Ahoy there! Squeeze in as much romance, class and glamour as you can with a honeymoon or wedding at this classy yet cocooned five-star boutique retreat in the exclusive sailor’s paradise of the Turkish Riviera on the Turquoise Coast says Wersha Bharadwa
LOCATION
Sitting on the edge of peaceful and compact Göcek – a stunning fishing port town between Fethiye and Dalyan – D Resort is part of the highly polished, Small Luxury Hotels of the World Collection and overlooks the crystal clear waters of the Aegean Sea, a soaring pine-cliffed mountain range and a glossy marina filled with glitzy yachts and traditional Turkish wooden gulets. The Turkish Riviera itself is peerless magnet for high-profile names (Claudia Winklemann, Kate Moss, Sarah Parish, Phil Collins, Tina Turner have all visited). From March through to November – and especially during the searing August heat – it’s a bonafide hotspot overseeing a steady flow of sailing elite who rock up and drop anchors in the crystalline waters before a spot of paddleboarding, jet-skiing or snorkelling followed by lazy seafood lunches ashore.
Built around strict planning rules with no high-rise style resorts in sight, the main town centre is footsteps away from D Resort. Here, you’ll charm yourselves dizzy on dreamy strolls in and around the marina’s classy, sailing-set boutiques as well as plenty of outdoor market stalls and small shops which sell everything from souvenirs and roasted peanuts to hand-crafted jewellery. For newlyweds whose idea of bliss is to spend the least amount of time on lengthy transfers as possible, you’re in for a treat as Dalaman Airport is just a 25-minute taxi ride away.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
A masterclass in attention to detail with non-stop glamour and indulgence, D Resort is one of the most breathlessly exclusive and romantic stays any couple could hope for in Turkey. After a fabulous – and importantly, seamless – EasyJet flight from Birmingham Airport, you and your beau are met at arrivals by the hotel’s own private, prebooked chauffeur. The transfer is a mellow 20-minute drive passing through scenic mountain and coastal routes and delightful little villages aided by plenty of ice-cold bottled waters and an extremely knowledgeable driver.
D Resort itself is spread across ten design-led main buildings all surrounded by lush manicured gardens filled with pruned topiaries and lime and wild banana trees with exteriors of the tranquil reception central building flanked either side by an electric golf buggy station and gorgeous fringed palms offering cover from the sizzling Turkish sun. Once inside, it’s literally style heaven. Check-in happens besides a sleek reception desk behind which, contemporary yacht-club style shelving houses a curated collection of art and fiction books (of course, you can take any of the tomes back to your room).
Honeymooners are welcomed with warm smiles and cool glasses of freshly, hand-blended mocktails by D Resort’s affable guest relations team while luggage is discreetly whisked away to suites.
Each minimalist design suite is as achingly cool and romantic as the next. You’ll be hard pressed on choosing a base since all rooms are flooded with huge amounts of sunshine and come with colossal beds bedecked in sumptuous cottons.
Outside, the reflection pool and purpose-built lazy river aren’t for swimming in but are just the ticket for meditating and soaking in the warm morning heat and hazy sunshine. Sun loungers offer blessed respite after a swim in the hotel’s main outdoor pool later on (where thankfully there’s none of that reserving a space malarkey to contend with since the whole resort somehow remains blissfully serene – even at full occupancy).
Most days, it’s either a ten-minute hand-held stroll or a quick complimentary electric buggy ride down winding paths to the hotel’s private beach. Made up of imported golden and powdery sand, you’ll while away hours watching slender yachts bobbing in crystal-blue waters while gentle waves lick at your toes along the soft, champagne-hued shoreline. Honestly, in between eating and snoozing, there’s little inclination to do much except for ocean dips to cool off from the day’s growing heat or to grab a pistachio ice cream over at the resort’s Instagrammable, harbour-lining gelateria. In the late afternoons, A DJ spins tunes over at D Breeze – the resort’s famed restaurant and a perfect spot for polishing off further bottles of chilled rosé.
