From attempting fly yoga and taking my first golf lesson to surrendering to a Balinese massage and rediscovering the joy of a water slide, a few days in Belek proved that sometimes the best holidays are the ones that take you completely by surprise as Eleanor Charlesworth reports.


I should probably start with a confession. I am not a golfer. I am certainly not into yoga. And, when it comes to trying anything that involves the possibility of publicly embarrassing myself, I wouldn't necessarily describe myself as particularly brave.

So naturally, I went to Turkey and decided to try all three.

What started as a trip that I imagined would involve sunshine, good food and plenty of relaxation somehow turned into an unexpected little adventure – involving a hammock, a golf club, a massage table and a water slide.

And I loved it.

The Race is On

I was in Belek as part of the press team for Race to Belek, an amateur golf tournament created by Corendon Airlines, Kaden Group and Gloria Hotels & Resorts. Kaden Group provides the golf expertise and organisation. Gloria provides the luxury resort and golfing environment and Corendon Airlines provides the link between Britain and Antalya, with direct flights from a number of UK airports.

The Race to Belek isn't just about golf. It is about encouraging British golfers to discover Belek for themselves – and, after a few days there, I could certainly understand the attraction. Around 1,800 golfers took part in qualifying tournaments across the UK, with nine regional finalists earning the opportunity to make their way to Belek for the final.

For the golfers involved, the prize is about considerably more than a trophy. It is the chance to experience Belek as a golfing destination – with the tournament bringing together competition, travel, hospitality and, of course, a healthy dose of sunshine.

And that was one of the reasons I was particularly interested to see the tournament from behind the scenes as you don't really understand the appeal of a place until you see people experiencing it.

And perhaps that's the cleverest thing about Race to Belek. It takes something British golfers already love – golf – and uses it as a reason to introduce them to somewhere new. I may not have been the obvious person to appreciate the golfing side of the trip. But watching the finalists compete and then seeing them enjoy everything Belek has to offer away from the course, gave me a completely different perspective.

The tournament wasn't just bringing golfers to Turkey. It was giving them a reason to come back.

Making Turkey that little bit easier to reach

For British holidaymakers, the appeal of Turkey is obvious. Sunshine, beaches, food, history, culture, golf and some spectacular resorts – all within a few hours' flying time.

However a destination is only as accessible as the flights that connect you to it. That is where Corendon Airlines comes into the story.

Corendon began life in the Netherlands in 2004 as a tour operator before launching its airline operation in 2005. It’s very first passenger flight, from Eindhoven to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport, was itself a little piece of aviation history – it was the first passenger aircraft to land at the newly opened airport.

Since then, the company has grown considerably. Today, Corendon operates airlines registered in Turkey, the Netherlands and Malta and has developed into a major European leisure airline, connecting holidaymakers with destinations across Europe and beyond.

Its expansion into the British market is particularly relevant to a trip like this.

Corendon Airlines offers more than 30 destinations during the summer, operating more than 500 weekly flights with over two million seats. Corendon began providing flights from the UK in 2021,and today it serves London Stansted, Glasgow and Manchester with direct flights going to popular holiday destinations such as Antalya in Turkey, and Crete, flying between April and the end of October.

That matters for someone like me, travelling from the north of England, being able to fly directly from Manchester to Antalya makes Turkey feel remarkably easy. Just board the plane in Manchester, and a few hours later, you're looking at the Mediterranean.

Hello Turkey

The landscape in Turkey is beautiful; the weather was glorious, and there was that wonderfully relaxed feeling that comes with knowing you have several days ahead of you with nowhere you particularly need to be.

I was staying with Gloria Hotels & Resorts, which operates three resorts in Belek – Gloria Golf Resort, Gloria Verde Resort and Gloria Serenity Resort. Each has its own personality.

Gloria Golf Resort is the larger, lively family option, with extensive facilities and, as the name rather helpfully suggests, a strong focus on golf. When it comes to golf, Gloria really does have the credentials. Gloria Golf Club has 45 holes across its Old, New and Verde courses, making it a serious destination for golfers rather than simply a hotel that happens to have a golf course nearby.

Gloria Verde feels greener and more intimate, with its setting around the Acısu River creating a particularly peaceful atmosphere. And finally, Gloria Serenity is the more refined and tranquil option, with luxury accommodation, villas and plenty of opportunities to simply disappear from the world for a while.

Across the resorts, the choice is considerable. Pools. Beach. Restaurants. Golf. Spa. Sport. Children's activities. Water slides. In fact, there is so much to do that the challenge isn't finding an activity. It's deciding which one you can persuade yourself to try.

My first encounter with fly yoga

I have always admired people who do yoga. They look calm. Serene. In control of their bodies. So, when fly yoga was suggested, my immediate reaction was probably somewhere between curiosity and mild panic.

