Leaving the snow behind we head to Alayna, Turkey

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We made it…….. leaving the UK in a snowy blizzard we boarded our flight and spent 4hours and 20 minutes with our knees up by our chins – being only 5 foot and a bit (the bit is important), even I was cramped! Coming into land at Antalya airport brought warmth to our bones and as we made our way down the coast to Alanya it was wonderful to see the sea and the developing area that we were approaching.

When books are written it is not all towns that can brag of having pirates, queens and great war lords as main characters – Alanya can! In its early years Alanya was a small town discovered by pirates where the inhabitants existed mainly by farming and trading. The town, which at that time was named Coracesium, did not really start to grow until the arrival of Alaaddin Keykubat who, after five years of trying, finally conquered the town in 1226. He soon brought about the final construction of Alanya Castle and changed the name of the town to Alaiye, which means the town of Alaaddin. The name Alanya did not appear until 1934 when Turkey’s president at that time, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, visited the town. He did not like the name Alaiye and changed it to Alanya. Other prominent visitors who should be mentioned are Queen Cleopatra of Egypt and the Roman Emperor Mark Antony. According to legend, they spent their honeymoon in Alanya, after which Mark Antony gave the town to his wife as a present. Thereafter she had the many huge forests felled and the wood sent back to Egypt, where it was used for the construction of warships.

Today, Alanya has grown from strength to strength and developed into one of the most popular travel destinations in Turkey. The locals support themselves from tourism and work hard during the tourist season; many people come to work in Alanya during the summer, leaving their families behind in their villages.

Alanya is a beautiful holiday centre with its inviting sandy beaches, modern hotels and motels, and really friendly and hospitable people. From the towns lovely park, the road runs along the coast to the harbour, lined with many small shops that offer handicrafts, leather clothes, jewellery, handbags and the amusing painted gourds that are unique to the area as well bars and restaurants where you can sit and watch the fishing boats and pleasure craft.

Staying in the area of Keykubat allows us to walk along the beach, with panoramic views of the Taurus Mountains and the incredible Alayna castle, Red Tower and the historic shipyards all of which we plan to visit in the next day or two.



Woolly says – I didn’t enjoy the flight very much, Jo and Ian wouldn’t let me out of my travelling case as the conditions were so cramped. I was delighted to arrive in Alayna and had a real wow factor with the castle which was lit up – I’m looking forward to becoming King of the castle for the day! We had a good meal at www.bigbencrusoe.com/ where I helped Jo to consume a HUGE plate of fish and chips, really good food at really good prices, I would recommend.

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