| The Lara Otel | ||
| Is not to be confused with similar sounding hotels in the area. This hotel is situated in Lara itself, well away from the main holiday resort of Lara Beach. This hotel has been a hidden gem for a number of years. It is one of the few actually situated between the approaches to the parallel runways at Antalya. Whilst the Lara Beach strip hotels are more suitable for family holidays, this hotel is great for both dedicated Antalya aircraft spotting and photography.
Spotting can be carried out from the balcony, or if preferred the pool and bar area as all aircraft flying by the hotel will be visible. There are two restaurants a short distance away with outside seating. The one on the left is a tad expensive, but quality and up market. The one on the right is more basic , but a set menu for 10 Euro is offered which is excellent value and you will not starve! If you do opt for half board at the hotel there is a buffet each evening, which was OK but choices limited. Worth mentioning is a Russian restaurant called Scorpio, Turn right after exiting hotel and follow road until your each a junction, about half mile. The Scorpio is to your left in a small garden area just beyond the traffic island. This is not real cheap ( about £30 a head with wine and beer) Food though was excellent, service great and very pleasant on the eyes |
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| Location: | *** | Between the parallel runways and a fantastic location. Views from this hotel can be compared to those at the Sheraton Deira in Dubai. The hotel has 5 floors facing south towards the sea, all with balconies. |
| Spotting: | *** | Views of inbounds are fantastic, with all inbound aircraft easily read off as they pass just to the left or right of the hotel, depending on which Runway they land on. Aircraft landing on 36L pass just to the left of the hotel at around 1200 feet and are easily photographed. Aircraft arriving on 36R pass offset to the right and will require a strong pair of binoculars to read them off. Due to the sea breezes, aircraft generally land over the hotel from late evening until mid morning (lots of Russian and charter flights arrive early morning in daylight)
All rooms face the sea and have views, however for the best unrestricted views ask for a room on the 4th or 5th floor ending in the x06-x09 range. The majority of traffic can be read off when departing over the hotel although flight tracking software will be required for those departing 18C taking an early turn towards Lara Beach, or during high sun when haze can be an issue. |
| Photos: | *** | Great shots can be taken of arriving traffic landing on Runway 36L as shown below. |
| Value: | *** | What value! Rooms can be booked for less than £50 at certain times of the year. |
| Book: | The hotel can be booked through any of the following links Booking.com
Please help support our site. We are constantly checking the links for hotels to find the best price offered for our readers. If the price on this site is the best quote you receive, please help us by booking your hotel from the link provided as we receive a small commission payment from the hotel. This helps contribute to the running costs of this site enabling us to continue to offer a great service. |
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| The vast amount of Russian carriers into Antalya can be photographed with ease from the balcony when arriving over the hotel | Report Credit Dave Parker. Take a look at worldwide shots taken by Dave here |
| The Club Hotel Sera (Last Update September 2019) | ||
| Is located in the same area as the Lara Hotel above, therefore is situated away from the busy Lara Beach Strip area. Like the Lara Hotel above, the hotel is situated beneath the approach to Antalya. The Hotel is all inclusive 5 star and is therefore an excellent choice for couples and families. | ||
| Location: | *** | Between the parallel runways and a fantastic location |
| Spotting: | ** | Family rooms face south looking out to see and are therefore ideally placed to see arrivals when they are landing in this direction. An even numbered room would give you a little longer to read the arrival off (or grab a photo). If departing over the hotel you may miss quite a bit of traffic in a even numbered room, therefore your room selection is pot luck based on the runway in use. The pool area does ensure that all of the traffic is seen however, when traffic is departing over the hotel. Aircraft can generally be read off in darkness from the pool area when landing over the sea.
