Swandor Topkapi Palace

Family of 4 , 2 teenage children. Booked the family duplex room which had a lovely pool and partial sea view. Nice spacious rooms with a mini bar, tv and bathroom on each floor. Lots of wardrobe space. Very clean with much needed air con. We arrived after 10pm and our bags were taken to our room and we were were directed to the late restaurant for dinner. Main restaurant opens 7-9pm and is quite busy so we used the later one a couple of times during our visit, still plenty of choice but not as busy. We also used this for the later breakfast 10-11am. The snack bar which is more of another main restaurant on the beach was also really nice with lots of options. Water fridges everywhere to help yourselves so didn’t need to queue at the bar for this. We took advantage of the beach bar in the afternoon as was a lovely atmosphere and the only place with a nice breeze! Lots of entertainment day and night and a good choice of fitness classes but you didn't feel pushed to join in. We didn’t go down to pool until 11am most days and there was always plenty of sunbeds still free. The only reason for losing a star was location, as we were a little way out and no footpath we were reliant on the bus or taxis to go anywhere although the bus was very cheap and ran regularly. Although there is so much to do at this hotel you don’t need to go out much unless you want to shop as the ones on site are expensive . All in all a fantastic hotel but would probably stay closer to the middle of Lara next time.

Fantatic experience!!! Our bar tender Birsen was amazing! Best cocktails I have ever had!!!

This was our third consecutive year at Swandor Topkapi Palace and we still think it’s one of the best hotels we’ve been to. We had a duplex room in block 4 with our 16 year old son, and also took my elderly parents for their first time, and they had a ground floor disabled room. Food is amazing, entertainment is second to none, with the Xone disco nights, amphitheater, main square bands and the nightclub, and new this year was the disco at the pier as well as the DJ sets in afternoons. So much to do for all age groups. My parents loved the patisserie/ coffee shop area too. Shops in the Lara resort are only 88p to get to on the public bus. Staff are very helpful. Would highly recommend and probably return again at some point.

had a great time at Swandor- from food, animation, pool seating plentiful no rush for loungers. Beach had plenty of loungers for anyone who wants to go there. Entertainment team are great and make an effort to try and speak to everyone

An absolute pleasure staying here and being served by çağan and patience. TBF all staff are so friendly and professional at the same time. Highly recommend this place. It’s my second stay here with my wife and 8 year old daughter as the resort is amazing.

Honest Review of Swandor First impressions were very good. The entrance was clean, the staff were friendly, and the overall appearance of the hotel was impressive. The room was okay, but the small sofa bed was extremely hard and, in my opinion, not suitable for a child to sleep on. The pool area is very nice. The kids’ slides and children’s pool are great and there is plenty to keep younger guests entertained. However, I was really disappointed with the lack of lifeguard presence. I found this a major safety concern. We witnessed an incident where someone needed medical attention, and the lifeguard was on the other side of the pool chatting to a member of staff, completely unaware until people started calling for them. I also think there should be a dedicated lifeguard at the kids’ slides, as there were many children climbing up, jumping queues, and causing potential hazards. The pool surrounding area is also extremely slippery, so extra care is needed when walking around. The main slides are good fun, although some guests were very rude and pushed in to get rubber rings despite children waiting. That isn’t the hotel’s fault, but it did affect the experience. The bar staff were good overall. The cocktails were very hit and miss — some were so strong they were almost undrinkable, while others were fine. The service is a bit of a free-for-all, but that’s similar to many all-inclusive resorts. The beer, however, wasn’t great and was very weak. The restaurant is huge and we never struggled to find a table. The food quality was good, but it was quite repetitive. That said, they do offer a lot of choice, so it may just come down to personal preference. One thing I did find strange was that some guests received table service for drinks while others didn’t. I understand this may be linked to tipping, but considering you’re usually only in the restaurant for 30–45 minutes, and much of that time is spent serving yourself, I’m not sure tipping for one round of drinks should be expected. The beach snack bar was good for lunch. The food was similar to the main restaurant but it was less busy, which made it a nicer experience. The pier was also a lovely place to relax in the evening with a drink. The entertainment was mixed. We watched a few shows in the amphitheatre and they were okay. The best one was the “Be Extreme” show, which really kept the kids entertained. After the shows there was some live music, but not much else, and our children found the evenings a little boring as it didn’t feel particularly aimed at families. The daytime activities were okay — the jet ski pool activity was good fun, followed by the pool party, but it was very short. Just as everyone was getting into it, it finished after around an hour. The outdoor live music also wasn’t great, and we only stayed for one drink because the singing was disappointing. The hotel shops are extremely overpriced. For example, £30 for two bags of Haribo, Pez sweets, Mentos and chewing gum felt ridiculous. Overall, I personally wouldn’t return. I found the resort a little boring, and the constant selling around the pool area became annoying. Some guests were also quite rude, which affected the atmosphere. On our final day, while waiting in the bar for our transfer, guest relations approached us and asked about our stay. We didn’t want to discuss negatives in front of our children because we wanted them to leave feeling like they had enjoyed their holiday, so we simply said everything was okay. They then asked us to scan a QR code and leave a Tripadvisor review, standing there until we completed it and even taking a picture as proof. It felt very pressured and uncomfortable. It made me wonder how many reviews are completed this way. Overall, despite some positives, the experience did not live up to expectations. There are some great facilities, but the issues around safety, entertainment, and the overall atmosphere meant this wasn’t a hotel we would choose to return to.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absolutely Outstanding Hotel – We Will Definitely Return! We are currently staying at this hotel, and I honestly can’t say enough good things about it. Everything has been exceptional from the moment we arrived. The staff are truly wonderful, and a special thank you goes to Olga and Efe. One member of our group became unwell during our stay, and the care, kindness, and support they provided went far above and beyond what we could have expected. Their genuine concern and willingness to help made a difficult situation so much easier, and we are incredibly grateful. The food has been excellent, with plenty of choice and great quality throughout our stay. Our rooms are spacious, comfortable, and beautifully maintained, making it a pleasure to relax after a day out. Overall, this is a fantastic hotel with outstanding service, excellent facilities, and an amazing team. We would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone and will definitely be returning in the future. Thank you for making our stay so memorable!

