Hello

[n/a]

Our names are John and Marg....we are in our late 50s and have been to Turkey 6 times....We have booked up to come to Chalis for the first 2 weeks in Sept 05...We booked up mainly because we do love Turkey and the Turkish people who are so friendly...Also because my wife fell in love with the villa that we are renting....It sleeps 6 but who cares as it has its own private swimming pool...Heaven.....We have considered for a while now about buying a property in turkey and have kept a close eye on this site and the area of Chalis .......but to be honest it has rather put us off...rather than encourage us....The impression we and Im sure many new comers have is that the majority of people have just complaints...For example.....The beach is filthy and dangerous and littered with garbage...There are wild dogs roaming the beach....Away from that you just get ripped off by being overcharged when you buy drinks and meals.....Sorry if this upsets some of you.....but thats the impression this site seems to give out...Just hope our 2 weeks in Sept is better than the impression we get are getting so far from this site........This isnt an on the spot judgement...but one we have come to over 3 months now of looking at this site .

[JulieDiane]

firstly welcome to the sight, i'm sorry you have picked up on the negative 'vibes' from this sight, (these realy are far & few between) Calis is a wonderful place, we have been several times and eventualy hope to buy within the area. I have seen dogs around the place but wild and  unfriendly dogs would not be the word  for them, the beach at times may have litter on it, however this is not an issue we have witnessed, i do believe wherever in the world we go, not all places/area's will be perfect at all times. The people in calis are friendly and bend over backwards to help, its clean, and to be honest not just calis but the region in general... i don't think i've ever recieved poor service or eaten a bad meal!

Is calis perfect? probably not, but where is? I'm sure you'll enjoy Calis when you visit

Jules X

[Anne]

Hi John and Marg
Welcome to the forum.
Please, please don't let anything you read here put you of Calis.  It's the best place in the world as far as we're concerned.
Yes there are stray dogs (they are all over Turkey not just Calis) but believe me they'd lick you to death before biting you.
The beach is not filthy - not to Olu Deniz standards but it's a nice beach to sit and while away the hours in the sun.
As for the prices, have you heard of inflation? - it's everywhere, Turkey included.
I'm sure you'll have a wonderful holiday in September and the few negative points you've picked up on the forum will soon be a long lost memory replaced by some wonderful new ones.
Happy hols
Anne

[tribalelder]

Forget what you hear and read but see for youself. Whatever country you are in it will have a percentage (fortuneately very small) who take a great delight in moaning ,whingeing and complaining. This forum has over 1500 members most of whom have or aspire to have property here or like ourselves have chosen to live here permenently. I could go on for ages about the reasons why I choose to live here, but suffice to say the only way you will get me back to the UK is screaming and kicking!

[Gary-O]

Hi John & Marg & welcome to the forum.
As the saying goes "You can't please all of the people all of the time" and i am sure you will find that it is the minority of people that whinge and moan about Calis. Most of the members on this forum would give their right arm to be able to move here permanently, but for most at the moment, that is not possible.
The beach was very busy last week, if it was that dirty and dangerous would people use it?
A month or so ago i was reading that many UK beaches are falling behind the guidlines for cleanliness, whatever beach you go on anywere in the world, it is always advisable to wear some sort of footwear.
Bars & restaurants always have menu's a price lists available, you can always look at the prices or ask for them, if you feel it is expensive don't stay. You will always find that beach front bars and restaurants are slightly higher priced (again this applies anywhere you go), search out the places that are set back from the front, you can get terrific meals at good prices.
If Calis is that bad, consider this, would that many of the members return year after year (in some cases 2, 3 or 4 times) and would they really be that inclined to buy property here.
Keep an open mind, don't let what you read from the minority put you off having a really enjoyable and unforgetable holiday.

[Sinbad]

As others have said above - you should ignore the moans and groans - we are British and if we are not talking about the weather we are moaning about something else.

I would rather be in Calis than here in the UK. All the negatives people have mentioned in Turkey are easily found in the UK and more.

Just take Calis as you find it - the good people, the variety of food and so on.

[number2]

Hi John & Marg, welcome to the forum, i went to Calis 4 times last year to my appartment, i too am in my late 50s, as everyone says forget about the moans, the good thing beat them hands down, given half a chance i would be out there for good, i've got more friends out there than i've got here & most of them are Turkish, they are great people to know & i'd trust my friends with my life savings which i did when i sent them the money to buy my place. Go with an open mind & you'll love the place. Alan

[puma]

hi john and marg welcome to you both you will see for yourselves what a lovely place calis is when you arrive,and i don`t think you will be disappointed

[lmaddy]

John & Marg,

The choice is rainy old England or a beautiful sunny day in Calis - I'll tell you what gets my vote.

The beach "thing" was because we love the area so much, there was a drive to improve conditions. The beach is unspoilt enjoyed by locals and visitors together - sometimes it can have litter, but more importantly it is used as a meeting place.

The dogs are delightful and playful and are not at all threatening, when we first moved into our place a local "tagged" (tagged by the authorites) moved into our bbq (yes that is right) and stayed for the 2 weeek, then went on his merry way.

In my view Calis has everything, fantastic resturants and bars and lovely beach and that fantastic breeze that keeps you cool even when the temp rises.

I for one count myself so lucky to have a home here, we walk around our place we are so happy, if we were cats we would purr - purrfect in fact!

Make the right Choice for you - Calis was the right one for us.

Welcome to the forum and most important when you get back from your hols you can tell us to shut up and appreciate what we have got.

I think you comments are very valid we don't want to give the wrong idea - however there are lots of good comments on the site about the area and the Turkish. I hope people see the overal picture.

Lorraine

[smudge]

Hi and welcome, i am sure you will love Calis when you arrive, we have lived here for two years including having our baby born here and can appreciate your comments but in reality it is nothing like you describe. Yes as with any country there are issues to be raised, a lot of these are the Turkish people getting used to our ways and us getting used to their ways. You can get ripped off here just as you can in UK,USA,Spain etc etc, but in general the Turkish people are great to be with, the beach did get a bit dirty in the winter but still cleaner than most UK beaches peak season and i have yet to see a mad dog.
We were lucky in that we could choose almost anywhere in the world to live and we decided to come here to start our family and have not regretted a single moment.
Enjoy your holiday