Author Topic: Keith can..........in Kalkan!! (Read 73363 times)

Lizilu20 · « **Reply #60 on:** June 29, 2017, 04:41:11 PM »

keith - I've been on a diet since January,I think OH will have to physically restrain me from jumping over the counter and stuffing the lot in my face as I'm seriously having withdrawal symptoms from cheesecake and the like. I'm determined to have some in Kalkan though as a reward for being so virtuous

Bob & Jayne · « **Reply #61 on:** June 29, 2017, 06:29:46 PM »

Definitely like the sound of the large pastries Keith, Lizzie we can always share and as for coffee, not sure what you mean?

??

kalkan4eva · « **Reply #62 on:** June 29, 2017, 11:01:37 PM »

Lovely reports keith...still looking out for you in Moonlight but I think we are getting there a bit later than you. We always sit on the veranda with our friend Roy so keep an eye out for us, would be lovely to say hello!

The patisserie you were looking for is past the Nur and next door to Atta, opposite side to Nur Pattiserie. The cakes and pastries look amazing, we popped in last week because we were hoping to see one of the staff. I can't partake sadly so now and again BH goes on temporary cake strike to make me feel better so we didn't purchase any.

Hopefully keith can...find the patisserie...in Kalkan

keith · « **Reply #63 on:** June 30, 2017, 10:31:58 AM »

Yesterday was yet another glorious day in Kalkan. I awoke at the crack of dawn.....05.45am to be precise and was immediately wide awake. Tracey was still sleeping and so I made myself a coffee and sat on the balcony watching the fishing boats in the bay. The sea air was refreshing and comfortable compared to heavy heat of the previous evening. Before I knew it an hour had elapsed and Tracey was stirring from her slumber. I decided to treat her to a coffee in bed (another thing to add to my list of firsts on this visit). We both sat on the balcony watching the world go by.........this really is my idea of heaven. As the Sun pops its head over the hillside there is a noticeable change in the temperature and we know that it is going to be another hot hot hot day.

We go through our daily routine of tidying the villa (not that there's any real tidying to do), make the bed and wash up our two coffee cups and two wine glasses from the previous evening. It's a tough life!! We are going to have another day around the pool today as, unlike K4E, I can't muster the energy to go for a walk. This is yet another first for me as I normally enjoy a walk up to the Kalkan Recency, down to the coastal path and along to the harbour for a refreshing drink. As Chris_s says.....rehydration is very important especially in this heat. Before we know it the time has raced by and it's time to get ready for our pre-dinner drinks and evening meal.

We stop off at Bezirgans tonight as we had been toying with the idea of eating at the Old Friends restaurant. A couple of G&T's and Efes hit the spot and we sit and watch Tukka (The black and white puppy) go about his normal antics of antagonising the other much larger dogs. He also enjoys a playful wrestle with the hair barber's Pug. This is a bit unfair as the Pug is tethered to a post and is therefore less able to defend himself. Tired of playing with his canine friends he sets about chewing at the bar tables and chairs and has a sneeky attempt at someones handbag. He then scampers off to chase a cat before finally grabbing the hem of a passing girls maxi dress. She is able to see the funny side (obviously a dog lover) and eventually her partner manages to release her dress from Tukka's jaws. Thankfully there is no damage done and everyone has a laugh.

We cross the road to peruse the menu and Tracey suggests that we could always try Kaya restaurant. She has read some good posts on people's dining experiences there and we agree to give it a go. We are given a warm welcome and take our seats. I choose the mixed borek for starters (Tracey now only eats the complimentary bread and dips that are provided and shares my starter). We both pick a main from the menu when the waiter points out the specials of the day. The two options were stuffed whole aubergine or slow cooked lamb. We opt for one of each. I have to admit that I'm pleased that we followed his suggestion as both of the dishes were succulent and possibly the best meal that we have had thus far.

Suitably full we call into Migros to pick up some fresh provisions; namely tonic water and wine. Having made our selection we head to the till. Shock horror the checkout operative informs us that they cannot sell alcohol after 10.00pm and points to a sign. Of well we will have to settle for G&T's tonight.

Keith can........never tire of the views.........in Kalkan

Blue Lizard · « **Reply #64 on:** June 30, 2017, 12:47:27 PM »

Glad you liked the food in The Kaya.Iso is a very talented chef and they are nice people.Heres hoping business picks up for them after the refurbishment they have spent out on.It is Lizard HQ when in Kalkan

keith · « **Reply #65 on:** July 01, 2017, 12:40:34 PM »

The expected mini heatwave has arrived with a vengeance. Not sure what the temperature peaked at yesterday but, boy, was it hot. Plans to walk into town were shelved as we both felt that it would be a very uncomfortable day for walking about. Instead we sought the sanctuary of a shaded area at the villa. Tracey has managed to read the three books that she brought with her and I have also finished my one. This is yet another first for me as I can't normally sit still for long enough.........it must be the calming effect that Kalkan always delivers.

