Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Calis Beach Forum => Calis Beach Questions and Information => Topic started by: cjvonthejack on July 27, 2018, 15:41:12 PM
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'Welcome to CBF
Hope you have a great holiday. Do let us know how you get onhb'....if what follows bores/offends you, blame Anne for the suggestion !
Back in really rather warm England (though prefer to have a lovely Turkish bay view with the heat !).
Thoughts on Calis Beach from my 10 night stay (not, of course, time to do the place justice!):
It's difficult to go wrong with Turkey - the prices are better than can be found anywhere (?) else, the scenery is fabulous, the attempts to make visitors welcome much better than in many places with a greater reputation.
So, I had an enjoyable stay; the Oykun Hotel is exactly what it says on the tin ' Small & Friendly', I found a 'go to' restaurant in Bella Mamma (should say I'm spoiled by lots of all-inclusive trips, many of them in Turkey, where going to your 'own' table, with staff who recognise you, at a time you like, with no/minimal hassle to get there, is one of the joys), which doesn't imply there's anything wrong with a lot of places that I thought I might try, but didn't.
I enjoyed the lovely view of the bay, & the sunsets, from the restaurant.
Not, I'm afraid, so keen on the beach itself - it's been mentioned in posts here before...not clean, or desperately well maintained (one of the joys of 5 star hotels along the 'prom' if the care they take of their own beach strip, and often the walking area around it...makes for a better experience for guest and visitor).
The little township is, or appears to the casual visitor to be, almost entirely set up for tourists. Now, in a way that's a bonus, but it doesn't make the place particularly authentic to be in (yes, I know you can get to Fethiye easily, which is, in parts anyway, a bit more traditionally Turkish, but...the point remains).
I can see why it makes an appealing 'expat' venue, and I don't in any way regret trying it, but (even for the bowling at Oykun, which I did for 1 hr. only in the heat of the afternoon on all but one day) I'd have to think twice, or more, before returning. Sorry - I know you all love it !
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Glad you enjoyed your stay and have tried it.Calis either grabs you or it doesn’t there doesn’t seem to be any in between.Fortunately we love it and can’t wait to get back.
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Don't think you have any need to apologise, you've tried Calis and found it's not for you and given an honest review of your stay. As Steve says it's not for everyone.
Personally we love Calis and have been going for the last 16 years. I also wouldn't even consider AI in Turkey as part of the fun is eating out somewhere different every night.
As for the beach, we like the Aroma Beach Club at the far end of the prom as they do clear their part of the beach and a nice relaxing place to spend the day.
Anyway, each to their own :D
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Thanks for an honest review.
As has been said, it's a love it or hate it resort. You'll only need one guess as to how we feel about it.
There is so much more to Calis than the beach and the strip but, a week is not long enough to discover all that surrounds you. I guess if your used to AI holidays then Calis is definitely not for you although you could try the Sensotori further out in Koca Calis.
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So was this your first time to Turkey? Did you try other areas? Feel disappointed for you,Turkey and in particular Mugla region has some wonderful places to visit. It's not easy traveling alone, and not having someone to enjoy the experience with. I do hope you revisit Turkey and Fethiye region again. Thanks for your review.
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You don't have to love it (thanks for the review by the way). We are just back from Cuba, where we met people who go to the same hotel at least once a year and have done for years. For us, it was a great holiday and great to experience such a unique country but we feel no particular pull to go back.
Agree regarding the beach - it isn't the best in the World at it's best, but it is tourists who fill it with fag butts and bottle tops - we all need to treat nature better.
It's actually refreshing to have someone come back and post in a Calis loving forum that it didn't do it for them. All the best with your future travels.
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Pleased not to have put anyone's back up too obviously !
Next Turkish destination Royal Alhambra Palace hotel, Colakli (nr. Side)all-inclusive shortly before Christmas...well, truth be told, as an old person, it's what I prefer nowadays; wasn't always so. And it will be cheaper for a fortnight than these 10 days were !
Many thanks to all whose reviews/comments helped me discover more about Calis before setting out. That's why I typed the resort name into Google, and your forum provided much more info. than I could have hoped for.
Much joy to you all for your life/stays in Calis/Fethiye. it was a pleasure briefly to share the area with you. Clive.
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It's actually refreshing to have someone come back and post in a Calis loving forum that it didn't do it for them.
Funnily enough, I've never liked Calis. Only ever been there five (six?) times in my life and twice was to see you and once to see Cenk.
But I get it - for a holiday, I'm sure it ticks all the boxes for so many folks on here but to live there full time would not be something I'd consider, ever.
Fethiye... different place completely and at one point we were considering retiring to Istanbul and having our house in Fethiye as "get away from the city" place. But as the years went by we realised that even our Fethiye tolerance had dropped to a week or so.
Maybe that's why we're now living in Spain :)
JF
(here under false pretences)
:) :) :)
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I suppose it also depends on your definition of Calis - is it the beach area (everything past the bridge) or the whole settlement. I love all of it but it hasn't got any great history apart from the beach part. To some that makes it a tad characterless or soulless but not to me.
I also love the location because you have the seafront, the bay view, glorious sunsets, and so many things within striking distance - Sovalye, Yaniklar, Fethiye, Olu Deniz, Hisaronu (yes yes now and again), Dalyan, Kaya Koy, so many little bays and beaches like Gemiler & Gunluklu, Faralya and who could forget Uzumlu.
How did I do? I've sold Calis Beach to people once or twice in the past.
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Sold it to me! ;) ;D
I do think it's good to read other people's views of Calis other than those, like me, who look at it through rose tinted glasses. But, much as we love the place, it's only ever going to be somewhere to go on holiday once, or maybe twice, a year. We like trying other places too.
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I suppose it also depends on your definition of Calis - is it the beach area (everything past the bridge) or the whole settlement. I love all of it but it hasn't got any great history apart from the beach part. To some that makes it a tad characterless or soulless but not to me.
I also love the location because you have the seafront, the bay view, glorious sunsets, and so many things within striking distance - Sovalye, Yaniklar, Fethiye, Olu Deniz, Hisaronu (yes yes now and again), Dalyan, Kaya Koy, so many little bays and beaches like Gemiler & Gunluklu, Faralya and who could forget Uzumlu.
How did I do? I've sold Calis Beach to people once or twice in the past.
Got it in one. That is exactly how we feel.
The front has no appeal for us now apart from Aroma beach club during the odd day, but the surrounding areas keep us coming time and again
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I think I’ve sold it to you previously too :D
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I suppose it also depends on your definition of Calis - is it the beach area (everything past the bridge) or the whole settlement.
First time I was in Calis would have been 2002/03 or thereabouts - beach, prom and over the bridge. Didn't do it for me, I was quite happy to head back to Fethiye after a couple of hours wandering and a beer or two. The beach especially I found pretty disgusting with the usual detritus of tourists and locals, fag ends, BBQ rubbish, empty cans & bottles and dog crap.
Took our girls over once a few years later as they wanted to go to a beach and I wasn't up for the hike to Olu - they were still quite young and none of the beaches round the corner from us in Karagozler had been developed at that time. They liked the shops selling all the tacky beach stuff.
Further east, heading away from the prom, just feels (to me) like a residential extension of Fethiye. Similar style of properties and similar street layout - bit more space though, not as tight as some areas of Fethiye.
I can see the attraction, and have never criticised anyone for choosing to live in the area, however its just for us. Probably some could say similar about living way out in Karagozler 2, too quiet and not for them. Lucky we're all different, eh?
JF