Beach Clubs

[alshepuk]

Has anyone visited Palm Beach Club this season?  By all accounts it is close to where we are staying this year.  Any information would be greatly received.  We would normally go to Kalamar but as the free transfers have ceased it would be too costly.  A real shame as the crowd there are great.

Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=3620.0

[kalkan4eva]

alshepuk, we''ve not been this season, but have no hesitation in recommending Palm Beach club - it''s our favourite. There''s the usual Blue Marlin activities on offer and a platform out to sea (although I don''t think it was there last year but we went a lot earlier in the season). It''s not as lively as Kalamar, but we quite like that, and not as quiet as say Yali or Mahal. The food is really good (better than Kalamar offers in my opinion) - I recommend the Calamari. I really love the seating areas alongside the restaurant. The shower and toilet areas are really clean and modern and a big plus for us is that the sun is there a lot longer than it is at the beach clubs on the other side of the bay

[alshepuk]

Thats sounds good.  Our son loved the trampoline at Kalamar but as long as there are some watersports available that will be fine for him.  The sun side is good as by all accounts the villa we are renting is above the club.

[claire]

Hi, we''ve just come back from two weeks in Kalkan.  We went to Yali, Palm, Kalamar and Mahal beach clubs during our stay.

We went to the Palm in our first week and it was brilliant.  The staff are great - particularly the bloke with the longish curly hair.  Very cheeky in a charming and funny way.  We tried pancakes which are freshly cooked and they were delicious.  The seating is really nice and varied.  Particularly fond of the seating with curtains and cushions - felt very decadent!  The only problem for us was the water was FREEZING.  We were told there are cold springs in that region of the bay and the waters at the Palm are particularly cold.  We actually hired short wetsuits but even they weren''t keeping us warm enough to snorkel for any more than about 5 minutes.  Very sad!!  It''s probably already warmer though.

Kalamar for us was a bit busy, though the dive centre was great.  The water seemed less clear and I suspect it may have something to do with the fish feeding that goes on during the ''try dives''.  When we did it the fish were pooing everywhere!  The water was definitely warmer there though.  Service was fine, as was the seating.

Mahal - we went there twice and our first visit blew us away.  It felt very exclusive and posh initially, the staff were friendly and the water wasn''t too cold even though it''s pretty close to the Palm, and it was great for snorkeling.  However on our second visit we had a few problems.  Firstly were annoyed by a group of loud young women who felt it necessary to parade around topless.  I''m pretty sure my husband wasn''t too bothered  , but I was offended as I understood this was not acceptable and was disrespectful?  The staff (all young men) were flirting with them which kind of ruined the vibe of the place.  The other issue was that our brolley wouldn''t go down.  The staff just shrugged their shoulders.  After some painful conversations they moved us to a seating area where the brolley wouldn''t go up!!   Not great for what is supposed to be an upmarket place.  The sunbed cushions were a bit grubby and the food wasn''t great either so we negotiated a discount on the price and didn''t go back.

The Yali was interesting. It''s on the other side of the bay and offers a totally different view of Kalkan.  The food is OK, service very good.  The seating is good - sunbeds, some cushions and beanbags and ottoman style booth type areas too.  Sea wasn''t as clear as the Mahal, but offered some interesting coastline for snorkeling (saw an octopus amongst other things).  Sea was pretty warm there.  You lose the sun there at about 5 ish, which isn''t too bad.  Didn''t see any watersports though I''ve heard they are on offer.

Obviously that''s just our opinion and everyone like different things!  You''ll have a great time wherever you go, I''m sure. 

Cheers, Claire.

[Mrs Enjoy Kalkan]

Thanks for that Claire ,it''s really useful to get the different views of the beach clubs. Did the weather hold out for you then ?

[claire]

Thanks for that Claire ,it''''s really useful to get the different views of the beach clubs. Did the weather hold out for you then ?

I''ve just realised how long my post was.  You still awake?!!!

Ahh, the weather!!  Well....  bit cloudy initially, then it sooned turned to rain!  We were fine with it though Mrs EK, we used the time to mooch round Kalkan which was great - never got too hot!  We also used one of the grey days to explore and went to Green Lake and Gombe which was an awesome day out (I''ll write another report on that too!).  On the way back in the covered jeep it was raining so hard we actually had to sit under umbrellas!!  Surreal, hilarious and very, very British 

[Lorretta]

Claire,
your post on the beach clubs was extremely well written and informative and your subsequent post really made me laugh! Very British indeed!

[kalkanbabe]

Hi

Thats very informative.  Think we will try the Palm Beach this year.  My favorite is the Mahal, will definitely be going back there.  I loved the Pides for lunch.  We used to go to the Yali.  My husband liked it but I found the menu a bit limited.  We last went to Yali in 2005, has it been done up since then?  I wondered as they have the new Yali hotel now.  Maybe the menu has changed?

kalkanbabe

[streety]

For any of you Kalamar beach club regulars, Dimitri has moved to the Palm Beach Club this year.  I rather suspect he is the cheeky, long curly haired guy mentioned earlier.

[Babs]

in that case looks like a change of beach club for us!

[claire]

Hi

Thats very informative.  Think we will try the Palm Beach this year.  My favorite is the Mahal, will definitely be going back there.  I loved the Pides for lunch.  We used to go to the Yali.  My husband liked it but I found the menu a bit limited.  We last went to Yali in 2005, has it been done up since then?  I wondered as they have the new Yali hotel now.  Maybe the menu has changed?

kalkanbabe

I agree kalkanbabe, the menu was a bit limited.  I understand they will be extending the Yali hotel later this year - adding a few more bedrooms.

[claire]

For any of you Kalamar beach club regulars, Dimitri has moved to the Palm Beach Club this year.  I rather suspect he is the cheeky, long curly haired guy mentioned earlier.

Lordy he made me laugh.  To me he looked like a cross between Dave Grohl and Rob Schneider (from Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo).  We saw pics of him at the Kalamar looking cheeky, and we bumped into him at a place at the top of town - he was working behind a bar and looking cheeky too.   

[Blackpool]

There we have it folks. Its official. According to our  EK panel of experts above, Dimitri is this year''s winner of Turkey''s Got Talent

[alshepuk]

My son will be so pleased.  Dimitri ended up last year being a big brother to him.  He cost us a pretty penny getting him out doing various watersports at Kalamar.  Well worth the money.

[Firecat]

I know there have been several beach club threads but this seems to be the most recent.  I could trawl my way through all of them via the search facility but hey, I have wine, I have my PC, I've had a long day and I'm lazy 

I have been to Kalkan once before but swam only at the Regency pool, off boats and at Patara.  I would like to visit one or more of the beach clubs so I'm looking for a guide to which ones are most highly recommended.  I want to chill with a book and swim when I feel like it, but I must have shade because I could pass for a beluga in day to day life (skin hue, not size...) and burn when someone switches on the light. Crucially as I will be holidaying with my mother access has to be reasonable.  I know they all have steps, but steps without any handrails would be a problem I think. Not having been to any I really don't know what to expect. If any are accessed by boat, and the boat transfer doesn't involve pole vaulting from deck to shore, then this could be a good option.

All advice welcome!

[itstime]

At kalkan Beach park there is a spot where you can walk into the sea without the need to go down a ladder. Would recommend beach shoes as it is pebbly and a bit slippy but certainly easier than clambering up/down a metal ladder.
Water taxi from the harbour is free, sun loungers and brolly also free.