And when you truly need to work off those humungous breakfast and lunch feasts? Mate E bikes offer tremendous fun at your own pace especially when riding along the Marina path whilst traversing romantic bridges and passing cute hand-built wooden homes for the town’s well-cared for stray cats on hidden paths. It’s an especially unique experience at night too where during our stay we are invited to watch a traditional open-air wedding reception take place near the forum steps.
Couples can also cruise aboard the hotel’s luxury Sundowner speedboat where you’ll be whisked off to deserted coves for snorkeling, swimming and sun worshipping and afterwards, treated to a delicious lunch of fresh fish and chilled champagne. Service everywhere is intuitive, personal and befitting of its five-star standards especially with staff easily contactable via WhatsApp and who’ll quickly become friends by the end of your stay. Back at the resort, the melodic calls to prayer from the minaret under a rounded moon is just magical as are orchestral cicadas playing from the gardens. At dusk especially, you’ll watch in awe as bats put on improvised shows above the hotel pools.
SUITE DREAMS
A lesson in coastal minimalism and a teensy nod to that famous marina, boutique interiors in all 102 suites feature muted grey tiled floors that run seamlessly from balconies and terraces into rooms (the blending of indoor and outdoors spaces is an idea that runs through the resort). Neutral wood furnishings with boxy armchairs and low sofas are deliberately fused with billowing muslin curtains and woven and striped fabrics on cushions and throws for added beachy, nautical aesthetics. All rooms come with flatscreen Smart TVs, Nespresso machines, Smeg kettles, mini bars and bedside USB sockets.
Centre stage, a white wooden four-poster king bed comes dressed with billowing white drapes, blue and white bedding and pillows piled high. Every gift for honeymooners makes you feel pampered, from the nail kit and large beach tote with smaller totes for wet items inside to fresh fruit platters and homemade chocolates. Welcome trays kitted out with thoughtful luxuries such as artisan honey and sesame cookies made with honey from Göcek’s local forest pine trees, healthy freeze-dried green apples, roasted nuts and bottles of vintage 2018 Chardonnay from dynamic local winery, Urla are knockout winners.
Grey slate bathrooms have the va-va-voom of a wet-room / walk-in monsoon shower of hammam-esque proportions, marble countertop twin basins with chrome mixer taps and low pendant lights. A generous stash of oversized, refillable beauty goodies from The Botanist & The Chemist is replenished daily, as are spare toothbrushes, toothpaste, make up removal pads and lightweight organic cotton gowns and towels. A shaving mirror with a super powerful, built-in LED ring light is a godsend. Oh, and private, in-room dining is healthy and expertly cooked. It’s honeymoon wish-fulfilment on tap.
Our room also comes with a sun-drenched private balcony and offers life-affirming views over the harbour. Architecturally, it’s incredibly smart – all angles and recessed downward slopes help conceal sleek metal racks for drying off swimwear discreetly. The whole point is that time runs slowly and restoratively here and with every suite drawing in air suffused with the sweet perfume of jasmine and bougainvillea and the soothing sea breeze providing the soundtrack, you’re guaranteed some of the deepest sleeps of your life.
EAT
Fashionable dining is the thing here and since there’s no dodging the fabulous gastronomy on offer, you’re simply going to have to lean in and get gluttonous. Hotels guests and sailing crowds head to D Breeze – widely seen as one of the smartest, waterfront restaurants in the Mugla area – for added Ibiza beach club vibes. Set on raised wooden decking, lunches always stretch well into the afternoon and the fishing village inspired menu covers so much ground, it ought to come with its own postal code. Apart from the theatricals of live cooking from the open kitchen and where you can see fresh catches being masterfully prepared and cooked, all the simple wooden tables are idyllically positioned for sea gazing. The mezze menu so excels in presentation – think charred and chopped micro-herbs and vegetable ribbon in swirls of ruby, orange and green over grilled meatballs, calamari and deep fried blocks of feta – there’s a pang of guilt before you devour every last bite. Robust seasonal selections at D’Breeze also include salmon carpaccio, pan-seared red seabream with basil couscous, whole tempura sea bass with truffle potatoes and traditional lahmacun and pide served with aubergine and braised lamb. At night, traditional and international dinner fare along with twinkling fairy lights above and the glow of bobbing boats in the marina are particularly seductive.
