Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Other Local Resorts & Areas => Uzumlu Discussion Forum => Topic started by: louisa on February 15, 2011, 10:58:11 AM
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Hi Everyone
I'm interested to know as much as I can about living in Uzumlu. I did go there once a few years ago, but it was only for a few hours, so I didn't get to see it properly. I vaguely remember a small village street in the centre, and the surrounding countryside which was so pretty.
I seem to remember it was about a 20 minute drive to Calis: is that right?
Some of the other things I'd like to know.........it's probably best I list them if that's not too cheeky!
Village shops - what's there?
Restauarants/Bars - good/average?
Locals - friendly?
Brits - any get togethers for ex-pats?
Local doctor/hospital - good/OK?
Taxis - I do drive, but does Uzumlu have a taxi service, too?
Dolmus - last one/winter etc?
Weather in winter?
Burglary/Crime - High/Low? Police, good/bad?
House Protection Burglary - recommendation for good security systems?
Cost of Living - High/Average for Turkey?
TV/Internet Connections - OK?
Blackouts - frequent/seldom?
Sorry if this sounds like a questionnaire! :-\ Which it is I suppose! But I'd like as much info as possible, and if any of you kind people could assist I would be really grateful.
Many thanks in advance!
Louisa :)
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The hills have eyes spring to mind :D:D ;)
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What does that mean? This is quite obviously someone considering Uzumlu as a place to become part of - or not.
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Louisa - I don't live there year round (yet), but spend several weeks a year there, and am happy to answer what I can. There are others far more qualified to answer most of these questions, so hope they will also contribute. My one word answer would probably be : wonderful !!
Shops : everything you need, plus a wonderful Friday market. Places to get fresh fruit / veg / bakery / butchers etc.
Restaurants ; yes - some lovely restaurants :) Not a 'bar' sort of place but the Winehouse and the Grape garden can get pretty busy some nights (especially if some of my fellow forum members are there for either quiz nights or dart tornaments !!!)
Locals - are absolutely wonderful. Initially you have to win their trust and respect, but once you make the effort - you will reap the rewards. We have made some very special turkish friends.
Plenty of get togethers....watch the forum for event announcments !
Also lots of opportunity to get involved with local charity / fund raising events
Dolmus - excellent service - others will know more detail
Taxi - not to my knowledge, but i have been hoping that someone would see this slot in the market and do something about it !!!
Winter weather : can get very cold - if you are thinking about buying a property, make sure it has adequate heating, not just a summer residence ! fires are fab, but cold ceramic tiles take an age to warm unless you have underfloor heating (bliss !). Burglary / Crime - i will leave for others, as I know it happens, but not sure how regular. I think it is a case of be aware and make sure you do everything you can to minimise the risk, as you would any where else.
Electricity cuts are common in the summer - when the village reaches high occupancy and everyone's air conditioning is on ! have had 2 -3 days on end with no elecricity, but not sure this is as common now that they have tried to improve the supply. Any way, I can't think of a nicer place to live, and just wish we would be out there more often. It sounds like you have a tough decision to make - good luck !!!
