Alanya Hotels - Guide to hotels in Alanya, Turkey

Alanya, formerly known as Alaiye, is a popular seaside resort city in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) at east of Antalya. The population of Alanya, close to 400,000 inhabitants, is almost entirely of Anatolian origin, but is also the home to around 10,000 European residents.

Due to its natural strategic position below the Taurus Mountains on a small peninsula into the Mediterranean Sea, Alanya has been a local stronghold for a lot of Mediterranean-based empires, including the Roman, Seleucid, Ptolemaic, Ottoman and Byzantine Empires. The moderate Mediterranean climate, it’s natural attractions and historic heritage makes the city a popular destination for tourism, and responsible for 9% of Turkey’s tourism sector and 30% of foreign purchases of real estate in Turkey.

You can find some of the best beaches in Turkey to the east and west of Alanya, and the Taurus Mountains provide a breathtaking backdrop to the north. Most of the old town of Alanya lies on the great rocky promontory that juts out into the sea. Here you can find many old houses, mosques and towers, as well as a beautiful small harbour. At the waterfront of the harbour are plenty of friendly bars, cafes, restaurants with an excellent range of international and traditional cuisine and tea-houses.

You find an impressive 14th century citadel high above Alanya, and within its walls are mosques, quaint houses and a Byzantine church decorated with frescoes. you will discover twisting narrow alleyways here tempting shoppers with their lovely colourful boutiques and stalls of carpets, copper and jewellery and many more things.

Below this citadel you find some sea caves, and some can only be reached by boat but you can walk up to the most famous, known as Damlatas or “Cape of Dripping Stones”. This beautiful cave has a host of impressive stalagmites and stalactites with a moist warm atmosphere said to benefit asthma sufferers.

Besides it’s cultural and historical sights, Alanya has an unbeatable beach life too. The Alanya beach is very popular among both local and foreign tourists by dint of its endless stretches of sand, the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the rich heritage of the Alanya town, which was once the seat of the Seljuk Turks. The beautiful sandy Cleopatra beach lies to the west of Alanya while the fine sands of the beach stretch to the east. You can also find a good range of water-sports here too.

The nightlife in Alanya is relaxed with a wide choice of varying from lively bars to late-night discos for the real night-owls.