“Let’s play,” our waitress Emine said with a warm smile and outstretched palms to my toddler, who was prancing around the restaurant pointing at various items with my husband in tow. Two simple yet powerful words that instantly eased my mind about dining with my restless son.
And so my husband Elliott and I were able to really savour the delicious chocolate lava cake we’d chosen for dessert to the sounds of softly sung nursery rhymes and slaps of high fives. Precious moments of calm, as any parent of exuberant children will know.
This was the theme throughout our stay at Bijal, a new family-friendly boutique resort that opened in the Turkish province of Antalya in March. It’s no surprise then that its motto is “we see play everywhere”, and our encounter that evening was not the only occasion where playfulness came to the fore.
In fact, the entire 19-villa property was steeped in merriment, from the board games in reception to the hopscotch painted on the beach promenade and the warm smiles of the staff members to the splashes of sunny yellow throughout the understated, art deco-style decor. Upon arrival, families are even invited to take part in a resort-wide treasure hunt in which they can receive a special surprise.
“Our aim is to put play back into people’s lives,” Hazal Ceren Balkir of the Bijal team tells me. “We want our guests to forget everything [back home] and to be in the moment. Play is essential, it opens the mind and builds bonding. Everything [here] is designed to inspire awe and wonder, as if you’re a child.”
Mini masters
Indeed, my son Kaiambe was able to fill his boots with the facilities on offer – primarily the ocean-themed Mini Club, which was open daily from 9am to 7pm and staffed by a trained team. We whiled away fun mornings drawing, building blocks and moulding Play-Doh, all under the care and supervision of the lovely attendant, Adel.
While the Mini Club caters to small guests aged three to 12, my 15-month-old was warmly welcomed, and the site does have its own dedicated infant room complete with a changing area and cot for when babies and toddlers need quiet time. It also has a kids’ pool with built-in canopy for shade. The water was shallow enough that it only reached up to Kaiambe’s waist and we spent one hot, delightful afternoon splashing around to keep ourselves cool.
The beauty of the Mini Club is that children can be dropped off at any time while parents explore elsewhere. On-demand nanny services can also be arranged should they wish.
Dining delights
With three restaurants, two bars (one 24/7), a state-of-the-art spa with three massage rooms, a fitness centre and of course the beach cabanas, there are ample places for parents to indulge and unwind.
The Club House was the main spot for breakfast, offering a cold buffet and combination of continental and local dishes including pancakes, waffles and menemen (Turkish scrambled eggs). It then turned into Italian fine dining by night, thanks to an eclectic menu curated by Michelin-starred chef Theodor Falser: the braised veal cheeks, giant tiger prawns and zucchini fries were our standouts.
We spent lunchtimes at the Beach House, where we ordered smoked beef ribs burgers three days in a row, and tried fresh sea bream for dinner. If guests were further tempted, there was also Japanese Teppanyaki by the beach.
Most of the time, though, we luxuriated in our villa, with its curvy private heated pool and lush garden of plumeria and banana palm trees.
Villa living
Bijal means enlightenment in Hindi and the resort is part of a new brand by Gurok Group, the force behind the creation of the very stylish Joali Maldives and more recently, its sister resort wellness-focussed Joali Being.
Designed by Autoban, our villa’s floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall windows made the most of natural light, while walls of wave patterns and textured surfaces in neutral tones again provided an element of playfulness. Guests will be impressed by the high-tech Dyson hair dryer and straighteners provided in the villa, as well as a comprehensive list of amenities in the wardrobe including bathrobes, kimonos, indoor slippers, outdoor slippers, yoga mats and laundry bags.
Plant-based Pure Project toiletries completed the range and even my little one received his own kit comprising Mustela factor 50 sun cream, Pure Project hair and body wash, Mustela body lotion, a bath sponge and – to his delight – rubber ducks. Lighting, air con and the sound system were all centrally controlled by a tablet, which proved a little glitchy at times, but nothing our friendly and highly attentive butler Adil couldn’t fix.
The villas range from one-, to two-, three- and four-bedroom properties. If you have clients seeking a multigenerational holiday, suggest houses 1 or 2, which offer oodles of space with large central living areas and can accommodate up to 10 people in ensuite rooms in the largest four-bedroom option. Number 1 in particular houses a beautiful Instagram-worthy corner pool. There’s no shortage of things to do either, as activities including cooking, painting, ceramics, water sports and fitness classes can be catered to all ages.
Each villa also has its own set of bicycles, kitted out in the signature yellow branding. Having strapped Kaiambe safely into his child seat, we took advantage by whizzing just a few short minutes from our villa through the olive tree- and bamboo-lined path to the beachfront, where the Beach House, Mini Club, Japanese Teppanyaki and cabanas are all located. Armed with inflatables and the warm sparkling sea and sugary sand ahead of us, there was nothing left for us to do but to play.
How to book it
Carrier offers five nights at Bijal from £5,030pp based on two adults sharing a one-bedroom villa. Price includes savings over 15% and breakfast. Also includes flights from Gatwick with British Airways, private transfers and fast track service with meet and assist. Price based on travel between 16 September-20 October 2024.
