Mardan Palace, Antalya, Turkey.

ANTALYA – Leaving Antalya airport for Turkey’s new, ultra-lavish Mardan Palace, you soon get an inkling of what is about to hit you.

Hugging the coast is a series of hotels that appear to live by the motto that big and brash is best. They are not especially beautiful but there’s no way you can miss them.

The Lara Beach, Topkapi Palace, Royal Wings, Fame and Delphin Palace are vying with each other to attract attention with their aqua parks and ferris wheels.

The Kremlin Palace is modeled on Moscow’s Red Square but even that extravagant resort pales beside the Mardan Palace, built by Azerbaijan-born Telman Ismailov, one of Russia’s wealthiest men thanks to investments in real estate and construction.

Ismailov is reported to have spent US$1.4 billion on the Mardan Palace, which he named in memory of his grandfather. The hotel’s logo is the scorpion – seen everywhere throughout the property – in recognition of the owner’s horoscope sign.

It is difficult know where to start when describing the Mardan Palace. It is opulent as in, “Oh-My-Goodness Can This Be Real” opulent. Its owner describes it as “the most luxurious resort in the Mediterranean”. We’ll have to take his word for it.

It must have impressed some of its opening night guests, among them Richard Gere. Sharon Stone, Tom Jones and Mariah Carey, who was reportedly showered with diamonds in addition to her US$1 million appearance fee.

Stone may not have received any diamonds because in her welcome speech she had trouble pronouncing the word Azerbaijan, which probably didn’t impress the hotel’s owner.

The Mardan Palace is modeled on some of Istanbul’s most famous landmarks, the Dolmabache Palace, Maiden Tower, the Kuleli building and the Da Vinci Bridge.

The hotel contains 2,500 tonnes of gold, 500,000 crystals and 23,000 sqm of Italian marble.

THE FACILITIES

This is a hotel where one of the world’s top plastic surgeons maintains a clinic adjacent to the 7,500sqm spa and fitness where the executive VIP treatment suite offers sauna, steam bath, a pool with Jacuzzi, a snow paradise cave (with real snow), a hammam, a bar, dining room, relaxation area with fireplace, treatment area and a bedroom.

Among the treatments is a gold leaf body wrap.

There is an artificial reef to be populated by rays and baby sharks, a zoo, one of the biggest outdoor swimming pools in the world (16,000sqm) surrounded by waterways and serviced by the Sultan’s Golden Horn gondolas, At night there will be a laser water and light show to entertain guests.

There is also a large amphitheatre for performances by international artists, and extensive meeting facilities.

A par-72 Jack Nicklaus golf course is planned to open next year.

THE ROOMS

The hotel fans out from its 21-metre high, 2,800sqm lobby, rising on a crystal staircase to Anatolian, European and Dolmabahce wings. The 225 rooms in the Anatolian wing are decorated in traditional, lush Ottoman style featuring dark wood and gold detailing.

The 203 rooms in the European wing are more understated, while the 88 rooms in the Dolmabahce wing are the most luxurious. Thirty-eight Grand Hammam Suites are equipped with a Turkish bath.

THE RESTAURANTS

There are enough restaurants to feed the Turkish army. They include Russian, Thai, French, Turkish, vegetarian, seafood, Mediterranean and Japanese restaurants. There are several bars, including a caviar bar and a vitamin bar, and a nightclub.

THE STAFF

We were pre-opening party guests so there was little pressure on Mardan Palace staff but even so there was no lack of effort made by lobby and room service staff – and in particular the concierge desk – to meet every request.

HOW MUCH?

Top suites are being touted at US$18,870 but a quick search of www.booking.com revealed that the rate for a premium room plus breakfast starts at US$360, with a suite advertised at US$738.

A snip, surely.

CONTACT

Mardan Palace, Lara, Antalya. Tel +90 (242) 310 4100. www.mardanpalace.com