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Hi Louisa, Uzumlu is a great little village where we decided was the best place to live full time after looking around various places in Turkey. In further answer to Pookies response, here is our look on our own Uzumlu experience so far- we have a number of resturants in excess of 9 different places to eat all have some sort of bar facility as well as serving a normal range of Turkish dishes Pide, casserole, kebab dishes etc they also do take away service, some are better than others depends on what you like, local ex pats mainly choose from about 3-5 of these for various events and some have theme nights; BBQ, Indian, Chinese, Quiz night, Darts Night, Uzumlu Ladies Group (WI), Uzumlu Community Watch, Turkish Cooking lessons, Language lessons,along with special traditional events Valentines night, Christmas, Burns Night to name a few. These restuarants are also open all year round as a general rule. As also stated we have a small market on a Friday where fruit veg fresh fish, spices sweets nuts and clothes are sold and various shops selling the usual corner shop goods as well. We soon will have another petrol station opening up to add to the other one already in situ. Re Dolmus there is a regular timetabled service available to Fethiye. We have a local clinic which has a doctors surgery as well and a chemist shop, bakers, phone shop couple of barbers, builders yard as well. The electric situation is a lot better now as they have invested in fitting new posts and regulators and apart from the rare odd day couple of hours it has been pretty stable, the longest power cut we have personally had in the past 2 years was a 10 hour stint but was the fault of a car crashing into the electric post rather than over useage/weather issue. Telephone and ADSL is pretty easily available although we do experience various problems with internet speed despite new fibre optic cabling this we believe is mainly down to the staff service knowledge rather than just equipment but we get personally just over a 5GB feed service here, but as stated there are good and bad days with it still. Locals are great and if you make an effort you are rewarded with friendly hospitality, food, advice etc. On the crime side it has improved drastically compared to previous years as mentioned we have the Uzumlu Community Watch up and running who liase with the local jandarma on behalf of ex pats and hold meetings with residents to discuss crime issues and run a e mail advice/look out service, the last reported burglary was in October. Like everywhere a common sense approach and installation of security deterrents is advices bars/alarm lighting further advice can be got on this from uzumlucw@gmail.com. Cost of living is not as cheap as it used to be obviously linked to bank interest coming down making budgets more restricted, currently around the 8% mark (a lot better still than UK) it has made things less economical and things like fuel red meat has increased considerably in the past few years and obviously if you want to stay here you need to think about resident permits and these are not as cheap for us Brits, other items are very cheap in comparison chicken meat, fruit and veg (seasonal linked), council tax are cheaper compared to UK. Re TV you can get Astra on a 1.5 dish here fine as well as a host of other service no problem, see Sat section on CBF for more info. Finally weather it is roughly 3-5c colder in Uzumlu than Fethiye mainly of a evening nightime you notice it more, during the day it is not to bad in winter and we only light a fire in the evening in winter mid/end Oct to end of March mid April, in the summer evenings you certainly don't need a fire you need a fan/ aircon to cool down instead:D. All in I can highly recommend Uzumlu as a place to stay/live rent but don't tell everyone we like it being a small village as well!! ;)
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Agree with two previous comments,I was going to write up my thoughts of life in Uzumlu, but everything I could say has already been put more elegantly than I could do. Only thing to add is come to the village visit any restaurant speak to staff,, locals and ex pats and you will be eager to move here too. Looking forwarf to welcoming you our part of paradise. Good house hunting. :)
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I would recommend renting for a few months first to see how you like it.....! but sssh, don't tell everyone how wonderful it is !!! ;):D
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It's like living in a vacuum, only quieter ;)
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Hi Louisa,
I also suggest you that come on and visit us to have chance to see our paradise in person...especially on our Morel Mushroom Festival in April, 8-9-10th...we have many traditional village houses which will be prepared as the pension soon...
Please e-mail me if you need any further details about it.
And always welcome if you also need any guide assistance...
Hope to see & meet you soon, good luck for your new life wherever you decide...
Best wishes
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Thank you so much for all your replies - you've all been so helpful - I do apologise for not replying sooner.
Scooby Doo: For a moment I thought you were about to write the lyrics to the The Sound Of Music!:D Do you mean people are nosy in Uzumlu? I'm not sure what you meant, but I don't mind curtain-twitchers. I think they help protect in a way, you know, keeping an eye on the place.
Pookie: Thank you for all that info you gave me, I'm starting to get a picture of what life is like in Uzumlu, I think. And it's really nice of you to give a good honest picture of the place; pointing out its good sides and not so good sides. I don't think anywhere is perfect in the world - you always have to compromise on something - but it sounds with Uzumlu that its certainly got something special. I especially like your tip about staying out there for a few months to see how I like it. That is a really good and practical idea when I think about it. Thank you again for your helpful advice. :)
Corbindallas: Oh, you've really gone into detail, I really appreciate that! Can I ask you which other places you looked at before choosing Uzumlu, and what made you decide on Uzumlu itself? What swung it for you?
