Absolute heaven

[suzyq1]

Did the plane crash, am I in heaven?
Well after months of planning and anticipation I'm finally here and like many before all I can say is wow, wow and wow!
At one point I was in a real panic that we weren't even going to get to Gatwick let alone Kalkan! Despite booking boat trips in Kalan months ahead and trying to gleen every bit of info I could i stupidly forgot to book the ferry to get us off the IOW! What was I thinking, travelling on a Friday in the middle of school holidays? Managed to get a later one than i would have liked, so set off with fingers crossed that we would be ok ? All started well with only a 5 min delay, just started to relax when I realised we were no longer moving and then my heart sank when I heard the captains voice come over on the speaker. Apparently we couldn't get into Lymington as there was a ferry there  that could set sail as there was some sort of problem with the hydrolics and they couldn't get the doors shut. So there we were stuck in the middle of the Solent, great start frantic phone calls were made to the rest of our party who were already on the mainland sat in the taxi. The problem was finally sorted and then it was a mad drive through the new forest to meet up with the taxi! How we didn't end up with a donkey on our bonnet ill never know!
With traffic delays on the motor way our taxi driver did her best to find alternative routes. At one point I remember thinking that if I don't make it to Kalkan at least I've seen some places in England that I hadn't even heard of before!

Once at Gatwick everything went perfectly. Can't fault Thomas cook at all, even the food was great!

Arrived very early hours on the Saturday and was met by Enes taxi. Lovely air condition taxi and a very quick journey to Kalkan. As we couldn't get in to our villa till later that day we booked into the Sevgi hotel for a few hours kip! Very impressed that at 4am someone was waiting for us. How he lugged out cases up those stairs two at a time ill never know.
Lovely people that run the hotel. So friendly and helpful.

With only a few hours sleep I couldn't wait to pull back the curtains and that's when my holiday officially started.... There was that view I'd been hearing about for so long, yes you were all right,it is stunning and one that you would never tire off.

With my little drawn out map we set off to get our bearings. I must admit that with all the help I'd received on here and from KTLN it was a doddle. We didn't get far before we had to find a watering hole that heat takes it out of you!

Moving swiftly on, we moved into the villa about 1ish and wow what a villa. We are so pleased. The pool is huge and the there are simply amazing views from every room. It is about a 10 min flat walk parallel with the D400 to the first round about. Wil be better once its concreted as a bit uneven and very dusty.
It was quite late when we got out sat night so just wanted a kebab so headed for Hunkars. Had to wait for a table so went to Kayras(can't remember spelling) and then the guys came and got us. Have to say that the drinks bill seemed very reasonable. As it was late there wasn't a lot of choice so we left it up to them to recommend and boy was it lovely, far too much though.

Sunday was a real chill out day round the pool and sampling some of the duty free, now what to choose? Gin, rum, vodka, southern comfort or wine? Decisions decisions we even have a outside bar area with a fridge so don't need to walk far from the pool. How great is that? Sorry to make al of you back home jealous but you did ask for reports!

Anyway will sign off for now, but wanted to say Hi and to let you know that so far I am loving Kalkan!
To all newbies awaiting your first trip ....have no fear it is as lovely as you read on here

Suzyq1





Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=11495.0

[BarbH]

Hi Suzy,




Glad you think Kalkan is great. Sorry you had a bit of a fright  getting to Gatwick but it all ended well. Enjoy the rest of your holiday.

Barb

[lilly]

Hi Suzy.
I can feel your panic! It's that feeling of helplessness. Glad you managed to make all your connections. Enjoy your holiday. L

[kalkan4eva]

hey suzyq1,
you're there...at last! Sounds like you are staying Komurluk - my favourite place in the whole of Kalkan - your views from there are epic....sunsets are magical. Lucky you
Sadly, the service road still hasn't been concreted over yet - after 2 seasons  but is fine to walk in sturdier footwear, not so in flimsy, blingy sandals. Coming back at night will be a little hairy..! 
We've decided not to go back to Komurluk to stay until this road has been surfaced....hopefully next season..?

Looking forward to hearing more about your stay when you have the time....seems the regulars have all gone quiet

[antler]

Lovin your report, suzyq1. I could imagine the fright of a donkey on your bonnet - that would be so terrible, but so funnily written.

Hope to hear more - but above all, enjoy yourselves, making the most of your own bar and the incredible view from there (maybe get a Chef at Home for one night to max out that lovely place you are staying in...?!)

