The coast of Turkey is associated with a comfortable and relatively cheap vacation. This explains the country's popularity among Russian tourists. The most popular are tours to Antalya. But other Turkish resorts are not inferior to it either: Belek, Side, Marmaris, Alania, etc. Let us dwell on the latter. Holidays in Alanya is known as one of the most economical. Mostly student and youth companies come here who are not particularly worried about living conditions. However, this does not mean that the level of service in Alanya hotels is low. Not at all. Local hotels, as well as throughout Turkey, operate on an all-inclusive basis (of course, we are talking about 3-5-star hotels) and offer an acceptable service that meets European standards. This resort has a large number of five-star hotels, but for reasons of economy, most Russian tourists choose 4-star hotels. A hotel of this level is Ares Hotel 4 *. It is located in the village of Mahmutlar, 8 km from Alanya. This hotel is often offered to its customers by Russian travel agencies. Read more about the resort of Alanya, the village of Mahmutlar and the Hotel Ares 4 * itself.
General description of the resort Alanya
At first glance, this resort, which is located on a small peninsula at the foot of the Taurus Mountains, will seem to you somehow bare and empty. Indeed, on the coastal strip vegetation is very sparse. Therefore, the administration of each of the hotels is trying to make up for this natural deficiency by planting its own territories with palm trees and flowering plants. This picture can be found in Ares Hotel (Alanya) 4 *. Spreading palm trees and evergreen shrubs grow on its small territory near the pool, but the beach is completely different from the sea, rather - on the banks of a river or pond with some strange thickets of weeds and places of yellowed grass. By the way, precisely because of this, many tourists are disappointed with the Ares 4 * hotel. Their reviews about the beach, and about the underpass leading to it, are often negative. However, this is a misfortune not only of this hotel, but of the entire resort. Therefore, prices here are an order of magnitude lower than in other places, and tourists should understand this. And Ares Hotel 4 * is located in the territory next to which new hotels are being built, so there is hope that in a few years everything will be different here - cleaner and greener. In general, Alanya is very nice. The weather conditions are especially pleasing: non-hot summers and mild winters, and the beach season lasts from mid-April almost until the beginning of December. As for the administrative division of the resort, Alanya consists of several areas: Incekum, Avsallar, Mahmutlar (the Ares 4 * hotel is located here) and others. The nearest international airport is in Antalya, and from there you can get to Alanya by car for a maximum of 2 hours .
Mahmutlar village
This resort is one of the most budgetary not only in Alanya, but also on the entire Turkish coast. And this is primarily due to its remoteness from the main transport hub - Antalya Airport. Even in season, prices for holidays in Mahmutlar are low. For example, a weekly tour to the Ares 4 * hotel for two persons will cost 37-38 thousand rubles. Another distinctive feature of the resort is the highway, which separates the hotel buildings from the beach, which, of course, are underpasses. Many tourists, being here, immediately begin to think that due to the noise of the road their vacation will be spoiled, and regret that they bought a ticket to Ares Hotel Alanya 4 *. The reviews left by them testify to this. In fact, not everything is so bad here. After all, as at any other beach resort, the most important thing is the sea. And it is off the coast of Alanya warm, affectionate and incredibly beautiful emerald hue. The mountain landscape that opens before your eyes is also wonderful if you stand with your back to the sea: beautiful mountains, on the slopes of which grow dense pine forests framed by bizarre rocks.
Ares Hotel (Alanya) 4 *: location and general description
The hotel, as noted above, is located in Mahmutlar on the second beach line, more precisely, 60 meters from the beach, across the road. It covers an area of almost 3,500 square meters. m. The construction of a 5-storey hotel building was completed in 2002, and the most recent reconstruction was made in 2009. Thanks to this, all hotel rooms look modern and tidy. The same applies to the entire territory of the Ares 4 * hotel, which has a well-developed infrastructure.
Number of rooms
The hotel has a total of 106 rooms of various categories, namely:
- Suite (4 rooms);
- double standard (39);
- triple standard (46);
- angular (16);
- Disabled room.