Last night we had another change of plan and decided to stop off at Bezirgans for a pre-dinner drink. We only had the one as we intended to stop off at one of the bars down at the harbour. As we walked down past Akdeniz we noticed that there were a lot less people around tonight. We summise that a lot of the Turkish visitors have returned home. As we pass Akins we are approached by the proprietor who gave as a genuinely warm welcome. We normally always have lunch here but, for some reason, we haven't this year. We are persuaded to have a drink and both enjoy a glass, or should I say, a fishbowl of rose. Drinks consumed we continue our walk down to Seaport.

For some reason I am getting a lot of complimentary comments tonight. A couple of lads say how much they like my shirt and others comment on my Ray Bans and Toms. One even called me a very handsome man!?!?. Perhaps the heat has affected his mental capacity?

Seaport is extremely quiet in comparison to Tuesday night when the main terrace was full but we are happy to have our table overlooking the harbour and beach. Tracey had a delicious chicken and prawn meal and I opted for the peppered fillet steak all washed down with a nice bottle of wine. This has been my first steak of the holiday (I've been eating more tradional Turkish dishes) and I wasn't disappointed. It was cooked just as I had asked for and the tender meat melted in the mouth.

It is still very hot and so we decide to take a taxi back up to the rank. One last drink in Bezergans before picking up the essentials (wine and milk) and heading off home.

Keith can........receive some lovely and unexpected compliments......in Kalkan

keith · « **Reply #66 on:** July 02, 2017, 09:44:05 AM »

Trust us to be on holiday in Kalkan during a mini heatwave!! We normally come in September but are hoping to squeeze in two visits this year. Yesterday was far too hot to do anything that involved moving about and so, yet again, we settled for a day at the villa. This has got everything that we need, is in a lovely spot overlooking the harbour and has lots of outdoor space with a beautiful shaded garden. I am finding the heat to be really oppressive and so I won't be going home with a deep tan. Tracey is much more resilient and spends every possible minute soaking up the sun.

Last night we had pre-dinner drinks at Moonlight before eating at Akin. In my opinion they make the best prawn boreks in Kalkan. It is still very hot and Tracey and I struggle to finish our calamari and borek starters. Not a problem as they are quickly wrapped in silver foil ready to be consumed with a glass of wine on the roof terrace, later this evening. This is the first restaurant where they have asked if we want to wait a bit before our main course. We take them up on their offer as we both know that the heat has stolen our appetites. A good old cold meat salad would go down a treat. The mains duly arrive and, as we suspected, we really struggled to make much headway with them. We feel guilty that we have wasted so much food but this was one battle that we weren't going to win.

We take the opportunity to have a browse in Akin gallery and end up buying a nicely crafted glass fruit bowl. It is quite heavy but I'm confident that it won't take us over Monarch airlines baggage allowance. We then call into Authentic to share a birthday drink with Muzzy before catching up with Ibo in Kaptan. He seems in much better spirits despite not being allowed to sell reading glasses. He is extremely grateful for the support that he has received from his friends and customers. We then call into Melissa's so that I can buy some trousers and shirts. Shopping completed we head up to Bezirgans for a nightcap before going home. We decide that we won't open a bottle of wine and settle for G&T's to accompany our borek and calamari.

Keith can........thoroughly recommend that everyone should book a holiday.........in Kalkan

Lizilu20 · « **Reply #67 on:** July 02, 2017, 07:33:06 PM »

What lovely reports Keith. Boy that heat sounds oppressive. Hope it gets back to normal for August. It's bad enough having to go then as it's always far too hot, but to cope with normality and then a heatwave on top would be just too much to bear!

Glad Ibo is still going strong despite not being able to sell any more reading sunglasses. I was counting on buying another pair this August 😩

keith · « **Reply #68 on:** July 02, 2017, 09:08:55 PM »

Keith can......and has had the best two weeks ever.......In Kalkan

Final post will be written in England

Thanks to everyone that has replied to my posts.......very much appreciated.

janeb · « **Reply #69 on:** July 04, 2017, 04:00:40 PM »

Thank you so much for sharing your holiday with us; your words have transported me back to our favourite place.

chrissy1 · « **Reply #70 on:** July 04, 2017, 05:54:54 PM »

The patisserie you are looking for Keith is called Saliha Sultan directly opposite Finansbank and the kiddies park just before the fire station. You maybe didn't recognise it as it's a cafe/restaurant also but the cakes etc are all inside. It's definitely worth a visit for the cakes they are Devine, small individual cakes and larger birthday cake size, plus borers, pastries and baklava all delicious. My favourite is an individual cake called snickers which I think is self explanatory. They are beautiful cakes and definitely worth a visit. Just a heads up the fresh cakes are delivered around 1:30 pm every day.

