Hotel SU & Aqualand

Hillside perfectly well describes not just the hotel, but the city of Antalya as well — this south coast resort town clings to the cliffs above the Mediterranean, and it seems everyone’s got an elevated sea view. The view from the Hillside Su is no different: here the front-side rooms have balconies facing the water, complete with day beds (and there’s nothing stopping them being night beds, if the fancy strikes you).

The view is far from the whole story, however; if anything, it’s the interiors that attract the most attention. By now it seems white-on-white has just about been done to death, but here somehow it’s fresh again; made new through sheer discipline (really very nearly everything in the place is pure bright white) and through clever lighting effects — a little colored light, in this monochrome environment, goes a long way.

Public spaces are no less visually rigorous: a restaurant that’s as purely red as the rooms are white, and a beach club that looks like the backdrop to a fashion shoot. The generous heapings of style, though, don’t seem to be putting anybody off — the Hillside Su seems pleasantly anti-elitist, full of families with kids as well as the expected ultra-hip party types. There’s no shortage of dining and drinking options, as well as a pool and spa complex, tennis and squash facilities, a business center and a kids’ club — it’s megahotel service with a boutique look.