Sixth time in Kalkan.

[sally]

Before I start I would just like to say that these are my views & are totally subjective. We all have different likes & dislikes, especially when it comes to food!

TRAVEL

We flew with Easy Jet (having originally booked with BA before the takeover). Both flights were on time, the cabin staff were highly professional & the leg room not bad at all. It was great to go out of North Terminal at Gatwick as I think it is better than South by quite a long way. Dalaman airport was fine on return, no queues but we took our own supplies!

ACCOMODATION

We stayed at the Korsan Apartments (third time) which we booked directly. Could not fault them. Clean, friendly staff & a great location.

KALAMAR BEACH CLUB

Is where we spent most of our time as we love the swimming from there. By next year it will be doubled in size & have a swimming pool, water slide & another bar/cafe. Most of the basic work for this has already been done but it''s not open as yet. I just hope that it doesn''t spoil it. The charge for a chair for the day was 7YTL, down by 2YTL from last year to reflect lack of free transfers.

TAXIS

We did use then to get to & from Kalamar & every taxi had a proper meter & the charge from the Korsan Apartments was 10YTL each way. I was expecting it to be far more from what I had read on here & given the cost of fuel in Turkey I wasn''t too horrified.

COSTS

On top of accommodation we reckon we spent £50 a day for two of us. This included food for breakfast, water, a few beers from the supermarket, lunch at Kalamar, two taxis, an evening meal that varied from the Korsan Marina to Oz Adana in price, a drink before dinner, a couple of Adjibadems (sp?) after dinner & a couple of days out, once in Kas & a trip to Kekova.
We found the biggest price increase since last year was wine - about 30YTL on average for a bottle of wine in a restaurant which we both thought was pricy for what you got so we stuck to Efes with a meal.
We used our Nationwide card for all cash & I''ve checked it since we got home & we got a better rate than I saw offered anywhere else (by about 5 kurus ). Had no problems getting cash but did stock up a bit before the bank holiday & put it in the safe.

RESTAURANTS

We ate in the Korsan Marina, Oz Adana, Korsan Kebap, Ali Baba''s, Tomato & Olive Garden. They were all really good & neither food nor service could be faulted.
We had one meal in the new Kebab place (next to Kleo bar) & found it fairly ordinary. Nothing wrong with it, just slightly bland. And the English (or possibly Australian) girl who served us asked us how we were when we sat down & we replied:"Fine, thanks. How are you?". She then informed us that she had a kidney infection & moaned about how ill she felt every time she came to our table. I do feel sorry for anyone who is ill but I don''t want the details whilst I''m eating!

DOGS

I was slightly worried by all the postings about the packs of dogs but I can say that I saw the same dogs wandering around that I''ve seen year after year & no dog fights at all.

BEST MOMENT

Was managing to get on to the trampoline raft at Kalamar. I was bouncing up & down with joy like a five year old!!   And once I''d got the knack it was easy-peasy!

FUNNIEST MOMENT

Was being accosted by Joan''s plaintive cry, as we walked past the Mergez one evening. "Sally" she wailed, "Something terrible has happened". I was anxiously thinking of illness, theft, etc.
"There''s no tonic left in Kalkan* - what am I going to do?".

Joan did tell me a couple of days later that she had managed to get some tonic but I don''t think I can possibly repeat how she acquired it - not on a nice forum like this!!

*Supply problems due to Bayram holiday


We had a lovely holiday & I feel set up for the winter now.
 



Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=2486.0

[Enişte]

I think the girl at the kebab restaurant was called Nikki or something similar and is from Norfolk, maybe even the Aussie part of that fine and interesting county.  She does like a chat!

[holidayfever]

What a super report, great for anyone new travelling to Kalkan.

[kalcamp]

Lovely holiday report Sally

DOGS

I was slightly worried by all the postings about the packs of dogs but I can say that I saw the same dogs wandering around that I''''ve seen year after year & no dog fights at all.



Quote from KAPSA and the street animals of Kalkan     General Discussion

Despite our efforts in neutering animals, the number of dogs on the streets of Kalkan has gone up considerably in the last few years, not due to puppies being born here, as few are these days, but because neutering programs like ours are not instigated in the villages around Kalkan. Consequently unwanted puppies are continually being brought into Kalkan and left to fend for themselves. When numbers get too great, even our good natured street dogs can cause quite a nuisance - fighting among themselves and running around in packs.


There is a confusing ambiguity here ...........??

