I heart Kalkan

[JenJen]

[font='andale mono']Well, we got back late Friday night after an amazing two weeks in Kalkan.  It was our third visit, having previously been in 2007 and 2009.  As always, I've come back eager to book again for next year but this year, my boyfriend actually AGREES with me that we should book right away, yay!  Think he left his heart there too this year and has forgotten to be the voice of reason and practicality.


This was the first time we've booked our holiday to Kalkan independently.  We flew from Manchester with Jet2, used Adda for transfers and stayed for 2 nights at The Nur then 12 nights at the Emir complex.


Flights


We've not used Jet 2 before but were impressed.  We paid around £9 each for pre-booked seats with extra leg room and it was definitely worth it.  The pre-booked meals were good, better than I've had on any other airlines in recent years.  We booked our flights about 2 months in advance and paid just over £600 for two of us. 


Transfers


£110 for a return transfer with Adda - no complaints at all and would use them again.


The Nur


Our Emir apartment wasn't available until the Sunday so we booked The Nur for our first two nights.  We received a warm welcome from Baris and his team.  Our twin room was small but nicely done out and spotless.  Due to the room size, I don't think we could have spent more than a few nights there but that's because we're quite messy and need a lot of space :-)  Breakfast was a decent Turkish spread served on the roof terrace. 


The Emir


Lovely complex and an easy 5 minute walk into town - two large pools and lots and lots of space.  Plenty of very comfy sun loungers and lots of separate little terrace areas so you can always find a quiet spot if you want it.  We used the smaller of the two pools as it was much quieter and at most we were sharing it with one or two other couples.  The team who manage the complex are lovely and are very welcoming. They work really hard to keep the place immaculate.  We had a one bedroomed apartment which was bright and spacious.  Our balcony had fantastic views across Kalkan, great for early-bird me to watch the sun rise while Glyn was still in bed!


Food  (the most important bit of course!)


Wow.  We already had our favourites from our two previous years but tried lots of new places (new to us, that is) this year and as always, ate very, very well.  I can't bear to go back to miserable English food with its flavourless, insipid tomatoes and bland stodge.  Is it possible to buy decent tomatoes here??  Argh.


Fez


We went four times this year which speaks for itself.  It was so nice catching up with Orhan, he's a lovely man.  The haloumi kebabs are amazing and if you're veggie you should also try the Garden Burger.  It's more like a fritter than a burger, really light and tasty.  Oh and the homemade chips are to die for!  Glyn had the Fez Burger and the Ali Baba Chicken.  Lots of complimentary drinks including Pomegranatinis on our last night and I wish I'd discovered them earlier in the holiday as they were delicious!  Mehmet's card tricks are fab too!


Foto's Pizza


Ate here on our first night - yummy! The aubergine and haloumi pizza could have been INVENTED for me.  The Efes in frosted glasses went down a treat too! Really nice family service, a lovely laid back place.


Mussaka


Our first time here and wow, we weren't disappointed.  Fab, intimate little place with great, friendly service.   I had the Vegetarian Risotto and it was delicious.   Glyn had some form of chicken - he can't remember what exactly    but he remembers he absolutely loved it! Bizarrely, a couple who arrived just after us where shown to their table, took one look around and legged it out down the stairs as soon as the staff turned away.  I don't know what they were expecting but it was their loss!


Rendezvous


A new one for us and we loved it.   I had the Vegetable Casserole and Glyn had the Parmesan Chicken.  Lovely, lovely staff and we were warmly greeted by the owner, Güven.  There was a power cut while we were there so they all rushed over lighting extra candles until we were surrounded and lit up like Blackpool!


The Nar


Again a new one for us - haloumi for me (yes, I'm addicted) and steak with pepper sauce for Glyn.  Everything cooked to perfection.  Loved it here and will definitely be returning next year.  An elegant place and great cocktails too!


Saffron


Great pizza here when we were a bit tired (hungover) one day.  Also, we had the watercress, pear and blue cheese salad which I am going to try and recreate at home as soon as possible!


