‘I took a halal beach holiday for women in Turkey’
The coastal town of Alanya has a reputation for Muslim-friendly resorts, but some cater especially well for female travellers, as our writer discovers
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Stretched out on a sunbed in Alanya, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, I watch the waves gently lap the shore and sigh. I’m feeling at peace not just because I’m at a luxury beach resort but because, for the first time in my life, I am free to lie here wearing whatever I like, as are the Muslim women around me, without anyone giving us a second glance.
There is something quite magical about watching women swim, sunbathe or play with their children in whatever swimwear they want, as the adhan echoes from a nearby camii (Turkish mosque).
Turkey’s riviera has long been a go-to getaway for Vitamin D-starved Brits seeking sun and sea, and with its azure water, spotless beaches and abundant all-inclusive resorts, it’s easy to see why. But when you are the only woman wearing a burkini instead of a bikini, when the scent of alcohol greets you on every hotel terrace, and when you feel under pressure to be back in your hotel room by 9:30pm sharp before the resort is flooded by people drinking and dancing, it is difficult not to feel out of place, despite Turkey being a historically Muslim country.
However in Alanya on the Turkish riviera there are several purpose-built halal resorts where Muslim travellers can holiday while also meeting their religious obligations. Crescent Rating, widely considered the world’s leading authority on halal travel, defines a halal resort by several criteria: no alcohol is served; there are gender-segregated beaches, pools and leisure amenities; prayer rooms and wudu areas are available; and there are no faith restrictions, such as bans on hijabs or burkinis. The latter is something many female Muslim holidaymakers encounter on public beaches in France, for example, and even at certain private resorts in Muslim countries such as Egypt.
The global halal tourism market that emerged two decades ago reached £188bn (US$245bn) in revenue in 2022, according to a Credence Research report, and there were 145 million Muslim international arrivals in 2023, a rapid recovery to 90% of pre-Covid levels. This has been attributed to the growing Muslim population, an increase in disposable income, and simply a growing desire to both travel and travel halal.
Turkey is currently ranked fourth in the Global Muslim Travel Index when it comes to accommodating the needs of Muslim travellers. It is also in the top 10 (number 7) Muslim women-friendly destinations, which are rated for safety, faith-based experiences and women-only facilities.
Yet finding a 100% halal resort on the internet can be a minefield, which is why specialist booking websites such as Halalbooking, which bring together halal-friendly hotels, resorts and travel experiences in one place, can be worthwhile. Halalbooking doesn’t have a “100% halal” feature because it is up to the individual to determine their own idea of a halal holiday; instead, filters and checkboxes can be used to prioritise different features.
As a female Muslim traveller, my number-one priority in a resort is women-only amenities; the second is that it’s alcohol-free. Of the 315 Alanya hotels listed on Halalbooking, 31 are alcohol-free, six have fully secluded ladies-only beaches, 14 have ladies-only pools and 21 have ladies-only spas.
When I visit all-inclusive resort Bera Alanya, I find every aspect of holidaying as a Muslim has been considered. A quaint straw prayer hut erected on the mixed beach means I don’t have to rush back to my room at prayer time; I can simply make wudu in the sea or under the beach showers and pray there. There is no need to worry about bacon being on the breakfast buffet — as is the case in some Turkish resorts — because all food is strictly halal and there is not a drop of alcohol in sight. Bera Alanya even has its own mosque that holds Jum’ah prayers on Fridays, with an imam to deliver the khutbah.
From above, the five-star beachfront resort looks like a colossal cruise liner, and inside the rooms have balconies overlooking the inner atrium. As I pass through on my way to breakfast, the melodic sound of Qur’an rings out from the non-alcoholic bar, which serves homemade lemonade, hot drinks and thick Turkish coffee — a beautiful way to start the day.
The blue flag beach at Bera Alanya is mixed but family-friendly and governed by modest swimwear requirements. The beach itself is flawless — there is no risk of stepping on discarded plasters or cigarette butts with your bare feet here, something I have encountered at other resorts.
The real showstopper is the women-only rooftop pool and terrace, which is open daily from 9:30am. Guests must first hand in their phones to the female hotel staff and then can then relax, sunbathe and swim in the attire they feel most comfortable in, or sit and socialise on the terrace overlooking the beach, enjoying free cold drinks and snacks from the female-staffed bar.
There is a separate pool for men, along with separate men’s and women’s spas, which include indoor pools, Jacuzzis, steam rooms and gyms. This means that as a female Muslim you are free to work out in the gymwear of your choice, swim indoors in a women-only environment, and not risk running into male staff or guests between treatment rooms.
In the evenings, there is family friendly entertainment. When I visited, a semi-finalist from Turkey’s The Voice, Cüneyt Güzel, was performing in the amphitheatre. While there is no dancing, cheers and claps convey the audience’s appreciation.
The resort’s general manager, Ruhat Ülgen Cengiz, reminds her staff that the arrival of a guest is a divine favour. “Hospitality is important in particular to Muslims, and I always tell my employees they should take the example of the Prophet Muhammad and how he served his guests and looked after them himself,” she says. “If someone comes to your house and you’re poor and you have only got one piece of bread, you give them half of it.”
Nearby Adin Beach Hotel is one of only six beach hotels and resorts in Alanya to offer a fully secluded beach for women. The ultra-luxurious hotel was constructed away from its women’s beach, and the billowing blue and beige sails erected around the swimming zone means there is no way for anybody to see in.
A small mixed beach divides the women’s and men’s beaches, with a corridor of snack bars and a grill restaurant running along it. Adjacent to the women’s beach is an outdoor pool, shielded from the main road by groves of palm trees.
The gender-segregated beaches also have their own prayer facilities and whether you are at the women’s spa and Turkish hammam or the snack bar beside the outdoor pool, there is an overarching sense of freedom holidaying in spaces made strictly for women.
The all-important question remains – what happens at 9:30pm, the time at which the drinking and dancing starts at non-halal resorts? At Adin, the resort does not shut down; instead, Muslim families enjoy the cooler night air on a long stretch of outdoor terrace overlooking the men’s beach and the sea, drinking virgin mojitos and Turkish coffee, talking late into the night or playing backgammon. A soft play gym and roleplay town next to the terrace, staffed by qualified childcare workers, means parents are free to socialise or have some me time in the knowledge their children are being taken care of nearby.
I left Alanya after four days not only feeling utterly relaxed — and rejuvenated, thanks to the ladies-only spa — but also spiritually content in the knowledge that during my holiday I was able to meet all my religious obligations.
Staying at halal resorts with women-only facilities enabled me to enjoy all the aspects of a holiday I usually miss out on when visiting non-Muslim countries, such as indoor pools and Jacuzzis. Rather than feel like the odd one out, I was surrounded by people like me who were all looking for the same things from their holiday — and nothing feels more relaxing than that.
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