lydie

Hi All, I'm organizing a week on the Turkish coast (after a start in Istanbul) for my family. I've been reading about Kalkan, Patara and Kas. Would you recommend one over the other? (Or someplace else?) I'm using Lonely Planet, Fodors and lots and lots of Googling and would love some advice. Also, any recommendations for places to stay. We're looking for a (reasonable-ish) villa or pension. Kalkan and Patara, I've found to be quite booked up already. Should I turn to a travel agent? (And if so, which one?) Thanks so much for any advice!

jrjcolllins

We stayed at the Sheraton Voyager Antalya. We liked Antalya and our room had a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean.

brenda66

Cirali / Olympos is located approx. 80km southwest from Antalya. It is quiet and peaceful village perfect for families, nature lovers and for those wishing to get away from the mass touristic cities or towns.
It is a very small rural village located just over an hours drive southwest from Antalya and boasts a beautiful 3.5 km secluded beach, the ruins of Olympos, the flames of the Chimaera / Yanartaþ, as well as being a protected area by the WWF for the nesting of the Caretta or also known as the Loggerhead Sea Turtles.
Also nearby to Çýralý is the Ulupinar region, which is rich in rivers and creeks. Escape the scorching heat in the summer by walking along the Ulupinar creek. You may even be tempted to take a swim in the freezing cold water of the small pools that you may come across.
Have a look at these photos from the Cirali area and also do a google search for more info;
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=cirali

Maria_H

We loved Kalkan, it's a good place to stay with some excellent restaurants and none of the hassle to buy that you can get in some Turkish resorts. Here are a few pictures from our trip to Kalkan:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/161776/index.html

lydie

Maria, where did you stay in Kalkan? (Great photos!)

Also, did you use a Turkish travel agent to help w/ bookings?

Thanks!

Maria_H

Hi Lydie

We were there on a UK package holiday, staying at some lovely apartments called the Ada, but I've not seen those advertised by anyone else and that tour operator also stopped using them. Are you coming from the US?

Maria_H

Actually, I spoke too soon, I just googled and they are available but as a weekly let. The apartments were lovely and well recommended:

http://www.holidaylets.net/properties/15027

Michel_Paris

Kas, definitely Kas. We found Antalya to be too developed, more Miami beach than Med beach.
Kas is a very nice, small fishing village, easily walkable, with a harbor that has small boats for Med cruises. We really like Kas Otel, with our room overloking Med, so close you could hear waves crash against shore.

Marmaris might be a second choice. More developed than Kas and busier, but with a nice harbor, beaches, and lots of restaurants.

lydie

Hi Maria - thanks. Looks very nice. How far up the hillside is it? We're trying to determine the pros and cons of being "downtown" (the Zinbad Hotel for example, mentioned in Lonely Planet) or a villa high up - well, "15 min walk from the water" (I'm assuming that's the downhill speed!) The mosquito problem has been written about, especially lower down and I'm wondering how big a factor that really is - even with air con? What was your experience? Is the harbor area noisy at night? Where did you swim? Thanks for whatever info you can share.

Yes we're coming from US.

Cheers, Lydie

Maria_H

Hi Lydie, the Ada apartments are about 10-15 minutes walk from the main town. It is uphill and fairly steep but we had no problems with this. The apartments were lovely with a gorgeous pool area and were air conditioned. The beds had mosquito nets when we were there. Yes, we did see some mosquitos - no more than we usually see in Greece - but we tend to use the liquid plug in type room repellants. Plug it in as you head down for your evening meal and by the time you get back, the room should be mossie-free.

There is a beach club in Kalkan and a small beach, though we didn't use either. We preferred the beach at Kaputas which was a short (5-10 minute) drive away, also possible by dolmus, if you haven;t got a car. We'd go there for lazy beach days or if we were heading further afield to explore, we'd often find a beach on the way back for a quick dip. If you have a car, there are plenty of interesting day trips, ruins to visit, etc. We had no difficulty in finding enough to occupy ourselves for 2 weeks, with a bit of relaxing in between.