Korsan Meze


Another of our old faves  - Black Sea Lamb for Glyn and Feta and Spinach baked in a bread parcel for me, delicious.


Cafe Zula


I always reach a point towards the end of my holiday in Kalkan when I crave something quite simple so I had Pasta Pesto and Glyn had Pasta Pollo.  Really extensive menu with lots of tempting sounding dishes and we'll definitely be returning here next year.  Great decor and service and very reasonable prices for Kalkan.  Sergio outside is hilarious - I don't usually like feeling pressured into looking at menus etc but he does it with such charm and humour that you don't mind at all, he had us in stitches!


Café Del Mar


Iced coffee and homemade carrot cake, very happy we finally made it here!


Palm Beach Club


I think a day at Palm Beach is pretty much my perfect Kalkan day.  Get the boat over at about 10am to be met by smiley Dimitri, settle down on loungers on the decking with a cherry juice, have a quick swim, order a Turkish breakfast and coffee to be served in the Ottoman seating area, read/doze/gaze out to sea for a few hours, swim out to the platform and trampoline a few times.... 


We were there when the three navy ships docked in the harbour and had no idea what was going on!  There was just this sudden roaring noise and lots of thick black smoke as one, two, then three ships all appeared.  Looked so bizarre in the usually peaceful little bay!


On average, we spent around 60TL between us for a full day here which usually consisted of two loungers (I think 18TL this year?), soft drinks, one meal each, ice cream and maybe a beer or two. 


We also asked them to call us a taxi home this time rather than trek all the way up to the Emir from the harbour.  We didn't realise they still paid for it for you so that was a pleasant surprise :-)


Patara Beach


Ahhhh, what I wouldn't give to be on a lounger at the water's edge right now looking out at golden sand, sparkling blue sea and dazzling sunshine.  It's pouring with rain here and is so dark that when I woke up, I thought it was still the middle of the night. Price is still 40TL for two for the return trip by dolmus, the entry to Patara and two loungers with umbrella.


Meis


We paid £28 for a trip to Meis with Abi.  We got picked up at about 9am and taken to Kas where we handed our passports over the the travel company and had about half an hour to ourselves before the ferry left.  We spent a bit of time in Kas last year with our friends who were staying there so had a little wander, familiarising ourselves with the place.  It’s a nice little town but I still prefer Kalkan a hundred times over :-)  The Meis Express takes about 25 minutes to get to the island and it is spectacularly pretty.  It's definitely a place for taking beautiful pictures - every one I took looks like it's straight off a postcard!  It's strange how such a tiny island has such a long and messy history.  We visited the charming little museum which is free but only takes about 20 minutes of your time, no matter how thoroughly you read and look at everything!  We had a nice lunch in one of the waterside tavernas where we had a good chat with the owner and saw lots of the Aussies who spend their summers on Meis leaving on the big Rhodes ferry which looked completely out of place in the tiny harbour!


The only bad thing was that we had managed to pick the Windiest Day Ever to visit Meis.  A couple of times I nearly got blown over!  The main part of the harbour was fairly sheltered and it was fine round the western side but once you got round the the eastern edge - oh my.   For some reason it didn't occur to me until we were actually on the boat on the way back that if it was fairly choppy on the outward journey with minimal wind.....it was going to be a million times worse on the way back.  I was petrified.  The boat was tilting so badly that I thought we were going to capsize...I love boats but I am a bit dramatic at times.  I've never been so glad to arrive anywhere as when we docked in Kas harbour, phew.


Bars


Our favourites are Utopia for pre-dinner drinks and Kleo for after.  Kleo looks much smarter after its refurb and I strongly recommend the Strawberry Daquiri - mmmm.  We were well looked after by the lovely Haldun and Can in particular, such genuinely nice people.  Haldun realised he'd accidentally overcharged us by 10TL one night, he was mortified and sprinted all the way through town at 2am until he caught up with us near Baharat!  We also went to the Eden Lounge a couple of times which has a very cool, chillout vibe.  Thoroughly recommend it, although it gets very hot and sticky as it's so sheltered you don't get a breeze.
 
