HONEYMOON Turkish Delight 2395 views

Turkey has been quite the honeymoon hotspot this year with the pound being relatively strong - but best of all, we have found a resort that is the perfect ending to a fairytale wedding.

You've been princess for the day: now it's time to live like royalty for a week or two. Newly opened Mardan Palace on Turkey's glorious south coast is fit for sultans, kings and queens. Modelled on the last Ottoman palace in Istanbul, it bristles with crystal, gold and sheer opulence. You'll feel like you've landed in fairytale heaven from the moment you arrive. Served cool drinks and chilled towels while you wait on throne-style sofas for check-in, this is Disney for the sophisticated and pure romance for newly-weds. The reception lobby is so vast that people actually look quite small on the far side of the room. It has a huge staircase at the centre made from Swarovski crystal vast chandeliers cascade from a 21m high ceiling, topped by a stained glass ceiling based on Ottoman design.

At the heart of Mardan Palace is one of the largest swimming pools in the world. it curves around an underwater aquarium that holds fish and sealife from the world's four greatest oceans - including baby sharks. If you set out from one end of the pool, you could treat it as a morning's sightseeing, calling in at the swim-up bar, floating under the Galata Bridge (just like that in Istanbul) and perhaps taking a stroll down to the beach from the far end. On the beach, you'll find bedchairs, towels and attentive staff await, constantly circling with chilled towels, skewers of watermelon and little glasses of iced tea. Wooden plankways criss-cross the white sand to a vast 'pier' that seen from the sky, is the shape of a scorpion - the hotel's logo and the birth sign of the man behind Mardan Palace.

Eating at Mardan Palace is an experience you'll never forget, from the biggest and most exotic buffet breakfast on this planet to the seafood restaurant in the underwater aquarium and La Cucina, at the foot of the Maiden Tower, another of Istanbul's big monuments. With over 500 rooms, you can pick from Asian or European decor, private hammam or garden - the world is your oyster at Mardan Palace - while all rooms have fabulous marble bathrooms, Hermes toiletries, flat-screen LCD TVs and wireless internet.

Need to know: Mardan Palace is a member of Great Hotels of the World – a collection of the world’s finest hotels and resorts. Double rooms start from £186 including breakfast. For more information or to book visit www.ghotw.com/mardan-palace. Flights are available with Pegasus Airlines to Istanbul and 16 destinations across Turkey from £39.99 including taxes and 25kg free check-in baggage. Contact www.flypgs.com.