Before we begin, I should tell you that I’ve never been a fan of big hotels. It’s something I inherited from my father; a man who takes his holidays very seriously and immediately rejects any hotel with more than 100 rooms. Call me a snob – you’re probably not wrong – but, we would both argue that you can’t really get a sense of destination on such a huge scale. And surely service suffers when staff are catering to the needs of over 1,000 guests?

On paper, then, XO Cape Arnna is not my thing. This vast resort in Fethiye, on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, spans 100,000 square metres, with 527 rooms, 37 pools and 19 bars and restaurants set across its sprawling beachfront locale. It’s not so much a hotel as an entire town. It’s also all-inclusive. I’m no more a fan of an unexpectedly large hotel bill at the end of my holiday then the next person but, in the Med at least, all-inclusive has become a byword for cheap, mass-produced food, watery cocktails and local wines that taste like the time my granddad tried to make vino from the grapes and elderberries growing in his garden.

On the other hand, after a long, wet British winter, a weekend of reliable Turkish spring sunshine was a siren call that proved too irresistible. But I was also curious; XO Cape Arnna opened last year and reviews for its first season were positively glowing – could it really pull off the big, all-inclusive hotel concept in a way that actually met five-star luxury standards?

Well, the first thing to know is that XO Cape Arnna isn’t really one hotel at all; it’s two hotels that share a series of communal restaurants and facilities – and this works massively in its favour. The western half of the resort is given over to The Club, an adults-only offering with 110 rooms and its own 18+-only pools, restaurants and bars, while to the east is The Resort, a 427-room hotel designed to meet the needs of families. The two areas are connected by what the hotel calls the ‘King’s Road’ – a street-style avenue lined with coffee shops, patisseries, a 24-hour sports bar, photography studio, gift shop and clothing boutiques. I probably don’t need to tell you that you’ll never be short on ways to pass the time here.

The upshot of this clever layout is that you can tailor your stay exactly to your needs. Planning a group holiday with friends or in desperate need of some R&R with your other half? Book a room at The Club and you can guarantee a child-free stay. Looking for a relaxed family break where you can let your little ones run wild around an on-site aqua park and splash freely in the pool? Dive bombs and water guns are practically encouraged over at The Resort – without sacrificing on the style and service that comes as standard across XO Cape Arnna.

So let’s begin with that style. Designed from the ground up by Turkish architect Yeşim Kozanlı, with interiors by Hakan Helvacıoğlu, Kozanlı’s philosophy of ‘Orchestrated Design’ prioritises a harmony of light, texture and form that, at XO Cape Arnna, finds a serene balance between impressively grand spaces and intimate corners, meticulous landscaping and an abundance of greenery, tactile finishings and modern conveniences. Curves and organic forms replace sharp corners, from the balconies staggered to ensure privacy to the winding tropical pools, while rooms are decked out in light woods, ochre leathers, local stones and touches of green and gold for a glamorous yet calming effect.

One benefit that I perhaps hadn’t appreciated about a hotel this size in the vast array of room types this many keys allows. In The Club alone you can choose from standard rooms with a balcony, opt for the same but with a hot tub or swim-up terrace, upgrade to a junior suite with a full-size living room, or splash out on a series of penthouses and suites with private pools, terraces and multiple bedrooms. Likewise, over at The Resort, families are well catered to with flexible options for interconnecting rooms or family rooms where children’s sleeping areas can, blissfully, be separated from the adults'.

Our Deluxe Room in The Club was larger than many suites I’ve stayed in at other hotels and came complete with a private balcony, super-king bed, amenities from Istanbul-based Atelier Rebul, and a complimentary minibar restocked daily with water, juices, snacks, beers and wines. Every guest is also gifted a beach bag and flip flops on arrival (so be sure to save space in your suitcase).

The latter will clearly come in handy when you hit one of the many pools which meander from the main hotel all the way down to the hotel’s private beachfront, all of which are serviced by roving waiters (many of whom glide around nerve-inducingly on rollerskates), taking orders for brand names beers (Corona, Heineken), wines you’ve actually heard of (Whispering Angel) and properly punchy cocktails.

Not so much of a fly-and-flopper? I have good news for you. Download the XO Cape Arnna app for a full list of the day’s activities, which during our stay included everything from kite making workshops with a local artist to beach volleyball, darts, trapeze lessons, sound baths, meditation and football, as well as rotating roster of DJs, live music and West End-style entertainment in the evenings.

