Club Kastalia Holiday village

Club Kastalia is a hidden gem in Alanya, Turkey. Practically no dealbreakers if you’re looking for a nice, calm family vacation. While improvements can be made, the hotel satisfies all the big asks from an all inclusive at its price range. Pros: Three big pools, including one calm one just for adults. Incredible water park that has a dozen slides that will keep kids from 3-12 occupied for hours and hours. Impeccably clean, it seems that if you so much as drop a leaf on the ground, a staff member will materialize out of nowhere and clean it up. During meal times, the service is amazing, dirty dishes disappear immediately from tables. The food… oh my goodness, this is some of the tastiest food I have had on any vacation. Their mezze, or appetizers are always a hit. The snack bar has unlimited doner, lahmacun and gozleme, three turkish dishes we adore, and both restaurants have countless types of salads each meal, including breakfast. I ate a ton and still managed to lose weight on this vacation. Dinner always has a barbecue and kids have access to fries, plain or tomato sauce spaghetti at meal times which was a lifesaver on those difficult kid appetite days. The beach is very nice with every lounge chair having its tent, making sleeping on the beach a safe pleasure. The staff are amazing. There must be over a hundred staff here, like I mentioned, keeping this place impeccably clean but also constantly serving with a smile. What a pleasure to interact with them! Especially the main dining hall staff is so helpful, warm and nice. The entertainment is good too, there is a show every night, both for adults and kids and kids can be dropped off at the miniclub while adults enjoy their show. The sunset on their private pier is delightful. The beautiful blue sea and the silence broken only by the sound of waves, watching a big orange sunset was such a precious memory for me, my spouse and my child. I’m sure he will never forget it. The rooms are spacious with daily towel changes and cleaning as well as water restocked in the minibar daily. There is a tea garden where sweet and savory snacks are available practically all day. In a neutral note, the alcohol is free but cocktails are not too inspired. While there is all sorts of alcohol available, it’s not quite enjoyable to daydrink here. Which is a blessing in disguise - no one is rowdy during the day which makes the hotel extremely family friendly. In another neutral note, the hotel is quite far from the airport. It takes two hours of driving to get here, so take that into consideration when you book your flight. It will take you an hour to clear customs and luggage control when you arrive as well. Now, there are some things that can be improved as well at this hotel. Like I said, the food is amazing but the snack bar hours are short in my opinion, from 12-4 pm. It would be amazing if that place was open from breakfast til dinner so that hungry kids can have a meal at odd hours. But like I said, not a dealbreaker and at the price point of this hotel, this is understandable. Another improvement could be the pool temperature control. Again, it was okay but the temperature could be lower, I believe they heat the pools which is absolutely not necessary in the summer, in fact, the water was a bit tepid and not refreshing. Perhaps putting a top on the bridge of the main pool can provide the much needed shade. A slightly bigger issue is that the safe in your room and the wifi are charged! It’s 12 euros per week for each and is a bit unexpected. You might not need these things and that might be okay for you but it was a bit weird for us. A controversial opinion I have is that thank goodness this hotel does not have those random “pool exercise” or “animation” nonsense during the day. If your kid needs group activities, there is a big miniclub at the waterpark level. But no bouncing in the main pools with music blasting and I love that. All in all, this is a great hotel. It’s sufficient in every way and excels in many aspects. You can spring for “luxury” holiday clubs in Turkey but in my opinion, some things are better simple. This is the hotel for those that want to rest, relax and connect with their kids. I wholeheartedly would recommend this place if you have any doubts. You will have a nice time.