Villa Karpuz can be found in the quiet residential area of Kiziltas, overlooking the boutique holiday resort of Kalkan. The villa commands sweeping panoramic views towards Mouse and Snake islands, sitting in the azure waters of Turkey’s Mediterranean Sea. The villa is 125 kilometres from Dalaman Airport, a scenic one-and-a-half-hour journey through the Turkish countryside and Taurus mountains.
The old town of Kalkan has winding, cobbled streets, with traditional white-washed houses, festooned with pastel-coloured bougainvillea, and home to a plethora of restaurants, cafes and bars, and souvenir shops, full of goodies you’ll want to take home. A short drive will take you into the town of Kalkan, where you can find supermarkets, banks, and a local Sunday and Thursday market. The town of Kalkan reputedly has one hundred and fifty restaurants, cafes, and bars, you’ll be spoilt for choice deciding on whether to eat traditional Turkish food or dine on gourmet delights in international establishments, at one of the romantic rooftop restaurants.
Kalkan is famous for some of the best beach clubs, with bathing platforms, fabulous restaurants, and some with full-size swimming pools. Take a trip down to the harbour, where you will find complimentary water taxis to ferry you to a beach club of your choice. Located around the coastline, from Kalkan Beach Park in Kisla to Kulube at Kalamar Bay, there’s a beach club for everyone. No stay in Kalkan is complete without a boat trip from the harbour, whether it’s a shared one with family and friends, or you charter your own gulet, a day out at sea with your favourite captain and crew, is one to treasure. For the beach bunnies, Kalkan has its own pebble beach with easy access into the sea, sun loungers, parasols, and a cute café. Travel further afield to the stunning Kaputas Beach set in a natural gorge, or take a trip to Patara, where you will find twenty kilometres of unspoilt golden sands and a protected area for the hatching sea water Caretta Caretta turtles.
Follow in the footsteps of thousands of years of history as you walk along the Lycian Way, taking you through major archaeological sites, local villages, dramatic coastlines, and the areas’ flora and fauna. Take a short journey to the town of Kinik, which has the best local Friday market, and where you can step back in time to the ancient city of Xanthos. Follow the D400 to Fethiye, and discover the historical sites of Patara, Letoon, Tlos, and Pinara, where you can see the ancient ruins, amphitheatres and temples with Lycian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine influences.
The harbour town of Fethiye is also full of ancient sites worth seeing, as well as a foodie-heaven fish market, and home to some seriously good designer labels and fabulous jewellery shopping. The cosmopolitan Ottoman town of Kas is just twenty-five kilometres away, along one of the world’s most stunning and dramatic coastlines. If you are feeling intercontinental, hop on the daily twenty-minute ferry from Kas to the Greek island of Meis, where you can explore the magical Blue Cave, and dine by candlelight at the lapping water’s edge.
The Region
Kalkan has become a boutique resort, with cobbled streets and converted Greek houses, which belonged to the Greek merchants before the exchange of population in the 1920’s. Once quiet fishing harbour, these days you are more likely to see traditional wooden gulets taking tourists to soak up rays on the sparkling turquoise Mediterranean. A boat trip is a must-do, from the boat you can snorkel and usually a delicious lunch is prepared on board. Keen walkers should check out the Lycian way for designated walking paths in the area.
You cannot come to this area without spending some time exploring the many Lycian sights, such as Xanthos, Patara, Myra or the sunken city of Kekova.
Patara is said to be where democracy started (they excavated a stone voting block) and is also said to be the birthplace of St Nicholas, who became bishop at nearby Myra. The ruins here include an ancient theatre, city walls, government building, and agora. The lighthouse on the site is said to be the earliest of its kind. Visit Patara in the late afternoon and finish the trip with a drink on the sandy beach watching the amazing sunset.
The Saklikent Gorge is a great place to visit, especially if you want to cool off in the fresh waters whilst walking up the gorge. For the more energetic there are rafts and rings to ride the flowing waters. Further down you can enjoy a day canoeing toward the beach.
Islamlar sits 8 km above Kalkan. Once the place Kalkan folk went to cool off at one of the trout farms built to make use of the mountain’s springs. Today Islamlar houses many a villa, enjoyed by Istanbul Turks who prefer a holiday in slightly cooler and cleaner air. Here the locals grow grapes and pomegranates, but you’ll mainly see the men sat gossiping next to the local teahouse. The trout farms remain a place to come for a wonderful fresh meal, or a breakfast consisting of fresh local fare. The rocket will be the freshest and most tasty you’ve ever had; and the fresh chips cooked in olive oil take some beating.
By night both Kalkan and Kas come alive. Kas has more of a bohemian feel, people ambling through the cobbled streets, passing the ancient tomb in the street, haggling for textiles, carpets and other goodies, maybe stopping for the traditional Turkish ‘maras’ ice cream, a tulip-shaped glass of tea or a wonderful kebab in the shadow of the mosque. Most of the villas in Kas are just out of town on the Cukurbag Peninsula. A reasonable (5km) taxi or Dolmus (local bus) ride into town. Be sure to try the Piyaz, a white bean salad with tahini sauce.
Travelling along the coast towards Kalkan you pass the modern marina, the children’s beach park (run by the local hotel school) and halfway to Kalkan the stunning Kaputas Beach, cut in a gorge with all different shades of turquoise in the sea.
Kalkan is a more sophisticated resort, with the villas built onto the mountainside. Evening are spent enjoying the rooftop restaurants, perched on the top of the old ‘konak’ houses. Then wandering to a seaside bar for a cocktail, after shopping for glass lanterns, Iznik pottery, handbags or pestemel towels. Do visit the ‘pastane’, local patisseries which do the most delicious morning pastries and you must try the ‘Gozleme’ pancakes at the Thursday market.
Other things to do in the area include scuba diving as the visibility is excellent, paragliding, horseriding on Patara Beach or kayaking around the sunken ruins at Kekova.