The way you've described everything it does sound really lovely. It definitely sounds like the village has all the shops you'd need, though I suppose you'd drive into Fethiye for your big supermarket shop? The Friday market sounds good - is it a smaller version of the Fethiye one? I used to go down to the fish market in Fethiye and I loved it there; as you know, the fish is so fresh. I remember buying prawns which were still moving! And the sea bass was delicious! Is that where the fish comes from when they bring the market up to Uzumlu? I don't know what the clothes are like in the market, but the ones I saw I wasn't really keen on; I wasn't that keen on many of the clothes in Fethiye either. I think people tend to go to Antalya for their clothes shopping if I remember rightly? But I'd be bringing clothes over from England anyway, so that's not a problem.
It seems like living costs are on a similar level to the UK, and it's swings and roundabouts from what you say: council tax in the UK = Residency Permit? Would that be right? I have heard that Turkey has got much more costly than it once was, but so has everywhere really. I do remember the wine was very expensive when I was there (the imported wine) and it was terribly expensive in comparison to what it cost in the UK. I used to drink Yakut when going out to eat, which was OK, but I did miss a really nice full-bodied Shiraz or a crisp Chablis. I think the name of the wine I had in the fish market was called Angora, and that was about the best I found. Maybe you know of some local vineyards which do nice wines? That would be a definite bonus. Thank you again for going into so much detail - that's really kind of you!
Rosy: Thank you for your welcome, and I look forward to meeting up with you too.
Scunner: I love quietness, but only if I can hear birds singing in the distance and things like that. I don't actually like hearing silence, if that makes sense? Some places are so quiet you can hear the insides of your eardrums working, and I find that a bit unsettling. But I'd sooner have quietness than noise coming at me from all directions, and if it was terribly quiet I suppose I could just put some music on or something. Does anyone else find it too quiet there, I wonder?
Neylan: Thank you for your welcome. I am planning on coming out there in the late Spring, but probably not April. What goes on at the mushroom festival? Is it for tourists or trade? I didn't know Uzumlu was famous for mushrooms. I will email you for a look at your houses, but I'm not really looking for a village house (old one). Nice as they are, I really want something spacious and light with a nice modern kitchen etc. If you have the type I'm interested in do let me know.
Again, many thanks to everyone for all your replies. :)
Louisa
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quote:
Originally posted by louisa
Scunner: I love quietness, but only if I can hear birds singing in the distance and things like that. I don't actually like hearing silence, if that makes sense? Some places are so quiet you can hear the insides of your eardrums working, and I find that a bit unsettling. But I'd sooner have quietness than noise coming at me from all directions, and if it was terribly quiet I suppose I could just put some music on or something. Does anyone else find it too quiet there, I wonder?
Lol Louisa - i wouldn't worry about the quietness !! It is anything but in the early hours of the morning !! Its the most wonderful alarm clock on earth - started by the Donkey's, then the cockerels, then the mopeds, then the Imam....!! And don't forget the drummer at Ramazan, which as ramazan is during August this year will probably start around 3.00 in the morning !!! Bliss !
If you are around late April/May, send me an email and we can meet up - come back have a coffee and we will show you around our little village. Don't think you can go too wrong in uzumlu...
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I am not anti-quiet, far from it!!!
I remember we had a holiday staying at Telmessos in Koca Calis (Telmessos was brilliant, possibly still is!) and it was lovely to have breakfast on the terrace with just the sound of the goat bells from the hill. I also remember have afternoon drinks with friends for recreational purposes and a bee flew into the terrace, buzzed right between us and out the other end. We watched it go by, all of us in silence. My friend summed it up with "You know you're at a quiet place when a bee flying past kills the conversation stone dead".