[Irene]

Glad you arrived safe and sound, there is nothing worse than a stressful journey, but now you have the wonders of Kalkan to help you recover!  I like this Chef @ Home idea - might give it a whirl in September, looking forward to all your reports, which keep me going, even when I am supposed to be working!

[MartynE]

Great report Suzy... keep them coming!

[Lizilu20]

Fab report Suzy and lovely to meet you and your family the other night. Have a super holiday and may bump into you soon! 

[brian j p]

Dito - Fab report Suzy

[Babs]

Glad to hear Kalkan is living up to expectations.....there's another one with the bug then! 

[suzyq1]

Can't believe a week has passed already. One gorgeous day after another  I think the sun must be frying my brain as I'm struggling to remember what we have done each day let alone  string a sentence together to write this report!
How fabulous to be writing this whilst sitting on our outside sofa by the pool over looking the sea with mouse island in the distance. Yes, K4E we are in the Komurluk area. We have been managing the walk but will be a lot better once its been concreted. They have dug some of it up on the edge and we have been told that it is for irrigation so they can put plants in. Should be lovely when all finished. We have walked backed at night as there is enough light from the D400 but more often than not we jump into a taxi for 12tl. when we have walked we usually get escorted by one of the friendly dogs. none of our party have dogs so i didnt know how we would feel but if anyone needs having their minds put at ease regarding the dogs, all I can say is that they are no problem at .all. The one that walks with us just walks by our side but never actually approaches us. I think they just like a bit of company. Most of the time they are just sleeping as like us it's too hot to do much else! Strangely enough I'm beginning to feel quite attached to the couple we keep seeing.

Well what have we been up to? Have visited palm beach club, but didn't go till late so didn't manage to get the best position but to be honest in this heat we seem to spend more time in the water than sat out. My favourite sun bathing place is laying out on one of the floating rafts. You get a lovely sea breeze and with your eyes closed you can imagine you are on your own boat.....well we can all dream

Talking of boats we had an amazing relaxing day out on Yildiz 3. We paid to have the boat to ourselves and it was fantastic as it meant we could wander round the boat and sit on different beds depending on whether you wanted shade or sun. I felt a bit like goldilocks trying them all out! We'd also taken our own music so was just perfect. As has been said before the food was superb.
The temperature seems to be raising and boy was it hot on Thursday on market day. I would have been happy to give it a miss but my daughter was really keen so off we went. In hindsight we should have got a taxi as it was further than I thought.i don't think we have ever sweated so much. The men lasted all of 5 minutes in the market and then went off to have a beer or two. I on the other hand was forced to make it to the end, stopping at virtually every stall especially the jewellery ones where my daughter would ponder for ages over which bracelet she wanted. Any one that has been before will know that they are all pretty much the same so we could have achieved the end result by buying at the first stall and saved ourselves
Losing about a stone in sweat.....not a pleasant picture I know but I suppose there has to be a downside to this fabulous weather
Had a lovely evening on Tues at the Midtown Cafe. It was great to meet up with some of the EK members. Special thanks to MartynE for the music and to Lizilu20 for organising it.
Out of all the restaurants in Kalkan in was a lovely surprise to sit down at our booked table in Moussaka on Thursday to see Lizilu20 and her family next to us. Promise we are not stalking you Lizzie! Infact hearing about your spider I think I will be trying to avoid you....only joking!!

Have had a couple of BBQs. The Bulent butcher has been great and we have made up some lovely pasta salads using the freshest and tastiest herbs I've ever had. So reasonable, think I worked it out at about £4.50 ahead!


I think the only thing we have had to worry about is when we had a power cut the other day which meant the beer and wine was getting warm! 

OH about to cook us a special omelette on the small gas stove in the outside bar area so better drag myself up  and help.

Bye for now
Suzyq1 reporting live from her own little bit of heaven

[Lizilu20]

Lovely report Suzy. It was fab bumping into you at mussaka. Lucky you being able to sit outside to write your reports. Our wifi is really iffy and you have to be literally sat on top of the router, hence I'm now inside while the rest of the family are cavorting in the pool 

[valeman]

When the time comes, I hope Heaven is as nice as Kalkan!

[antler]

Do tell us more about the Special Omlette!!  Keep reporting.......we're lovin' it!

