The Best Trips in August / The Land Of Legends Nickelodeon Hotel And Resort, Antalya in Türkiye / By Amy Ockelford / Publisher Luxurylifestylemag

Arriving at The Land of Legends Nickelodeon Hotel and Resort is like stepping inside my three year old’s imagination: unapologetically bright, in-your-face bold, and brilliantly colourful. It’s loud, it’s chaotic, but it’s full of joy and laughter.

The horizon is dominated by towering rollercoasters and skyscraper water slides, while the spire of the fairy-tale castle glows with rainbow colours.

As a kid, this is what five-star hotels are all about, with family entertainment, thrills and fun at its heart. With unlimited delicious food and tasty treats, endless activities for the whole family, and lots of opportunities to make lifelong memories, this is a wonderful place to holiday with the children.

Hotel

It’s impossible not to get in touch with your inner kid while you’re staying at this frivolous hotel

We were collected at Antalya’s newly-expanded airport by the Land of Legends private car to travel the short distance to the resort in comfort and style.

A giant Spongebob Squarepants looms over the entrance and inside there’s no forgetting where you are, as you’re greeted by huge statues of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a Paw Patrol centrepiece surrounded by a carousel of help yourself pick ‘n’ mix (somewhere we frequented regularly during our stay!).

It’s impossible not to get in touch with your inner kid while you’re staying at this frivolous hotel. With milkshakes on tap, lego-building tables in the lobby, magicians on standby to amaze, and water slides, amusement arcades, and rides around every corner; you’ll be immersed in the action and adventure as soon as you step foot inside.

We collected our wristbands (your ticket to limitless fun for the duration of your stay) and downloaded the resort app to see the timetable of events. Then, it was time to make our way up to our room; a deluxe family suite on the first floor.

And, much to our daughter’s sheer delight, a Paw Patrol themed room. (Guests can choose from SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Star Trek themed rooms, too.)

She ran around the suite exploring every feature and detail, blown away by the illuminated emblems on the walls, the character posters, and the colourful scheme. While our newly walking one-year-old was thrilled to have a vast balcony to toddle around, overlooking the loops and corkscrews of the coasters.

From a practical side, the suites are perfectly suited to comfortable family living; a large bedroom with space for the whole family and a separate living room, two bathrooms plus a huge wraparound terrace.

The hotel is truly kid-friendly; with mini toilets and lowered sinks in the public restrooms, pull-up steps in the rooms, little tables and chairs in the restaurant, and pre-prepared highchairs ready to be used.

Food and drink

The hotel features several dining outlets in the shopping avenue

Food is available in abundance at El Spatula restaurant, where there’s a global buffet offering dishes and flavours from around the world. We enjoyed local delicacies and family favourites, from light, fluffy pide (flatbread) to pastries soaked in syrup, as well as grilled meats and fresh vegetables.

The dessert table is vast, with cakes and tortes covered in glistening icing and adorned with SpongeBob characters, and an ice cream station to choose your favourite flavour and toppings.

The quality of the food was excellent and the range of options was extensive, with plenty for picky toddlers and dietary requirements, but – with no other dining options – it did get a bit samey after three meals a day for four days!

If you want to try something different then there are a whole host of eateries in the shopping avenue as well as fast food outlets and diners within the theme park (though these are not included in the all-inclusive package).

Facilities

Club Nick is the hotel’s impressive kid’s club which offers a selection of activities for all ages

There are extensive facilities and amenities at Nickelodeon’s Hotel and Resort so – come rain or shine (and we experienced both!) – there’s always something to do.

When the rain and wind hit, we headed down to the basement to explore the arcades and gaming zone, as well as Club Nick, the kid’s club, where we spent time together playing in the baby area, colouring pictures of Paw Patrol characters, driving the ride-on cars, and playing on the climbing frame and slide.

The team here also provides a wide range of activities including woodwork classes, painting, screenings in the cinema room, and pottery in the ceramics studio.

Each morning, the All Star Café hosts a special Nickelodeon Celebration Breakfast with Paw Patrol’s Chase and Skye, Dora the Explorer and Boots the Monkey, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The traditional Turkish breakfast is followed by a party including singing, dancing and chances to have your photo with your favourite character.

