Walk through the revolving door of the Gloria Serenity Resort and you are instantly drawn to shimmering prosecco and spumante bottles from Italian winery Bottega Spa, artfully arranged on a carousel with a centrepiece of white orchids.
A bottle of Fragolino chills on ice in a solid silver champagne bath.
I walk through the lobby with its marble floors and bronzed pillars and outside across an outdoor mezzanine into cool evening air. I’m with Deniz Gurlersan, a multi-lingual Londoner with Turkish parentage, and general manager of Kaden Group of Travel Companies, an Antalya-based specialist in luxury travel experiences.
We’re headed to Kul, a restaurant that wouldn’t look out of place in a Hudson Yards, Manhattan skyscraper. It’s the start of a week-long, all-inclusive stay, at Gloria Hotels & Resorts in Belek, Turkey – a destination that blends world-class golf with culinary excellence, luxury and serene surroundings.
Deniz introduces me to Ayran, a traditional, savoury yoghurt-based drink made from plain yoghurt, cold water, a pinch of salt and aerated into a light foam. It’s Turkey’s national drink and can lower blood pressure, ease headaches, aid digestion and restore electrolytes after sweating.
I’m grateful for its cleansing properties after a Turkish mezze of Adana kebab, spiced minced meat fried in breadcrumbs, lamb neck (Kuzu Gerdan), chicken kebabs (Tavuk Şiş), Acili Ezme and Haydari – a rich, thick strained yoghurt dip seasoned with garlic, mint and dill – roasted potatoes, peppers and pickled red cabbage.
Between courses, Deniz tells me that he has been working, officially and unofficially, at Gloria Hotels & Resorts since he was 12 years old.
His father was a General Manager when the group opened its first property in 1997 and his childhood coincided with Belek’s transformation from undeveloped coastal swamps into modern luxury golf mecca. We finish with traditional Turkish Tea, pistachio cake and baklava.
Kul specialises in traditional ocakbaşı, open-fire cooking, and is one of seven a-la-carte restaurants at Gloria Serenity, the most exclusive of three hotels operated by Gloria Hotels and Resorts. The others are Gloria Verde and Gloria Golf Resort.
Gloria Resorts: luxe retreats on the ‘Turkish Riviera’
I stayed at Gloria Golf in a ground-floor room in the main building with sliding doors that opened to a pool view. The room was spacious, air-conditioned, with all of the comforts you’d expect in a luxury resort – a monsoon shower, well-stocked mini bar, robes, slippers, flat-screen TV – and a Schiller capsule coffee machine.
The king-sized bed was well sprung and the linen was light and soft. It’s obvious that the room could be set-up for twin or single occupancy, to suit the needs of the many golfers that stay here to play any of the 17 courses and 297 golf holes on Belek’s 17km coastal strip.
All three Gloria Hotels and Resorts occupy breathtaking beachfront locations, with access to private beaches and the Mediterranean sea. It’s easy to see why this area is informally called the ‘Turkish Riviera.’ The Acisu river runs between sea and land and guests at Gloria Golf walk across a private wooden bridge to reach a waterfront, beach, and the magnificent pier with its ultra-luxe sunbeds, cafe bar and jetty.
There is an unmistakable family feel to Gloria Golf Resort. There are teens happily wandering with headphones on, I noticed several escaping their parents to eat burgers alone in the riverside restaurants. There are two heated pools, a 14-slide water park with plunging flumes, a splash park for smaller guests, ping pong tables, basketball courts, padel and hard court tennis and a premium artificial grass football pitch.
Golf at Gloria: Belek’s luxury 45-hole golf playground
Inland, behind this coastal strip, are dense pine forests. They’re home to Gloria Golf Club, its three courses and 45 holes of golf, which make it Turkey’s largest golf resort and a mainstay in the world’s top-100 golf resorts. From its fairways, you can see the expansive, beautiful, often snow-capped Taurus mountains rising to 10,000 feet above sea level. Antalya is one of the few destinations in the world where it is possible to enjoy a winter sun golf holiday and go skiing. Saklıkent Ski Resort sits about 50 km away in the Taurus mountains, roughly a 1-hour drive west of Antalya city center.
There are two all-inclusive buffet restaurants at Gloria Golf, Anatolia and Mosaique, and I found the latter was less of a slalom run and more tranquil of the two.
