Kaş is a little jewel on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast. The town is split into two areas. Downtown Kaş is a little tourist enclave full of restaurants, bars and diving shops. At night, the atmosphere is genial and buzzy. It is great fun, but for those after a little relaxation, the best accommodation options are on the Kaş Peninsula. For a little break in our crazy Turkey itinerary, we were lucky enough to spend two days at Kas Peninsula Gardens Hotel.
We were hosted by Kas Peninsula Gardens Hotel but as ever, all opinions are entirely our own.
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Kas Peninsula Gardens Hotel Location
From the main town, hop on a Dolmus (set route minibus) and it takes just about eight minutes to reach the top of the road on which Kas Peninsula Gardens Hotel sits. It is quite a steep hill so don’t wear heels for this descent!
Our Room
Being a boutique hotel, Peninsula Garden Hotel has less than thirty rooms, and they are all wonderfully sizeable. We checked into the Opal room and it was like a suite. The room extended past the bed to a small seating area and then our own pool terrace
…but more on that later….
In our room, we had a small dressing table area between the bed and bathroom. It had a plug socket right next to it so it was the perfect spot to style my hair.
On the other side of the room was the tea and coffee area. On the tray was a yummy apple tea and all in one coffee. It was pretty good but there were some coffee teas on the countertop, which was a shame.
Under the table was the minibar which contained two still water and two sparkling. Turns out, making the apple tea with the sparkling water was like a delicious Appletise. We used the fridge for our little room picnic so it was a very welcome addition.
By the floor to ceiling windows was the seating area. There was a trendy little sofa opposite the widescreen TV.
Our Bed
The bed was lovely and big. It was so comfortable that I slept like a baby. It had a huge base that surrounded the bed, with its own little furry doormat. Is it weird that I just loved having the base as an extra handy bedside table?
Our Bathroom
The bathroom had a very different feel to it. The clean, white lines were gone and it had a rock cave vibe. The walls had a warm, golden marble look and terracotta mosaic. We loved the cool white bowl sink. The rainfall shower was good but I definitely prefer a chance to be under the smaller shower head to actually wash my hair, and it was only handheld.
There was a great selection of amenities in the bathroom, including lots of lotions and potions (although they smelled pretty plain) and cool extras like the exfoliating mitt.
Our Terrace
Through a set of glass patio doors was our garden/terrace. I was so excited to see that we had our very own plunge pool. It was a little chilly to step into slowly so plunging was the only way in!
Further out we had a pair of sun loungers and a seating area. Sunbathing, room picnics and sunset views were all thoroughly enjoyed here. It was so nice to have our own outside space. Mr Fluskey deems luxury to be exclusivity so this slice of poolside privacy suited him down to the ground.
A Look Around Kas Peninsula Gardens Hotel
The hotel seems to have been built into the rock of the peninsula. Throughout the hotel, you can find rough rock walls and beautiful stone blocks.
There are some nice additions for guests in reception, including a cute little library (featuring some of my favourite books) and a yummy juice dispenser. There are also plenty of hand sanitiser points around to ensure everyone feels safe. Finally, there is the pool/beach towel store. These are the lovely woven cotton kind, rather than the fluffy room kind.
Dining
Breakfast
Breakfast is served in the Peninsula Gardens Restaurant. It is served as a buffet, but as we visited with Covid-19 restrictions, it was served by the waiters. I am a little blind so we just asked him to make us up a yummy plate full of goodies.
Most of the breakfast was a traditional Turkish cold breakfast. Lots of delicious cheese, salad and fresh bread. We enjoyed lovely early morning feasts of piles salty olives, sticks creamy mozzarella and finished them off with lots of fresh fruit.
Lunch/Dinner
We chose to enjoy our dinner on one of the tables on the seawards side of the pool. The breeze gusted a little too strongly on our first pick so we hurriedly gathered all our bits and bobs and scurried to a calmer spot.
Being by the sea, it was only right to pick seafood for lunch. Mr Fluskey went for the fish and chips which had a nice sweet chilli kick. I had clams in a creamy wine sauce and on the side, I ordered the truffle and parmesan chips. On both of our dishes the chips were actually thin cut and delightfully crispy potato slices. I would happily have just eaten those all day, especially with the umami kick of truffle oil! Both the white fish and the clams were nicely cooked, not overdone and packed with flavour. Add in my glass of wine and I was in seaside heaven.
The Pool Bar
At one edge of the pool was the classically beachy pool bar. It had lovely comfy, swivelling bar stools but as we weren’t playing the all inclusive game, we didn’t linger for too long. They had a reasonable selection of wines, with the blush a particular favourite. We also both enjoyed a cocktail from the bar which were pleasingly boozy and served with a smile by the staff. It was all very pleasant, if a tiny bit expensive for Turkey.
The Pool
The public pool sits on the main terrace of the hotel, with dinner tables to one side and sunbeds on the other. It is a gorgeous free form pool with some fun mermaid rocks at one end. I was really happy to discover two “swim against jets” in the deeper section meaning it is great for chilling out or working out alike.
The Beach
The Kas Peninsula doesn’t have a sandy beach, instead, it is a large rocky outcrop so the accommodation has had to be pretty creative. The shoreline is lined with a series of sunbathing platforms with two entrances to the beautifully clear water. At Peninsula Garden Hotel, there is a marked off swimming area and a floating platform to dive from.
Set high above the waves is the main wooden platform. There are a fair few sun loungers in here but it can feel a little crowded if a bigger group arrives.
We preferred the smaller areas down towards the sea as we could have one of these to ourselves as a couple. We also loved the way the water slapped and swished its way between the rocks.
If you are a larger group and/or want a more exclusive experience you can drop around 200 TRY on a private pavilion. There are two of these at Kas Peninsula Gardens Hotel and each has a day bed, sun loungers and the chance to order food and drink straight to the pavilion.
The Spa
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we were not able to use the spa but we did get to have a look around and it was small but perfectly formed.
Information
If you are thinking of staying at Peninsula Gardens Hotel, here is some information you might like to know:
- To check out the latest offers and what’s going on in the hotel, check out the Peninsula Gardens Hotel website.
- Peninsula Gardens Hotel is “adults-only” so you must be over 14 years old to stay.
- There are just 18 rooms and 13 of them have their own pools. 3 of those that don’t are right at the top of the hotel so they have balconies with great views out to sea.
- To reach Kas proper, hop on a dolmus as it passes by every 30 minutes. It takes an anti-clockwise route around the peninsula and takes around 15 minutes to reach the main town centre.
Final Thoughts on Our Kas Peninsula Gardens Hotel Review
For total relaxation, Peninsula Gardens Hotel is a great option. At no point were we fighting for a sun bed, being able to choose from those by the sea, by the pool or on our own terrace. The pace was slow and the adult-only vibe meant everyone was respectful of each other’s experience. On the flip side, it was easy enough to jump on the minibus and head into town for a night out so if you are after some excitement then you aren’t too far from the action.
Rosie xx