This May half term we visited a 5-star family-friendly resort in Fethiye that’s long been on my bucket list. Hillside Beach Club has a reputation for being ‘heaven on earth’ and boasts a guest return rate so high it was actually studied by Harvard.
So we checked in with not only extremely high expectations for our stay but also a mild case of curiosity about what exactly makes 72% of guests return time after time. Let’s just say, I get it now!
Situated on a secluded, privately-owned bay 10 minutes from the town of Fethiye, where aquamarine waters meets pine forest, Hillside Beach Club is extraordinarily pretty!
We instantly fell in love with the beautiful setting and warm hospitality and enjoyed a stay that was equal parts relaxing and entertaining. Our active 7-year-old made the most of the array of activities, while I deeply appreciated the serenity of the adults-only beaches, Balinese-inspired spa and friendly sun lounger service.
What Hillside gets so right for me personally is that it’s child-friendly but not child-centric. I loved that 2 out of 3 of the resort’s private beaches are dedicated to grown-ups seeking quiet time. There’s also great facilities for children, including the Kidside area, where pools, slides, games and craft areas are overseen by experienced entertainers and child-care experts.
This isn’t a flashy all-inclusive resort with a mind-boggling number of pools and restaurants. What Hillside excels at is quality, consistency and an authenticity that we seek from our holidays.
We were blown away by the food in the main restaurant – this buffet avoider ate at Hillside’s happily every night – and the entertainment was on a level that I’ve never seen in a hotel before. Oh, and the pools are heated, which is incredibly important if you’re visiting in shoulder season like we did.
I was also pleasantly surprised by how intimate Hillside feels for a resort of its size. The room we stayed in had been recently renovated. It was stylish, private and smelt amazing – like something you’d find in a boutique hotel. We also consistently saw the same staff who greeted us by name and overheard numerous reunions between returning guests and their favourite members of the team.
In short, we’re going to be joining that cohort of guests who come back again and again!
(We had to promise Miles we’d return in order to stop his sobs in the return transfer to the airport. And if you want an insight into what makes other guests come back check out the comments on this instagram post where people talk about coming for 10/15/20 years in a row!)
If you’re thinking about booking a holiday at Hillside, here’s everything we think you need to know about it.
Hillside Beach Club at a glance Nearest airport: Dalaman Airport Transfer time: 1 hour Rooms: 330. Superior Family Rooms sleep up to 5 people. Pools: 1 main pool with shallow children’s area plus multiple smaller pools in kids club areas. Beaches: 3 beautiful private beaches. 2 are adults-only. Board basis: Full board with drinks included in main restaurant. Kids Club: Facilities for ages 0-15. Complimentary supervision for ages 4+. Babysitters available to hire. Activities: Lots included from kayaking to yoga, volleyball, bingo plus theatre shows, mini discos and live music of an evening. Optional extras including padel, watersports and boat tours. Local area: Fethiye is a 10 min drive away. Shuttle buses run throughout the day.
Hillside Beach Club Family Review
Guest Rooms
The rooms at Hillside are separated into a number of blocks that are staggered up the hillside either side of the main restaurant and pool. It’s quite an unusual setup with steep staircases leading to the rooms and your main door opening onto the terrace area, but once we’d got used to navigating our way around we came to really love it.
The benefit of having the rooms staggered up the hill is that you get these beautiful uninterrupted views of the bay and, in our case, it felt extremely private because the terrace cannot be seen by other guests and you can’t see anyone else either!
We stayed in a Superior Double with Private Terrace (room number 572) and it worked well for our family of 3. At first I was worried about the lack of floor space as the huge double bed and extra bed for Miles took up most of the room but after unpacking our suitcases and utilising the beautiful walk-in wardrobe we found there was a place for everything.
Our room had been recently renovated with modern, neutral décor that felt fresh and relaxing. The bed was genuinely one of the most comfortable I’ve ever slept in. There was a huge pillow menu but I was so happy with the comfy bedding we already had that I didn’t request any changes.
