A metered taxi from a Lara or Belek hotel to Mall of Antalya is technically possible — the journey is direct on the D400. The problem is the return. Taxis do not rank at suburban malls in Turkey, particularly late in the evening. After three to five hours of shopping with bags and, potentially, children who are ready to leave, standing outside a mall at 21:30 hoping a BiTaksi driver accepts the fare to Belek is a stressful end to what was supposed to be a leisure day.
The dolmus alternative is usually limited for resort guests. Routes serving the Kepez mall zone are mainly urban city lines, so coastal hotel guests typically need at least one extra connection through Antalya first.
Private transfer with waiting time is the standard product for this journey because it solves both ends of the trip cleanly: confirmed pickup from your hotel, fixed price, driver waits while you shop, confirmed return when you are ready. Families, couples, and groups all benefit — but the guests with most to gain are those staying furthest away, in Side, Alanya or Kemer, where the return taxi situation is most uncertain.