Alaçatı, Turkey. Days 139 – 141 September 15th to 17th 2019
“It’s the place for famous people and footballers” said the woman in Selçuk – of Alaçatı. A fortunate and timely resetting of expectations. The next day we were heading to Alaçatı where I was expecting a small, stone housed village on the sea.
We arrived in a bus full of young women adorned with designer clothing, false eyelashes and lashings of perfume. As we got off the bus a line of restaurants and souveneir shops directed the way to the centre.
At the top of the village we stopped for a quick lunch that became a long sit-and-watch as as our fellow tourists wandered up and down. Many seemed to be re-enacting lifestyles of the rich and famous – all sampling what Alaçatı had to offer. For us, our first lunch was a simple and quite delicious Adana Kebap. The sun was strong but a breeze, awnings and stone buildings shading the streets made it a pleasant sit.
Once fed we set off with our bags bumping over the cobbles – why did I take the back-pack system out of my beloved Osprey for this trip! We made our way through cobbled streets crammed with tables, chairs, sofas, and decoration of many styles eventually popping out the other end. Finding our delicious little hotel down a narrow laneway.
And so began a few days of not a lot and loveliness. Loveliness from the people we met; from the town of stone houses and bougainvillea; from the restaurants we were recommended or stumbled upon ourselves. Mostly though we had time to catch up on writing and the stuff that follows you around the world – bills, tax etc.
The first day I woke with enthusiastic plans – we would take a long walk to the marina one day and the beach the next. After a hot walk to nowhere. and turning back before we could find the marina – the enthusiasm waned. We did pass wetlands filled with birdlife, we did come to an enclave of large houses with large boats parked at the door. No entrance and no way through said the large dogs at the gated entrance. Enthusiasm over we returned to our little home.
Our home was Lilyum Alaçatı – Stone House, our room was a perfectly decorated place with a door to the tree and plant lined interior courtyard and another door to the tiny cobbled entrance lane. From breakfast to detail this hotel was a delight.
Breakfast – we had read about the breakfasts and this time expectations were more than met. A delightful time to sit in the Bougainvillea filled courtyard as our table was exquisitely piled with homemade delights: olives, cheese, preserves, pastries, fresh tomato and cucumber sprinkled with olive oil and sesame seeds and on and on. With endless cups of çay breakfast was a feast of colour, taste and pleasure.
Our days were spent in the courtyard until cabin fever sent us out exploring the streets of stone houses.
Evenings were spent trying out the restaurants recommended by our host and wandering the lively streets and laneways where we found a nightcap before bed. Our first was up a dark laneway where we spied a neon sign “Nook” – there we sat in the cover of the building opposite with our cocktail and watched the life of a cocktail bar play out before us.
On our last night, again out of the main populace area we found “Kult”. As we walked in the lovely waiter commented “What positive energy you two have”. Made our night – followed by a delicious cocktail of Gin, lime and herbs.
Daytime strolls always found new street art, new streets of picture-perfect houses, new ingeniously decorated bars and restaurants.
We did spend quite a bit of time eating or sitting in one of the many cafes enjoying watching the parade of people through Alacati. One lovely afternoon spot we found was Lokmacati. We stopped for a cool drink and the service was so warm and friendly we kept ordering. In the end we were given a little treat of Lokma with a twist – served with chocolate icecream.
Delightful dinners included our first night at Fava. Beautiful courtyard dining, delicious Meze and seafood. Expensive by Turkish standards but a superb night. And our last night dining at Asma Yapragi. Luckily we had booked earlier. What a treat – being taken to the kitchen to choose from a selection of dishes piled high on a central table.
