Review: Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme, Turkey, an all-inclusive points resort

This is our review of the Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme resort in Turkey.

We don’t normally post reader reviews of hotels on Head for Points (beyond our recent My Favourite Hotels series), but when Chris reached out about the Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme we thought it was interesting enough to make an exception for.

The Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme is one of the very few all-inclusive resorts within easy reach of the UK that can be booked on points. This makes it an attractive prospect for someone who is points-rich but cash-poor.

Over to Chris:

“Only a 20-minute (and £10) drive from Dalaman airport, the Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort & Spa is a huge all-inclusive resort, with 545 rooms, 7 restaurants and 10 swimming pools.

The prospect of being able to redeem Hilton points for an all-inclusive holiday was just something I couldn’t resist.  Somehow, having lunch and dinner (and a few drinks and ice creams!) made the redemption all the sweeter.

Rooms start from around £200 – £250 per night.  I was sitting on a lot of Hilton points so was happy to redeem over the August Bank Holiday at a rate of 70,000 points per night (with the fifth night free).  Based on the commercial value of our stay versus the points redeemed, I value my redemption at 0.52p per point.

The check-in experience was one of the best ever, and not something I have ever experienced in a more traditional Hilton hotel.  After sanitising our hands, we were shown to a sofa area in the lobby and offered drinks – just a few moments later, we were given our keys and escorted to our room, with our cases brought to the room for us.

Room

Our twin room, whilst a little dated in design, was comfortable and had views of both the Dalaman Stream and the Mediterranean Sea.  The air conditioning provided much needed occasional refuge from the 35 degree heat.

The bathroom was much more modern, providing both a bath and a shower.  The toilet was in a separate room to the rest of the bathroom.

Even though the hotel is all inclusive, there were nice touches in the room, including a bottle of wine and fruit plate waiting for us, and the minibar was replenished daily.

Dining at the Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort & Spa

With seven restaurants, the Hilton certainly provides a wide variety of food.  The main restaurant is where breakfast is served, along with buffet options for both lunch and dinner.  All items were served by staff wearing masks behind Perspex screens, but this provided reassurance rather than detracting from the buffet experience.

When entering the restaurant all guests are required to sanitise their hands and walk through a giant thermometer which is a bit like walking through airport security!

For lunch, we used the poolside restaurants each day, which provide both light bites and also more traditional Hilton fare, including the burger and steak sandwich.  This was a reminder that I was staying in a Hilton, even though I had a view of the swimming pool.

For an extra €15, you can choose to have dinner at one of the other restaurants, which admittedly we did most nights.  Whilst the buffet food was good, the restaurants were a real step up, and touching on fine dining.  We tried out the steakhouse, the Italian and the Chinese (there are also Turkish and seafood restaurants).

I’m not sure if it’s a cultural thing, or just the Hilton staff being very hospitable, but you don’t need to worry about choosing between items on the menu – they will bring you whatever you want.  I was mulling between main course and dessert options, and was just served everything!

Whilst a couple of bars were closed due to Covid, the options which were available were still plentiful. 

In additional to all of the restaurants, there were poolside bars as well as a piano bar which we frequented for pre-dinner drinks each evening.  Rather strangely, the piano forte was not in the piano bar, but rather in the lobby!  With seating aplenty in the lobby, we took our drinks out to enjoy the entertainment.

Activities offered by the Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme

The Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme has the biggest swimming pool complex I have ever seen, including those in many Las Vegas hotels.  Even though they were spaced out to enable social distancing, there was no shortage of sunbeds around the pools which, to be honest, is where we spent most of our holiday.

There was an adult pool, a children’s pool with slides, an activity pool, a covered jacuzzi in additional to separate pools around the rooms.  Despite the vast scale of the complex, it was absolutely spotless.  There is a poolside drinks service – after the first day, we didn’t even need to place an order; our drinks kept appearing automatically!

Whilst technically by the beach, I would say the Hilton is definitely more for those who prefer to spend their days by the pool rather than on glistening white sand.  Many others were happy to use the beach, though.

I was very happy lazing by the pool, however, for those who want a more active holidays, there is a wide range of activities on offer, from spin classes and archery to paddle boarding and scuba diving.

The hotel is equipped with a gym and spa.  Whilst we didn’t try out the spa, the gym was available by appointment and had a range of both cardio and resistance equipment.  Staff were extremely attentive about cleaning equipment between use by guests.

We were provided with a programme of evening entertainment, ranging from karaoke to circus acts.  There were also evening shows to keep the kids amused.

Conclusion

The Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort & Spa is not, in a good way, what I expected for an all-inclusive hotel in Turkey. I found a wide range of quality food and drink options, the biggest swimming pool complex I have ever seen and staff who could not be more hospitable.

For anyone worried about whether travel is safe in the age of Coronavirus, Hilton has put in place comprehensive measures to ensure the safety of both guests and staff.  Whilst not intrusive, they gave me confidence to enjoy my holiday without having to worry.  I felt safer here than anywhere in the UK.

Would I go back?  In a heartbeat!  I think I have found a gem and a ‘go to’ place if I want to be sure of perfect weather as well as great food and friendly and attentive service.

The fact that I was able to redeem Hilton points was just the icing on the cake.”

Thanks Chris. As a Hilton Honors booking, a standard redemption is 70,000 points per night. You will pay less than this if cash rates are lower than, roughly, €249 per night on the dates you book. You will pay more if standard reward rooms are all booked and only ‘premium’ rewards are available.

Status members of Hilton Honors get ‘5 for 4’ on standard reward bookings which takes the average nightly rate down even futher.

If you want to find out more, the hotel’s website is here.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

Did you know that the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are a great way of earning Hilton Honors points? Two Virgin Points can be converted into three Hilton Honors points. The Virgin Atlantic cards are the only Visa or Mastercard products in the UK which can indirectly earn Hilton Honors points. You can apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)