You get complimentary tea, coffee and water in the room and I was delighted to find fresh milk in the fridge to make my morning brew! (Anything from the well-stocked mini bar is charged extra.)
The bathroom is off the terrace and it gave me flashbacks (in a good way) to holidays in Bali and Thailand because it gave an indoor/outdoor feel to having a shower. As Miles’ bed was right by the bedroom door we had to delicately creep out to the bathroom in the mornings if we woke up before him – but that happened rarely.
The hotel also offers family suites with a second bedroom off the terrace, which would work well for siblings or older kids.
The best thing about the room was definitely the terrace that was almost the same size as the bedroom. Waking up to those views of azure water – seeing people out for their early morning dips, yachts bobbing by on the horizon – was pure magic for me.
In terms of accessibility and getting around with little ones/ prams – there are 2 funiculars at either end of the resort that run from the beachfront to the guest rooms. They each have 2 stops so don’t directly connect to rooms on every level but definitely cut down the number of stairs you need to do.
Top tip: If you are travelling with babies/toddlers you can request upon booking a room in quieter areas of the resort and rooms with easier access.
Our room was quite far from the funicular so it was often more direct for us just to take the stairs, but if we were coming from Kidside and wanted an easier option we could take the funicular to the top and then walk down a couple of flights instead of climbing all the way up.
When you check in and out there are amazing porters with strong arms and golf buggies who carry your luggage for you so you don’t need to worry about that.
Food & Drink
Hillside has 3 restaurants – the Main Restaurant where you’ll find one of the world’s most magnificent buffets 3 times a day, an Italian Beach Restaurant for romantic family dinners and an adults-only restaurant called Pasha on the Bay for quiet child-free evenings.
The latter 2 require reservations for dinner (more on that below) but all are included in the full board meal plan.
Drinks is where Hillside gets a little bit confusing as it’s not an all-inclusive hotel but some drinks are included in some restaurants.
What that means is you get a proper coffee with breakfast and beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner in the buffet restaurant, but if you eat at the other restaurants or order, for example, a frappe on the beach or a cocktail at the bar, you have to pay extra for it.
Interestingly the rate for these extra drinks is discounted for return guests so the rate you pay depends on your loyalty! You can order and pay for drinks using the Hillside App and check your balance at any time to keep an eye on your spending.
We are not big drinkers so this actually worked well for us. I enjoyed the wine included with dinner and didn’t mind purchasing the odd Aperol Spritz but, overall, it was nice not to feel like you had to be consuming all the time in order to get your monies worth, which is a pressure I’ve felt before at the likes of Ikos, for example.
Water is also included at mealtimes and there are plenty of water coolers dotted around the resort for you to top up your water bottles.
We ate really well at Hillside. I’m not usually a fan of buffets but the buffet at Hillside is not your usual buffet!
I have never seen so many fresh salads, dips, mezze plates and sides that are presented so temptingly and topped up constantly. There were a number of live cooking stations that changed daily and often featured Turkish specialities – including doner kebabs! – that we enjoyed trying.
I really liked how the main restaurant leaned into local food and while Miles mostly ate pasta and curries from the children’s section we definitely felt like we were dining in Türkiye.
The desserts were also out of this world. At lunch and dinner I counted a least 6 counters of sweet treats, including a whole handmade truffle section, and I loved that the cakes were neatly served to you by staff instead of being haphazardly cut by other people.
While we didn’t have a chance to try dinner at Pasha (as it’s adults-only) we really enjoyed our evening at the Italian Restaurant. There are only a limited number of seats so it can be hard to secure a booking but it’s such a beautiful setting and is definitely worth doing.
Reservations for the ‘a la carte’ restaurants open 3 days in advance. You need to call reservations between 11:00 and 16:00 to secure a table. More information is available via the Hillside app or Guest Services.
