We have just returned from a fantastic two-week stay at Gloria Golf Resort in Belek and, overall, had a wonderful holiday. We stayed in a Gloria Villa as a family of four adults and one teenager.
Room
The villa was perfect for our family. It was clean, spacious and well-equipped, with two bedrooms and a lovely balcony. The minibar was restocked daily, although it only contained one of each snack. With five people sharing, this sometimes meant only one small pot of crisps between us, which wasn't ideal. The room had everything you could need, from toothbrushes and bathrobes to a sewing kit and toiletries. The WhatsApp service was excellent too – every question we had was answered quickly and efficiently.
Food & Drink
The food is among the best we've experienced at an all-inclusive resort. Between 12pm and 4pm it is outstanding. The snack bars serve a huge variety of freshly prepared food, there's something for everyone, and the chips are genuinely some of the best we've had! The sushi bar was excellent, and the patisserie was perfect for afternoon coffee, waffles and cakes.
Ice cream is available throughout the day, and it was great to see premium brands of both ice cream and drinks, including beers like Corona.
In the evenings there are two main buffet restaurants, which helps spread guests out, although one is noticeably busier than the other. The buffet food is very good, but after two weeks it would have been nice to have more variety without paying the supplement for the à la carte restaurants. Because these restaurants have an additional charge, they often felt quite empty and lacked atmosphere. There is also 24-hour food available at the Harem Restaurant, although the selection isn't as good as the afternoon snack bars.
Beach
The beach is just a short walk across the bridge and is a lovely setting. It can get busy, and the entrance into the sea is a little stony, but once you're in the water it's absolutely fine. There's another snack bar at the beach, although it focuses mainly on fish dishes. There are also plenty of watersports available for anyone looking for extra activities.
Pool
The pool area is lovely with plenty of sunbeds. We never struggled to find somewhere to sit, although I think many guests preferred spending time on the beach.
My only criticisms are that the entire pool is the same depth, with no shallower section apart from the children's pool, and there isn't a swim-up bar. A swim-up bar with seating in the water would make the pool area even better.
Waterpark
The waterpark is relatively small but has more than enough to keep families entertained. Most of the larger slides have a minimum height requirement of 120cm, but there is also a great splash zone for younger children to enjoy.
Entertainment & Activities
There is a full programme of activities throughout the day, but they're much more fitness-focused than at many all-inclusive resorts. They're great if you enjoy keeping active, but less suited if you're simply looking for light-hearted fun.
The evening shows in the amphitheatre are professionally done, although after a while they can feel a little similar. We'd have loved to see more comedy, audience participation, quiz nights or entertainment involving the animation team to add some variety.
One disappointment was that football wasn't allowed in the evenings. During July it's simply too hot to play during the day, so it was frustrating for our boys to be asked to stop when they tried to play later in the evening.
The G-Venture venue was fantastic, putting on an excellent show with music, lights and lasers. It's definitely worth visiting and is suitable for both teenagers and adults.
Golf
The golf was enjoyable and easy to access thanks to the regular shuttle buses. However, we did feel it was quite expensive for what was offered, and the course didn't quite justify the price.
Spa
The spa area looked lovely, with a relaxing indoor pool and treatment rooms. However, I was a little disappointed that children are allowed in the indoor pool, as I usually like the spa area to be a peaceful adults-only space. I also felt the treatment prices were quite expensive.
Resort & Facilities
The resort is immaculately maintained, with beautiful gardens, mature trees and plenty of green open spaces. It never feels overcrowded, and the lush surroundings make it a pleasure to walk around. Everything is within easy walking distance, so getting around is effortless.
Another big plus was the Wi-Fi, which worked brilliantly throughout the resort without constantly needing to reconnect.
Staff
The staff were absolutely outstanding and one of the highlights of our stay. Like anywhere, you occasionally come across someone having an off day, but the vast majority were friendly, welcoming and genuinely went out of their way to make our holiday special.
Overall
Our only real disappointment came as we were leaving. Once our luggage had been loaded into the taxi, a member of staff stood by the taxi door and didn't close it until we had given a tip. It made us feel quite uncomfortable and left a slightly disappointing final impression after what had otherwise been an excellent holiday.
Despite that, Gloria Golf Resort is a beautiful resort with excellent facilities, fantastic food, outstanding staff and high-quality accommodation. The few improvements we'd suggest would be offering more evening dining options without supplements, adding a swim-up bar, introducing more variety and fun into the evening entertainment, allowing evening football during the hotter months, and making the spa pool adults-only.
These are only minor points overall. We had an amazing holiday and wouldn't hesitate to return. It's one of the best all-inclusive resorts we've stayed at, and we'd happily recommend it to families, couples and groups looking for a relaxing, high-quality holiday in Belek.
