Our first Kalkan holiday

[Caspar9]

Hi all

Just got back yesterday from our first ever visit to Kalkan.  We had a fantastic holiday and I'm so sad we're not still there!

Flew with Thomas Cook, which was okay - the night flight out was a bit challenging - very hot, bright and not much leg room.  In future I think I'll remember to include those eye masks and maybe pay for extra leg room, but all instantly worth it when we got there! 

Hired a car through Dalaman Cars - excellent service, waiting at the airport, a nice clean new model car and the driver was waiting at the office bang on time to take us back to the airport at the end of our 2 weeks (good value as well) Hiring a car meant we could explore at our leisure and come and go as we pleased.  We'll definitely use this company again.

Villa was good - in a great location near school, 10 minutes stroll down into town and a cheap taxi ride back to after dinner.  Both villa and pool were cleaned regularly and thoroughly  throughout our stay.  Having stayed in self catering in various other countries in the past, we were very pleasantly surprised by how well we were looked after with clean sheets, towels, etc. every few days.

First day we wandered into town to look around and ended up at Seaport Restaurant for lunch.  The staff there were so lovely, particularly to our 13 year old son, making him feel really welcome.  The food was fab, beer was cold and the sun was shining - what a fantastic start!!

Our highlights were as follows:-

Boat trip to Kekova, swimming, relaxing, sunbathing, sightseeing all in the one day, not to mention chatting, eating, etc.

Saklikent Gorge - unexpectedly challenging but thrilling wading through rushing water sometimes waist deep(our 13 year old said it was "awesome"!) Old trainers recommended for this.

Walked a short section of the Lycian Way and caught a water taxi back to Kas - great countryside, luminous  blue and yellow butterflies, views of beautiful blue sea...

Xanthos - incredible ruins, lovely walk up to the Necropolis

Patara Beach - Our son loved jumping through the waves!

Gombe, green lake and waterfall - a lovely stroll to the lake walking on a bed of pink and yellow flowers

Kalamar Beach club - swam, snorkelled, sunbathed, jumped around on the sea trampoline, used the pedalo and the canoe, drank fruit cocktails and Efes...

..... I could go on and on!

In the evenings, we had so many restaurants to choose from and thanks to this forum, there were a few I really wanted to try.  My favourite was Adams Place, just out of Kalkan with the most fantastic food, views, hospitality etc.

Other really great places were Cafe Vita on Kalamar road, Mussakka Brasserie, and Mango.

This forum was a fantastic source of information before we went and helped us to have a brilliant time while we were there.


Now I'm going to start planning our next visit!




Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=7910.0

[turkeyfan]

Loved reading your report.  You did more in one holiday than we've managed in all the times we've been!  Thanks for sharing with us.

[GARDENIA PAT]

Hi,so glad you enjoyed Kalkan. We found Kalkan through a daily Mail article 7 years ago,we have been to Turkey many times and returned to a couple of places BUT Kalkan is special and so far everyone ive reccommended it to has been again and again.
Adem is now our very good friend and also one of our fave places,he used to have his place in Kalkan but the rents proved too much hence moving his restaurant to his home.He was so funny in Kalkan,if you didn't want to eat there and walked accross the road so he wouldn't see you he would just pop up out of nowhere and say " im seeing you "you can't hide from Adem!!
We walk to Adams and it takes us around 50 minutes but it's a bit dodgy now with the new road but we spend all afternoon there and then he brings us home,HEAVEN!

[tortoise lady]

Good to hear of yet another family who really enjoyed Kalkan and want to return.   Thanks Caspar9.    Hope you get back to Kalkan before too long.

[Potter]

Fantastico 

[GARDENIA PAT]

We too booked extra legroom on TC flight and i won't do it again.We paid to watch a film and thought Great this is good! the next minute we had a family ( 8 of them ) all with babies who decided that our space was a good place to change nappy's etc and didn't seem to care that we were watching a film,they even put blankets on the floor to lay babies on.THEN asked us if we minded them being there!!! WELL YES! When we politely asked them if they would mind moving they made us feel so bad!
On the way home everyone continuously queued in front of us for the toilet and proceeded to gather there having chats! It was a total waste of money.

[antler]

Caspar9, what a lovely report and it really sounds like you did some wonderful things. Glad Adem came up trumps for you, too, as he and his family are so lovely.  So, time to plan your next trip to Kalkan, now?!

Cheers

Antler

[Blue Lizard]

What a smashing report....so nice to hear that someone else thinks Kalkan still has that special something that draws us all back 

[Skunk]

Sounds like a great time for all of you and as BL says still glad to know it offers so much to us all!  Can't wait for 1st August!! 

[BarbH]

Lovely report, I have not heard of many people that have not enjoyed Kalkan, Just a special place.
I have recommended Kalkan to so many people but always worried that they will not feel the same about the place as we do. Luckily they have all loved it.

We are out there next Tuesday, looks like it will be very hot judging by the current weather reports, usually go a bit earlier. Our friends  just back form Icmmeler and said it was 42c as they left.