Kalkan or Bodrum / Fethiye

[Brounie]

 
Hi in April I''m heading to Turkey with my husband and two young kids (4 & 5 years of age).  We are well aware this will not be a summer holiday as we will be leaving 40 degrees + in the UAE.

I''ve done all the research and was keen to stay in Kalkan, my husband however is keen on Bodrum way as he want to do a boat trip to one or a couple of the Greek Islands.  My lonely planet book does not mention anything about island trips from Kalkan, can you visit Megiste or Rhodes from Kalkan on a day trip?

We were really looking to stay in a villa / apartment ( if have to) easy walking distance to town ideally with outdoor Jacuzzi.  As our evenings after dinner will be spend at home as the children will be in bed, we though it would be nice to enjoy the beautiful views sipping wine in a jacuzzi ( as 17 - 20 degrees will feel quite cool to us).

Really appreciate your help.

Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=3128.0

[Enjoy Kalkan]

Hi Brounie

Welcome to the forum - Im sure there will be some great answers coming for you soon 

[alantj]

Brounie,

I like Bodrum, if you avoid the British ghetto areas it still retains an authentic charm and also has some great and excellent value restaurants; if you look for the upmarket restaurants frequented by the locals rather than tourists.

However you can vist Rhodes from Kalkan via Fethiye as easily as from Bodrum and Meis via Kas. If you do decide on Bodrum don''''''''t be tempted to visit Kos, we had the misfortune to book two weeks holiday there, probably the dullest place we have ever visited.     

Regards


 

[Lantana]

In April, the ferries between Fethiye/Rhodes or Bodrum/ Rhodes have not started. It is not therefore possible to do a day trip from either place to the Greek Islands.

In April, many of Kalkan''s attractions will still be closed. The boats will not yet be in the harbour, so no daily boat trips. The beach clubs will not be open, less than 30% of the restaurants are likely to be open.

There is very little to do here for young children unless you are by a pool or at the beach and the water temperature will be too cold for all but the hardiest swimmers.

There are 3 very small children''s playgrounds, with swings and slides. All three are in a poor state of repair with broken equipment, broken glass on the ground and are usually rubbish and rock strewn.

Bodrum at this time of year would be a much better bet for you and your family as there would be much more to do.   I live in Kalkan year round and love much about it but I would advise anyone with young children to think carefully about how you are going to entertain them in Kalkan in April.

Lantana

Lantana

[Brooksie]

Brounie,

I like Bodrum, if you avoid the British ghetto areas it still retains an authentic charm and also has some great and excellent value restaurants; if you look for the upmarket restaurants frequented by the locals rather than tourists.

alantj
We were thinking of going there for a couple of days in September, can you enlighten me as to what places in Bodrum to avoid?

[Blue Lizard]

A wander around the crusader castle of St Peter is worth a visit....

[alantj]

Its hard to be specific about the areas to avoid as Bodrum is a mixture of authentic Turkish town plus a fair bit of tacky resort. You just have to pick out the bits you are interested in and ignore the rest.

A lot of the restaurants are pretty poor and expensive, obviously there just for the tourist market. However, if you look for them there are a lot of very good restaurants that cater mainly to the locals. Mostly these are away from the seafront but if you are walking along the front the yacht club has some excellent food at very reasonable prices, especially at lunchtime when its cheaper than many of the seafront kebab restaurants - strangely not many tourists seem to venture in, probably because it looks very expensive from the outside.

The link below has a description of three of our favorites Denizhan, Kismet and the yacht club (don''t know the hotel itself, the link came up when I put the names of our favorite restaurants in google)   

   http://www.atamihotel.com/Bodrum-Turkey-dining.htm

Regards

Alan

[Brooksie]

Thanks Alan will have a look.