All rooms, regardless of category, are equipped with a bathroom with a shower, a hairdryer, satellite TV and air conditioning (for a fee), a balcony, a minibar, a safe (for a fee), a telephone, etc. The rooms are cleaned daily, and linen is changed twice in a week. Regarding the quality of room service at Ares Hotel (Alanya) 4 *, the reviews from tourists are mostly positive. Many even express gratitude to the staff for their increased attention to cleanliness and order, as well as for their friendliness and helpful attitude.
Hotel Facilities
In Ares 4 * the following paid services are provided to tourists:
- laundry and dry cleaning;
- parking;
- doctor services;
- Rent a Car;
- massage room;
- beauty salon (hairdresser-makeup artist);
- sauna and hammam;
- concierge service;
- tour agency;
- luggage storage;
- wireless Internet;
- transfer, etc.
Nutrition
Hotel Ares (Alanya) 4 *, like most hotels in Turkey, operates on an all-inclusive (all-inclusive) system. This means that the price includes four meals a day in the restaurant, where a buffet is served, which includes local and European dishes. It works from 10.00 to 23.00. During the day, tourists can also use the snack bar, which provides them with various snacks and drinks of local origin. There is no separate children's menu at the hotel, however, you can always find dishes in the diverse list that are suitable for baby food. But ice cream, Turkish coffee, freshly squeezed juices can be ordered for a fee.
Beach
As noted above, an underground passage leads to the beach from the hotel. Indeed, despite the close distance, they are separated by a freeway. On the beach, tourists can use the sunbeds (free). However, for umbrellas, towels and mattresses you need to leave a deposit. Here you can take advantage of a wide variety of water activities: scooter, banana, ski, catamaran, etc.
Hotel infrastructure
Despite the fact that the territory of the Ares 4 * hotel is not so big, there is everything necessary for an interesting holiday for both adult tourists and children, namely:
- open pool;
- gym;
- fitness club;
- billiards;
- darts;
- table tennis;
- volleyball (on the beach);
- sauna;
- hammam;
- one restaurant;
- two bars;
- parking etc.
Entertainment
In the evenings, a fun Turkish Night show program is held on site for tourists. For those guests who like to sit in front of the TV, there is a TV club. For kids, the hotel has a playground, a children's pool, a club, daytime animation, consisting of sports competitions, logical quizzes and contests. Babysitting services are available for the little ones .
Ares Hotel 4 *: guest reviews and ratings
Unfortunately, if we summarize the reviews of tourists, then there will be much less pros than cons. The main complaints are about the hotel infrastructure. Tourists are bored here. The beach is not like because of the rocky entrance, and because of the lack of fresh equipment. Many tourists also complain about food, considering it monotonous and not appropriate for 4 stars. Regarding the arrangement of rooms and service, the ratings are much higher, but this aspect, according to vacationers, does not always correspond to the category of the hotel. However, no one can complain about excursions, because the historical heritage of the peoples that lived for many thousands of years in this territory is worth a lot of attention of tourists.
Excursions and attractions of Alanya
The ancient cities of Laertes and Siedra were once located on the site of Mahmutlar. Excursions to their ruins are very interesting and informative. In Alanya, 12 km from Mahmutlar, on the top of a hill, the well-preserved Byzantine fortress Ich-Kale (Turkish name) flaunts. The length of the walls with 140 towers is 6.5 km. They look especially beautiful in the evening, when the original backlight turns on. Inside, the ruins of a medieval castle (13th century), a Christian church, a bathhouse, etc. are preserved. The territory of the fortress is considered an open-air museum and the main point in the route of any excursion. There are other buildings in the city dating from the 13th century: a mosque, which was built by order of Sultan Alla ad-Din Keykubat I, the mausoleum of Vladyka Aksebe Turbesi and the Tersane shipyard, etc.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many historical sights, Byzantine castles and palaces, fortresses with towers and other fortifications, as well as the architectural heritage of the Seljuk Turks for lovers of educational holidays in Alanya. Tourists will certainly be satisfied with this side of the trip. As for the Ares 4 * hotel, vacationers buying a cheap tour should be aware that the service at such rates will be average, and you should not demand royal luxury from the hotel.