The magical allure of this ultra all-inclusive sprawling resort in Fethiye is undeniable. A long private beach, the glistening waters of the Mediterranean, inviting pools galore and stellar food across multiple à la carte restaurants are just the start. Here’s why it pulls out all the luxury destination wedding, honeymoon or familymoon stops says Wersha Bharadwa
LOCATION
Offering relaxation and refined luxury on tap and only a 45-minute cab journey from Dalaman airport, Liberty Fabay in Fethiye is a true honeymoon haven and a grande dame sweeping resort, covering 12 acres with dedicated and serene adults-only pools and its own dreamy patch on Calis beach. Fethiye – a 15-minute taxi ride from the hotel – is where you’ll head to for lively markets, great local food and a marina offering day boat trips around the bay and to see loggerhead turtles over at Iztuzu beach as well as scheduled ferries to Rhodes. When it’s time to soak up more of the region’s history and culture, head past pine forests and olive groves to Kayakoy, an abandoned ghost town full of old stone houses and ruins.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Set alongside neighbouring sister properties Liberty Signa and XO Cape Arnna, check-in is swift as soon as you step out of Liberty Fabay’s pristine transfer limo and into the resort’s giant, airy and polished reception lobby. When you manage to drag yourselves away from your suite, you never really have to lift a finger anywhere. Staff are unquestioningly brilliant by being both helpful and exceptionally warm – no ask is ever too much. A sandy beach the colour of dark sugar is reassuringly sedate, especially in the adults-only zone and so daytimes are where you’ll alternative between sunbathing, napping and rousing for cocktails and snacks. Tucked behind the lawns and food court, private four-poster beach cabanas equipped with romantic muslin privacy curtains, fully-loaded personal mini bars and your own private patch of lawn or beach are the highlight of any beach day and can be pre-booked for the ultimate in stress-free, butler-service beach lounging. Teas, coffee and soft drinks are served straight to your shaded dark-wood pavilion as well as ginormous fresh fruit platters, ice cream and cold towels. Should you ever need one, they each have a phone too and a private server for super fast WiFi. Even better, on sweltering summer days, the natural air-con comes courtesy of the Med’s gentle sea breeze. Leave all your valuables in the private safe while you head to the waters for a dip or take yourselves off to the water park for a few hours.
When so much relaxing has made you restless for a little action, your bases are fully covered owing to the resort’s mega-facilities. The hotel aims to please any type of honeymooner with romantic treats such as beachside cabanas, couple’s spa treatments and private dinners. Luckily, you don’t need the break the bank to have the most romantic and decadent time of your lives; most activities are fully included.
You’ll have heaps of fun dipping in and out of various heated outdoor pools, ordering ice-cold mojitos at the swim-up pool bars and getting involved with aqua aerobics classes and lively games from the fun entertainment team accompanied by live DJ sets. There’s also a slick line-up of water sports including paddle boarding and jet-skis, a top-class gym, tennis and beach volleyball courts as well as E-bikes available to hire.
Evening entertainment varies from supersized live events with professional production standards over at a large outdoor stage and features acts including live bands and Latin-American dance troupes with light shows and smaller scale Cirque du Soleil style acrobatic performances. If you’re after something more low key, the jazz over at the lobby bar is extremely good with daiquiris on table service. Honeymooners looking to sample Turkey’s party spirit and night life without the stress of end of night taxis should visit the resort’s own nightclub for excellent music in beautiful surroundings. If we had one complaint? How quickly the time flies when you’re having this much fun.
SUITE DREAMS
All 535 air-conditioned rooms and suites provide respite by the bucket load. Spread out over eight, four-story buildings, suites come under a variety of categories ranging in size from standard rooms and a choice of swim-up suites offering direct access to a lazy pool river that snakes its way around the resort, to rooms with sea and pool views and garden suites all the way up to a whopping duplex lake house suite covering 1658 square metres.
Honeymooners will love taking up residence in a top floor suite overlooking both the sea and pool area and which would be deemed presidential at any other venue. The suite feels a million miles away from the main resort and is so tucked into a tranquil corner building, privacy rules the day. It comes with a private rooftop pool, a separate lounge and kitchenette, two large flatscreen Smart TVs and a bedroom with a king-sized bed offering views straight to the sea and which you’ll positively flop into after a full day in the sun. The suite comes with a separate dressing area and spacious wardrobes, a Nespresso machine, fluffy towels, thick blackout curtains, cashmere blankets, USB sockets next to bedsides and decadent cloud-like pillows as standard. All clean lines and modern fittings, a muted stone colour scheme and parquet floors throughout also blend style and comfort with fabulously textured fabrics in neutral colours.