While not technically ‘a la carte’ as there are no physical menus, at the Italian Restaurant you are treated to a 4-course set menu featuring a range of appetizers, an array of pastas to share, your choice of meat or fish dish for mains and then a dessert. Miles ordered a bolognaise and that was served speedily while we worked through the rest of our courses. He really enjoyed eating next to the water in what the waiter accurately described as like eating next to an aquarium and we loved the slow pace of the evening.
It is worth noting that the Italian Restaurant opens for dinner at 20.30 so might not be suitable for families with younger children. We actually ate around 20.00/20.30 most nights as Türkiye is 2 hours ahead of the UK and we didn’t bother adjusting our body clocks so we could enjoy longer evenings together. The theatre shows (mentioned later) started around 21.30 so it worked well for us to eat late and then head straight into the theatre.
During the day the Italian Restaurant operates as a Beach Restaurant where you can order to your table a selection of dishes including grilled fish or chicken, burgers or pasta and help yourself from a salad buffet. While the dishes were simple we liked eating here with views of the ocean and the salad buffet was a mini version of the magnificent one in the main restaurant. Drinks here are chargeable but we had lunch here most days as we liked the change of scenery and laid-back beach vibes.
Overall, whilst I would have loved the hotel to have more family-friendly a la carte restaurants, we found that there was enough variety if, for example, you had the late risers breakfast at Pasha and lunch at the Beach Restaurant, rather than visiting the main restaurant 3 times a day.
The buffet dinner in the main restaurant worked really well for us as a family. I was really impressed with the speed at which staff served drinks and cleaned tables and for a big restaurant it had an inviting atmosphere. We never struggled to find a table and if we got there early enough we loved the seats overlooking the pool where you’d get to see amazing sunsets.
It was also nice not to be tied to any fixed timings every evening and (aside from booking the Italian Restaurant) we didn’t have to worry about competing for tables at a la carte restaurants each day.
We only stayed for 5 nights but I think if we were there longer I’d be tempted to spend at least one night dining in Fethiye, which is just 5 mins drive away. The hotel runs a shuttle bus into the evenings but you can also get taxis there very affordably so that’s another option to consider.
Click to see all restaurant options and opening times:
Breakfast
Main Restaurant (buffet) 07:00-10:30
Pasha on the Bay (late risers continental breakfast) 10:30-12:30
Lunch
Main Restaurant (buffet) 12:30-15:00
Beach Restaurant (grilled meats, pasta, burgers etc to order and mini buffet – no reservation needed, drinks will be charged)
Dinner
Main Restaurant (buffet) 19:00-22:00
Italian/ Beach Restaurant (set menu, reservation required, drinks will be charged)
Pasha by the Bay (adults only, reservation required, drinks will be charged)
You can also get some complimentary snacks throughout the day. Fruit is served at the pool bar in the morning and an afternoon tea is available at the Pool Bar and Beach Bar around 4pm.
Things to do at Hillside Beach Club
Activities Overview
Another thing that Hillside does well is offers a lot of activities without any frenetic energy. In fact, their motto is ‘feeling good’ and I must admit that lounging on Serenity Beach while my energetic son played a game of padel did feel really good!
From morning yoga on Silent Beach to volleyball, kayaking, movie nights and scavenger hunts, there is a great variety of activities for adults and children of all ages spread throughout the day and we enjoyed dipping into things without having to pre book anything*.
(*Some activities such as tennis courts and padel require booking in advance but we just called up and did this on the day.)
The Hillside App is really handy. It displays the activities on offer every day and you can heart your favourite and get a notification shortly before it begins so you don’t miss anything. It also lets you know what shows and live music are on so you can plan your evenings.
Adults-Only Beaches
Whilst not an activity as such my favourite thing to do at Hillside was to take the shuttle boat or do a short forest walk to Serenity Beach.
Serenity Beach is the further away of the hotel’s 2 adults-only beaches but it has a pool bar that serves drinks and a bbq lunch as well as toilet facilities and plush sunloungers so you want for nothing when you rock up there.