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.
Mornings are for slow and fresh breakfasts at Olives (next to the reception lobby) served by the cheeriest of staff who by day two, will know your beverage and table preferences as soon as you arrive. Served until 11am, it’s a quintessential yet mammoth Turkish spread with bountiful sections dedicated to homemade pastries, olive varieties, fruits, cheeses, salads, pancakes, cereals, granolas and muesli. Eggs including fluffy omelettes are cooked to order and preserves made from local oranges and figs are so tantalising, you’ll ask for empty bottles to fill up and haul back in your suitcases. It goes without saying, both the coffee and the home-brewed traditional mint teas are exceptional.
D SPA
When you’re really ready to shed away everyday stresses, head to the swoon-some, subterranean wellness focused D-Spa. The treatment menu truly raises the bar with rituals rooted in both eastern and western practices including Indian Ayurveda, reflexology and scalp massages with rose quartz crystals. Renowned as a leading spa, it’s clear the aim here is relaxation and pampering alongside full-on fitness kicks and wellness MOTs. A popular starting point for pampering begins with an Aegean Purity treatment where you’re totally cocooned off from the world inside a purpose-built, authentic hammam. For a few hours at least, you’ll spend your time experiencing the delights of a deeply cleansing foam massage with olive oil soap and invigorating full body exfoliation atop heated stone slabs followed by a skin soothing oil massage using extracts and oils from blackcurrants, argan, olive and jojoba oil.
Later, hang out in a sophisticated abachi sauna and steam room before hitting up the ice fountain and slipping into the state-of-the-art bathwater temperature hydropool. Finishing off the afternoon curling up on a plump spa bed in the relaxation area afterwards is sheer heaven.
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.
WEDDINGS AT D RESORT
Run as fast as you can to book a garden ceremony and say your ‘I do’s’ over at the hotel’s exclusive, outdoor D Green setting which overlooks the marina and covers an area of 1,000 m² accommodating upto 450 guests for weddings and 600 for cocktail style celebrations. Lavish weddings are all the rage; think romantic canopies and floral arches, aisles made from petals and the warm glow of a sinking sun in the horizon as you exchange vows. D Resort can also host blessings (and organise multi-faith officiants) but it maybe easier to get the legalities sorted in the UK first then enjoy your beautiful day on the stunning Aegean coast. Other areas of the hotel can also be hired, in particular Olives is tres chic for reception cocktails, Q Lounge offers decadent dining and D Breeze is a superb pick for a beachside reception dinner with bespoke Mediterranean menus next to aching views of the shimmering sea and twinkling yachts at dusk. The resort is also perfectly suited to smaller elopement ceremonies for two. Quite simply, everything about a wedding at D Resort is magical.
WHAT YOU’LL LOVE
- Nothing is too much trouble and guests at D Resort are made to feel like family at every moment.
- Poolside and loungers come with mattress-like padding and thick head rests, with thoughtfully placed low wooden tables and wide umbrellas providing perfect shade to read under.
- Further daybeds on the private jetty can be hired and it’s here where many private dinners can be taken under candlelight.
HOW TO BOOK
Visit D Resort Göcek. Gocek Mahallesi, Sitki Kocman Cd. No. 8. Gocek. 48310. Turkey.
Prices start from £312 per night for two guests in a standard room including breakfast.
To book visit www.dresortgocek.com, email info@dresortgocek.com.tr or phone +90 252 661 09 00.
GETTING THERE
EasyJet flies to Dalaman Airport, Turkey from various UK airports including Birmingham Airport from £47 one way. Visit easyjet.com.
CLUBROOMS 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
(https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB)
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.