It was surprisingly quiet, even with several sections reserved for Turkish Super Lig strugglers Erzurumspor F.K, who were holding a training camp during the October international break. The resort regularly hosts international sports teams, golf federations and professional golfers, and the nearby Gloria sports arenas. I met Phil Kenyon, putting guru and coach to world #1 Scottie Scheffler in the hotel lobby.
I ordered Turkish coffee and instantly regretted the pungent flavour and intense caffeine hit. As I drained the ornate cup, the syrupy grind left behind was thicker than some divots I take. One of the friendly waiting staff tells me it’s best taken with Turkish delight to balance the earthy bittersweet taste.
You can sit inside or dine al-fresco on the shaded terrace near the resort’s main pools. All drinks are waiter served, with the exception of fruit juices, and omelettes are cooked to order outside. The hotel interior is a joy to explore. The ceilings are high, light and airy. Staircases and interior walls and pillars sport rustic natural tones. Green foliage complements polished glass lifts and gold hand rails.
After breakfast, I catch a shuttle bus to Gloria Golf Club. They leave every 20 minutes, from the hour, and drop off outside the impressive Gloria Golf clubhouse, a marriage of brutalist architecture and dark timber. The reception desk commands the open-plan interior, with a vast pro shop to the right, locker rooms to the left, and access to the outdoor terrace, bar and restaurant beyond.
World-class facilities at Gloria Golf Club
Early October is maintenance season, when the courses are overseeded, and buggy use is restricted. We opt for trolleys and head to the two-storey driving range to warm up. There are no excuses for not being ready to play at Gloria.
There are 48 covered range bays, each with a Trackman launch monitor, six grass teeing areas, five putting greens and seven chipping and pitching areas. Gloria was the first European resort to install Trackman as standard on its range. You can swipe your room key at the range to dispense balls, no token needed. A bucket costs €8 for Gloria guests and €10 for visitors. It’s easy to navigate your way around Gloria Golf Club and the signage is wonderfully understated and classy.
David Clare has served as Director of Golf at Gloria since 1998. He tells me, with a soft northern English cadence, that the resort was originally swampland. The transformation over three decades is breathtaking. Gloria Old Course opened in 1997, the Verde Course in 2001 and the New Course in 2005. All three were designed by Frenchman Michel Gayon.
Gloria Old Course and New Course
We played three rounds on the Old and New, the Verde course was closed for maintenance. Umbrella pines, freshwater lakes, bermuda grass and well bunkered greens are the principal challenges on both, but in reality, the two layouts felt and played differently.
The Old is flatter, direct and linear. In places, the New rises and falls, like emerald waves breaking between alleys of pines. Gayon’s use of elevation is inventive, compared with the Old, and the New’s greens and tees are positioned on higher ground and at lower points in the landscape. David Clare explained that the decomposed peat excavated from the swamps was used to create mounding, ridges and banking which define the resort’s youngest course.
It adds up to a more enjoyable walk and Gloria New feels more spacious and secluded.
The Old is tighter, especially in the first six – more enclosed – and like a tournament venue, rather than a recreational resort course. It’s a proper golf course, a complex puzzle, that takes time and respect to solve.
Clare said John Daly has been a frequent guest, staying at a private villa, and that it took three weeks of playing every afternoon for him to completely figure out the lines and approaches to unlock the Old.
He used the knowledge to shoot a second round 63, 9-under-par, on his way to winning the 2014 Beko Classic Pro-Am, a 54-hole tournament that pairs amateurs and pros and attracts many DP World Tour winners. Both courses are similar in length but the Old feels longer, mostly because it’s tighter and forces you to hit irons, hybrids and three-wood from the tee, whereas the more generous New offers up encouragement to hit more drivers.
Gayon seems to have a passion for short holes, as the par-threes throughout Gloria Golf Club are the heroes of his story. My favourite was the 3rd on the New, uphill, with a rocky frontage and narrow bunkered entrance. It helped that both times I hit it inside ten feet.
The par-fives were also scoreable, while the fours are the engine room of the challenge, demanding smart strategy and accuracy off the tee. It’s unlikely that anyone will play these courses without crashing into the umbrella pines, chipping out, or splashing into the prodigious freshwater lakes.
There is a clear nod to TPC Sawgrass in the design of the New course, especially in the island green-inspired par three 17th hole. The gleaming glass office block behind the green spoils the view but hitting this tee-shot remains an inevitable highlight of the round.
