Going for Golf

Simply stunning Sirene

Antalya Golf Club

Back in 1994, Belek was a relatively obscure village best known for turtles laying their eggs on its beaches and its dazzling views of the snow-capped Taurus Mountains a few miles inland. Since then it has become the eastern Mediterranean’s must-visit golf destination with 11 immaculately maintained developments, all carved from a pine and eucalyptus forest.

Belek now also has 50 five-star hotels, where full-board means virtually unlimited food and drink. So whether you’re golfing, enjoying the spa, soaking up the sun, dining out, exploring antiquities or simply shopping, nowhere offers a better deal. This sporting oasis is 40 minutes’ drive from the international airport at Antalya which in turn is three and a half hours’ flying time from London or Manchester.

One of Belek’s more ambitious developments comprises two superb hotels and Antalya Golf Club, which has two 18-hole layouts designed by former European Tour professional David Jones. The Pasha, essentially aimed at higher-handicap players, opened in March 2002. Remarkably, it has been constructed, complete with four par-fives, from little more than half the land of its sister course – the PGA Sultan.

Home for the last three years to the Virgin Atlantic PGA National Pro-Am, the PGA Sultan, which opened in September 2003, is a fair but stern challenge. It will also host the 2012 Eisenhower Trophy, arguably the most prestigious team event in men’s amateur golf. Rolling fairways, a dozen water hazards and nearly 100 sand traps, including numerous pot bunkers, give the PGA Sultan the best of both worlds when comparison is made with traditional links and modern, American-style courses.

Whereas the Pasha’s fairways are generally wide and its undulating Bermuda greens larger than average, targets at the PGA Sultan are much tighter. Right from the start, it’s a handful. An expanse of water sits in front of the first tee and also runs most of the way down the left side of the fairway. It used to be said a par-five start was a gentle way into a round – not so here!

It does ease up in places, but golfers can’t afford to lose concentration at any stage owing to constantly lurking water hazards and the frequency with which apparently good shots end up in sand. Undoubtedly, the PGA Sultan is suited to better or more experienced golfers, and the club sensibly insists on seeing handicap certificates before allowing visitors loose.

Unusually, it has two signature holes (most courses have only one). The left-to-right dog-leg 16th is a complicated and dangerous par-five with water meandering down the right of an ever-narrowing fairway before cutting left sharply across the front of the green. Then comes the par-four 18th with a long carry off the back tee over water to a tight fairway, followed by a medium-to-long-iron approach, with water both left and right, to an undulating home green.

The Sirene Belek Golf & Wellness Hotel, which links these courses to a beautiful private beach, consists of a seven-storey building – the Palace – and a cluster of luxury bungalows – the Village. Everything about this complex is larger than life. The main outdoor pool, at 50 metres long, is Olympic-sized and, combined with an exceptional 25-metre indoor pool, offers an outstanding competitive or training facility for top-class swimmers. The amphitheatre at the far end of the grounds is also of Olympic proportions and can host any type of event – serious dramas, children’s entertainments, sporting contests and discos.

The mosaic pattern on the palm tree-lined Perge Way running through the resort is divided by a fountain-filled canal and represents the historic oriental trading route known as the Silk Road. It features more than a million stone chips, laid by a team of craftsmen in just a few weeks.

Numerous sports can be played on site – the tennis courts are unusually surfaced with a quartz-sand base and specially-bred grass – while high-quality spa, health and fitness treatments are also at guests’ disposal along with a selection of shops in the foyer. From the spacious, atrium-roofed lobby to the high luxury and modern style of its 649 bedrooms, the Sirene is dedicated to providing comfort and enjoyment while its six bars and five restaurants offer an enticing range of refreshments and cuisine. Next door to the Sirene is the newer, smaller but no less luxurious Kempinski Hotel The Dome. With 157 bedrooms, it is a stunning amalgam of the architecture of the Selçuk (11th century) dynasty and contemporary design.

A warm welcome awaits golfers of all ages and ability levels at Antalya Golf Club and it sister hotels. Sound too good to be true? There’s only one way to find out.