Fly yoga involves using a suspended fabric hammock to support your body while you move through different yoga positions. It sounds wonderfully relaxing. It looks incredibly graceful. And then there was me.

Let's just say that elegance was not necessarily my strongest feature that day. There was some wobbling. There was some laughing. There may even have been a moment when I questioned whether my feet were ever going to find the floor
again. But surprisingly, I loved it.

There was something genuinely liberating about trying something completely unfamiliar and discovering that you don't actually have to be good at something to enjoy it.
I wasn't suddenly transformed into a yoga enthusiast. But I had tried it. And I'd survived. Which, as it turned out, was becoming something of a theme.

Then someone gave me a golf club

Being surrounded by golfers while covering Race to Belek made it difficult to avoid the subject of golf. And, eventually, curiosity got the better of me. If I was going to write about Belek as a golf destination, surely I should at least attempt to hit a golf ball.

Belek is famous for golf, and Gloria's facilities make it very clear why golfers are drawn here.

I fell very firmly into the learn category. Standing over the ball, suddenly everyone else's advice about grip, stance, swing and keeping your eye on the ball comes rushing back. I tried very hard to look like I knew what I was doing. Some shots were surprisingly satisfying. Others were… less so. But there is something addictive about golf. That one perfect shot – however accidental – makes you immediately want to have another go.

And watching the Race to Belek finalists take the competition seriously gave me a completely different appreciation of just how much skill and concentration goes into the game. I now understand why people love golf.

Time to do absolutely nothing

After all this unexpected sporting activity, I decided it was time to embrace a change of pace with a visit to the spa. After the concentration of golf and the physical exertion of fly yoga, there was something wonderful about simply slowing down.
And then came the Balinese massage. I have always been a fan of a good massage, but there is something particularly indulgent about having one when you're on holiday. No rushing off afterwards. No thinking about the next meeting.

No checking the clock. Just time to switch off.

It was exactly what I needed. And for a while, I completely forgot about the activities, the itinerary and what I was going to do next. Which, perhaps ironically, is when I realised that relaxation is still one of the best activities of all.

Finding my inner child

Then came the water slides. Now, anyone who has children will understand that water slides are usually something you experience from one of two positions. Standing at the bottom, waiting for your child to emerge. Or standing at the top, encouraging them to go first. I hadn't necessarily planned to be the person going down them.

But something happened. I decided to have a go. And suddenly I was 10 years old again. There is something wonderfully ridiculous about climbing the stairs to the top of a water slide, wondering whether you've made a terrible mistake, and then launching yourself down it before you have time to change your mind. Proper, uncomplicated fun. As adults, we can become very good at being sensible. We work.

We organise. We plan. We worry. We spend an awful lot of time thinking about what needs to happen next. Sometimes you just need to go down a water slide.

A family holiday where everyone gets their own holiday

One of the things that really stood out to me about Gloria was how well it works for families. Anyone who has travelled with children knows that the definition of a successful family holiday is simple: The children need to be happy. The adults need to get some time to themselves.

Gloria's family offering is extensive, with Gogi Kids Clubs for children aged four to 12, alongside activities for teenagers and a huge range of sports and entertainment. There are football and other sports, mini-golf, cinema, mini-disco, play areas and the aquapark. They can make friends, try activities and have their own adventures.

Meanwhile, parents can enjoy a little time to themselves. And that, in my book, is a very good definition of a holiday.

Don't just stay by the pool

There is always a temptation when staying somewhere as comfortable as Gloria to simply stay put. Why wouldn't you? The pools are beautiful. The beach is there. The food and drink are on hand. Everything you need is within easy reach.
But one of the things I enjoyed most about being in Belek was the reminder that Turkey itself is worth exploring. The wider Antalya region has an extraordinary combination of coastline, history, culture and natural beauty.

So, what did Turkey teach me?

I arrived expecting to relax. And I did. But I also discovered that I quite like trying things I wouldn't normally do. I made some memories that I wouldn't have made if I'd simply stayed on the sun lounger.

That is what I'll remember most about this trip. Not whether I managed the perfect golf swing. Not whether I looked graceful doing fly yoga. Not even how many times I went down the water slide. I'll remember the feeling of being somewhere warm and beautiful and giving myself permission to try something new.

And I'll remember watching golfers who had competed their way through clubs across Britain finally arrive in Belek, knowing that their journey had brought them somewhere they might otherwise never have visited.

Because perhaps the best thing about a holiday isn't escaping your everyday life. Perhaps it's discovering a little bit more about yourself when you do. And if Turkey has taught me anything, it's this: I'm not a golfer. I'm not a yogi. I'm not particularly brave. But apparently, I am quite good at having fun.

Eleanor Charlesworth flew with Corendon Airlines and stayed at the Gloria Golf Resort.

More information on Corendon Airlines here.

More information on Gloria Golf Resort here.

And for more information on the Kaden Group click here.