Middle East - Anthony Ham [491]
Chillout Side ( 753 2041; www.chilloutside.com; Zambak Sokak 32; dm/s/d TL25/40/60; ) The backpacker scene is set to return to Side with the opening of this keenly run new premises. Set around a pretty garden of mulberry trees, palms and roses, the hostel features a smart little bar and a genuine travel vibe.
While the number of restaurants increases every season, the menus tend to repeat. Fresh fish (TL15 to TL25) is usually the way forward here – check what’s included in the price. The classiest joint in town is probably Moonlight Restaurant ( 753 1400; Barbaros Caddesi 49; meals around TL25), with an extensive Turkish wine list and unfussy service. The mostly seafood offerings are well presented and very fresh. The biggest drawcard, however, is the romantic back patio.
Getting There & Away
In summer, Side has direct bus services to Ankara, İzmir and İstanbul. Otherwise, frequent minibuses connect Side with Manavgat otogar, 4km away, from where buses go to Antalya (TL8, 1¼ hours), Alanya (TL8, 1¼ hours) and Konya (TL25, 5½ hours).
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ALANYA
0242 / pop 110,100
Alanya has mushroomed from a sparsely populated highway town on a silky sand beach to a densely populated tourist haven. Aside from the odd boat cruise or beach stroll, many visitors to Alanya shuffle between the airport shuttle and the hotel pool, perhaps venturing to a restaurant and banging nightclub after dark. But Alanya has something special up its dusty sleeve. Looming high above the modern centre is a brilliant fortress district, with trappings of a fine Seljuk castle, a wonderful mess of ruins, active remnants of village life and a touch of revamped ‘Ottomania’.
The otogar is on the coastal highway (Atatürk Caddesi), 3km west of the centre. You’ll find numerous banks with ATMs in the centre.
Sights & Activities
Alanya’s crowning glory is the Seljuk fortress on top of the promontory, overlooking the city as well as the Pamphylian plain and the Cilician mountains. The octagonal Kızıl Kule (Red Tower; admission TL2; 9am-7.30pm Tue-Sun), down by the harbour, was built in 1226.
Every day at around 10.30am boats (per person TL35, incl lunch) leave from near Gazipaşa Caddesi for a six-hour voyage around the promontory, visiting several caves and Cleopatra’s Beach.
Many local operators also organise tours for landlubbers. A typical tour to sights including Aspendos and Side costs around TL55 per person, while a village-visiting 4WD safari into the Taurus Mountains costs about TL40.
Sleeping
Sadly, Alanya is low on cheap accommodation, as pensions have been superseded by faceless concrete lumps. There are, however, two cheap options close to the main drag:
Baba Hotel ( 513 1032; İskele Caddesi 6; s/d TL35/45) Baba is about the cheapest pad in town, but you pay for what you get (which is not much). The front entrance is located on the left side of a cement stairway just off the street.
Otel Temiz ( 513 1016; fax 519 1560; İskele Caddesi 12; s/d TL50/100; ) Hotel ‘Clean’ is just that. Plus the rooms are spacious and the balconies offer a bird’s-eye view of the thumping club and bar action below.
Eating & Drinking
The cheap restaurant scene is being swallowed by rising rents, so if you’re tired of tourist traps, look for a köfte joint or any lokanta popular with workers.
Köfte D’ Köfte ( 512 1270; Kale Caddesi; meals around TL12) A flashy yellow-and-red sign greets diners at this new ‘boutique’ fast-food joint. Attentive service and generous meat, rice and salad combinations are all part of the deal.
Gaziantep Sofrası Restaurant ( 513 4570; İzzet Azakoğlu Caddesi; meals TL15) For something more adventurous than standard grills and seafood, this is one of central Alanya’s best options. Traditional food from Gaziantep is on offer.
Mahperi Restaurant ( 512 5491; www.mahperi.com; Rıhtım Caddesi; meals €15-25) A much-loved fish-and-steak restaurant that’s been in operation since 1947 (an astonishing feat in Alanya), this place is quite the class act, offering an escape from the tourism