The Marmara Antalya

The Marmara Antalya is made for a stay that mixes sea air, city access and a little architectural oddness. Set on the Falez Hills, it looks out across the Mediterranean and gives you a private beach, an outdoor pool and a terrace bar for the important business of deciding whether you have the energy for dinner.

English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside German and Russian, so you will be understood from reception onwards. The atmosphere is polished rather than rustic, with bright pastel-coloured rooms, wide windows and enough on-site dining and wellness facilities to keep the evening simple when your legs have had enough of the day.

The unusual feature is the revolving annex, which turns through 360 degrees during the day. It is not a gimmick you need to organise around: choose a room there if you like the idea of the view moving gently from pool to Mediterranean while you remain firmly horizontal.

You are in Antalya, Turkey, at Lara Turizm Merkezi on the seafront. The hotel sits directly on the coast, with a private pebble beach reached from the property. Sun loungers, parasols and a beach bar are provided, so the route from your room to a patch of shade is mercifully uncomplicated.

Antalya city centre is about a five-minute drive away. The Old Town sights are close enough for a proper change of scenery: Hadrian's Gate is around 3.4 miles away, while Karaalioglu Park is about 3.2 miles away. Lower Duden Waterfall is around 2.5 miles away, which gives you a useful non-diving outing without turning the day into an expedition.

For other beaches, Blanche Beach is about 0.6 miles away on foot, and Movida Beach is roughly 0.6 miles from the hotel by road. Konyaalti Beach is further across the city, at around 3.8 miles. Antalya Airport is about 4 miles away by the hotel's stated route.

The rooms are spacious and bright, with pastel décor, extra-large windows and views towards either the sea or the Taurus Mountains. Air conditioning matters here, particularly when you return warm, salty and ready to lie down rather than conduct a detailed inspection of the minibar. A kettle, tea and coffee-making facilities, a sofa bed, a television and free Wi-Fi keep the room practical between outings.

For two people, the sea-view room is the straightforward choice if the view matters more than having the largest floor area. The deluxe room in the revolving building is for travellers who want the hotel's defining feature brought right into the night: wake up, look out, and let the building do the slow sightseeing. The city-view room gives you more room to spread out, while the family room is the sensible option when several people need to share without pretending that a standard double is a magic expandable box.

Bathrooms include a bath or shower, bathrobes, slippers and a hairdryer. Daily housekeeping, room service and a minibar are useful details when you would rather stay put, and the beds are extra-large in the double-room categories. Families are welcome, with cots available for younger children on request; children aged seven and over are charged as adults, and extra beds are not available.

The main Restaurant covers breakfast, lunch and dinner with international cuisine. Breakfast is a buffet, and the hotel operates on a half-board basis. For a diving day, that gives you a dependable start and a proper evening meal without requiring you to go hunting through Antalya every night.

The Fish Restaurant moves lunch and dinner onto a terrace, with fresh seafood and a more relaxed setting. It is the natural place to keep the sea in view while you work through the appetite that tends to arrive after several hours in the water. Special-diet menus are available on request, and breakfast can also be brought to your room.

There are two bars. The Lobby Bar handles cocktails and drinks indoors, while the Pool Bar serves cocktails and snacks beside the swimming pool. A garden terrace adds another place for a drink, and 24-hour room service means the evening can finish with food delivered to your door rather than a heroic march downstairs.

The large outdoor pool faces the sea and comes with loungers, parasols and pool towels. The private beach offers the same basic temptation with pebbles underfoot instead of tiles, plus a beach bar for the moments when you need refreshment but cannot yet face a proper meal. Table tennis and aerobics give you something mildly active to do; bicycle hire is also available.

The Spa Center is the more convincing plan when your shoulders have started filing complaints. It offers massages, facial treatments, a sauna and a hammam, with a relaxation lounge and spa packages. Couples can book a couples massage, while back, foot and full-body treatments cover the usual post-water negotiations.

There is also a fitness centre with fitness classes and yoga classes, plus personal training. That is enough for a deliberate workout if you want one, though the pool, beach and spa are perfectly adequate excuses for doing very little. The hotel's garden terrace and outdoor furniture give you somewhere to sit with a drink while the Mediterranean does the scenery.

Reception is open around the clock. Check-in starts at 14:00 and check-out is by 12:00. You will need photo identification and the card used for the reservation at check-in, and a refundable cash damage deposit is collected on arrival. Cash payment is accepted at the property.

An airport shuttle is available from Antalya Airport and can be arranged with the hotel. Car hire is also available, while free public parking is provided on site without a reservation. Free Wi-Fi covers the hotel, and the concierge, tour desk, luggage storage, currency exchange and lockers are useful if your flight times do not fit neatly around your room.

Laundry, dry cleaning and ironing are available, as is a barber and beauty shop. The hotel welcomes pets, with possible charges, and provides family rooms, a children's pool and a child-friendly buffet. Lifts serve the upper floors, with wheelchair access and toilets with grab rails.