Alanya Pearl Of The Turkish Riviera
ALANYA
Alanya is a tourist resort located on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast often referred to as The Pearl of the Turkish Riviera.
By today’s standards it is a contemporary city with all the modern amenities and facilities that one would expect to find
in any of its European counterparts, such as convenience stores, supermarkets, hospitals, gymnasiums, tennis courts, restaurants, bars, night clubs and much more.
Alanya also has a superb transport system with frequent bus services and a well developed taxi service. Medical and dental facilities in Alanya are first-rate, most having translators on site if required and all utilising the most modern techniques available. The cost of these treatments are significantly less than in other countries and the cost of living is exceptionally cheap by comparison to Europe and living standards are excellent.
For a number of years now Alanya has played host to a sophisticated Dutch, German and Scandinavian clientele and more recently to the Irish and English market. Recent figures indicate that as many as 10,000 expatriates have purchased second homes in Alanya and its surrounding areas. This figure is showing significant growth rates. There have been many improvements introduced to the city over the past four years. Language is not a problem as it is quite common for anyone involved in business or remotely connected with the tourism industry to speak two or three languages on average. The euro is widely accepted in most places of business, to the point where one could be easily lead to believe that it is the official currency in Turkey when in actual fact it is the Turkish Lira (TL).
ALANYA
One of the most endearing qualities of Alanya is its people. A notable spirit of generosity, friendliness and sincerity pervades throughout the city and the country. Alanya is a truly dynamic city, a corner of paradise where emerald green mountains meet crystal clear seas and where history and nature merge.
The city has a population of 264,240, with 150,346 in the city centre. During the summer, the population increases dramatically due to the large numbers of tourists that pass through the city, approximately 1.2 million each year.
Points worth noting about Alanya
Located on the Mediterranean coast Sunshine for approximately 320 days per annum Approximate population 264,000 Average statistical recorded temperature 19 degrees Approximately 1,2 million tourists holiday in Alanya and its surrounding areas each year Many internationally recognized companies and supermarket chains have selected Alanya to locate their main outlets including Metro, Tespo, Renault, Fiat, McDonalds, Burger King, Benetton, Adidas, Carrefour Extremely high standard of medical and dental facilities, most having translators on site if required The Euro is widely accepted in most places of business
CLIMATE
Alanya experiences a typical Mediterranean climate with an average of 310-320 days of sunshine per year. However, Alanya’s geographical location endows it with special characteristics that other regions do not possess. The surrounding mountains from the North, East and West break the cool winds blowing from the inland making it possible to bathe in the sea for over 10 months of the year. Given the ideal weather conditions and the extremely fertile land of Alanya insures availability of a large range of tropical plants and fruits which are cultivated all year round.
BEACHES
Cleopatra beach stretches for 2km out to the west of Alanya city. The name “Cleopatra” originates from 37 BC when the Roman emperor Marc Anthony gifted parts of the town to Cleopatra in order to express his love for the Egyptian queen. The equally beautiful Keykubat beach stretches out to the east and the shallow waters make it a perfect site for bathing. Both beaches are ideally suited for sun-worshippers; deck chairs and parasols can be hired for as little as €1 per day. Numerous cafes and bars are also located on Cleopatra and Keykubat beach. A wide range of water sports are available to thrill both beginners and experts.
SHOPPING
Alanya is a beautiful holiday resort of modern hotels, motels, numerous fish restaurants cafes and bars as well as the large European supermarkets and wholesale stores. One can also tour the old town which is a maze of meandering streets and alleyways tempting shoppers with their colourful boutiques and markets offering cheese-cloth dresses, carpets, perfumes, spices, musical instruments, copper, leather goods and jewelry, open until well after midnight!
WINING AND DINING
Everything is available on the menu in Alanya, from freshly caught seafood to nouvelle and international cuisine and exquisite Turkish traditional dishes. Alanya has an abundance of restaurants to suit all tastes and wallets. Eating out is very inexpensive and on average the cost of a meal for two people in Alanya, including a bottle of wine, can be as little as €25. All the hotels have full a la carte menus and everyone is welcome to watch the shows and enjoy cocktails before dinner. The choice of international dishes is excellent, the service top class, and the staff friendly and helpful.