Happy times indeed :)
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Louisa, I think its a bit like marmite[?] the people that have made it their home or holiday destination love it, but as for others its not for them, as in any big decision you will have to make your own mind up at the end of the day, obviously the people that have chosen to live or buy a holiday home there are going to be at little bit bias, as I said its a big decision, so take your time and enjoy the experience,it has been suggested rent for a few months,that would be my advice 100%, holidaying and living are a totally different ball game, good luck in you adventure, and take your time. :)
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Hi Louisa, we looked at Side, Didem, Koycegiz, Mamaris, Dalaman, Ovacik, Calis and Kas before deciding Uzumlu was best for us, the reason why Uzumlu won hands down compared to the rest is our love of the open countryside, Uzumlu gives you a real village feeling and is only 19 minutes away from main Fethiye so you can enjoy the best of both worlds. Like you say we do our main shopping at the big fruit & veg markets and supermarkets in Fethiye and the rest in the village. Obviously we all like different things so won't list pro's and cons for the places we did go as it may be the opposite attraction for you and others, but can only reinforce the advice given about renting as we did exactly that in Uzumlu and when we were sure we had chosen the right place for us all as a family, we got a off plan built last year. If you want any further info or to meet up and discuss things when over please feel free to contact us. :)
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Hello louisa
iv sent you an e mail regarding uzumlu.Hope its of interest to you.good luck.regarding villas i can help you there too i think....good lucky anyway.
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Hi Louisa,
We have just returned from a long weekend (Yes you can do it) 4 days up in the hills.
We had a villa built via a local builder (Halil) and took delivery May 2010. We love the village, the people and the way of life. Villa is great and only 20mins from the sea (down hill)!
We have had many friends stay last year and some like the location and some would like a bit more night life but it`s what we wanted. We have been to Kalkan, Icmeler, Side, Izmir, Bodrum but we fell in love with Uzumlu and surrounding area. It`s great.
Hope this helps.
See you up there!!!!!! ;)
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I am Jan from Holland, interested to buy maybe in Uzumlu. Interested to read these comments. Thanks.
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CBF certainly goes a long way:D
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Hi
Uzumlu is a beautiful place but a bit too quiet for me. I bought my property with a lady from Holland. Will send you the details of her whereabouts.
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The sound of silence
On our last holiday, we visited Uzumlu on two seperate days. Om both days, we whiled away the afternoon outside the winehouse with the intention of watching the world go by. Nothing went by !
On walking around the village, we saw only three people (two twice)
If you want peace and tranquility, this is the place.
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Where were all the men that are always in the Cay house?..lol
I have never in 4 years of living here seen that place empty.
It's quiet in the mid-day heat of July and Aug but there are always the men drinking Cay and playing Okey, the rest of us are probably sitting around our pools...
Uzumlu is peaceful but certainly not dead....lol:D
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Hi Firo
I have just been castigated by her who knows all.
She said dont upset your potential new neighbours.
I was using a bit of poetic licence to endorse the view that Uzumlu is quiet but idylic if thats what you like.
Yes, the cay house was full, but they were not passing by
Yes you were all sitting around your pools. But you were not passing by.
If you want a quiet village life, Uzumlu is the place.(Apart from the noise of the new build of course)
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Hi Firo
I have just been castigated by "her who knows all".
She said dont upset your potential new neighbours.
I was using a bit of poetic licence to endorse the view that Uzumlu is quiet but idylic if thats what you like.
Yes, the cay house was full, but they were not passing by
Yes you were all sitting around your pools. But you were not passing by.
If you want a quiet village life, Uzumlu is the place.(Apart from the noise of the new build of course)
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quote:
Originally posted by suehugh
Hi Firo
I have just been castigated by "her who knows all".
She said dont upset your potential new neighbours.
Nice to see Uzumlu return to type - everyone's been a little too quiet and too friendly to each other up there for a while now :D
(http://www.calisvilla.co.uk/bonfire.jpg)
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Lol
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Ha ha what I want to know is who we have placed in the middle of the fire -poor sod! PS that's me on the left!!
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Problem yok Sue.....
Scunner...tut tut ;): :)
I think I must be the one next to you Denise...lol 8)
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Come on Fi, I can't follow all the relationships in Uzumlu, who is "her who knows all" and why is she castigating?
