Where we stayed
Wyndham Garden Lara, out in the Kundu strip near Antalya, and we came as a family of five with kids ranging from eight to fourteen. I'm actually writing this while we're still here, and I would recommend it a hundred times over. The hotel is lovely and the facilities are immaculate. Some of the negative reviews I read beforehand had me worried, but honestly, whoever wrote those must be very hard to please. It started the moment we arrived: we landed at the hotel around half one in the morning, and the reception staff were so friendly and knowledgeable that they upgraded us from two separate rooms to one big family room, free of charge, and then asked if we were hungry and walked us over to the midnight buffet so we could make toasties before bed. That's the kind of welcome you remember.
The real trick with this place is that you get the run of two hotels, the Wyndham and the Ramada next door, and the staff rotate between the two. So there's twice as much to explore, and wherever you are, someone's on hand to help.
What we did
The kids lived on the slides, and the main pools have lifeguards, which put my mind at ease with five of them charging about. When we wanted a change we headed to the beach, which is about a five-minute ride away on the transfer bus that runs every fifteen minutes, or a short walk along a little dirt track if you fancy it. The beach was always far quieter than the busy main pools, which was bliss. Dotted around the resort there are fridges you can help yourself to, stocked with bottles and cartons of water, and, to the kids' delight, ice cream freezers with a big variety you can just dip into all day.
Where we ate and drank
Typical all-inclusive buffet food, and plenty of it. Yes, it can feel repetitive, but only if you insist on eating the same things every night. There's plenty of choice and more than enough for picky eaters, so nobody in our lot went without. The standout, oddly, was the beach area, which does an amazing KFC-style chicken that we kept going back for. Add in the free water fridges and the self-service ice cream and the kids wanted for nothing.
What it cost
An all-inclusive package, and the appeal here is value. You're paying noticeably less than the big five-stars further along Lara, and getting two resorts' worth of facilities, free upgrades and little extras like the ice cream and water fridges thrown in. Worth booking early, mind, as Lara prices have been climbing.
The verdict
A brilliant family holiday, and we would absolutely return. The staff are exceptional and go out of their way to help with anything. The entertainment is decent rather than spectacular, a kiddie disco followed by a bigger show, and it all winds down by about half ten, which honestly suited us because everyone got a proper night's sleep. It suits families who want easy, great-value, all-inclusive fun across two resorts and friendly staff who genuinely look after you. If it's slick five-star luxury you're chasing, people who know Lara point you to Delphin, Mardan Palace or Titanic instead. But for what we paid, this was a lot of holiday and a lot of happy kids.