My stomach is flipping around like a pancake, much like I’m on a boat trip in choppy waters. Yet right now, the trigger for my queasiness is the Flying Dutchman’s Ghost Ship at Turkey’s brand-new Nickelodeon Land. I’m turning slightly green while my six-year-old daughter and her five-year-old brother are grinning from ear to ear. When we alight into the neon-lit “Bikini Bottom”, it validates the reason we came here: the kids are in raptures.

The five-star Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Antalya, where we stay, has 238 guest rooms themed around SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Trek and PAW Patrol. It sits right beside the park, meaning we can flit between our hotel room and an array of thrilling attractions, within minutes. Thanks to its Full Board-Plus offering, we can pop back to the hotel lobby bar for free drinks and to enjoy high-quality buffet dining at the playfully designed Le Spatula restaurant, three times a day. Not something you could do quite so easily in larger theme parks. 

If clients don’t fancy this particular property, they can stay nearby and purchase day tickets into the park (adults from €40; children from €32). Another option? Book them into one of the region’s six Rixos properties for free theme park access throughout their stay.

“Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Antalya, The Land of Legends Kingdom Hotel and all Rixos properties in Antalya, have complimentary unlimited access to the theme park,” explains Semih Elbaba, managing director of the Land of Legends. “This freedom of access and the ease of travelling between all of the properties really sets us apart.”

A hotel full of heroes

Another thing clients will love about the Nickelodeon hotel is its themed design, which starts with the ginormous SpongeBob statue which greets us outside. Inside the vast, light-filled lobby, we discover life-size Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle models, a free pick ’n’ mix station and brilliant Nickelodeon design nods, from PAW Patrol pup tag wall decor to slime drip-shaped benches. From its glass-sided elevator, we marvel at the Nick “blimp” which seemingly crashes through the hotel’s vast windows. 

Visitors can take their pick of 15 rides and attractions across the new park. In the whimsical Bikini Bottom we swing around a giant pink jellyfish; feel our stomachs flip on the Snailways Express and fly on Sandy’s Rockets, absorbing psychedelic flower clouds around us. 

While my six-year-old braves the gravity-defying Plankton’s Plunge and Fiery Fist of Fun, my youngest favours the immersive SpongeBob Carnival Ride, with its talking animatronics and moving SpongeBob carriage. There’s only one other like it in the world: in the Circus Circus Hotel in Vegas. As we encounter a series of onscreen carnival games, we hurtle ingredients from Mr Krabs’ famous Krabby Patties into various targets using our “carnival zappers”’. SpongeBob fan or not, it’s brilliant.

For the uninitiated, PAW Patrol is big among pre-schoolers in the UK, so many families will love the open-air PAW Patrol: Adventure Bay zone, where the show’s lookout tower forms a towering centrepiece and where PAW Patrol songs fill the air. Highlights include a wild ride on Zuma’s beach bouncers and a dizzying spin on Rubble & Crew. My youngest can’t get enough of Marshall’s water-blasting Fire Brigade ride. And the adjoining Star Trek Wild Galaxy is a major hit for my mini space-lovers. Wearing 3D glasses and seated in motion seats, we’re taken on an “intergalactic” space mission, encountering perilous lava-filled landscapes and otherworldly creatures.

Height restrictions

If you’re selling this trip to those with younger children, do mention the 100cm height restriction found across many rides (120cm for some Land of Legends attractions). If this is an issue, they can catch lively shows and pup meet-and-greets at the PAW Patrol: Adventure Bay stage. Plus, the Masha & The Bear Land of Laughter circus shows are open to all, and instantly capture my children’s attentions. The Bikini Bottom meet and greets with SpongeBob are also a hit. For peak period visits, mention the park’s Fast Track passes (available from €19pp). And highlight that the theme park’s food and drink kiosks, merchandise shops and pop-up carnival games are all cashless: wristbands can be topped with credit at one of 16 points.

Of course, clients could easily rack up their spending here: from the All-Star Cafe’s $75pp (£64) breakfast with Nickelodeon characters to the SpongeBob plush toys which start from £25. But free entertainment also abounds; from the lobby’s circus entertainers to the juggling Magic Chefs at breakfast. The kids’ club – which features everything from magician shows to discos – is also included in guests’ stay. As are the nightly Wonder of Legends laser shows and musical boat parades, showcased beside the Shopping Avenue’s glowing model chateau and live music performances at the hotel’s Snick Lounge & Bar.

Value-seeking families will, no doubt, love this Mediterranean sun-kissed land of happiness and joy. And – in spite of the sea sickness – so do I.

Book it: Tui offers seven nights at the The Land of Legends, Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts based on two adults and two children sharing, from £1,087pp, departing Liverpool John Lennon airport on 19 September 2025. Price includes flights, Full Board-Plus accommodation, 20kg hold luggage per adult, theme park access and transfers; tui.co.uk