The only slight negatives this year were that certain restaurant staff seem to have got pushier.  Two restaurants in particular were much pushier than any of the others and it got really tedious as they would keep shouting after you long after you'd politely declined and moved on down the road.  I know they're only doing their job and they're all competing for business but grrrr!  Also, I'm a huge animal lover and adore all the Kalkan cats and dogs but we were walking home late one night when two very excitable large sandy coloured dogs starting playing around us and one grabbed my dress in his mouth and started tugging hard.  He wouldn't let go for ages and it was a bit stressful!  I was more worried he'd rip my dress than do me any real harm but still, it's not something I've encountered before!
 
God, why are my reports always so long?  Sorry, I tried to keep it short this year but once you start reliving your fantastic holiday, the memories just keep coming!  We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back. I really shouldn't keep wishing away my years like this! As well as all the obvious highs such as the weather, the food, the scenery etc, I most love catching up with old friends and making new ones - and it's so much easier keeping in touch with everyone via facebook now that there’s a full Turkish version of the site!   


I don't think I'm happier anywhere than in Kalkan and never would have believed a few years ago I'd be going back somewhere 3 times in quick succession and about to book for the 4th time but it just gets you doesn't it??  I love sitting on the balcony early evening looking out over that beautiful little bay and watching the roof terraces light up one by one, then the walk down into the old town for your evening out, ahhhhh.   
 
Kalkan, je t'aime!

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Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=6502.0

[antler]

Nice one, Jen Jen!  Glad you had a good time and you really have got the Kalkan Bug, haven't you!!  I agree about Jet 2, which, lucky for us is based at Leeds Bradford as well. Used them many times and have been very happy with their service.

A lovely report which will be a great refresher for many, as it was for me.

cheers

Antler

[JenJen]

Cheers Antler!  And thanks for all your glowing reports of Mussaka as they were one of the reasons we decided to try there this year!

Yes, Jet 2 were great - looking at flights for next year, it looks like we'll probably be going with them again.  I've just seen Thomson flights which were looking promising until I saw they wanted £50 per person for extra leg room!!  I envy short people sometimes!

[antler]

And you can collect your Jet 2 points as well!  I think Mrs A has enough for a free flight within Europe.  Yes, Mussakka is great  and I'm looking forward to one of their "Summer Steaks" in about, ooooh, let me see, seven days time!

cheers

Antler

[JenJen]

Very jealous you're going back again so soon!  If we had enough holidays from work to do everything else we need to do plus Kalkan, we'd be going twice a year for sure!

Yes, the Jet 2 points are a nice bonus - we've already got enough for one free flight in Europe and that's from only one booking so we'll hopefully get enough for another flight after booking next year's Manchester - Dalaman return :-)

[Rachey]

 Thanks for a a great report - just back too, and missing Kalkan so much.  The only cure is to book again, so I'm just finalising things for next year     Good to hear that Jet2 are ok, as we'll probably be using them for the first time next year, I just wish they flew from Edinburgh as well as Glasgow!  Will also check out the Jet2 card...sounds very useful! 

[antler]

On the subject of Jet 2, we fell in love with Kalkan last year on our first visit, came back and booked straight away for this year. They were  pretty nice flight times from Leeds for around £320 each, high season, and we thought we did OK. After Xmas, they dropped around £100 per person to as low as £245 for mid July and up to the time we flew, never got back up to the level we paid.

I guess you pays your money and takes your choice?!

We were happy with their service tho and it was from a local airport only 20 minutes taxi away.

cheers

Antler

[JenJen]

Yeah, we booked quite late this year and paid about the same as you Antler.  We thought booking now for next September they'd be cheaper but they're about the same at the moment.  Regarding the Jet 2 points scheme too - I'm trying to convince Glyn to go for a week's holiday in Kalkan in early May so we'll have enough points to pay for one of the flights to Dalaman for our main 2 week holiday in September    He's not convinced yet but I'm working on him.