A further report indicates that a Side Sea View is required facing West towards Antalya. Room 1206 on the second floors has good views although a higher room in the same number range would be even better. Arrivals over the sea up until around 0900 local offer potential photo opportunities from the room. Arrivals on Runway 36R are easily achievable using a 200-300 lens. When the wind changes direction, departures off one of the parallels, Runway 18L cannot be seen as they pass directly over the hotel. There is a large window at the end of the corridor which allows these flights to be seen, as well as the pool area where the majority of departures can be noted. |
| Photos: | *** | Great shots can be had when landing over the hotel. The pool area is situated on a headland therefore there are few obstructions in the way of photography. |
| Value: | * | Expensive at over £200 a night |
| Book: | The hotel can be booked through any of the following links Booking.com
Please help support our site. We are constantly checking the links for hotels to find the best price offered for our readers. If the price on this site is the best quote you receive, please help us by booking your hotel from the link provided as we receive a small commission payment from the hotel. This helps contribute to the running costs of this site enabling us to continue to offer a great service. |
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| A quick shot from the pool area gives an idea of the photo and spotting opportunities available at the Club Hotel Sera.Click image to enlarge. Credit Tripadvisor |
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| The IC Airport Hotel | ||
| The IC Airport Hotel is situated just 600m from this surprisingly busy airport. The hotel has lots of facilities including an indoor swimming pool as well as an outdoor one. All rooms have balconies. Only a few reports on this hotel, but the general opinion is that you should ask for an odd numbered room on a high floor for the best views. | ||
| Location: | ** | On the perimeter between runway 01 and 33 thresholds. The DHL cargo apron is situated across the road behind tress with partial views possible. Ask for a high level room overlooking the main road and airport. A free shuttle bus operates to the airport. Views have been confirmed as excellent from room 2103 |
| Spotting: | ** | Rooms on the correct side of the hotel (odd numbered rooms-high level) have a medium range view over the airport. Around 75% of the traffic can be read on with a telescope. Traffic can be seen and identified landing on runway 33L , however runway 33R is a little too distant to read off but ACARS/SBS can be used to good advantage .Rooms 2575,2573, 2571 are reported to have the best views. |
| Photos: | ** | A 10 minute walk will take you to the popular photo spot which the locals use on finals to runway 33L Follow the aircraft along the main road to reach this point ! The hotel also has a great balcony on the back of the hotel where great landing shots could be taken if the runway direction is in your favour. |
| Value: | ** | Good value at around £85 a night |
| Book: | The hotel can be booked through any of the following links Booking.com | |
| Comment! | If you want to add or update anything, please use the comment form at the bottom of the page! | |
OTHER HOTELS
Many other hotels in the Lara Beach area may have views. As a general rule ask for a mountain view room to get you pointing into the right direction. Many departures turn back over the Lara Beach resort after departure making them easily viewable from the hotels and beach areas. A list of hotels in Lara Beach can be found HERE
Package holidays can be booked through the following links
Where we have specific reports from the strip hotels we will post below:
| The Baia Lara | ||
| is located on the Lara Beach strip and has excellent facilities. Free wireless internet is provided by the hotel | ||
| Location: | * | On the strip area. The hotel is made up of 2 circular towers, because of this only a few rooms have a good view of proceedings. |
| Spotting: | ** | Request a room facing the mountains rather than the sea. Room 6311 has reportedly the best views in the hotel as it offers views of both arrivals and departures, although the airport cannot be seen. Aircraft are around 5 miles away therefore flight tracking software is essential. Views of the aircraft can also be seen from the pool area which has numerous sockets enabling you to keep your note book fully charged. |
| Photos: | * | No reports available, the odd souvenir shot may be possible with a good telephoto lens |
| Value: | ** | |
| Book: | The hotel can be booked through any of the following link Booking.com | |
| Comment! | If you want to add or update anything, please use the comment form at the bottom of the page! | |
| The Barut Lara | ||
| is the better option for families as it is situated in the beach resort of Lara Beach. From the beach area the movements can be seen (usually departing over the beach). Some aircraft can be read off from the beach however SBS will net the majority for you. | ||
| Location: | * | A 15 minute journey from the airport the hotel is situated in the busy Lara Beach area which is ideal for families. |
| Spotting: | ** | Request a room facing inland rather than the sea. This will give views of the climb out or approach depending on the wind direction. The lobby bar has an outdoor terrace with views towards the airport, you cannot see the actual airport but can see the climb out from it. |
| Photos: | * | No reports available, the odd souvenir shot may be possible with a good telephoto lens |
| Value: | * | Top class family hotel from around £170 a night |
| Book: | The hotel can be booked through any of the following links Booking.com The hotel can be booked through any of the following link Booking.com | |
| Comment! | If you want to add or update anything, please use the comment form at the bottom of the page! | |