GOLF
Approximately 55 minutes drive from Alanya there are six internationally renowned championship golf courses which offer excellent opportunities for a fantastic game for everyone from the beginner to the golfing enthusiast. These include Antalya Golf Course, Pasha Golf Course, Gloria Verde Resort, Sirene Golf Resort and TAT Beach Golf Resort There are 5 new golf courses being developed at the moment, ranging from 18 holes to 36 holes. The most prestigious of these is the “Faldo Championship Golf Course”. Due for completion January 2007, it will be ranked in the top 10 best golf courses in the world. With a $10 million investment budget, it’s 1,450,000 m² land site hosts 9 lakes and a 4,200m² club house.
SCUBA DIVING
The interesting flora, a variety of underwater marine life and especially the enticing underwater caverns and caves have made Alanya a popular dive resort. Most of the dive sites are situated around the coastline of the Alanya Castle.
The close proximity of these dive sites makes them easily accessible. There are a number of PADI approved dive schools located around Alanya offering different courses in diving and you can also hire boats and equipment. Some sites are also very suitable for night dives.
WHITE WATER RAFTING
Rafting is by far one the most exciting tour excursions to take while staying in Alanya. This activity is suitable for all ages and while the rapids are thrilling they could not be described as death defying but nonetheless, provide plenty of thrills and spills for all involved. Most rafting takes place on the Alara River which is located approximately 45 minutes South West of Alanya and is easily accessible by car or bus. For further information regarding these activities please refer to www.ecovanture.com or a travel agent of your choice.
SKIING
Just 2 hours drive from the golden beaches of Alanya lies the Saklikent Ski Resort part of the Beydag mountain range.
Between mid-December and mid-April every year one can enjoy a variety of winter sports in this beautiful location making it possible to ski in the mornings and then drive back to the coast and enjoy bathing in the warm waters of the Mediterranean in the afternoons.
DIMCAYI
The Dimcayi River (only 6 km outside of Alanya) springs from the Taurus Mountains and flows to the Mediterranean Sea.
The cool water in this popular beauty-spot guarantees a refreshing swim on a hot summer’s day. This area is particularly famous for its river picnic areas and fresh fish restaurants located on the river banks. Meals are reasonably priced and in general it makes for a nice day out for the family. Sundays can tend to be a little crowded in the summers.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Alanya also has a wide range of other activities available such as:
Scuba Diving
Skiing
Fishing
Mountaineering
Horseback Riding
Paragliding
NIGHT LIFE
You can take your pick in Alanya from a large number of bars, cafes, music bars, pubs and nightclubs. The ‘party mile’ plays host to a vast array of entertainment all year round. Many of the bars stay open until 3am or 4am, including the busy Robin Hood, where you can drink in the open air or pick from four floors of music and dancing. The Bistro Bellman and James Dean are also highly recommended as places to enjoy a late night on the town. The nightlife in Alanya offers something for everyone, from those who enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere, to those who want to boogie the night away.
THE MARINA
The Alanya marina is filled with colourful boats and yachts and there are restaurants offering fresh seafood and bars at which to enjoy a refreshing drink. Boat trips depart from the marina on a regular basis bringing guests along the coast of Alanya or to visit the many spectacular caves in the surrounding area. The island of Cyprus is only a 2½ – 3 hour ferry ride away from Alanya, and cruise ships depart regularly every week from Alanya in the summer to Cyprus.
HISTORICAL FACTS
To the east and west of Alanya lie inviting turquoise seas fringed by extensive golden beaches. The magnificent Taurus Mountains provide a breathtaking backdrop to this enchanting resort. Crowning the headland is a sprinkling of Citadel towers and just below is a delightful harbour guarded by the Red Tower, an unusual building dating from 1225.
Kizil Kule (The Red Tower)
is a magnificent structure that stands over 33m high and keeps guard over the harbour.
The battlements near the top of the tower were used to pour tar onto the heads of attacking enemies. The name comes from the red colour of the bricks and stones that were used in its construction.
Damlatas Cave
is a beautiful and unusual natural feature. It is filled with multicoloured stalagmites and stalactites which are proclaimed to have beneficial properties for asthmatics.