The par-five finishing hole at Gloria New also feels like a tribute to the 18th at TPC Sawgrass, with less curve and camber to the fairway. Water runs the entire length of the hole and the green is couched at the foot of the clubhouse.
The trees at Gloria Golf Club thrum with the relentless mating calls of male cicadas, or ‘August Beetles’ to the locals. Lakeside, you’ll see cormorants shake their wings, vibrate and launch into flight.
The loud crack of ball on timber regularly rings out across Gloria’s courses, while the only hint that you’re playing golf in a majority Muslim country is the sound of the call to prayer at Dhuhr (midday) and Asr (afternoon). From the holes nearest the road and resort perimeter, you can make out the minaret and traditional domed Ottoman architecture of the Belek Town Mosque.
Play golf under the floodlights – Night Golf in Belek
At night, the Mosque is illuminated vibrant green, as are the floodlit fairways of the Gloria New Course – one of a handful of Belek golf venues where play continues after dark.
When the sun went down, early ancestors of Gloria’s past swamp life – mosquitos – emerged to feed. We were joined on the Old by Oleg, a Muscovite golfer who owns villas in Belek and the Algarve, he wore thin slacks and had covered arms, which seemed unusual. After three rounds in shorts, I understood. Remember to bring an insect repellent and anti-histamine cream as well as sun screen, for your golf holiday in Belek.
The all-inclusive luxury of Gloria Golf Hotel extends to the drinks buggy and golf clubhouse, meaning you can eat and drink for free at the golf clubhouse after your round. Only range balls, rental clubs or buggy hire are chargeable to your room.
The outdoor clubhouse terrace is a special space to finish a day’s golf. Fading light, a waiting shuttle bus and a dinner reservation at L’ancora – one of Gloria Golf’s five à la carte restaurants – forced a reluctant “hoşça kal” (translation – goodbye and ‘stay good’) to this Turkish trip.
FACT-FILE
WHERE TO STAY
WHERE TO PLAY
18 holes, Par 72, 6,529 metres (7140 yards), six manmade lakes. Designer: Michel Gayon
18 holes, Par 72, 6,523m (7133 yards), seven manmade lakes, flood-lit for night golf rounds. Designer: Michel Gayon
9 holes, par 35 (2,923 metres / 3,197 yards).Designer: Michel Gayon
When is the best time of year to play golf at Gloria Resorts in Belek?
The best time to play golf at Gloria is between November and May, the high season when demand for winter sun golf holidays from Northern European and Russian markets is at its peak.
There are three main maintenance periods for the golf courses at Gloria and work is carried out in June, July, August and October. Check the Gloria website for exact dates and details.
In July and August, daytime temperatures average between 34°C – 35°C (93°F–95°F) and can reach into the forties, which results in fewer people playing golf and demand for tee times and buggies at peak hours between 7 and 9am. Logically, the course managers schedule work when the courses are quieter.
We played the Old & New courses in early October as they emerged from overseeding and it wasn’t possible to cut the greens frequently. The greens were true but slow and it left us wanting to return and play again when the greens were faster and in better condition.
HOW TO GET THERE
We flew with Corendon Airlines, one of Turkey’s leading leisure airlines headquartered in Antalya. Corendon Airlines services 10 million passengers annually and operates direct flights to 165 airports in 65 countries. UK passengers can fly with Corendon from London Stansted, Manchester and Glasgow. From May 2027, Corendon resumes services from Newcastle International Airport.
Upgrades and Golf Bag Carriage
Premium seats are available which include priority boarding, front of plane seating, inflight meals including adana kebabs, grilled meatballs and roasted peppers and spiced chicken breast on a bed of noodles.
Golf bags weighing up to 23 kg cost €40 per one-way flight on medium-distance routes, and €50 on long-distance flights and when booked at the airport. Each additional kilogram is charged at €10/kg as excess baggage at the airport. For detailed information about golf equipment fees and limits with Corendon Airlines, visit its Baggage Allowance page.
Global Golfer was a guest of Gloria Hotels & Resorts and an invited media partner for the Corendon Airlines 2026 Race to Belek Series, an amateur event open to members of UK golf clubs.
Read about the Race to Belek Series here. This does not influence our editorial independence and neither party was permitted to review this article before publication.
Image credit: Matthew Moore
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