The shuttle boat goes back and forth between the resort and beach every 30 minutes and is a lovely way to get out on the water for a few minutes. It’s also easy to walk along the path though, taking approx. 10 minutes and offering beautiful views of the hotel and some fancy yachts along the way.
The second adult’s only beach is called Silent Beach and that’s on the opposite side of the resort to Serenity Beach near the spa. It’s a slightly shorter walk to Silent Beach along a wooden walkway where you’ll find access to floating pontoons with more plush sun loungers on. There is no bar on Silent Beach so you can’t order drinks/refreshments but there are toilets and changing rooms.
This walkway (as well as the one to Serenity Beach) is gated and requires the Hillside App to open it and I thought this was a really smart way to make sure it genuinely remains an adults-only area. The beach was also completely silent, with no noise from the main resort travelling over, and it’s such a beautiful spot to come enjoy a book or perhaps a bit of mindful crafting. (There is a mini library if you get through a whole book and a cute little cupboard with colouring sheets and pencils.)
They also hold yoga classes here every morning, which I had every intention of doing but because we were on UK time I never woke up early enough for it. (Next year, I promise!)
Spa & Gym
Hillside has 2 spas – the Sanda Day Spa situated in the main building and the Sanda Nature Spa next to Silent Beach that my partner and I were lucky enough to visit.
The 7 seven intimate therapy rooms at Sanda Nature Spa are hidden in the trees and with water features and floral paths dotted around them had a very Balinese jungle feel. I had a wonderful Sanda Traditional Massage, which is a relaxing yet firm Balinese massage that incorporates acupressure techniques and left me feeling incredibly zen.
My husband also enjoyed a few visits to the indoor/outdoor gym, which he said was really well equipped and included everything you need for HYROX training. There also have fitness classes running throughout the day at the Studios so if you’ve come for a wellness break you’ll have plenty of options.
For the kids
Kidside
We were really impressed with Kidside, which is the hotel’s main kids club area aimed at children aged 4 to 10. Featuring a heated pool with waterslides, a smaller pool with balls in it, plus a sand pit, Lego and craft tables and changing rooms and lockers, it’s a bright and clean space that seemed extremely well run and managed throughout our stay.
Parents are welcome to enter Kidside so you have the option to enjoy the facilities as a family, or if they are over 4 (or with a babysitter) you can leave them in staff’s capable hands while you enjoy the hotel’s adults-only spaces.
During our stay our son did want us to stay with him at Kidside while he enjoyed an array of arts, crafts, Lego and games so we took turns to sit with him in a comfy beanbag. We didn’t really use it a childcare facility as such but liked that you could dip in and out for 30-minute activities throughout the day.
Some of the things our 7-year-old enjoyed was making toy puppets, creating his own hat, clay modelling and joining a storytelling activity where he got to choose his own book afterwards – we came home with a lot of souvenirs from the holiday!
Miles also joined in some of the activities listed as 8+ on the app – like pool games, a scavenger hunt and RC car racing – and it was nice he wasn’t excluded from them because of his age.
One of his highlights was an evening talk about astronomy that was held by a Professor of Astrophysics who bought his telescopes with him.
Activity Centre
The Activity Centre is a space near the sports courts aimed at children aged 8 to 15. Featuring table tennis, bar football, basketball courts and games consoles it’s a staffed area where older children can hang out independently.
We hung out there with Miles on a rainy afternoon and also joined in some of the activities run here. Most children were there without parents and just came and went by themselves but we stayed because Miles is a little younger and requires supervision.
Baby Park
There is also a cute shaded baby park, which is a play area for babies and toddlers with sand pit, shallow pools, soft play and toys. Again, it’s a staffed space that was kept immaculately but adults do need to supervise children there or hire a babysitter to watch them.
Artside
Artside is a painting studio for adults and children where you can decorate your own t-shirts, mugs, pebbles or plaster models. This is an additional cost – the fee depends on the item you chose to decorate – but it’s also so well run that we didn’t mind the extra expense.