Alanya Castle
a truly monumental fortress built in 1232, is renowned for being one of the sturdiest and most splendid of all fortresses in Turkey today and offers an outstanding vantage point from which to view the city. Built by the Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat, it has a total of 140 towers and stretches for 6,400m. This architectural feature dominates the skyline and is one of the most prominent features of the Alanya cityscape.
TOURS
Pamukkale (Cotton Castle)
is a spectacular rock formation of limestone castles and dazzling white terraces which cascade downwards creating a glittering environment. There are waterfalls and pools to swim in and the water here is an average of 36°Celsius all year round. These hot springs and warm waters are believed to cure a myriad of ills from heart disease to rheumatism.
Cappadocia
was formed when the volcano Mount Erciyes erupted and spilled its lava out over the surrounding landscape. This eruption created a fascinating moon-like landscape. This site is well worth a visit to view the underground cities which were constructed and inhabited by Christian exiles approximately 2000 years ago.
RECENTLY COMPLETED DEVELOPMENTS IN ALANYA
Alanyum Shopping Centre:
Located in the Oba district, this shopping complex has numerous boutiques, jewellery shops, restaurants and cafés, a large supermarket, toy store, music shops and cinemas. The top floor has a dedicated computer games area for children, creche area and a number of Turkish takeaways.
Metro:
Also located in Oba, Metro is a wholesale outlet stocking a large range of european products, including furniture, food, electronics, household items etc.
Aqua Park:
There is a large 2.5 acre Aqua park in the centre of Alanya open 7 days a week from 9am to 8pm throughout the summer season.
Bowling Alley:
In 2005 the first bowling alley was opened in Oba, Alanya.
Tennis Courts and Mini Golf:
These public facilities are situated in the centre of Alanya and are open 7 days a week
Tespo and Migros Supermarket:
These large modern supermarkets supply all major packaged food brands, with a specialist fresh food section supplying fish and meat. There is also a delicatessen and patisserie.
FORTHCOMING DEVELOPMENTS IN ALANYA
Alanya Marina:
Construction started in 1997, and already its main and secondary breakwaters, light towers and piers are finished. Alanya’s marina currently plays host to a number of international cruise ships as well as hundreds of smaller gullet tour boats.
Akdag Winter Sports, Skiing & Tourism Centre:
This project is developed by the Ministry of Tourism to further stimulate winter tourism in the Alanya area. It will facilitate winter sports and skiing enthusiasts of all levels, with a capacity of up to 3,000 people. It will be approximately 40km from Alanya. Construction date yet to be confirmed.
Gazipasa Airport:
Gazipasa Airport just 35 km away from Alanya.
It’s long awaited opening date has yet to be confirmed.
Dim Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant:
Located on Alanya Dim River it’s construction started in 1997. It is planned that this project will be completed in 2009. The dam will have 3 functions which are; irrigation, producing drinking water and energy.
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
According to the International Monetary Fund’s semi-annual World Economic Outlook, Turkey was the 19th largest economy in the world in terms of GDP in 2005 and will become the 17th biggest by next year. In 1993 to 2002, Turkey achieved average annual growth of only 2.6 per cent. Over the following three years, it achieved growth rates of 5.9 per cent, 9.9 per cent and 7.6 per cent. As global investment bank Morgan Stanley has pointed out, cumulative growth over the past four years has been 32 per cent. The bank agrees with Turkey’s economic planners who are expecting growth to average 7 per cent a year in the period from 2007 to 2013.
Price Waterhouse Coopers has identified Turkey as one of the seven largest emerging economies of the World: ‘E7’ (Turkey, China, India, Brazil, Russia, Indonesia and Mexico). They forecast that by 2050 these economies will be around 25% larger than the current G7 (US, Japan, Germany, UK, France, Italy and Canada) measured in dollar terms at market exchange rates.
(Price Waterhouse Coopers Economic Outlook 2006)
(Price Waterhouse Coopers Economic Outlook 2006)
REAL ESTATE
The Turkish real estate sector has gained prominence, coming into the limelight for both local and foreign companies; reflecting developments in the economy, such as the decrease in inflation to conceivable levels, the achieving of price stability, and the transition to the New Turkish Lira and political developments, such as European Union candidacy.
The 2005 and 2006 results of the survey Emerging Trends in Real Estate Europe, prepared jointly by Price Waterhouse Coopers and the Urban Land Institute clearly indicate increasing local and foreign interest in the Turkish real estate sector.