(http://www.calisvilla.co.uk/beerprotest.jpg)
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castigating ? I thought that was Tinx's job.....get it done free at the animal shelter ....
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That's the 84,000 dollar question Scunner.....lol
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Yes Fi, that's why I asked it ;)
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Suehugh surly the one to ask!!!! ;)
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I'm asking everyone :D
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Me thinks Suehugh's hubby was posting on her account, hence the terminology. Simples
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Not exactly simple Eric, accounts are not for multiple use ;)
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I know, you b*****ked me a few years back for using Fi's account:D: :):D
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Multiple Users[?]
The Castigator (She is good at it) tells me what to think, say and do anyhow ! 8)
Do we need two accounts, as we speak with one voice (hers)
The "We want beer men" did not pass by,otherwise I would have joined them. 8)
Sorry we missed out on the barbecue, although I think I might get a special invite for the next one.
:D
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keith : how do we have two accounts off one email address ? Mr Pookie occasionally uses my logon.....
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You could take the major step of getting another email address [:o]
It doesn't matter really, it would help sometimes if people's "other halves" could say it is them typing :)
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we could of course get another email address, but have trouble remembering the one we have anyway ! moving providers in a couple of weeks, so may well do it then. (Think Mr Pookie always signs himself as such...he better, because i don't want to be responsible for some of his comments !!).
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Hi Everyone, this topic has been really useful for us. We are planning to buy in Uzumlu and are coming to view properties on Sunday 3rd April and will be leaving late on Friday 8th April, so that will mean we get to see the Mushroom Festival which seems to be quite an event by the discussions that are on here. I am so pleased to have found this forum as the information is invaluable to us!
I am counting down the days to our visit, 21 days to go today :)
It would be nice if we could meet up with some of you so we can introduce ourselves, so let me know if anyone would like to arrange something.
And, being a bit of a girlie girl - do I need to pack some warm clothes as we are coming in April - can the strappy sandals be packed or will I need my boots?? These things a girl just has to know before hand :D
Husband wanted to know if he should be packing his strappy sandals too!! Honestly - he is just not taking the whole wardrobe drama seriously!
But wardrobe dramas aside, please do let me know if any one of you would be happy to meet up for a coffee and a chat.
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Elf - good luck in your property hunt, there are some lovely places available in uzumlu, and it is such a special place. Sadly we won't be there until the end of April, otherwise we would have loved to have met up for a dram or two. Weather in April can be rather varied, so best to pack for all eventualities ! Certainly pack some good walking shoes, its a fantastic time of year to explore the village and surrounding area (ie: Cadiyanda). Enjoy the mushroom festival, its great fun !
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Elf,
We fly in on the 1st April for a week.
Been up there for just over a year! :) Had a great year, visit every six weeks for a long weekend, one week holiday or 21 day visit.
We think it`s great. Had our villa built, all went really well NO problems at all. Great builder helped us.
Will be out and about all week so hope to meet you.
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Word of Warning
Uzumlu is a great place to live and has a great community alround but there have been many horror stories about the buying process. Many waiters selling houses etc. All I can say is go with a reputable estate agent / Emlak such as Villa Homes here in the village or European Estates in Fethiye. There are many more but these I can recommend. You would not buy generally in the UK even without using an estate agent I certainly would not recommend it here.
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There is also nothing wrong if buying directly from any owners selling their properties providing you employ someone who can deal with the contracts and paperwork!
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You do not need to use an Estate agent if you can deal with the owners direct and as Denise said, use a local Notary/solicitor to check with the deeds office that there are no loans or morgages against the property and that the person who is selling the house is the legal owner,living permissions are in place and to write a contract.
Estate agents in Turkey have no formal training and there is no guarantee that by using an estate agent you will not have any problems.
We know of a local Uzumlu agent who had no remit to sell our house but he brought potential customers to the house under the guise of an agent who was selling the house. He hid behind our wall and as he knew we would have objected to his involvement.He had told the potential customers that he had built the house (which he hadn't) and then expected to get 5% on top of the other agents 3%.
