Villa Portakal is in central Kalkan; a historic fishing village turned popular holiday destination on Turkey’s turquoise coast. The harbourside town is surrounded by beautiful tree-lined hills that look down on the glistening bay. Head to the photo-worthy harbour dotted with colourful boats or wander the cobbled old streets lined with pretty boutiques and classic whitewashed houses. Kalkan is an excellent place for shopping with a range of shops and bustling markets where you’ll find everything from spices to hand-made rugs, produce and jewellery. Look out for stalls selling fresh golmeze (traditional savoury pancakes). Stop off for a drink and bite to eat at one of the waterfront cafes or roof-top restaurants, offering fantastic food and unrivalled views of the bay.
Kalkan is also famous for its proximity to Lycian ruins – interesting ancient sites – or its many local activities. Apart from sandy Kalkan beach near the marina, and Kaputas, a scenic cove about 7km east of Kalkan, there’s also Patara beach which is also a national park. Most of the beaches in and around Kalkan have beach day clubs which offer adrenaline-pumped sports like sea kayaking, scuba diving and parasailing, and also have decking for sunbathing and restaurant facilities.
For fun day trips further afield, drive about 30 minutes to the cosmopolitan town of Kas. There you’ll find the impressive ancient site of Antiphellos, with still-visible ruins including a theatre. You can also jump on a boat from Kas to the island of Kekova where there are mysterious half-submerged ancient 2nd-century ruins. Discover them via swimming, snorkelling or sea kayaking. For things to do closer to home, boat trips from Kalkan harbour to the surrounding bays and coves are well worth it. Culture fiends will love the ancient sites of Xanthos, Patara and Myra, while nature lovers can rejoice in the fantastic walking, biking and hiking routes in the olive groves and foothills of the mountains.
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.