(Price Waterhouse Coopers Economic Outlook 2006)
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
Foreign investment has begun to flood into the country. Last year, it attracted nearly $10 billion, a record, and is expected to surpass that this year, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF). Turkey’s economic development plan is anticipating that Foreign Direct Investment will average $12 billion a year from now until 2013.
According to the latest Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index compiled by A.T. Kearney, Turkey now ranks the 13th most attractive market for foreign investors, its highest position so far. Turkey came 7th in the list of countries in which investors are considering first-time investments over the next three years. Europeans are the most optimistic – Italian investors now rank Turkey as their number one FDI location, ahead of China and India.
TOURISM
Turkey is also benefiting from growing popularity as a holiday destination. In 2005, the country earned more than $18 billion in revenues from tourism. A record 26 million tourists, mostly from Western Europe, are expected to visit Turkey this year, bringing the country an estimated $19 billion in revenue, according to the Turkish Association of Travel Agents. Growth in visitor numbers has been very strong, jumping to a total of more than 21 million in 2005, an increase of more than 20 per cent compared with 2004, the Turkish Statistics Institute reported. This means that Turkey has hit the figure that had been projected for 2010 – five years early. New regulations designed to stimulate foreigners buying property in Turkey, have also contributed to the recent boom in the purchase of second homes
BANKING
All banks in Turkey are subject to the Banks Act and related governing building laws. The Banks Association of Turkey (BAT, or Turkish TBB) is the representative body of the banking sector in Turkey established for protecting and promoting the professional interests of its members. As of January 2006, there are a total of 47 banks (including 7 foreign banks) operating with 6162 branches in Turkey and 52 branches abroad. The new mortgage law and other relevant laws with regards to the regulation and supervision of the property market will be enacted by the end 2006. (Turkish Embassy London)
MONETARY SYSTEM
The national monetary unit is the Turkish Lira (TL) and the Kurus coinage . The exchange rates for foreign currencies are published daily and the Euro is widely accepted throughout Turkey. Banknotes are in denominations of 200TL, 100TL, 50TL, 20TL, 10TL, 5TL and 1TL, (at time of publishing 1TL equals approx. €0.52) Euro checks can be cashed immediately as can traveller’s checks upon production of identification. All major credit cards are accepted.
Currency exchange offices in central locations are generally open until midnight.
CONSTRUCTION
The construction sector is highly developed in Turkey, with contractors operating nationwide as well as abroad. Being
the third largest sector of the economy, after foodstuffs and textiles, the Turkish construction sector accounts for 6.5% of GNP.
HEALTH AND MEDICAL TOURISM
Due to modifications in health policies of some European countries in recent years, several social health practices like
“dental treatment and cosmetic surgery” have been excluded from insurance coverage. Consequently, patients from
such countries have started to seek new alternatives of treatment in countries where such services are provided at much
lower costs and without delay but with equal success. Among these alternative destinations Turkey is preferred thanks
to its close location to European countries (meaning easy transportation), abundancy and efficiency of private health
institutions with state-of-the-art technology and qualified medical and service personnel. Another reason is that medical
and surgical operations performed by Turkish doctors using contemporary methods, as rule can be significantly cheaper
than that of their European counterparts. Every year approximately 200.000 tourists visit Turkey for Health & Medical
Tourism. These include procedures such as eye laser treatment, liposuction and hair transplants for men.
DENTISTS IN ALANYA
Dental Clinics in Alanya focus on cosmetic dentistry including porcelain veneers, crowns, bridges, cosmetic bonding and contouring, reshaping, bleaching, whitening and other cosmetic, restorative and reconstructive procedures.
TURKISH BATH
Taking a Turkish bath is an experience rarely forgotten. It involves been taken through a series of different exfoliation
processes in what is commonly referred to as the hamam, which is heated by a continuous flow of hot dry air allowing
the bather to perspire freely. Bathers may then move to an ever hotter room (known as the hot room) before plunging
themselves into a cold pool. After receiving a full body wash and a fully body massage the bathers finally retire to
the cooling-room for a period of relaxation.
BEAUTY SALONS
There are many excellent beauty salons in Alanya offering a wide range of treatments. These include manicures, pedicures,
massage, facials, eyelash tinting, anti-cellulite treatments and much more.