It’s time for tee
waterfall at nearby Karpuzkaldiran.
We also had an afternoon at
The Land Of Legends theme park, which is brilliant especially if you have children or enjoy fairground fun.
It is only 10 minutes away by coach and, as it is part-owned by the Rixos hotel, guests get free entry and there are regular transfers from the hotel during the day and evening.
Booking the golf tee times was easy. TUI has teamed up with greenfee365.com and the booking process is really straightforward.
If you are on a TUI holiday in an area where there’s good golf and you fancy a game, simply go online, though bear in mind that for
DELIGHT Harbour in Kaleici district of Antalya
courses as popular as the Belek ones there’ll be high advance demand, so it’s best to book early.
The tour operator is expanding its golf holiday offering and the mild winters on the
Turkish Riviera mean you can play for 11 months of the year, though the summer heat means that the best season is from September to early June.
Before our trip I was a little sceptical about Belek golf.
Now, I’m a fan and planning future trips to play the remaining courses.
So, if you’re also looking for the perfect winter or spring golfing break, let’s talk Turkey.
BOOK IT
TUI offers seven nights on all-inclusive at the Rixos Premium Belek resort in Belek, Turkey, from £1,406 per person with flights from Gatwick on September 23, 20kg baggage and transfers. Regional departures also available. tui.co.uk
■ Pre-book tee off times with Greenfee365 at tui.co.uk/ holidays/tui-golf-holidays
■ Antalya Old Town Tour with Karpuzkaldiran Waterfall costs £34 per person with hotel pick-up/ drop-off. tuiexperiences.com ■ Play at night – if it’s too hot, or the winter daylight is too short, the course at Carya has floodlights that allow for night rounds and it is a most wonderfully surreal experience.
– the courses have unbeatable practice facilities.
■ – there’s also often complimentary bottles of water at the first tee. Make sure you have both, and if it’s hot, do take a buggy, especially at big, long courses like Carya.
– the local beer is a good brew. – you’ll see a few tortoises ambling slowly on the golf courses. Don’t be one yourself. ■ ■ ■
MORE INFO
goturkiye.com rhinos and lions. But these do cost you extra.
Prices for a behind-the-scenes tour of the elephant house are £65 for adults and £55 for children, including zoo admission, while you can have breakfast with lions for the same price, or even be a zookeeper for a day for £250-£280 per person.
But you don’t have to spend extra for a memorable day out.
I particularly enjoyed the steamy Monsoon Forest, where you can see a family of Sumatran orangutans, while birds fly free above your head.
The Fruit Bat Forest is also fun, as you navigate your way through the darkness with bats diving around you.
QUIBBLES: Some of the signposting could be better. It took me a long time to find the exit… but maybe I enjoyed the zoo so much I just didn’t want to leave. VERDICT: Chester Zoo lives up to its reputation as one of the loveliest zoos in the country. Animal magic.