[Chucky]

Sally has just expressed her opinion on her observations during her holiday and these are restricted to a certain extent by the parts of Kalkan that she went to. I am sure she does not have the depth of knowledge about the local Kalkan dog population as KAPSA do.
What is more confusing to me, is why you appear to be putting a negative spin on Sally''s report?
 

[Mrs B]

Hiya Sally...
Thanks for such a great report.
On the subject of Kalamar beach club...are all the changes going to happen in the area near the toilets?
When we were there in Sept i remember they had built a bridge that led to some steps and an area with what looked like stables/changing rooms etc.

[kalcamp]

Sorry Joan that you thought i might be putting a negative spin on Sally''s report, This really was not my intention as I thought she gave a rather nice view.

But it is a bit confusing, where she sees the same dogs wandering around that she sees year after year

And KAPSA inform us that for every 10 dogs removed 20 new dogs arrive

and that they are roaming around in packs and fighting amongst themselves

After the the great money raising drive by KAPSA do we actually have a "problem" per se with street dogs that needs our money as KAPSA say, or are the dogs actually just local''s dogs [like the dalmation mentioned on the thread  ''ATTACKED BY A DOG'']  who is actually owned by one of the more prominent local Turks.

Perhaps KAPSA can give some input here

Surely it would be an idea for KAPSA to talk to some of the local dog owners who allow their dogs to roam free.

[sally]

Re Kalamar beach club: What looked like a stable is the new cafe. If you were standing with your back to it, facing the sea, a vast area to the right has been developed & terraced & at the bottom on the right there is going to be a pool & waterslide!

Re Dogs:  I am only reporting what I saw. Personally I didn''t notice any more dogs than any other year in Kalakan.  I am sorry that my report has been hi jacked into another discussion about the hounds of Kalakan. It was intended as a, hopefully, useful overview of a holiday spent there.

[Blue Lizard]

i enjoyed your report sally ..thank you

[Mrs B]

Thanks for the update, Sally. 
Sounds like their grand design will be a hit and greatly increase the amount of visitors it can cater for.
Wonder if they''ll increase the size of the carpark?

[Blue Lizard]

boat taxi from kalkan harbour..that will teach the taxi drivers   

[Marni]

Hi Sally

Thanks for a great report. We just got back on Tuesday and didn''t manage to get down to see the guys at the Beach Club this time, were there plenty of people there?  I wondered if their business had been affected by not being able to offer the transfers.  I do hope not because it is such a great place.

Best regards
M

[sally]

Villa Marni - it was quite busy the first week we were there & the second week was very busy as there were many Turkish people there who were on holiday for Bayram. After that is really quietened down a lot. But it was windy most of the time we were there & I think that may have put people off going as the sea was quite choppy & with a fair sized swell.
If you were staying at the Kalamar Hotel (336 or so steps above the beach) you could have a free transfer with no problem.

[kalkanchris]

we returned from kalkan on the 29th september, after spending 17 days there, we went to the beach club twice, the second time the sea was very rough, they could not put the sun beds at the front near to the sea because the sea was coming over, later on in the afernoon the sea was not as rough, so they allowed the beds to  go back into there usuel place, we still enjoyed our day there, even though we did not go into the sea for a swim. Lets hope that they do not spoil the beach club by making it to comercial with water slides, pools, cafe''s, we dont want to end up the Disney World, it is so relaxing there, we just love it. We had free transport back to the villa which is in kalama Bay area on both visits.

[Mrs B]

Y''see, i have a theory on this one.
When we were at Kalamar beach club in early Sept we were waiting for our taxi (ordered by the staff) when the beach clubs people carrier backed out of the parking area, in got some other bathers who had been sat near us, and off they went...courtesy of Kalamar beach club.
On our next visit we asked about this and were told ''we can get you a taxi, but no transfers allowed by us  anymore to your apartment''...
We sat mulling this over, after seeing the beach clubs people carrier out and about in Kalamar, and came to the conclusion that if you want a lift to somewher in Kalamar then they will give you a lift....but if they have to go past the taxi rank in Kalkan, or near to it, then they won''t touch you with a barge pole.

Does anyone know if we''re right on this one? 

[hel66]

Some friends of ours stayed recently at our villa and they found the taxi drivers a bit of a nuisance.
 They reckoned it was best to cross the road to avoid them on the way home. The trouble is negotiating that tricky roundabout to get to the other side.