Has Calis Changed - or is it Us?

[Scunner]

Thought this would make an interesting topic, another thread has turned this way.

Do you view Calis differently now, compared with the Calis you first discovered? In the other topic people appear to be feeling that the prom is getting louder and more "like Benidorm" - and others wonder if it is simply them getting older.

Our Calis habits have changed entirely over the last decade or so. We used to have dinner somewhere along the prom every night - to not be there for a meal seemed to be a real loss. Lunch on the prom too wherever possible.

Today we are almost never on the prom for dinner - in fact I can't remember the last time we did. Several lunches (I really like the quiet prom of lunchtime) and the occasional breakfast when olives and cucumber become too much - but that's it.

For me it is nothing to do with Calis changing or me getting older. It's simply that Fethiye raised it's game over these years and Calis didn't. In a week holiday, I have 7 or more places I must go to for the evening. None of them on Calis prom.

[usedbustickets]

We rarely eat on the prom these days, and almost certainly not during the season apart from the occasional breakfast treat.  Still go along for a drink and / or stroll in the evening, but that's it.

We eat in many areas including Calis non prom restaurants, including Frank Canons, Fethiye,  Uzumlu and yes Ovacik and Olu Deniz.  All these areas seemed to have lifted their game, and IMHO they have not lifted their prices as much as Calis prom.  I am prepared to be shot down in flames for this last statement as I do not have firm evidence only that of my own observation.

Have to say that the state of the roads and pavements behind the prom, as well as the beach, does not help.  And when I say the beach it's not just the cleanliness, but I also mean the tired looking beach beds and umbrellas etc..... without any matresses!!!!!

Having said all of that, we still love the beach, the view, the 'ambiance' of the prom, whether morning afternon or evening, and just love sitting there watching the world go by with a nice drink in hand, it's just that the restaurants have lost their appeal perhaps??

[badger]

Calis may have changed since we bought our apartment in 2005 but with all the improvements we think it has in general changed for the better.we eat less down the front now as there are plenty of eating places in Gunlukbasi,Cafe inn in our opinion the one that is consistently good. We still enjoy Calis
                                                The Badgers 
                 

[mercury]

Maybe we were unlucky to come across all the row last night... When we lived there we rarely ventured down the prom at night but we always loved it during the day... We still do and as "Tourists" still do.... We were looking forward to having a meal on the prom. last night which was something we rarely did when we lived there but abandoned the idea and ate at Frank Cannons which was excellent as usual... We decided to have a drink on the front and people watch... All was OK until about ten when The entertainment stared at Vojos and next door where we weresitting chatting to friends.. As I said in the other thread the noise was horrendous... Judging by the number of people who just walked past when they heard the row. I think they were wasting their time..  Apart from the group of women from the hen party both bars were very low on customers...  Far from being a miserable beggar  we spent many many nights in Hissy and had some great times.. I just didn't expect it in Calis.... Added to that what are all the flashing neon signs I could see further down the sea front? 
Many locals and Tourists are choosing to eat on the front in Fethiye now and it doesn't surprise me... The Meeting Point was full to bursting from 6.15 on when we passed and maybe it isn't just because the food is good but because you can actually eat it in peace...
In answer to someone on the other thread. Yes we are going to Kaya tonight for a meal and entertainment at The Istanbul...

[Karennina]

I have been mulling this over for a while now the exact same thing. Is it still the Calis I fell in love with or is it because I have gotten older and it is the first one for me...It does not appear to be the same but I can't quite put my finger on what it is,I think for me it is a mixture of things
We love the view from the prom still I know I will always love that but noisy bars are not for us not if we are trying to eat...
Also the hearing of continual muggings and burglaries, I know you get crime everywhere but it defo seems to have been worse this year you don't want to be away trying to relax and having to be on your guard...
We have also started spending a lot more time in Fethiye and I have felt far happier there then Calis so thank The Lord we do have Fethiye to escape to...

[ColinT]

I think it probably hasn’t changed a great deal in the last decade.  Yes, some restaurants have come and gone, but that’s just a natural thing that happens in business like back home in UK. 

Probably more rules and regulations are in place now, and modern life is taking over - our first visit to Calis there wasn’t even a cash machine in town.  It looks a bit more modern now, with the generic shop/bar frontage and block paving.  They hadn’t heard of traffic roundabouts in 2002, so they built one and created a home for a couple a couple of dolphins, then they demolished it to create what seemed at times was a F1 race track, and now it’s back again.

All this nonsense about crossing the red line and shutting places down for 3 days wasn’t happening, although I do remember The Bus Stop being closed for 3 nights during its first year because the music was “too loud”, so the noise at Vojo is no new thing.

One thing that hasn’t changed too much is health and safety rules (unlike back home).  We’ve had many a laugh sitting having a drink in Calis/Fethiye watching the staff doing something as simple as putting a banner up and breaching every rule that we would have in place over here.  I remember one year, a table with a stepladder on top, and a member of staff on 2nd to top rung with a child on his shoulders – shame I didn’t have a camera handy.

I do think anyone that compares it to Benidorm, obviously hasn’t been to Benidorm.  I chuckle to myself when I imagine what Calis Beach would make of Sticky Vicky (Google it if you don’t know what I’m on about).  The Calis prom dies a death at 10pm, just when most people in Benidorm are coming to life.

I think we’re all just getting a bit older and critical, but we’ll definitely be there next June.

[mercury]

Been to Benidorm 25 times.. Calis is certainly not Benidorm...We have had a fantastic holiday and cant wait to come again in a couple of months...

[jsp51]

Probably the biggest change in calis recently is the hideous lash up they have done to the canal. What an eyesore it is now with clinically built walls and then a gap between the canal wall and the wall up to the road has made a lovely dumping ground for rubbish. Just stand on the sea side of the bridge and look down it's brimming with rubbish and plastic water bottles already.
Then the big question, what happened to all the wildlife that used to live in and around the natural banks, there were otters, snakes turtles and hundreds of birds, all with their habitat destroyed to construct a hideous non inspiring stone waterway. I sometimes wonder what drives them??
Then there is the abysmal mess they have left the road in for what appears the season, they had plenty time to clean that up before the season started.

[lynne]

I feel blessed having the choice of either Fethiye or Calis....
When we first purchased (we are halfway between the two) I remember Olga (Interturk) saying there will be a walking promenade along the sea front.....we never thought it would happen but there it is...  We love to stroll into Fethiye - we think of that as for a "quiet" night or go into Calis if we are feeling more energetic... love them both for totally different reasons.

[desmartinson]

Good topic Keith. have just read the last 9 posts, and only 2, UBT and myself actually live here, the rest either have or are now back in the UK, but only come out once a year or relate to how it was when they lived here and will hack it for a couple of weeks now, and say it is still great, I don't believe it is getting like Benidorm, but it will never be again like the Calis we all knew and loved in my opinion. sad but true I think.