Starting from the ability to manage and order everything through the app from your phone and finishing with a member of staff walking down the beach and offering to wipe your sunglasses. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

To finish this post I’ll just say I had the best long weekend in a while and I’m sure I will be returning to Hillside Beach Club one day soon. My own little paradise is found!

You can book the holiday here through their website or through a few third parties that offer packages with flights and transfers included.