Travel: Turkish Delight – quiet bliss among the silent sunbathers

It’s like the quiet coach on a British train. Anyone who dares speak too loudly is quickly shushed by their neighbours.

We are sitting on the Silent Beach at a hotel called the Hillside Beach Club near Fethiye on the Lycian coast of south-west Turkey.

Talking, music, children and mobiles are all banned. A notice on the beach parasols carries a picture of a phone crossed out above the words: “Enjoy the sounds of nature.”

Meanwhile, the handle on the gate from the main section of the hotel to the Silent Beach is several feet high to prevent children from entering.

But this beach is not the only blissful aspect of Hillside. For a start, there are masses of fascinating sights to see. The charming Paspartur Market in the Old Town of nearby Fethiye is just a 20-minute boat ride away.

On one side of the market, the street is sheltered by hundreds of multicoloured umbrellas hanging from canopies, on the other, the roof consists of dozens of striking lanterns.

And you can buy everything here, from a poster of Franz Kafka to a cushion cover with a Van Gogh-style picture of a cat smoking a pipe (no, me neither).

The hotel also organises excursions to historic landmarks, such as the village of Kayakoy. The location of Louis De Bernières’ bestselling novel Birds Without Wings, this is a haunting ghost town.

For three centuries Kayakoy was home to thousands of Greeks but was abandoned in 1923 when, under a compulsory “population exchange” programme, President Ataturk deported its 8,000 residents.

No one has lived there since.

Wandering through the deserted streets and 2,000 ruined buildings, which include 14 chapels, two churches and two schools, you sense all that resides in this eerie village now are spectres of the past.

If you really just want to savour Hillside itself you will never be bored, at this resort.

You can do everything from water-skiing, volleyball and tennis to cocktail-making classes, star-gazing and Turkish lessons. There are heaps of kids’ clubs and a musical show every night in the hotel’s amphitheatre.

Hillside boasts another attraction – a floating cinema. One night, we recline on beach loungers to watch Bohemian Rhapsody on a screen resting on pontoons in the bay.

Lying under the stars with a glass of Prosecco in one hand and a bowl of cherries in the other is the perfect way to watch a film.

The hotel also arranges regular workshops run by the British Film Institute where children make their own films that are screened at the beach cinema at the end of the week.

The five-star, 300-room Hillside Beach Club also boasts marvellous food, with three high-class restaurants.

And the setting is spectacular. The hotel is built on the hillsides of a breathtaking natural arena that rings the gorgeous bay.

The buildings are sensitively constructed so they are in tune with the environment. For instance, the staircase to our room takes a detour round a massive pine tree.

Hillside Beach Club is an all-inclusive package, but most definitely not as we know it.

The hotel’s 600-strong staff are all clearly graduates of Charm School and their attention to detail is astonishing.

Have you ever witnessed a team of cheerful hotel employees patrol the beach every morning to clean people’s sunglasses and apply their sun cream?

It’s the little touches that make a difference, such as the glass bookcase on the path to the Silent Beach full of summer novels you are free to take, or the “beach order” app that allows you to request drinks on your phone without getting up from your sun lounger.

How was our experience at the Hillside Beach Club?

A Turkish delight.

Factfile

Fly to Dalaman from Glasgow with Thomas Cook, thomascookairlines.com or jet2 jet2.com

In September, nightly rates for the Hillside Beach Club, Kayaköy Mahallesi, Belen Cad. No:132, 48300 Kayaköy, Fethiye, Turkey start from £352 based on two people sharing a standard room with terrace on a full- board-plus basis.

For more information, visit hillsidebeachclub.com/en