keith · « **Reply #71 on:** July 04, 2017, 08:09:14 PM »

Sunday was the last day of our holiday and was spent trying to top up the tan......not very successful as it was still way too hot to sit or lay in the scorching sunlight. I needed to change some money to pay the outstanding balance of my purchases at Melissa's and decided to set off early before the heat became too unbearable. Wandering down through town it was extremely quiet with very few people about. Errand completed I quickly headed back to the sanctuary of the villa.
The rest of the day was spent around the villa and the disheartening job of packing the suitcases. This is when the painful realisation that your holiday is almost over hits and thoughts emerge of going back to the daily grind and pressures of everyday life. Kalkan has, yet again, managed to provide an oasis of calm and serenity in what has been a difficult year.
We have already decided that we will be having pre-dinner drinks at Bezirgans before eating our last supper at Kaya. As before a very enjoyable meal was had and, once completed, we were treated to some very well delivered card tricks. We bade our farewells and headed back home to polish off the remaining drops of G&T. We took in our last night-time view across the bay and reflected on what has been a wonderful two weeks. Whilst we will be sad to be leaving we are very grateful for having had this opportunity to get away to the place that we love.
We are up early on Monday (we want to squeeze every last second out of our holiday) and await our airport transfer which is booked for 09.30am. Disappointingly the car arrives at 09.15 am and so we do not get the chance to personally thank Ali and the maids for their efforts in making our vacation so enjoyable. Our driver sets off at a pace and Tracey comments that we could be in for a record run to the airport. After about 20 minutes we realised that the Police had set up checkpoints along the D400 and our car was eventually flagged down for a check. We suspect that our driver was aware that there would be potential delays; hence the earlier than expected pick up. After a 10-minute wait we were on our way again. Once out of sight of the Police the driver picked up the pace and we were in for a white knuckled drive to Dalaman.
We were amazed at how quickly we went through the various security checks and were soon in the departure lounge. Breakfast was a Burger King Whopper, fries and a vanilla milkshake. I personally think that the cost was equivalent to what you would pay in England. We had arrived 3 hours before our scheduled flight and could probably have had another hour in Kalkan. We bought our purchases in duty free and made our way to the departure gate. This is where you go through an extra search of your hand luggage and they check for signs of explosives. It wasn’t too onerous but, very thorough. We found it all to be very reassuring and would recommend that you get to the gate early to avoid the long queues that eventually built up.
The Monarch flight was about 30 minutes behind schedule but, after a good journey, we arrived in Gatwick 10 minutes later than scheduled. A bit of a wait in baggage reclamation and then we were soon on our way back home.

Keith can……………thoroughly recommend a holiday to Turkey and especially……. in Kalkan!!

That’s all folks………..I hope that you have enjoyed sharing our holiday experience.

Lizilu20 · « **Reply #72 on:** July 05, 2017, 01:48:49 PM »

Oh no, no more Keith reports

I hate going home day and prefer to just get it over with and get home as soon as possible. The night before is awful, saying goodbyes to all our friends

Sounds like you had a wonderful holiday and thanks for your reports. I've thoroughly enjoyed them all. Glad you arrived home safely too.

Keith can...write eloquent and entertaining holiday reports...in Kalkan

Bob & Jayne · « **Reply #73 on:** July 05, 2017, 03:15:40 PM »

Keith thank you too for your brilliant holiday reports, glad your home safely and imagine you are now thinking about next year's holiday too

keith · « **Reply #74 on:** July 05, 2017, 03:29:03 PM »

we're toying with the idea of going back in September. We've been offered the villa at a good price and are just trying to sort out a dog-sitter for our boxer. If we can get back I'll be back to write another set of holiday reports.

Keith can...........start to dream about a September holiday.......in Kalkan!!

kalkan4eva · « **Reply #75 on:** July 05, 2017, 05:59:26 PM »

Loved playing tag with you on EK, keith...only sorry we didn't get to say hello in person. Loved reading your reports, thanks so much for posting. I've absolutely no idea how we missed you as we both like Moonlight and were in the airport at the same time - albeit for different Monarch flights.
Maybe next year

Babs · « **Reply #76 on:** July 05, 2017, 09:40:42 PM »

Thanks for sharing your holiday with us Keith!

keith · « **Reply #77 on:** July 10, 2017, 08:09:25 PM »

Well we are really happy having just booked our flights to Kalkan for 11th September this year! I will have to think of a new title for my posts. Another two weeks in our second home.....can't wait to pick up where I left off.

We are so lucky to have this opportunity.

Keith can......prepare for his second holiday of the year..........in Kalkan