Two-Centre Holiday in Antalya: Changing Hotels the Easy Way

The Antalya coast stretches for hundreds of kilometres, and its resorts feel very different from one another. Kaleiçi, the old town of Antalya, is all narrow lanes, the old harbour, restaurants and evening walks. Belek is about golf courses and large resort hotels on long sandy beaches. Side combines a beach holiday with Roman ruins in the town itself. Kemer sits between pine-covered mountains and the sea, while Kaş in the far west is a small harbour town with a quieter, more Mediterranean village feel.

Staying in just one place means you see only one side of the region. A two-centre holiday lets you start with a few days of sightseeing and city life and then switch to sunbeds and the pool, or the other way round. It also cuts down on long day trips: instead of driving three hours each way to see Kaş, you simply stay there for part of the holiday.

• Antalya city or Kaleiçi + Belek: culture and restaurants first, then a resort with a beach. Short changeover drive. See Antalya city centre to Belek.
• Antalya city + Side: the old town and Düden waterfalls first, then sandy beaches and the ancient theatre of Side. See Antalya city centre to Side.
• Kaleiçi + Kaş: a city start and a slow finish on the Lycian coast. The coastal road west is long but scenic. See Kaleiçi to Kaş.
• Lara + Alanya: a resort week near the airport plus a livelier town with a castle and a long seafront. See Lara to Alanya.
• Kemer + Side: mountains and pine forest on one side of Antalya, wide sandy beaches on the other. See Kemer to Side.

Side and Kaş is another favourite pairing for travellers who want both a classic resort and a quieter harbour town, though it means a longer drive on changeover day.

For most travellers, three or four nights in the city is enough to see Kaleiçi, the museums, the waterfalls and a couple of day trips, followed by a week at the beach. With two resorts, split the time more evenly: for example five nights in Kemer and five in Side. Avoid changing hotels more than once or twice in a ten-day holiday. Each move takes half a day, and the point of a two-centre trip is to enjoy both places, not to spend your holiday packing.

Think about the airports too. If your second stay is in Alanya, flying home from Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport (GZP) can be shorter than driving back to Antalya Airport (AYT). Check which airport your airline uses before you book the flights.

1. Check out on time. Check-out is usually late morning, and check-in at the next hotel is usually in the afternoon. Ask the first hotel if you can leave luggage in a luggage room, or ask about late check-out.
2. Choose a sensible pick-up time. For a short drive such as Antalya city to Belek, a pick-up after a relaxed breakfast is ideal. For a long drive, such as Kaleiçi to Kaş, leave a little earlier so that you arrive in time for check-in.
3. Leave time for lunch. Many travellers ask the driver to stop for lunch on the way or have lunch near the new hotel while the room is being prepared.
4. Arrive and drop the bags. If the room is not ready, the second hotel can usually keep your luggage while you go to the beach or have a coffee.

Because the transfer is private, the driver comes to your hotel entrance at the agreed time and drives only your group. No other hotels on the way and no waiting for other passengers.

Two-centre holidays usually mean more luggage than a single stay: beach bags, shopping from the bazaar, sometimes a pushchair or golf bags. One private vehicle carries everyone and all the luggage together. Choose a Minivan for up to six people, the VIP Mercedes-Benz Vito for up to seven, or a Mercedes Sprinter for groups of eight to sixteen. You can compare them on the fleet page.

Child seats are free on request; just mention the ages of the children when you book so the right seats are fitted for every leg. The price is fixed per vehicle, not per person, and it does not change for luggage, traffic or the time of day.

The simplest way to organise a two-centre trip is to book every transfer at once: the airport arrival to the first hotel, the hotel change and the return to the airport. Send one message with your flight numbers and times, the names of both hotels, the changeover date, the number of people and any child seats or extra luggage. You receive a fixed-price quote within 1 minute, and you can see the live prices on each route page or on the booking page.

There is no prepayment: you pay each leg in the vehicle, in cash or by card if agreed in advance, and cancellation is free. If your plans change during the holiday, for example you decide to stay a day longer in Kemer, just write in the same chat so everything stays in one place.

• Booking the hotel change for the same day as an excursion. Keep changeover day free.
• Forgetting the airport side: make sure the return transfer leaves from the second hotel, not the first.
• Choosing two hotels at opposite ends of the coast for a short holiday. A long drive suits ten nights or more.
• Not telling the hotels: let both know your arrival and departure times so they can plan luggage storage and your room.