Thanks   

[kalkan4eva]

Great report suzyq1, really enjoying hearing about your time in Kalkan. It made me laugh when you mentioned walking to the market from Komurluk......a trek we have undertaken on numerous occasions but in the intense August heat....? You're kidding me  I think I would have resembled someone who had had a bucket of water dropped on them from height
Can't wait to hear the next installment.

[suzyq1]

Hello again,

So sorry that I have neglected you all, but during our second week I was in my own little "Kalkan bubble." it was so lovely to just be able to switch off from the rest of the world and to forget about everything else.
We are back home now  but what a wonderful holiday we have had. I can't remember the order in which we did things but will try to recount a few things for you.

Firsty, Antler the 'special omelette' was really a normal omelette as far as the ingredients went - mushrooms, peppers sundried tomatoes, cheese.... basically any thing that we had in the fridge, but what made it special was that my oh made it and that it was cooked outside overlooking Kalkan Bay. I just wish I was a bit more technically minded and I would be able to post a picture and you would see what I mean.

Had a great day at Patara Beach. Really easy to get there on small bus that went from near the taxi rank. They advise you to book the day before, but we just turned up and managed to all get on. It was a bargain at 12TL each and that included your entrance fee. I'm sure I saw that this alone was 5TL so really the transport was only 7TL!
In an ideal world we would have been there earlier to get front line beds, but by the time we all surfaced in the mornings,(especially with 2 teenagers), have a swim and a leisurely breakfast we never got any where before 11.30! The downside of  this meant we were demoted to the third row back! Now to anyone who has not been to Patara beach you may be thinking this sounds ok, but believe me when I say i think it would be less painful walking on hot coals than trying to walk on that sand! It was unbelievable. One time I was struggling to get my flip flops on so thought blow it I'll just run.... big mistake! I had to keep running into the sea to cool off my third degree burns  So unless you are Usain Bolt don't attempt walking on it!
Another tip for the 'lady newbies' going to Patara -  make sure that you either where a one piece swim suit or ensure that you where a pair of bikini bottoms that are about 3 sizes too small so that there is no way they can come off! I was really quite rough the day we were there and I believe it often is, so I learnt the hard way! I was great fun in the waves, but every so often and especially when you are trying to get out you get hit by a wave and are powerless to to do anything about it! Its a toss up whether you try to use your hands to keep your self above water, save your bottoms or save your top! lets just say that I didn't manage to save my dignity, but it was great fun anyway 
Another mistake we made at Patara was to take our newly purchased Turkish beach towels. They are great for taking to the beach clubs as they are so light to carry and dry really quickly, however, what the beach clubs have and Patara doesn't is nice soft cushioned beds     You try laying for long on one of those plastic beds... hard as nails and you get up with slat marks imprinted on your body! As to be expected the cafe was really busy, but I have to say the burgers we had were very good.
The bus left on time and actually dropped us back to our villa which I had requested. Not sure if they always do that, but worth asking. After being out for the day it always felt nice to come home to our villa. Love it when it starts to cool off a bit and you can just sit round the pool with a few drinks and  and admire that view 

As I mentioned before we had a lovely day out on Yildiz 3.We had also booked an evening trip on Yildiz 2 with Osman. Another great trip with fantasic food. Their two daughters are a delight. I felt a bit guilty as it turned out to be their eldest's birthday. They had obviously been out all day and then straight back out with us. I wonder how many English 17 year olds would have done this so readily and with a smile on their face?  A real credit to her family.

Any way I will continue my report later on, but right now my washing machine beckons! Talk about back to reality..... want to go back!

Suzyq 1

[BarbH]

Sounds like you had a great time.. Still at least you still have the  sandy beaches at home!!!


We are over there again on Wednesday....cat sitting!!!!

BarbH

[antler]

Well done, Suzyq 1! Glad you had a great time. That omlette sounds pretty special to me.....

I was quite impressed at the Beach Bar at Patara and thought the food was more than OK for that type of cafè with a captive audience. Think it was a tuna salad i had, as I was worried about getting into my shorts.
The waves can be strong there, as you discovered - frightened Mrs A to death!

[Babs]

Suzyq1.......you were warned about the waves at Patara.....that's where I had my rolling in the waves/bikini bottom/young boy related incident!! 
Glad you had a brilliant holiday......I expect you now have "the bug"?!

[kalkan4eva]

Hey suzyq1, so glad you had a fabulous time. I loved reading your reports and I'm going to miss reading about your holiday now you're home
Thanks for taking time to post and let us know what your thoughts were - always good to hear a first timers point of view as you are looking at Kalkan with fresh eyes.