Having a fabulous stay, kids are loving the pool & slides. Quality hotel & very friendly helpful staff. Would recommend

Very nice hotel and staff are very friendly. Love the pier area. Plenty of sun beds and nice shaded areas. Food very fresh and plenty choice

I'm a frequent traveller and have been to Turkey twice before (Antalya & Istanbul). This was for sure the worst vacation in my life. Please find the detailed issues & pictures below. - At check-in we've got an "upgrade" to a family room, which turned out to have a center light broken (pic 1), making the room gloomy. Shortly asked for a downgrade - it wasn't possible 🤡. Also, it was the only room with enough space outside for staff to leave their cleaning tools (pic 3) - a very "comfy" experience. - Shops blatantly overprice 10-20x times. Basically everything costs 30-40 EUR - whether it's a tiny plastic toy car or a sunscreen. - Antalya has good taxi apps, but their drivers simply don't come to this hotel because security doesn't allow any external cars, pointing to the rules. You have a "choice" to get their yellow taxis, which are also overpriced (30 EUR to the nearest mall 5 min away). When we brought our toddler to a theme park, we had to move up/down a hill inside the inner ward, then assemble/disassemble the stroller outside on a 30°C heat- what hospitality! The irony of the situation is that we've ordered a transfer via... Booking.com, the same service we've booked the hotel with! 🤡🤡🤡 (And of course, for a transfer back to the airport, suddenly these rules are ignored. 🤡) - Family members got food poisoning twice - during a lunch and in a bakery. I've gone to the doctor's cabinet to get some basic meds, but there is only a nurse with a payment terminal, ready to charge you 130 EUR for a doctor call—she used Google Translate to tell me there are no meds stored there. 🤡 - Due to food poisoning and staying in a room midday, we've requested a late cleaning. In ~2h nobody came 🤡. Also somehow they missed a false nail (pic 2) from the previous guests during cleaning - it could have been fatal for the baby. I've left polite feedback for one of the guest relations team members—she hasn't even offered anything. "Nobody cares" is the motto of this hotel, which is crowded with Russian families hooked via tour operators (their cars are of course allowed to enter).

We are a family of four and stayed at this lovely hotel for a week: two adults and two boys aged 5 and 7. This was our first holiday in Turkey. We usually spend our vacations in other European destinations, so my impressions are based on those previous experiences. The hotel itself, the food, the beach, and the evening shows are all top-notch. None of the resorts or hotels we have stayed at in Europe have come close to this level of luxury. The kids’ club is a fantastic place for children to spend time. There are always activities taking place, and they even have their own lunch buffet. Our 5-year-old loved having lunch there instead of eating with his “oldies” in the restaurant. 😀 The main swimming pool is large, and there were always plenty of sunbeds available. The entertainment programme around the pool is not overly packed, although most of the activities are aimed at adults, such as water spinning, aqua gym, and water polo. This is quite different from family hotels in the Canary Islands, where interactive activities involving the whole family are very common, such as water games, dancing, competitions, and other fun activities for both adults and children. That said, there were several impressive pool shows. Thanks to the size and depth of the pool, these performances would not be possible in smaller pools. There is also a separate pool for younger children. The on-site aquapark is another fantastic feature. A small suggestion: it would be great to have a few more activities where adults and children can participate together, not just in the pools but throughout the resort in general. The Guest Relations team was exceptionally helpful. Special thanks to Kubilay for assisting with some of the questions I had during our stay. I would really like to give this hotel the highest possible rating, but there is one major issue which, in my opinion, is unacceptable: glass around the pool area. Although there are signs at the bars recommending that guests do not take glassware to the pool area, there is no plastic alternative available. You either take a glass or go without a drink. Credit to the cleaning staff—they respond very quickly whenever glass is broken—but unfortunately it is not always possible to remove every tiny fragment. Some pieces may fall into the pool, while others can easily be missed on the ground. Our child cut his foot in two places and was bleeding. I also saw several other children being rushed to the lifeguard by their parents with similar injuries. Drinking from glass is certainly more pleasant, but in my opinion there should be an option to choose either a glass or a plastic cup when taking drinks to the pool area. I believe that most guests would choose the plastic option simply because it is much safer. While glassware may contribute to a more premium atmosphere, prioritising that level of elegance at the expense of guest safety—especially children’s safety—feels like the wrong decision.