Light beaming into the suite is a make-up artists dream if you’re getting married here (and lots of UK brides are because of the weather and travelling ease). In-room takeaway perks are vast and generous too; whenever you run out, housekeeping will kindly restock more slippers, towels, soaps and toothpaste. Other gorgeous touches left for couples include a chocolate cake with champagne and strawberries, handmade Turkish delight infused with real rose petals and a complimentary mini bar stocked to the brim and restocked daily. Deluxe marble bathrooms come fitted with a large, walk-in monsoon power shower.
Through the balcony doors, a large terrace features a dining table and loungers and views of the hotel pools and beyond that, the inky blue sea shimmering in the distance. Naturally, you’ll spend mornings here with coffees and those unbeatable vistas.
EAT
Cocktails at the various bars are super moreish especially the signature Sapphire – a blend of lemongrass and butterfly pea tea infused gin and vodka. And you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to meal times with the hotel’s restaurants such as Balburra Steak and Grill House, Asian inspired, Nysa which serves up modern sushi, Italian à la carte, Balbura and Buddha for Indian food. During the day, you won’t resist grabbing lunch over at the street-food style food court just in front of the beach and digging into grilled kebabs and churros. Guests on the all-inclusive honeymoon option get to also tuck into superbly prepared international and Turkish dishes (including heaps of seafood) at Myra, the main buffet restaurant. All showcase mouth-wateringly delicious menus and despite the size of the resort, staff make an effort to get to know you and within a few visits will be ready with your table and drink preferences.
Tucked into craggy hillside, cloud-piercing Q Lounge is one of the dreamiest dining spots ever to exist. Dark wood themed interiors are a collaboration with visionary architect Noriushi Muramatsu of Zuma restaurant fame, and it’s also the area’s only contender when it comes to expert Japanese and Peruvian fusion fare. Brave souls will climb the steep steps up to the top of the cliff, but since you’ll be donning your finest threads, our tip is to hop inside a buggy which drops you bang outside the establishment’s stone-facade entrance. Be sure to book a table though; swollen with scenesters who rock up for the glitz and spontaneous dinner dates, the venue is positively jumping by 7pm. Before dinner, you’ll sip mixologist blended cocktails (garnished abundantly with D Resort’s own botanicals herbs and flowers) while marvelling at the sun sinking behind the mountains in the distance.You’ll start with plates of tiradito and glossy sushi (the dragon rolls stuffed with shrimp tempura and eel are spectacular) then tuck into umami-laden miso cod and angler fish wrapped in pastrami with hoisin sauce or beef marrow teriyaki. The lip-smacking desert platter – filled to the brim with starfruit, breadfruit, nectarines, pineapple, kiwi, watermelon, silky, salted caramel and chocolate soufflé – is the evening’s show-stopper and a moment of pure theatrics.
Easily the resort’s best restaurant, Mayta serves up flavoursome, gourmet seafood dishes with a strong Mediterranean influence including crispy calamari starters, humungous mezze platters featuring fat garlicky prawns, baba ganoush and hummus and uncomplicated juicy tomato salads dripping in olive oil. The miniature trio of crème caramel, traditional halwa with white chocolate and almonds and ice cream with mastic gum cream for dessert is unmissable.
We’d rate the daily breakfast buffet at Myra as one of the most varied too. First there are the entire stations dedicated to fruit with humongous slabs of honeydew and watermelon. Each day you’ll make games of stuffing yourselves silly with the wide array of cold meats, pickles, smoked salmon and hot options of sausages and potatoes as well as eggs cooked to your preference and a dedicated omelette station. Unlimited trips to the Pisidia pattiserie in between beach games and sunbathing are a hoot; guzzle down Turkish baklava and pistachio and sesame halwa (still warm from the ovens) and crème patisserie filled choux buns, followed quickly with a double scoop of homemade strawberry gelato for a fortifying sugar hit before your next beach volleyball round.
SPA
The enormous spa runs as an adjacent feature to the hotel and is an incredibly stylish retreat in which to be pampered like royalty. Traditional couples Balinese massages and Hammam experiences with Turkish bathing rituals are the go-to. Be sure to test the sauna, scented steam rooms and experience showers too. A fully equipped gym offers high-spec cardio and weight training machines and there’s a daily complimentary class schedule led by qualified trainers including yoga, Zumba and Pilates and even dance classes in a specially built studio.
Personalised fitness programmes and free daily classes are key offerings at D-Gym (which includes a Pilates studio) and after so much indulging, you’ll naturally spend early mornings hitting those state-of-the-art rowing and cross training machines. Helmed by a super proficient and extremely caring team of therapists, fitness and yoga instructors, the spa also houses its own high-performance aerial studio. Zahra, our instructor, is as sincere as they come: guiding us as we move and stretch during reformer Pilates sessions before limb-lengthening and daring aerial yoga sessions.