We were there late August, early September and the weather was still pretty hot. There were plenty of people in Kalkan but not over crowded or rowdy at all and seems to attract couples or families, rather than the young, single crowd. The standard of food seemed very high throughout Kalkan.

brenda66

Hi again lydie...have been reading this post...question for you...are you considering flying into Dalaman airport...?? Is that the reason you are looking in that direction of the Med.??

The reason I suggested the village of Cirali ( 100kms from the Antalya airport - travel time 1.5 hrs ) as you asked for some place else to recommend..

If you want to be at a beach site then Cirali has the best beach. Or even Patara....we all know that both Kalkan and Kas are not famous for their own beaches however they are still really nice coastal towns and much larger than Cirali...

And Cirali does not have the hills like Kalkan..

But Cirali may not be for everyone as it does not have the waterparks, horseback riding, parasailing, discos, loud bars, etc etc but it is close by to the town of Kemer ( a resort ) that has many of these types of activities. You can rent a jeep, quad bikes, bikes etc to explore the nature and there are even some organized tours available as well but not to the grand scale that they are in other places.

Also a referance to Kaputas beach..as lovely as it is I would not want to be going up and down all those steps just to get to a smallish beach...with no facilities nearby...

here is my photo..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/canmom/...7604043102203/

If you can have a look through all my photos..and those of Cirali.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/canmom/...7602793492234/

Kaputas Beach is a long beach between Kas and Kalkan in southwestern Turkey. It is situated at a distance of 20 km from Kas and 7 from Kalkan, at a point where an extremely narrow valley towered by steep cliffs and forests joins the sea shore in the cove of the same name as the beach (Kaputas). The beach is quite popular among visitors to the region due to its untouched natural beauty commanded by a view from the heights traversed by Kas-Kalkan road.

There are no fixed amenities in Kaputas Beach, with only ambulant vendors who set up small stands selling snacks during the day. The beach is reached by stairs descending from the road and is guarded by the municipality of Kalkan. It is a favorite stopover for yachts along the Blue Cruise, although the open sea, and sometimes also the cove itself, can be quite unstable and wavy. The sea gets deep rather close to the beach in Kaputas.

fezzer

Having travelled the turkish coast extensively I found as mentioned previously mentioned the small village near the olympos site to be my favourite. People live in tree houses and the whole place has a asian feel to it. Beach was pebbley with clean water. Very popular with the young kiwis and ozzies. Slouch in little cushioned huts with a beer and chill out. Marmaris and Bodrum way to built up for my liking. If you did end up in Antalya the accomodation in the old port was our favourite, close to the disco that can be noisy but a lovely residence run by jacob. good luck

lydie

Wow you guys are great. Really helpful. Of course, now we already have to go back to visit the places we'll inevitably miss this time around. Brenda66, your pictures are stunning. Kas sounds great and, Fezzer, you make Cirali sound especially appealing! (Slouch in little cushioned huts with a beer and chill out...how perfect is that.) But yes, we're flying into Dalaman so that's narrowed the field. We've finally decided on Kalkan over Patara partly because we've vacationed quite a bit on Cape Cod near a spectacular miles-long beach and actually love the idea of pebbles and platforms instead of sand & surf for a change and have 2 teenage daughters who are mad for browsing shops and reading in cafes and we all relish a variety of great food.

Maria the plug-in bug-zapper is brilliant. Where do you get one?? Did you bring it with you?

I should also ask - what's the plugging situation? My husband (a writer) is never w/out his laptop. Do you know if anything beyond a convert is needed?

Last 2 questions:

How's the driving? Signs in English? Not too crazy? (on a scale of 1 to 5 with, say, India being 5)

The Zinbad didn't ask for a credit card for a reservation, just said they would trust us to show up. That seems pretty unusual, yes?! Has anyone done it that way before?

Thanks all!

Maria_H

Hi Lydie, all good holidays, lead to more holidays, to fill in the gaps you missed the last time!

