Travel with Katie Butler: On holiday in Turkey

Katie Butler, Total Travel, writes: I am definitely a fan of taking a holiday at this time of year – not having to get up at a ridiculous hour to get a sun-bed and of course the favourable prices. Although, the hotel did expectedly start to become busier as we approached the half-term holidays.

Booking only three days before travel did mean that there was a limited choice of hotels to choose from and so we opted for a newly-built hotel which we knew had a few teething problems but offered a choice of dining options.

The idea being, that we could enjoy what we call a ‘fly and flop’ holiday, along with a look around the local resort.

We were also aware of another new hotel being built next door, which we accepted at the time of booking.

Thankfully, neither the minor issues or the building work were an issue for us. We stayed at the Liberty Signa Hotel. which is a beachfront hotel with the most stunning views of mountains across the bay, and only a ten minute drive from the resort of Calis.

Like many all-inclusive hotels in Turkey, the hotel itself is quite remote, meaning that the hotel had lots of dining options and a great entertainment programme.

Not having kids with us, I didn’t think we would visit the entertainment venue that often, and maybe opt for the quieter lobby bar or beach bar. However, the professional shows were fantastic, in fact some of the best I have seen in a hotel, and we found ourselves there most nights.

The hotel has loads of facilities to enjoy including a private beach with sun-beds and cabanas, a water park with a variety of slides, waffle and fresh fruit stand and of course a spa, so there really is something for everyone. We took a trip into the town of Calis which I instantly fell in love with, a beautiful beach-front promenade lined with shops, bars and restaurants. An added bonus was that we fell lucky, as it also happened to be market day on the day we visited (of course, my husband thought this was a huge coincidence). Who doesn’t love a good look around a market on holiday? Visiting Calis did make me wonder what type of holiday I prefer, especially as a child free holiday. Whilst the convenience of all-inclusive especially on a family holiday serves its purpose and I absolutely loved our hotel facilities and inclusions, a small part of me wanted to spend more time on that beautiful promenade – eating our dinner overlooking the sea and supporting the local restauranteurs. November 2024 was the top selling month last week accounting for a ten per cent share of the bookings and December 24 was a very close second with just under a ten per cent share.

Late bookings took 30 per cent of the total new bookings. Cruise share amounted for 22 per cent and we expect this to increase next week with the P&O cruise launch for 2026. Top selling destinations based on passenger numbers were Tenerife and Turkey.