British holidaymakers have known this resort for years. It’s a sprawling all-inclusive with ten pools, a long private beach and more restaurants than you’ll get round in a week. The golf is what’s new. Dalaman Golf Club opened in 2026, designed by Andrew Craven of International Design Group, and it gives this part of Turkey a proper reason to bring the clubs.

The course at a glance:

• Par 72, 6,152 metres (about 6,730 yards) from the back tees
• Two loops of nine, both finishing at a raised clubhouse
• Three distinct zones: coastal dunes, wetland and pine-covered foothills
• 55 bunkers and 15 lakes, many of them used by migrating birds
• Paspalum grass on sandy, free-draining ground, which should mean firm, quick fairways most of the year

Accuracy beats power here. You’ll remember the 15th, a 517-metre par five that drops 25 metres from the tee to a fairway squeezed between a nature reserve and a large lake. Miss right or left and you’re in trouble.

Off the course, the resort runs on an ultra all-inclusive basis. The buffet is widely praised. For a change, book one of the surcharged à la carte restaurants: Italian, Japanese, Indian, Vela for Mediterranean seafood, or A La Turca, which sits on the riverbank. At A La Turca you’ll often see turtles in the water below. After a hot round, the Elysion Spa has what you need, with a hamam, an indoor pool and four saunas.

Got a day off? Take a river boat to Dalyan for the rock tombs and İztuzu turtle beach. The harbour at Göcek and the old town at Fethiye are both within easy driving distance too.