For electicity, ensure the laptop is dual voltage or you have the appropriate convertor:

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/d...ectricity.html

The plug-in mossie killers are available in large chemists or supermarkets in the UK, usually sold at airport shops and will most likely also be available for sale in Turkey. They come in 2 varieties, one with liquid, the other with foil wrapped "tablet" refills that you replace each night. Our preference is for the liquid ones, as there is less smell. I particularly recommend the "Jungle Formula" one, if you see that.

http://tinyurl.com/6lkuv4

My husband did all the driving and I'd say it is on a par with Greece (having not been to India). The roads are generally fine but there are a few things to take account of. A lot of the time, off the main roads, there is little traffic but you need to look out for other hazards, such as goats, slow moving tractors or gravel sections where roads are being repaired. On one trip my husband got fed up of me asking him to stop while I helped tortoises across the road! On the major roads, you need to beware of heavy, overloaded lorries and the lunatics that try to overtake them on blind corners. If you drive with a bit of caution and plenty of common sense, you will be fine.

The pictures of Cirali look great too, we visited briefly from Kalkan, though it was quite a long drive. Unfortunately we manged to miss the chimera - so another reason to go back!

Maria_H

PS make sure you go on a gulet cruise for a day, there are plenty available from the harcour. We took one that went to Kekova and Kale and it was a fantastic, relaxing day out with a barbeque lunch included.

brenda66

Hi Lydie..so glad that you like my photos of Turkey :=))Have a wonderful time in Kalkan and enjoy your trip..

Just wanted to point out that I think the poster...fezzer...was reffering to the village of Olympos and not excatly Cirali..however they do share the same beach, scenery etc...My photos Criali/Olympos are from there....however Cirali has more family guest houses, hotels, and pensions whereas Olympos is famous for its treehouses and backpackers..

As for your laptop..you should buy once you are in Turkey a new cord ( not very expensive )

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/d...ectricity.html

Many appliances with their own power adapters (such as laptop computers and digital cameras)—can be plugged into either 110-120-volt or 220-240-volt sockets/points and will adapt to the voltage automatically, (but you will need a plug adaptor that can fit into the recessed wall socket/point.


Your laptop will not need a adaptor as most will have the built - in adaptor for voltage...but you will have to change the AC cord ( Laptop AC Power Supply Cable Cord ) and plug..or just to make it easier buy and adaptor before you leave..

But have a look here at what I mean..these are really easy to find at any local electronic shop or store..

http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...a=N&tab=wi

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...mp;btnG=Search

If you end up landing in Turkey without one you can search out a Turkish electrician's shop (elektrikçi) or a local computor store..

brenda66

Also thanks to Maria..glad you liked my photos as well :=)) cheers

propertravel

One dawnfall of Zinbad just remembered that is above the Yacht Point Bar and sometimes can be laud. Also you are next to main mosque of Kalkan. other than that Zinbad is one of the oldest pension of Kalkan. Sometimes hotel owners do not ask credit card etc. not very unsual for Turkey.
eating at trio and Aubergine restaurants will be rewarding. Not cheap but great food & service.
Happy Traveling,
Murat

lydie

Hi Murat - I sent you a follow-up note via email about a couple of other pensions at the other side of town. It would be great if you can help me with those. I was beginning to wonder about the noise at Zinbad, too - besides the bar I have heard the call to prayers from the very nearby mosque is quite early (!) (If no luck on the pensions, I'll maybe look into Ada Apartments on Marie's recommendation.)Also, do you remember what the nearest swimming platform at that end of the harbor is like? The folks at Zinbad say it is just 3 min. away. I haven't been able to find a picture of anybody swimming in that area but wonder if it is among the boats or out on the far side of the jetty? (Lastly, do they charge to use the beach clubs?) Thanks!

propertravel

Hi Lydie,
I am jsut back home after some thausends of km.s at the coast.
Will look at the pensions for you.

One think I assure you for, once you swim in Kalkan you will be spoilt and wont be looking anything less than that......There are few platform close to marina but, take my word and take a boat from Harbour to Villa Mahal. Food might be a bit more than other places but reward is worth the extra dollars.... One night treat yourselves at Trio and another night at Aubergine. Say hi to Mehmet at Aubergine and Ali at trio, you will see that will make a difference

Best Regards,
Murat