Short answer: Lara if your flight is late and your trip is short; Belek if you want quiet, space and an aquapark. Guest scores are close: the six Lara hotels on our list average 9.22, the eight Belek hotels 9.33. The real difference is distance and property type. Lara hotels are 6.7 to 11.5 km from the airport as the crow flies; Belek hotels 16 to 25.3 km. The table below puts all the data for the two areas side by side.

Short answer

  • Lara: close to the airport, close to the city, sandy beach, large and busy properties. Amenity and food scores higher than Belek.
  • Belek: inside the pine forest, quiet, golf- and aquapark-heavy. Cleanliness, room and value-for-money scores higher than Lara.
  • Families with children: Belek if an aquapark is your priority (four of eight hotels have one, one of six in Lara). Lara if a short transfer is your priority.
  • Price: both areas are mostly upper segment; the date sets the price, not the area.

The two areas in numbers

The table is generated at page load from the data on our Antalya hotel pages: guest scores, category scores and facility lists. Distance is a straight line from the hotel’s coordinates to Antalya Airport.

LaraBelek
Hotels68
Average guest score9.22/109.33/10
Total reviews15,9086,147
Distance to airport (straight line)6.7–11.5 km16.0–25.3 km
Cleanliness8.579.02
Service9.699.81
Room quality8.989.14
Food and drink9.419.21
Amenities9.509.26
Value for money8.629.10
Hotels with aquapark1 / 64 / 8
Hotels with golf3 / 65 / 8
Hotels with kids club6 / 66 / 8
Hotels with indoor pool0 / 61 / 8

Source: property data and guest scores on the hotel pages; distance computed as a straight line from coordinates.

Reading the table: on category scores Belek leads on cleanliness, room quality and value for money; Lara leads on amenities and food and drink. No category differs by a full point, so neither area has a bad hotel; the difference is what you weight. The six Lara hotels’ total review count is more than double that of the eight in Belek: Lara properties are bigger and busier, Belek properties more boutique in scale.

For families with children

Both areas are strong on family properties; in our review pool, more than half of the reviews in each area come from family trips. The split is this: aquaparks are common in Belek, and The Land of Legends theme park hotels are in this area. Lara has few aquaparks but the airport is close; for anyone with small children who does not want a long transfer, that outweighs the rest. Kids clubs are common in both: six of six hotels in Lara, six of eight in Belek.

Short trip, late flight

Getting to Belek from a flight that lands at midnight means an hour or so before you reach the hotel. In Lara that time halves. On a three- or four-night trip, the holiday time that difference eats should not be underestimated. The hotels closest to the airport:

Golf, quiet, walks

Belek is a golf destination: five of the eight hotels on our list have golf, three of six in Lara. People who want a pine forest for a morning walk and quiet in the evening choose Belek. Lara’s advantage is the reverse: proximity to Kaleiçi and the city, and the ease of stepping out of the resort for a dinner.

Price

We give no prices; prices change with the date, the room and the rate, and would not stay correct for as long as this article is online. What we can say is that the hotels in both areas sit mostly in the upper price band. Opening one hotel from each area side by side on the booking screen for the same dates gives a more accurate price comparison than any table in this article.

One example from each area

Lara Barut Collection

Lara Barut Collection

Lara · 5 stars · 9.6/10 (2,721 reviews) · Ultra all inclusive

Lara's highest-scoring property, under seven kilometres from the airport as the crow flies. Ultra all inclusive; for anyone who wants a short transfer and a large resort.

Availability and pricesHotel page


Cullinan Belek

Cullinan Belek

Belek · 5 stars · 9.6/10 (277 reviews)

Belek's highest-scoring property. For anyone after quiet and space; 16 km from the airport as the crow flies.

Availability and pricesHotel page

Hotels in Lara

Hotels in Belek

Frequently asked questions

Lara or Belek for a family with children?

Belek if an aquapark and the theme park come first; Lara if a short transfer comes first. Kids clubs are common in both areas.

Which is closer to the airport?

Lara. The Lara hotels on our list are 6.7 to 11.5 km from the airport as the crow flies, the Belek hotels 16 to 25.3 km.

Which is cleaner?

In the category scores on the hotel pages, the Belek hotels’ cleanliness average is higher than Lara’s. The gap is under a point; looking hotel by hotel is more accurate.

Which is cheaper?

The date decides, not the area. Both are mostly upper segment; compare one hotel from each on the booking screen for the same dates.

Thinking about an autumn trip? See the September–October article; for all areas, the Antalya hotels page.

See prices side by side for your dates, and read the cancellation terms before you book.

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