Good Calis Bad Calis????

[charlste]

I have been holidaying in calis for a lot of years and on this holiday i am getting a lot of negative feedback  from holiday makers and some local waiters.I love it here but am wondering if for some people it has lost its sparkle.
I know its early season but some restaurants have been closed at 11pm.They are not getting the people in the places.
Surely they cannot survive on such a short season.
People are questioning the quality of food and the prices etc.
I went in bella mamas last night and my meal was served with vegatables from the jars you buy in the shops.
whats going on??

[Scunner]

I think it must be increasingly hard for the restaurants - and it was always hard. There are way more restaurants the longer time goes on. Turkey is not a cheap destination like it once was. Fewer people are coming because of the cost of getting there and the cost of eating/drinking there. People are also eating cheaper or staying in more nights - or going out and leaving after their meal to have a few drinks at home instead. Furthermore, menu prices don't appear to be rising as much as meat, drinks etc.

Result: More restaurants are competing to attract fewer customers, serving smaller portions and fewer drinks and making less money.

Doesn't sound too rosy does it?

Well, on top of that, Fethiye continues to raise it's game (3 Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence, compared with none for Calis) and whenever I go out to eat in Fethiye, the restaurant is full of CBF members  

[busybee]

Some of the restuarants in Calis really need to up their game. A lot of the menu's havent been updated for years.  Do something inventive with less expensive ingredients, have a daily "special" (The Eyna are doing this and food is very tasty), a really good bar-b-q with sides and oh yes I forgot, some vegtables cooked al dente, the fruit and veg is superb here, so why dont they make full use of it. If there is only a few in eating, there is no atmosphere, a simple smooth jazz CD or similar would be a start.  They have to be ahead of the game and THINK OF NEW IDEAS to entice customers in, but I suppose thats asking toooooo much. Us "locals" will support value for money and good service but they are few and far between.  Had the worst breakfast yesterday, not even half a tomatoe, 2 mushrooms, 2 small pieces of toast, 2 eggs, one spoonful of luke warm beans, had no sausage or bacon but chips instead and they were awful and not very many.  Wont be going there again.

[Scunner]

I agree with all of that - and if there is one thing that Calis prom really doesn't get it's the fact that to succeed you DO have to dare to be different. The opposite has been the case in the last 10 years - if your neighbour has it on the menu, you MUST have it too or you will miss out. This has resulted in numerous restaurants having identical menus - and indeed some that are so similar looking that if you were blindfolded and sat down in one, you would take a bit of time to work out which one it was...

We laugh on CBF about the "Holy Trinity" of Calis restaurants, rice, chips and salad - but it has a serious function too. It makes 50% of you plate consist of things that cost bugger all, making a small meal look much bigger. At Shaka in Fethiye you get adequate portions without the fillers - probably more than many Calis meals and people complain that the meals are too small. I also don't recall all this rubbish on a Mozaik Bahce plate, and they are packed and no1 in Tripadvisor.

To me it is indeed a case of specialising in whatever it is you do best, or find something different to specialise in. Trouble is, when you boot Chicken Kiev from your menu and the day you do, two people are eating it next door, you put it straight back on don't you..?

[Anne]

I think the prom is suffering from the new restaurants on the market road and surrounding area too.  Most of them are cheaper with better, tastier food than what is served on the prom.  Then there's Seckin and a few others up on Gunlukbasi also taking trade from the front.
I know a lot of nights we just a bit of dinner with a few drinks somewhere nice, relaxing and not too far from home and for us the two options above fit the bill.

[ColinT]

I hate to compare Calis to Spain or Portugal.  However, in recent trips to Euroland over the last year or 2. bars do promotions like euro1 a pint before 8pm and at most its euro2 in the less expensive places all night.  When we first holidayed in Calis in 2002 we were paying about 80p for a large beer, meals were great quality and cost next to nothing.  What has happened over the years is that flight prices have gone up to Turkey 2 fold (after demise of XL) and drink/food prices have almost trebled. 

Reading on the site it seems like there is some sort of restriction on bars offering beer at less than TL6 or whatever it is.  For the last 2 years when we've been wondering round Fethiye market or town, we keep hearing locals saying "where are the English people".  Also, the recent posts about restriction on alcohol sales won't go bundle on helping tourism.

As much as we love Calis and Turkey (there are other resorts), we are going elsewhere this year.  We are planning to go to Calis next year to catch up with Turkish friends we have met over the years,  However, we haven't booked yet.

Somebody needs to wake up and smell the coffee or Turkey will be no more as a favourable destination. 

[Highlander]

We too have noticed an increase in prices in recent times.

 Following on from ColinT's post, I have no idea to what "fold" prices have increased since we first found Calis.

The point is, until recently, if prices that increase 3 fold or 4 fold or even 5 fold it was from such a ridiculously low base that it didn't really matter. Now if a couple of drinks and a meal is 135 lira then we will notice the increase.

Will that mean that we start looking at Spain and Portugal ?.

Yes, but as ColinT alluded to, we will always been drawn back to Calis to see friends we have made over the years and the fact that those numbers are increasing will continue to make it a difficult decision.

[Rimms]

I think you also have to recognise that the exchange rate is still fairly healthy, if it returns back to its more traditional 2.25 level then it becomes even more expensive.

[mac2010]

Every year Calis seems to lack something and I could never put my finger on it.But after a visit to Kalkan for a few days I worked it out.Vision,style,teamwork,effort.If they can do it in Kalkan they can do it here.Every place to eat and drink looked clean modern and not over priced.Not one meal that I saw came out on a canteen style white plate with the token side order.(rice 6 chips Boiled veg)but presented with style and thoughtfulness.Many places offered set meals inc a drink at 40tl with fantastice views and not one of them had the old out dated bamboo furniture but high class modern seating.Come on Calis keep up or beware.If you doubt me try it...  

[lance]

Busybee where did you have that breakfast ,want to keep clear of that place.