GETTING MARRIED
Lots of little romantic touches are on offer for couples getting married at the resort and everything is arranged on a bespoke basis including guest accommodation and pre big-day events. For receptions, Mayte is a great wedding-album-friendly bet due to its beachside location being set further away from the main hotel public areas. Just the two of you? Romantic toes-in-the-sand celebration dinners on the beach or inside a romantic cabana flanked by fairy lights are simply charming.
WHAT YOU’LL LOVE
– Though often fully booked throughout the summer season, the hotel’s public areas never feel overtly busy or crowded.
– Of the various 11 on-site bars, honeymooners will love the Araxa adults only-bar and Apollon bar
– A busy and bustling resort, it’s a great find for familymoons or couples wanting all the trimmings of an ultra all-inclusive or those on familymoons. Children are treated like royalty by staff at every turn and are treated to their own mini buffet station in the main Myra restaurant. An outdoor play area with climbing frames and indoor soft play are bags of fun as are organised sports matches on the green and foam parties. On special dates there’s even a mini funfair with rides. For teens, highlights include a mini arcade with gaming machines and consoles, pool, table tennis, darts and organised volleyball, tennis, basketball and football matches. Jumping on and off the six slides over at the hotel’s mini waterpark is a must.
HOW TO BOOK
Visit Liberty Fabay, Kargı Mah. 202 Manolya Sok. Fethiye, Muğla, Turkey.
Prices from £1036 for three nights for two guests in a standard room on an all-inclusive breakfast.
To book visit https://www.libertyhotels.com/en/hotels/liberty-fabay/ email info@libertyfabay.com or phone +90 252 623 99 38.
GETTING THERE
EasyJet flies to Dalaman Airport, Turkey from various UK airports including Birmingham Airport from £47 one way. Visit easyjet.com.
CLUB ROOMS AIRPORT LOUNGES AT BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT:
Clubrooms at Birmingham Airport from No1 Lounges is literally an oasis; it ensures a tranquil, stress-free start to your trip and is well worth arriving early at the airport for. No crowds!
Just expertly brewed coffees, chilled wine and fizz, and trained staff serving à la carte pre-flight delicious hot lunches, breakfasts or dinners direct to your table (we recommend grabbing a window seat for lovely runway views). Tasty food options of smoked salmon with poached eggs and smashed avocado, chickpea, sweet potato and spinach curry and battered tempura fish with potato wedges are always a hit. Boutique interiors make it feel like you’re checking into an exclusive member’s club (think sultry low lighting and black timber panelling with gold detailing on walls). Low velvet armchairs cosily drawn up to tables are thoughtfully placed far away from each other so you and your spouse can trade romantic sweet nothings without being overheard too. There’s a proper en-suite bathroom with suave grey tiling, a rainhead power shower and thick white towels for a quick polished reset before take-off. All seating options offer access to charging outlets and the complimentary Wi-Fi is superb with fast download speeds for keeping devices topped up with latest streaming series and films for the plane journey. Other handy extras include guaranteed delay cover (when booking directly) and a mini library stacked with oversized, stylish art books. Fabulously warm and informed staff will let you know when it’s time to board.
Prices from £38 per person. Book via www.no1lounges.com.
PRIORITY PASS
Serving excellence for the most discerning couples, the established Priority Pass is travel gold with access to the UK’s and world’s premier airport lounges. By investing in the crowd-beating, honeymoon-upgrading Priority Pass lounge access card, you’ll get membership access to over 1800 airport lounges around the world, all with speedy Wi-Fi, quiet napping areas, lockers, pristine shower facilities, open bars, complimentary top-notch food and in certain airports, free newspapers and magazines too. Standard Plus membership offers 10 complimentary member visits per year and if the budget stretches, the Prestige membership plan offers unlimited complimentary visits. The app is especially useful as you and your beau can check and pre-book what the nearest lounge to your terminal is well ahead of time. With smart amenities and facilities along with helpful customer service staff, Dalaman Airport’s International Terminal CIP Lounge is a worthy, peaceful place to check into at the end of a gorgeous honeymoon in Turkey with access made simple via the Priority Pass app and digital card just before the flight home.
Tucked away on the third floor and conveniently placed near duty-free, relaxing seating options include snooze-friendly sofas and armchairs with gorgeous views of the planes landing and taking off. You’ll fill up on bottled mineral waters, hot and cold drinks including fresh juices and sodas before heading over to a large, complimentary buffet filled with fresh salads, breads, hot cooked options and mountainous take-away pastries and cakes. Bar staff serve premium bottled drinks and nicely mixed cocktails.
UK Priority Pass Standard Plus membership starts from £229 per year with higher tier options for frequent fliers.
Visit https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB for more information.
