Anda Barut Collection and Six Senses Kaplankaya

Two very different kinds of luxury, both hard to forget

I visited Anda Barut Collection and Six Senses Kaplankaya in early June this year, and the contrast between them is what stayed with me most. Not in a way where they cancel each other out, but because they are such opposites. If anything, they sharpen each other. You notice what each one does brilliantly because their approaches are so different. Both are firmly in that ultra five-star category. The kind of places where things just work, where the details are considered, and where you feel looked after without it ever feeling forced. But the feeling they leave you with is completely different.

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When you arrive, Anda Barut draws you in almost immediately. There’s a real ease about it that’s hard to fake. Everything is beautifully finished, quietly polished, with an underlying confidence. It knows exactly what it is and doesn’t need to try too hard. Within a very short space of time, you feel settled. What you don’t fully appreciate at first is the scale. It’s a large resort, but it’s been designed so intelligently that it never feels overwhelming. You move through it naturally, without ever stopping to think about where things are. Six Senses Kaplankaya is more of a slow reveal. The coastline opens up around you, the architecture sits low against the landscape, and there’s an immediate sense of space. It feels quieter, more elemental. You don’t just arrive there; you arrive at a place that is clearly shaped around how you feel, not just how it looks.

Anda Barut feels composed. Everything sits where it should, and the whole resort flows in a way that feels effortless. But what makes it more interesting is how it has been divided into three distinct areas. A family section, an adult section, and a central community space where the two gently overlap. You can move between them easily, but each one has its own identity. The adult area offers a tranquil escape. It feels slightly removed from the rest of the resort, quieter, more relaxed, a welcome haven when you want a bit of space from the rhythm of everything else. Then there’s the family zone, which leans fully into that energy. A proper water park, and even a small fairground setup with carousels, dodgems and candy floss. It has that playful, nostalgic feel to it, but crucially it’s contained. It doesn’t spill out into the rest of the resort. The community area sits in between, acting as a buffer and bringing everything together with just enough energy to keep things lively without ever tipping too far. Despite the size, everything still connects in a way that feels seamless. The sea is a constant presence, the light does exactly what you want it to do, and even very simple moments feel elevated. Six Senses stretches out in a completely different way. It’s expansive but not structured in the same way. Hills, forest, hidden coves, paths that take you somewhere you didn’t quite expect. You move through it slowly, sometimes on foot, sometimes by buggy, and it encourages you to take your time. The difference is almost philosophical. Anda Barut lays everything out beautifully in front of you. Six Senses lets you discover it for yourself.

At Anda Barut, the rooms feel refined and quietly luxurious. Soft tones, generous space, everything exactly where it should be. You don’t focus on individual features so much as on the overall comfort. It just works. The kind of place where you sleep deeply and properly switch off. At Six Senses, the room becomes part of the experience. There’s more emphasis on space, materials, and light. Large windows that draw in the landscape, a sense of calm that goes beyond how things look. You notice the stillness. The way the outside filters in. It feels more connected to where you are.

The food at Anda Barut is delicious and generous. It’s ultra-premium all-inclusive but done in a way that feels a cut above rather than formulaic. There’s variety, but more importantly, consistency. It never dips. You can spend days moving between the à la carte restaurants and never feel like you’re repeating yourself, and there’s a real sense that nothing has been scaled back just because it’s included. The days tend to unfold in that easy, indulgent way. Long, relaxed breakfasts, something light by the water at lunch, then evenings that can be as lively or as low-key as you want. Everything is there, taken care of, without you needing to think about it. Six Senses works very differently. It’s not all-inclusive, typically offered on a bed-and-breakfast or half-board basis, which shifts the pace slightly. Meals feel more intentional, more anchored to specific moments in the day rather than something you dip in and out of. The food itself is excellent, but more than that, it is purposeful. You can feel that thought has gone into how dishes are built, how they nourish, and how they sit within the wider idea of wellbeing. Fresh, seasonal ingredients, a balance that feels considered rather than restrictive. As the days go on, you notice it. You feel lighter, more settled, more in tune with yourself. Eating becomes part of the experience rather than just part of the day, and you feel entirely well done without it feeling imposing.

Anda Barut has that perfect middle ground of energy with an energy level to fit all needs. There’s life to it, a gentle buzz, people moving through spaces, something always happening in the background. But you’re never pulled into it unless you want to be. You can move between that sense of activity and buzz and the calmer adult areas as you choose. That balance is what makes it work so well. Six Senses is quieter, but more intentional. There’s a calm that runs through everything, but it’s not passive. It’s part of a wider approach to how you spend your time there. You slow down without deciding to. You read more. You sit longer. You start to notice how you feel as much as what you’re doing. The spa and the wellness experience are superb in both. At Anda Barut, the spa is exactly what you want it to be. Beautiful, relaxing, and well executed. It fits perfectly into the wider stay. At Six Senses, it goes far beyond that. The spa is vast and is designed to feel like the centre of the resort. Wellness is the foundation that the whole resort is built on. There are separate areas for men and women, each with its own thermal circuits and quiet spaces. These then open into a shared area, so you can meet again if you want to spend time together afterwards. It’s a small detail, but it shows how carefully the whole experience has been thought through. The treatment offering is expansive. Not just massages, but testing, tailored programmes, and therapies that go deeper than the usual. You can approach it seriously or simply explore parts of it at your own pace. The flotation treatments are the ones that stay with you. That complete sense of weightlessness, of switching off in a way that’s difficult to replicate anywhere else. It captures what Six Senses does so well. It gives you the space to properly reset.

We travelled in early June, and it felt like a perfect moment to visit both. Warm and bright, but not overwhelming. Enough energy around to give each place a sense of life, but nothing crowded or rushed. Everything felt open, fresh, and exactly as it should be.

If you want something seamless, sociable, and indulgent in that classic luxury sense, Anda Barut delivers it effortlessly. It’s the kind of place where you arrive, settle in quickly, and enjoy everything being taken care of. If you’re looking for something quieter, more spacious, and built around how you feel as much as what you do, Six Senses offers something different. It suits a slower pace and a more considered kind of escape with wellness and wellbeing at its core.

Both hotels are staying with you for different reasons. Anda Barut for how easy it is to enjoy while you are there; it‘s ideal for adults and families alike wanting an ultra-5* all-inclusive experience with plenty to do. Six Senses, for how it makes you relax, be mindful, and completely relax, is ideal as a getaway, a reset and an opportunity to reflect and relax, and also an ideal way to unwind after a trip exploring the rest of what Turkiye has to offer.