[alisonh]

Fabulous report JenJen - just over a week since we got back so can relate to your sentiments especially Palm Beach Club and the Emir where we stayed on our first two trips to Kalkan.  We also flew with Jet2 from East Midlands for the first time and were impressed - both flights on time, good meals and service and the aircraft looked new.  Booked our flights about 6 weeks before travel - started off at £355 for 2, but we had all the extras and paid just under £500.  Only one point off my free flight so looks like I'll have book more trips to Kalkan!
 
Keep working on your other half, we have been late May and September for the last 3 years - once a year just isn't enough!

[Rachey]

thanks for the extra Jet2 info...I'll keep a very close eye on the website  .  Mind you, if we win the Euromillions jackpot on Friday, I'll buy a Learjet  well, I can dream....

[JenJen]

Thanks Alison!


Yes, you definitely need to book another Kalkan trip to get enough points for that free Jet2 flight - it would be rude not to!  I think I've ALMOST convinced my man to make 2 Kalkan trips next year.....I keep managing to get the total cost down by more and more pennies and he's starting to look interested. I'm going to have a go at making pide this week and I've found a supermarket nearby which stocks Efes so that might help persuade him 

[kalkan4eva]

Great report, JenJen...we are missing our second trip to Kalkan this year due to work commitments
But have booked our main trip next year and are looking at our sneaky one for earlier in the year - once just isn't enough, you're so right! And because our "kids" are gatecrashing our main break this year, we definitely have to have a second trip "a deux".
Feel like I'm wishing my life away between Kalkan visits...I don't count any city breaks as "holidays" so even though we're lucky enough to get a few of these in each year, if its not Kalkan and I don't tend to relax
Have to agree with you about Palm Beach Club, absolutely our favourite beach club too. Great location, food and staff.
Ahh well, roll on 2011

[cleworthallray]

Been looking for flights for next September and Jet2 are looking quite good. Manchester x2 looking around £560 good flights times which is the most important to us as we only go for 1 week, so we like to go out on our first night. Usually go with Monarch...good flight times but at the moment nearly £700 but i think will go down as usual (this year just £495) but best at the mo is Easyjet around £380 but not the flight times for us. Will hold out for a while to wait for Monarch. If Jet2 got its luggage, booking fees etc sorted they would catch the market cos they would compete with easyjet and have brill flying times. By the way....the difference, is a lot of Efes.

[Lindy]

Hi Ray,
We booked our flights with Thomson for this year, we paid about £500 and had good flight times we landed at Dalaman from Birmingham at 14.05, we did book well in advance and the flight prices went from 699 on a when booking  on the sunday to 500 for the same flights booked in the week!,
By the way Ive put Minnie Mee on the gallery along with some other pics
regards Lindy

[kalkan4eva]

easyJet have changed their flight times for next year, which is a shame as they were pretty good this year and last by comparison. We've booked with them anyway as we are there for 3 weeks so can afford to miss out on our first night, luckily and they were a really good price last week for August (£1100 for 5 of us!)- noticed the prices have gone up on our flights already!
cleworthallray, have you thought about splitting your flights - Jet 2 coming out, easyJet coming back - you might be able to extend your week by a few hours this way - just a thought

[chrisbo48]

Great report Jen Jen ! I think we must have flown back on the same flight into Manchester last Friday. It was our first trip with Jet 2 and we were quite impressed, - flight out on time in spite of a bomb scare, flight back about 20 mins. late. New aircraft,excellent cabin crew, and some decent bargains ( £20 for 2x1ltr Sapphire Gin ) We booked in April and the cost was £566 for two, which included £48 for selecting seats and extra leg-room.
We had a wonderfully lazy two weeks staying at Truffle apartments (luxurious) and ate out every night. We tried ten restaurants and enjoyed them all. I will be filing my review on the restaurant section of EK later. This was our first visit to Turkey and we were truly converted!

[JenJen]

Thanks Chrisbo - Yeah, we were on the same flight going out too with the bomb scare!  We were in WHSmiths when the security staff ran in shouting at everyone to drop their shopping on the floor and leave the shop which was a bit alarming! 

Glad you enjoyed your first visit to Turkey and look forward to reading your restaurant reviews