Miles chose to paint an astronaut (16 Euro) and came back on 2 separate occasions to finesse it. It was glazed and wrapped for us once he was finished and again it’s a lovely homemade souvenir that he was proud to bring home.
Entertainment
We are not usually the type of holidaymakers who are fussed about entertainment on holiday but Hillside is famed for its theatre productions and we loved them so much we went to every single one of them!
Every night there was a different performance in the outdoor amphitheatre – with themes ranging from Beetlejuice to Lady Gaga – and the staging, costumes and dancing was really impressive. All the shows we saw were mimed, which surprised me at first, but I think it made the overall quality better because of it. Most shows were about 30-45 mins and were a fun way to end the evening for the whole family.
If your kids are into performing then they also do a really lovely children’s show with costumes and dance routines. The rehearsals are held around 4pm in the days preceding it (look out for signs near the theatre) and its all run and managed by the Entertainment Team.
We’d typically head back to our rooms with a very tired son around 10pm when the shows ended but I did stay up with a cup of tea a few evenings to listen to a little of the live music.
I really loved the way Hillside transformed of an evening, whether by floating a movie screen in the sea or setting up a stage on the beach – it felt like you were somewhere totally different come evening. I also liked that, in my opinion, the night-time entertainment wasn’t too rowdy. If Miles was a little older we’d definitely have stayed up and enjoyed it as family like we saw people with older children do. Most guests during our stay were drinking Turkish tea at night-time so I felt I fit right in with my after-dinner drink of fresh peppermint tea!
Quite a few people messaged me on social media concerned about noise of an evening and honestly we had no issues sleeping. There was a couple of nights when the live music was held outside after 10pm and while we could hear it faintly from our balcony we couldn’t hear anything from inside the room. Our room was quite high up however and I can’t speak for the experience of those who are in rooms nearer the main pool.
If you are travelling with babies/ young children you can request rooms in quieter parts of the resort when making your booking.
Location
This is usually the part of my post where I describe all the amazing things in the local area but for the first time ever we couldn’t tear ourselves away from the resort! As you can tell from the 4000 words above we were very busy enjoying everything the resort had to offer (plus, let’s be honest, capturing this content) so we ran out of time to explore more of Fethiye.
As mentioned earlier though, Fethiye old town is only a 10-minute drive from the hotel and the hotel runs a regular shuttle for guests who want to explore the marina and markets.
There is also an excursions centre – Hillside Outside – who can help you with things like boat tours, treks, bike hire and more.
We had a wonderful evening on board the Hillside’s traditional wooden gulet doing a sunset cruise along the coast to Fethiye. Due to bad weather all the other guests cancelled so we were very lucky to have the incredible boat and its friendly hosts all to ourselves. The cruise comes with a glass (or 2!) of bubbles, some snacks of fruit, cheese and pastries and if you’re as lucky as us you might get to meet some dolphins.
How to book
Hillside Beach Club can be booked through all major UK tour operators, including British Airways Holidays, easyJet Holidays, TUI, On the Beach, Jet2holidays, and a range of boutique tour operators. You can also book directly through Hillside Beach Club’s Reservations Office, which offers highly competitive rates.
Sales for 2027 will open later this month. There will be a two-tier Early Bird offer, with the first phase ending at the end of the year and the second phase ending in mid-March. If you’re planning to travel during peak periods (such as the May half-term holiday), I would recommend booking early to secure your preferred dates.
We flew into Dalaman Airport and were through the airport within minutes. We took Hillside’s private transfer to the hotel, which took approximately 1 hour, but was in a very comfortable van with water and wifi on board.
I hope that answers any questions you might have about Hillside Beach Club, plus gives you some insight into why it’s so well loved. Let me know if you decide to book a holiday there.
Disclosure: We were hosted by Hillside for 3 nights and paid to stay an additional 2. All opinions are my own.
Read more 5* family-friendly hotel reviews.
Check out my Instagram posts and stories for more highlights from this holiday.
