'Genuinely' some general questions!

[Phil Hartley]

Hi.  I'm thinking of coming over, with the wife and our 2 boys (age 15 and 5) to Calis during the 2nd half of August.  I have visited Calis before but it was exactly 20 years ago!  It was one of the best holidays I've had; wonderful weather, cheap, amazingly friendly locals and plenty of day trips and things to do. Of course back then Calis Beach was little more than a dirt track with a small handful of sea front hotels and restaurants dotted around in front of the beach, and it had a 'vibe' all of its own.

I appreciate that a lot has changed since then of course and I'm just a liitle nervous that although we realise that it is a much bigger place now, our expectations may be different from the reality.

Therefore my first general question is; can anyone on here give me a few brief on how the resort has changed over the years and what it's now like in terms of atmosphere, vistors etc?  Is there plenty of 'space' or is is a busy, bustling resort now?

Secondly, it appears that because of the make up of our family, there are not (m)any hotels that can provide a family room for us.  The best option seems to be to hire an apartment/ villa. 'Popular' complexes appear to be Sunset Beach, Palm Beach and Sea Breeze, but I can't get a fix on them in terms of whether they're right in the heart of Calis or actually some distance away. Are they in 'quiet' locations or next to anightclub for instance. Any advice/ inside knowledge would be appreciated.

Finally, what are food and drink prices like at the moment?

Many thanks in advance.

[Liz 101]

Sunset Beach is, as the name might suggest, virtually on the beach, going towards Surf Cafe, from where they do windsurfing (can't remember whether it was an option 20 years ago!) & is walkable to the prom, though whether you would want to in the heat of the 2nd half of August, is probably debateable. Alternatively, the dolmus station is a much shorter walk away.

There are actually 2 complexes called Palm Beach, very confusing! One is just behind the prom, the other a little further away, so really you'd need to check which Palm Beach it is. Can't say I know Sea Breeze at all sorry.

You will find Calis very different now, the prom is paved & pedestrianised (in theory!!) There's hardly any undeveloped land between the 2 headlands - Surf Cafe at one end & Sat restaurant at the other

You can still get a reasonable main course in a decent restaurant for a tenner a head (25tl) Large efes is around 4tl & a glass of wine 7tl.

Have a great time & try not to hark back too much to "the good old days"

[Phil Hartley]

Thanks Liz. So would you say that Sunset Beach is a decent location, or a bit 'out of it'?  Also- so I can get my bearings- roughly how long would it take to walk from one end of the Prom to the other.?

Thanks.

[Liz 101]

Sunset Beach isn't a bad location, you'd find few (if any) villas / apartments available for rental too much closer to the beach area or to the centre of Calis, as most of that area will be "touristic land" ie available only for hotels, restaurants etc.

End to end probably IRO 30mins, considering you have a 5 YO & it's going to be hot, hot, hot at the end of August. Incidentally, you might like to check that air-con is available!!!

[Phil Hartley]

Thanks. And yes don't worry; air-con is right at the top of my list of requirements!

And finally- just reading between the lines a bit- are you suggesting that in an 'ideal world' accomodation a bit further in than Sunset Beach would be better in terms of wandering around with the young one?

[Anne]

Sunset Beach is a great location for the beach and Surf Cafe ect but it's a bit of a trek with a five year old to the centre of Calis for an evening out.

[Scunner]

It is very dark at night between Calis and Sunset Beach Club, that would be my only concern.

[Phil Hartley]

Aha thanks. Great info- just what I needed. The apartments look lovely, but if it does make it more difficult to get out (and back) at night, then perhaps they're not for us as indeed we much prefer to eat out at night.

[Scunner]

It is a lovely complex Phil, and I'm absolutely positive that nothing bad would occur walking between it and Calis, but as you probably know Turkish dark is UK dark x100!. Wouldn't bother me at all, just worth mentioning if you have kids. Seaside is similar but on the end of the prom. Have a look at www.calisvilla.co.uk for a few more options too.

[lmaddy]

Also look at Seaside which is 5 mins nearer Calis then Sunset. The link above will have some properties from Seaside as well or I am sure you could do a general search.

I am biased as we have a place there. It is just a bit nearer then Sunset and a fair bit smaller so more intimate but does not have the same facilities. (Though you can just walk up the road to Sunset & use the restaurant and beach bar)

Sunset is lovely, great for a family, in fact my sister is staying there in August.
You may struggle to find availability as the school holidays get booked up a year in advance.

Regards
Lorraine