The hotel has also gone big on health and wellness. In addition to boasting one of the biggest hotel gyms I’ve ever seen, featuring a boxing ring, a dedicated Pilates studio with reformer beds, beachfront yoga studio, and a full suite of Hyrox equipment, alongside all the usual free weights and machines, a new partnership with London-based fitness brand BXR sees regular retreats with expert trainers as well as near-daily crossfit, functional training, mobility and Hyrox simulation classes. This is all complemented by an additional outdoor sports complex featuring an open-air gym and tennis, padel and pickleball courts. This may well be the first time you come home from an all-inclusive holiday more shredded than you left.

Of course, as any fitness enthusiast knows, recovery is key so you’ll want to make a beeline for XO Cape Arnna’s spa post-workout. Instead of being confined to a subterranean warren of rooms as at many hotels, here the spa occupies its own complex, and comprises the aforementioned gym, a large indoor pool, spacious changing areas and a full array of hydrotherapy options, including a Himalayan salt room, two saunas, a steam room, hot tub, ice room, and two cold plunges – all of which guests are free to use for the duration of their stay. A menu of bookable treatments and experiences, including a traditional Turkish bath and hammam, as well as massages and advanced facials, are administered in soothing private rooms, with couples options also available.

And, finally, we come on to the food, which is where luxury on this scale is really put to the test. Evenings at XO Cape Arnna begin with sundowners at the pool bar, soundtracked by a local DJ, before guests disperse to their choice of eatery. With 14 restaurants, including a dedicated vegan cafe, bakery and gelato house, and specialty coffee shop, there was far more on offer than we could possibly try in three days (although we did our absolute best).

The hotel’s two buffet restaurants, Mad Med and adults-only Seasons are open to walk-ins every night, while the remaining a la carte eateries must be booked in advance – that is, of course, if you’re able to choose. Will it be waterfront Greek taverna Margaritari? Perhaps pizza and pasta at Cucina dei Cugini? Or maybe live fire barbecue at Kababi? For us, dinner at Kafi to sample chef Eşref Söğüt’s modern take on authentic Anatolian cuisine was a must and we were well rewarded with upscale takes on regional classics such as muhammara, stuffed vine leaves and keledos.

Elsewhere, Sun Tzu is overseen by chef Ferit Dövener, who trained in Michelin-starred kitchens before devising a pan-Asian concept which runs the gamut from sushi and sashimi to tom yum soup, teriyaki beef and seaweed and basil rice. (Shout out to the kelp salad – one of the best things I ate all weekend.) For something a little heartier (should such a thing ever be necessary at an all-inclusive hotel), head to Mucho Gusto: a classic steakhouse serving fine cuts of Argentinian beef, lamb chops and South American-inspired sides to a backdrop of ocean views and live music.

And, while you’ll never be short on places to find a glass of wine or a cocktail at XO Cape Arnna, for something truly special make time to visit Alchemy Lab. Strictly adults-only (and for good reason), this tiny experimental cocktail bar is overseen by a master distiller who spends much of the year working at Scotland’s Lagavulin whisky distillery, and creates all the spirits used at Alchemy Lab in an open ‘lab’ behind the bar.

The team are, accordingly, both passionate and knowledgeable, and want nothing more than to sit you down for a couple of hours for a tasting of their many and varied products before whipping up your perfect cocktail. Just be sure to keep in mind that, while those healthy sample measures may slip down far easier than your standard gin or vodka, they’re all at least 45% ABV…

While the service, food and general elegance of XO Cape Arnna had me won over, it was this that had me reconsidering my pre-conceived ideas of big, all-inclusive hotels. Alchemy Lab would be a unique, sophisticated experience at any five-star hotel, or indeed, any major city in the world. If it happened to be in Hackney, Notting Hill or Mayfair, there would be queues out the door of people willing to pay upwards of £25 per cocktail to document the whole experience for TikTok. Here it is just another part of the offering, quietly wowing guests and creating experiences guaranteed to be remembered.

Indeed, on our final night I post a video of my gin martini, served in a coupe with octopus legs for a stem, on Instagram and an acquaintance messages me almost immediately. “You’re at XO Cape Arnna! We went last summer and are coming back this year, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.” So, if the last 1,500 words or so haven’t done it, let that convince you to book. After all, there’s no greater recommendation than repeat business.

XO Cape Arnna is an all-inclusive resort with rates starting from €350 at The Club and €550 at The Resort, visit xocollection.com

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