After spending two full relaxing days in Marmaris, it was time to say goodbye. It felt so good to be back on our bikes now that we were full of energy and ready to conquer the road. With only one night separating us from our scheduled return ticket from Mersin back to Lebanon in the same ferry that had brought us 12 days earlier, we had to compensate for the one-day delay caused by staying for three nights in Marmaris. That meant riding a bit farther than Fethiyeh to go at least halfway from Silifke commercial port. After checking our options on the maps, we decided to ride all the way to Alanya, passing by Fethiyeh and Antalya without a major stop. It would take 6½ hours to complete this ride of over 450 km (279.6 miles), and we were all set and ready to go. We decided to take the coastal road to make the ride more interesting. Through mountains and hills, we rode our way towards Alanya while savoring the occasional view of the sea. In the background, green mountains reached the sea, some leading onto a sandy shore while others ended with a cliff overhanging the sea.
This Post is part of 15-day motorbike ride from Lebanon to Bulgaria across Turkey and back. Use the links at the end of the post for more insights about this adventure, the challenges and achievements
With few stops along the way, we reached the lovely town of Alanya at about 4 o’clock that afternoon. Chantal had done her job on the way and found a couple of hotels. Checking the Lemon Villa Boutique Hotel, we immediately fell in love with it. While parking the bikes in front of the hotel, Oscar Mama emerged to give us an enthusiastic welcome. She was the mother of Oscar, who owned and managed this nine-roomed old house that had been renovated. Each room had a unique theme. The lady was so friendly and hospitable, and although she spoke little English, she was able to communicate with us and made us understand that she liked our motorbikes. She even got on my bike for a photo—what a funny lovable lady!
That evening we went to a restaurant just up the road from the harbor, and had a real seafood treat at Iskele Sofrasi (the Father and Son Place) as the sign read. This family-owned restaurant had been serving some of the finest and freshest food in the town for over three generations. We sat on the terrace overlooking the harbor drinking cold beer while waiting for the food to be served, and enjoyed watching this colorful and vibrant city from a short distance. Later in the evening, just for fun, we went on an interesting trip on the city tour train for about 45 minutes. This was our last night, and we wanted it to last. We were back in our rooms just before midnight.
Read the whole adventure, day by day. Click on the links below
- TAKING THE FERRY BOAT FROM TRIPOLI, LEBANON TO MERSIN, TURKEY
- THE ROAD IS OURS: DESTINATION CAPPADOCIA
- UP AND ABOVE CAPPADOCIA
- THE ROAD TO ANKARA
- CROWDED ISTANBUL
- FROM WHEAT FIELDS TO SUNFLOWERS AT THE BULGARIAN BORDERS
- A PROMISE IS A CLOUD; FULFILLMENT IS RAIN
- WEATHERED IN VARNA
- LONG ROAD TO A SECLUDED BEACH HOTEL
- THANK YOU BODRUM FOR THE BREAK!
- THE BEACH IS CALLING! MARMARIS
- ON THE ROAD AGAIN
- BACK TO SQUARE ONE
- HOW DID IT ALL START?
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