Sheraton Voyager Antalya Hotel

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
I went to the Sheraton Antalya with my husband for our wedding anniversary. I decided to stay here in particular because we were staying in Turkey at the time and had free nights in a Sheraton Hotel to use up. Having said that I had high expectations of the hotel and I wasn't disappointed. The hotel is large and impressive, set above Konyaalti Beach and has a wonderful view out over the beautiful bay to the mountains beyond. The lobby is large, modern and airy, with a cake shop that serves a wonderful afternoon tea. In the evening there was a pianist and singer covering a nice variety of tunes in La Fontaine Bar. The hotel had a fairly mixed international clientele.
ROOMS:
Our room was large with a nice sitting area and had all the expected mod cons. The room was immaculate, however the décor was a bit tired and would benefit from updating. The bathroom was large, clean and modern. We had a large private balcony with a chair, table and sun bed and sea view.
FOOD:
I was very impressed with the variety and overall quality of the restaurants. The Panoramic Buffet Restaurant served excellent food, both buffet and a la carte. The buffet had a very good choice with different dishes every evening and the breakfasts were also very good. The a la carte menu had a good selection of reasonably priced salads, steaks, grills, wraps, etc. Attached to the restaurant is a nice terrace area were you can have your meals al fresco. The service was friendly and very attentive.
On one of our nights we ate the hotel's Maritime fish restaurant and were extremely impressed with the menu, service, surroundings and especially the food, which was exceptional. I would definitely recommend eating there at least once. Our meal was without doubt one the best I've ever had. I would not recommend booking half board accommodation at the hotel, as you would just be restricted to eating in the buffet restaurant. It's well worth the effort to go into the old quarter (Kaleici), where there are many excellent restaurants to try.
There's a tram nearby that will take you there, or a taxi costs about £5. We ate a wonderful meal at the Marina Residence's harbour restaurant on our anniversary, which has a spectacular setting overlooking the harbour. For the more budget conscious the Parlark Restaurant just north of the clock tower does a fantastic spit roast chicken dinner for about £4.
POOL:
The hotel is set in beautiful tropical gardens with lots of exotic plants and water. The landscaped pool area is very large with plenty of sun beds, towels and lots of shade available. There was a drinks and snacks service, although it was sometimes a little hard to get anyone's attention. Beside the pool is a snack bar serving enormous portions for lunch. The hotel has it's own section of beach, which has sun beds and a bar. It takes 15 minutes to walk down to the beach or there's a regular free shuttle service.
SHOPPING:
The hotel has some basic shops. The old town has lots of bazaar style shops where you'll need to bargain hard. Alternatively there are loads of modern shops around the area's outskirts.
OVERALL OPINION:
It's my experience of 5 star hotels in Turkey that they often don't live up to their 5 star status. I would say that the Sheraton is definitely a 5 star hotel in all aspects, except maybe the rooms which would benefit from updating. I found all the staff we dealt with to be very friendly and professional and the hotel was spotless throughout. We were even given a cake by the hotel on our anniversary. I think the hotel is great for adult of all ages, but not so good for children as there isn't a lot for them to do beyond the pool and beach.
I have also stayed in the old town, at the Tuvana, which has a lot of charm and good location, but if you want to stay near Antalya city and have all the bonuses that a large, well-managed hotel offers, then the Sheraton is the option I would recommend. I certainly intend to stay at this hotel again in the future.
We paid £60 per room per night in May, booking direct with the hotel.