For a break from yellow sea sponges and giant crime-fighting puppies, adults can head to the gym for a work-out or enjoy some peace and quiet in the relaxing spa and hammam, and there are delicious smoothies on the menu at the Rainforest Juice Bar next door.

The fun continues into the evening with shows including the dance of the illuminated fountains

By night, the fun doesn’t stop. Snick Lounge hosts parties and live shows, while the SpongeBob dance party takes place in Bikini Bottom each evening, culminating with a conga line around the theme park.

Outside, the shopping avenue comes to life as the darkness descends. Watch the dance of the illuminated fountains or follow the canal to the main stage where you can watch the 9pm show, which features dramatic music, flashing projections, dazzling dancers and zip-lining acrobats.

It’s useful to bear in mind that the hotel is full-on all the time. With blaring music, character meet-and-greets, and loud parades of dancers, there are times when it can get a little overwhelming, especially for the younger kids. Thankfully, it’s always easy to get away from the chaos and find somewhere to have a time-out, whether it’s in one of the quieter lagoon pools, tucked away in the PlayStation zone, or relaxing on the lawns.

Theme park

The Land of Legends is Turkey’s largest theme park with over 20 rides

Hotel guests have direct access into Nickelodeon Land meaning you can step straight out into Adventure Bay and follow the shiny road around the Paw Patrol rides, from Skye’s Flyers (our daughter’s favourite!), Traffic Trouble, Beach Bouncers, and more.

When we were hit with rain we headed inside to Bikini Bottom to try out some of SpongeBob’s rides, including Sandy’s Rockets which floats around the the top of the building and provides great views of the amusements below.

There’s some great adrenaline-fuelled rides over in Adventure Land, including Typhoon Coaster – which uses an ingenious lift system to propel the coaster to the apex before plummeting down into the water with a huge splash – and Hypercoaster, with its huge loop and top speed of 115km an hour.

Unfortunately, when we were there, a lot of the smaller amusements and rides were closed which meant there was less in Adventure Land for our children to enjoy. However, they both loved the Masha and the Bear circus performance and funhouse.

Aqualand’s highlights include the newly opened Waterfly

For hotter days, AquaLand provides somewhere for thrill-seekers to cool off. The water park is huge, boasting all sorts of splash zones, pools, lazy rivers, and water flumes. We arrived just in time for the opening of the brand new Waterfly; a gigantic tower with colourful slides and chutes cascading down; flumes to ride down on a boat and others that speed from top to bottom in a matter of seconds.

We enjoyed playing in the plethora of aqua zones, relaxing in shaded areas and shallow pools, splashing in jets and fountains, and watching the bubbles. The main pool features a real-sand beach plus infinity plunge pool and swim-up bar, while the Waveball Pool is heated to a lovely temperature and, as the name suggests, starts rolling when the wave machine kicks in.

Wandering around the park is lovely, with beautifully-manicured grounds, neatly-trimmed trees blooming with a profusion of flowers and buzzing with bees. There are so many water slides and pool areas to explore that even after two days of exploring we were still discovering new sections that we’d not yet visited! The highlight was the incredible Turtle Coaster – like nothing I’ve ever seen before – a rainbow-coloured water slide that spans 457m, making it one of the longest in the world.

In a nutshell

This is the place to go for full-on family fun in the sun (although, disclaimer: it does rain in Türkiye!); and with everything in one place it makes it easy to kick back and enjoy watching the whole family enjoy themselves.

With inspiration clearly drawn from the magic of Disney and the drama of Las Vegas, what makes the Land of Legends special is that it’s all wrapped up in the warm nature and hospitality of the Turkish people, who make you feel like you’re home as well as in a magical faraway land!

Factbox

Amy’s trip was organised by Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts Antalya, which opened in 2025.

A family room at Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts starts from £550 per night on a full board plus basis (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and selected beverages included).

Address: Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts at The Land of Legends, Belek, Antalya, Türkiye
Phone: +90 850 755 1 797
Website: thelandoflegends.com