TURKEY - Lara, Royal Holiday Palace 5*
If you are looking for a quality 5* hotel in the Lara area at a decent price, you might be satisfied
Address: Royal Holiday Palace, Kemerağzı, Lara Turizm Yolu, 07230 Kundu Turizm Bölgesi/MERKEZİ/Antalya, Turkey
Web: royalholidaypalace.com
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Royal Holiday Palace is part of the Stone Group chain, which owns a number of hotels in Belek (Adam & Eve Hotel), Side (Royal Alhambra Palace Hotel, Royal Dragon Hotel) and Lara (Royal Seginus Hotel, Royal Holiday Palace Hotel), well-known resorts on the Turkish Riviera. They belong to the 5* hotel category and focus on holidays with different concepts.
Royal Holiday Palace 5*
If you are looking for a hotel near Antalya airport where luxury meets comfort and where you can eat and drink non-stop, with many pools and a nice beach, and shopping opportunities nearby, then the Royal Holiday Palace in Lara, Turkey is exactly the place.
You will be captivated by the magnificent building inspired by palace architecture - marble, gold, high ceilings, spacious rooms. The hotel is suitable for both couples and families with children. There is even an amusement park, water slides and evening programs included in the price, for children and adults.
Location and surroundings
The Lara area is known for being only about 20 minutes from the airport. If you arrive without a travel agency, I recommend ordering Kiwitaxi, if you don't know, it is a private transfer in a luxurious air-conditioned van, which usually fits up to 6 people and costs more or less the same as a regular taxi from the airport. You order via the website and you know the price immediately, you don't have to bargain or argue with anyone. The driver will be waiting for you with a sign with your name on it. Don't stress about finding a taxi at the airport.
Lara also means one megalomaniac hotel next to another, mostly 5*, with direct access to the sea, with a private hotel beach. If you are looking for a quiet holiday where it will be quiet in the evening, then this is not the ideal place for you, every hotel has some kind of outdoor evening program with loud music, usually until at least midnight. If you like shopping, then Lara is the place to go. There are a huge number of boutiques and shopping centers, focused mainly on clothes and handbags. Bargain here. I definitely recommend cash, you are more likely to negotiate the price, whether in lira or euros.
You can also get to Antalya by bus, but if you don't want to spend half a day there, I recommend a taxi (the taxi stand is a short distance from the hotel, they have fixed prices, but you are driving a car with basic equipment, taxi drivers prefer an open window instead of air conditioning). That's why I recommend ordering a Kiwitaxi, which is much more luxurious and comfortable, more people can fit in the vans than in a taxi, and if you have my discount code, you will pay almost the same as for a taxi. Expect that during rush hour it can easily take an hour to get back to the hotel, the city was completely congested in the afternoon, even though the center is only about 20 km away.
Accommodation
I booked the room directly on the hotel website because after thorough research it was the best price. You can choose from the following room types:
- superior standard room with a view of the countryside, with a partial sea view or a full sea view for 2-3 people
- duplex family room with a view of the countryside or the sea (two-story rooms with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, suitable for families)
- family room with a view of the countryside or the sea (2 bedrooms connected by sliding doors, 1 bathroom, suitable for families)
- junior suites, in addition to a bedroom and a bathroom, also have a living room, for 2 + 1 child
- deluxe suites contain 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a living room, for 4 people
- king suite is the most luxurious room type, it has a respectable 180 m2 and is on two floors, you will find an entrance hall, kitchen, bedroom with twin beds, master bedroom with double bed, a total of 2 bathrooms, jacuzzi and living room. For a total of 4 people.
The rooms are designed in a palace style. The furniture is not the latest, but considering the price for all these all-inclusive services (for example, comparable hotels of the Delphin chain are significantly more expensive), you probably turn a blind eye to this. The rooms are really very spacious. As is the local custom, you will probably find a double bed plus one single bed in every room, even if you only want a room for two. Rooms with a view of the countryside are of course cheaper and seem to me to be better if you want more peace and quiet, especially at night. Rooms facing the sea are very noisy in the evening in all hotels in this area, due to the evening programs. For my taste, the rooms are quite poorly soundproofed, if someone is having fun next door, you can hear it. The balconies are also large with seating and a hair dryer. Most rooms have carpets.
Basic room amenities:
daily replenished minibar with soft drinks and alcoholic beer, electric kettle with coffee and tea, armchair, desk with chair, comfortable beds, but for my taste very high pillows, TV, safe, wardrobe, slippers, wifi.
In the bathroom:
magnifying mirror, tissues, hairdryer, hand soap, large pack of shower gel, shampoo, conditioner. Vanity kit was only the first day, plus 2 toothbrushes and a small toothpaste. Enough towels.
Food
You really won't die of hunger here. You have access to food 24 hours a day. Breakfast, late breakfast, lunch in the main restaurant. If you don't feel like changing out of your swimsuit, there are various fast food options around the pools such as baked potatoes, pizza, waffles, ice cream, kebab, fruit, Turkish pancakes plus a beach restaurant with a choice of menu and service. Dinner is again in the main restaurant, in the season there are also smaller themed restaurants, but they are for a fee of about 20 Euros per person. After dinner, there is a buffet next to the reception, but there are no hot dishes, but rather sandwiches, desserts, sweets and other small snacks, plus drinks. You don't get a breakfast package at the hotel, if you have an early flight, you have to go to this buffet. I have to say that the food here was very good. Various themed evenings plus classics, but one day there were crabs and other seafood, for example. There were at least 2 fish every day, plus various grilled meats, salads, pasta, desserts, fruits, vegetables, soups. Everyone will definitely choose, there is a huge selection of food. All alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are included in the all-in price. One of the dining rooms is adults only.
Beach, pools, wellness
Huge freshwater pools (also for children), plenty of sun loungers and parasols. Aquapark with slides for children and adults included in the price. The beach is sandy, water shoes are not required, part of the beach is shaded. You can also lie on the pier, where there is a bar, sun loungers and parasols.
The hotel also has an indoor swimming pool and a sauna world with a jacuzzi, you can book a massage or cosmetic treatment for a fee.
Other equipment
For evening entertainment, there is an outdoor amphitheater or beach restaurant, and in the colder months there is an evening program in the hotel club. The hotel also has a large games room with Playstations, bowling, billiards, some things are for a fee. On the lowest floor of the hotel you will also find a few shops, mainly with clothes and accessories, and a hairdresser. Various animation programs during the day. You can play beach volleyball, tennis, table tennis or darts. And in the evening there is a hotel funfair with a couple of carousels, already included in the price, for children and adults. Decent working wifi is a matter of course, except for the outer parts of the beach. I always buy a data e-sim outside the EU in the Airalo application, it works reliably and is cheap, you can choose according to the volume of data or validity. If you use my code HANA3032, you will get a discount of 3 Euros. Because, for example, you don't have free wifi at the airport. You have to find a kiosk, scan something there and ask for wifi, which is quite complicated for my taste and there was a queue. I prefer to choose an eSIM for a few Euros and not have to stand in line there.
Summary
The hotel has a good price-quality ratio. Large rooms, fully equipped for a comfortable stay. Beautiful marble lobby with luxurious crystal chandeliers in the style of a palace, good food and drinks available 24/7, including cocktails. Huge pools with plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas. If there are a lot of you and you want to be on the beach together, I recommend getting up early, but you can always find sunbeds for 2. Very good shopping options in the area. Entertainment for children and adults. Not far from the airport. Very good vacation.
My rating - 8/10
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