A waiter who sells houses can in practise serve on tables one day, open an estate agency the next day etc etc.
Buying in Turkey can in no way be compared with using Estate agents in the UK and even there you can deal direct with owners but in the UK you would use a solicitor for the conveyancing.
The only Estate agents we personally recommend are European Estates, Dekor Emlak (Uzumlu) and Assured Estates.
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So sorry - I should avdice one more important point before notary;
-request the title photocopy and check it in title office at first...
they must reply to everyone who wants to be sure before any sort of agreement or proxy...
-and also everyone should see the estate agent's licence...do not sign anything before you see their selling proxy (if they have) or meet the owner...
-the title office can warn you if the title has got any problem on this title (for example; agriculture land & share title) or debts...
I am not a solicitor or an estate agent but know the laws and the rules very well...thats just an advice to try and avoid any problems..
Please do not hesitate to ask me anything if I can help
Regars,
Neylan
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quote:
Originally posted by neylan
I am not a solicitor or an estate agent
Exactly - that's why I was surprised to hear that when a new member posted here saying they were interested in buying in Uzumlu, you contacted them directly offering them a range of properties to choose from.
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As I said before that I am not agent...many friends have got for sale houses in Uzumlu, I noticed them when I searched for my cousin a month ago...my job is FREE !!! only liked to help
nd please someone come and say when I charged even any kurus to anyone when I helped them before...unusual but true...I only can not understand what you are trying to say...What a pitty !!
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Well ok but my experience of the helpful waiter/barman/gardener is that while the customer is discussing the property they are looking for, they are (in Turkish) discussing the 5000 quid they want the agent to add to the price as their cut for bringing them. I am not saying that is what you do. But in many cases the selfless support of the local 'friend' to help locate the best property at the best price is rarely that at all. Just a warning to prospective buyers, who can take the advice or leave it. In most cases they leave it, such is the deep trust between barman and idiot.
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I am not any of these things...
I am a well educated and have very good background...
You should not mix apples and oranges, please...
Thanks & regards,
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To repeat...
I am not saying that is what you do.
My experience of people there who offer to help is that they normally do nothing for nothing. That is from the other side of the desk.
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quote:
Originally posted by moonfleet
Word of Warning
Uzumlu is a great place to live and has a great community alround but there have been many horror stories about the buying process. Many waiters selling houses etc. All I can say is go with a reputable estate agent / Emlak such as Villa Homes here in the village or European Estates in Fethiye. There are many more but these I can recommend. You would not buy generally in the UK even without using an estate agent I certainly would not recommend it here.
With respect, this problem applies to Hisaronu, Ovacik, Fethiye, Calis, not just Uzumlu, and the question was "What Is It Like Living In Uzumlu?"
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..... we also have shed loads of olive branches here too.
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Can I have one please?
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We do a range of sizes: Twig to branch. Your choice :)
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You do olive branches in branch size or twig size?
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Either or as long as they are peacefully grasped......
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I'm always a peaceful grasper :)
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Are we losing the topic title? :P
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People coming to Uzumlu to live may need a warning in advance that Brit juvenile behaviour is alive and kicking here as it is every where else the Brits congregate. As demonstrated on this page. For my money a wonderful place to live, but do take heed and use one of the reputable estate agents. Agree that European Estates were honest and reliable we used them 5 years ago and are still pleased with our purchase. Good luck with house buying.
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We have a villa in Uzumlu which we brought as a holiday home and rent out long term and short term. We love it in Uzumlu for holidays but I have to admit for us there is not enough to do so we tend to end up in Calis most days and you definitely need a car as everything is so far away unless you are just getting a few everyday groceries or paying bills. The views however are fantastic. I would certainly agree with others that you should rent first and see how you feel about the place long term. We are currently torn between possibly exchanging for a place in Calis or maybe just selling up completely. Decisions, decisions!