Describe a place you went to on holiday when you were a child

When I was about eight years old, my parents took me and my sister on holiday to a small seaside town in Turkey called Alanya. We went in August, and it was the first time any of us had been abroad, so it felt like a huge adventure.

We stayed in a modest hotel about five minutes from the beach, and I remember that the breakfast buffet was the best part of the day for me, because I could have as many pancakes as I wanted. During the days, we spent most of our time on the sand. My sister and I built enormous sandcastles and collected shells, while my father tried, unsuccessfully, to teach us how to swim properly. In the evenings, we walked along the promenade, ate ice cream and watched street performers. One afternoon we took a boat trip to a cave, and I was both terrified and delighted when a dolphin appeared next to the boat.

I remember this place so well for a few reasons. It was my first real experience of the sea, so everything seemed new and magical. It was also a rare time when both my parents were completely relaxed, because they were not thinking about work. We have photographs from that holiday on the wall at home, and whenever I look at them, I can almost smell the sunscreen and the salt water. Looking back, I realise that the holiday was not luxurious at all, but it is still one of my fondest memories, and we keep saying that we should return as a family.