Villa Mahal

[kalkan4eva]

A lot of posters have mentioned the Kalkan Regency as the best hotel in Kalkan, but does anyone have any thoughts on Villa Mahal? It won the 2007 Conde Nast award for the most romantic hotel in Europe and is the only hotel in whole of Turkey that this prestigious publication recommends.
It''s only available through Exclusive Escapes and is pretty much booked up this year, but might try and get in really early for next year if anyone thinks it''s worth the money?

Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=1190.0

[ade]

Very late replying but we have stayed at Mahal for the last three years and love it.....to be honest however there are quite a few people who don''t. It is expensive and if you choose to go there be careful on what room you take. The ''cheaper'' rooms (and they are so not cheap) are tiny and very near the kitchen and there are approx 100 odd steps to the sea and back.....so opt for a sunset or moonlight deluxe. We have tried the pool suite, views breathtaking and own pool but by far the best for us was the Cliffe House suite....near to the sea and own pool. The owners are great, the food too....the staff seem to be young university students. What you pay for here is a perfect setting and no children......wasn''t keen on Kalkan Regency if i am honest and at the end of Aug when we go there seemed to be a lot of children and teenagers. The owner of Mahal built two villas last year next to the hotel and we stayed there........quite amazing. You have your privacy but also use of the hotels facilities. Might be worth, if you have booked elsewhere for this year, to nip along for lunch or dinner and ask to look around the rooms and see what you think. Hope this helps!

[kalkankiki]

children are allowed to use the beach club facilities at the mahal. although there is a method by which they try to seperate the mahal hotel guests from the day visitors by taking them to the jetty at the far end of the beach club away from the ''mahal guests'' side, there is no fence to prevent them coming over there by land or sea!

[kalkan4eva]

Thanks Ade.
we visited Villa Mahal last year for lunch and had a look round, took the brochure and price list  and I''ve spent many an idle hour looking at the photos on the website. It looks amazing and the views are stunning - the Cliff House and Pool Suite look like iydilac accomodation, but I really wanted to hear from someone who had stayed there. It''s further out of Kalkan than we''ve previously stayed - did the distance bother you or was your location so perfect you didn''t feel the need to go into Kalkan much? Can you only book the hotel through Exclusive Escapes or can you book direct - the literature we got indicated the Pool suite and Cliff House in particular needed to be booked through EE. Our children are adults and no longer holiday with us, so we do prefer an environment that is child free - sorry it''s a hangover after 20 years of kids clubs and agadoo  . The villas sound perfect - are some of them for sale? Think I''ve seen some very "Villa Mahalesque villas" for sale in that area...not sure if they are one in the same? That''s a pipe dream for our retirement, but in the meantime I''m tempted to book Villa Mahal for 2009 - just need to save a little harder

[rhythm]

Hi kalkan4eva,
You are right, Pool Suite and Cliff House can only be booked through EE, as far as I know. However Mahal keeps 3 or 4 rooms for her own guests. Not sure if it is cheaper than EE, tho, if you book your room, flight and transfers. We designed the architectural plans of those 2 Mahal Villas, one of which was sold early in the off-plan stage. Can find out if Ipek thinks about selling the other one, too, if you like.
Distance shouldn''t bother as their shuttle boat is running between 9am-7pm everyday. Only at nights you might need a taxi back to the hotel.
Regards,

[kalkan4eva]

Hey Feds, perhaps if I stopped buying towels I could stay for a month...
Oh Rhythm, if only I could say "yes go ahead, see if Ipek will sell to me as I have a spare half a million quid I don''t know what to do with..." I''ve looked at some of the property for sale in Kalkan when I want to daydream but we''re at least 10 years off even contemplating retirement 
I''ve seen some gorgeous villas for sale close to Mahal, they were two bedroomed and cost circa £300k and I pointed them out to my BH and said if our six numbers come up that''s the first thing I''m buying...(the second would be a towel shop ) - so if they are the same ones you''ve been involved with I must congratulate you on a fabulous design.

[ade]

Hi Eva,

The distance from Kalkan did not bother us at all. The shuttle boat runs all day but the last one is at 7pm which we found to be a bit early so mostly we got a taxi there and back.....quite a few people did walk it a few times but its one big slog specially in Aug! Ipek keeps a couple of rooms (3?) for direct bookings and these are taken usually by people who have been going for years and don''t want to be bound by E Escapes. The villas as you say are just beautiful and it''s going to be difficult to stay anywhere else after our visit last year......roll on August......we did ask Ipek how much and they would be around £750K......back to the lottery  ....in fact last year we did look at some property both in Kalkan and Kas but found it just too too pricey.........don''t mean to offend anyone here!....so we have bought somewhere totally different but just as gorgeous!! EE are an excellent company if you do decide to go with them and their flights this year are on jumbo''s with BMI.....the first short haul jumbo''s apparently so will let you know....we are off in a couple of weeks but to Dionysus (also with EE and just as great tho v different to Kalkan). If you do decide to go have a great time.....and go for the Cliffe House!!

[kalkan4eva]

thanks Ade.
We really like the look of either the Pool Suite of Cliff House. I know the water taxi finishes at 7 as we''ve visited the beach club and got the very last boat back - there''s something beautiful about taking that last water taxi back to Kalkan. everything seems so peaceful. I''m trying to persuade my BH that Villa Mahal is worth the money, so all your comments are most welcome

[ade]

Eva, Although the Pool Suite is great and the view spectacular I don''t know whether you looked in last year.......about a foot from the bottom of the bed there is a very steep drop to the entrance which makes whoever sleeps on the left hand side in a v dicey position if they need a wee in the middle of the night and forget or indeed have had one too many......we both went a** over t** on a couple of occasions but not luckily plummeting too far...........also the wardrobe is strange in that you sort of have to climb into it to retrieve anything...........the extra bit for the Cliffe House is worth it.........no dangers there.