First Timers View on Calis Beach

[nichola]

at The Carretta no smiley waiters, we we're  told they were on holiday !

That's sub text for no longer work here!

[mac2010]

If you walk along the seafront in Fethiye you will notice one thing missing(RUBBISH) and that's because the Belediye care about it. So why do they not care about Calis? You hardly ever see workers picking rubbish up,trimming and tiding area's owned by the Belediye,you don't even see the road sweeper in Calis anymore last year I saw it daily driving around. Nine years I have lived here and this year it has to be the worst I have ever seen it,yes some roads are new,most are not,paths are a joke,waste ground full of piled up rubble and rubbish,poor workmanship on the canal work,new railings fitted but not with any quality finish they even welded them together but did not paint the welds so will be rusty soon.Don't get me wrong I still love this place but sometimes you just wish things would not take so long to do and when they do something please do it properly so it will last more than one season.

[echogirl1]

We holidayed in Calis at the beginning of June, just after the beach clear up, and were impressed with how much better the area was.  New disguised bin stores, block paving and a general air of cleanliness.  From reading the comments on here I take it the situation has worsened and the old ways are taking over again.  I love Calis, I love the water taxi, the sunsets, the people, and the flat walk along the prom, and now almost all the way into Fethiye.  I do not think of Calis as a beach resort at all.  At its best the beach is pebbly and uneven, the sea is unpredictable with its sudden deep troughs, and certainly not the sort of beach you would want to spend time on.  Having said that I am not a beach person, and love to be beside the pool with modern comforts yards away.  Anyone seeking a beach holiday would be better off going to Spain.  As to the sameness of the restaurants, we ate out every day for 12 days and never had a duplicate meal, from some good fish, through kebabs, Indian, Chinese and even some authentic Turkish dishes!!  I have never seen the prom in peak holiday season, but its only one street, there are plenty of quieter places to go.  Its nice to read different reviews on the Forum, but lately I feel a lot of negativity on here, which does not make me feel good about the place we all (or most of us) profess to love!!

[flightyrachel]

I think you are absolutely right echogirl, I love your description! But you can see why people might go to somewhere called Calis Beach and expect the focal point to be the beach. If you approach the place as you describe, then it is a fabulous base for a holiday. Maybe a bit more honesty about the shortcomings of the actual beach, would lead to less grouching and more enjoyment? I picked up a lot of mixed messages about the beach before we arrived, and I was expecting a bit more sand ( mainly cos I didn't realise that turtles laid their eggs in gravelly beaches, I thought they needed proper sand!) I have struck a blow for this approach by posting on Trip Advisor saying that the beach isn't the best in the world, but everything else is great!  

[Steve A]

Is it called Calis Beach or is this just tourism blurb

[paz]

We have had our apartment in Calis for ten years and many things have changed, unfortunately the rubbish problem is not one of them.  I was optimistic that as the Fethiye to Calis route was closer to completion, the "upmarket" feel of "new" Fethiye harbour would stretch into Calis.  I was horrified to see the Neon lights everywhere when we went in May. We "joked" about the fact that the neon sign salesman
had made a killing that day, but really it just upset me. I think this has been a big factor on taking the charm away as have the tacky toy salesman.  You hear many people say that they have revisited an old favorite holiday destination that has been lost to developement and tacky tourism, so why can't we ensure that Calis doesn't meet this same fate...as many feel Hisaranu has? Many people live in Calis and own properties in Calis, so why can't they have more input and impact on these changes?  We still love Calis, the people, the scenery, the peace. Some small changes would make a massive difference, starting with undoing some of the more recent ones.     

[stoop]

Is Calis now run by Fethiye Council? Might that change things in the near future with regard to cleaning?

We bought 11 years ago and not much has changed on the rubbish front I'm afraid. What has changed though is the space that the local families have available to hold their barbecues (and leave their rubbish). All the new hotels and apartments Koca Calis way have taken over parts of the beach that were once public. It's improved the area somewhat as the bars also look after their own patches to some extent.

Telmessos end used to see lots of locals on a weekend and they maid a real mess (disgusting in places but I won't go into the detail) but over the last year or so they appear to have moved on from there. I know a block was put on them driving up the beach road so maybe they got the message?

It's such a shame, as even though the "sand" is mostly pebble, the scenery is lovely and it could be such a nice spot if kept clean.

We live in hope but dismay when we see freshly cleaned out gullies filled in with builders rubbish within a few days.

It really is a mentality thing I think and maybe someone should start a "Keep Calis Tidy" campaign or would that be seen as us Brits imposing our ways on the Locals?

[Piscoe]

I too agree with the OP's summary. I always say to people that if you want a stunning, sandy beach in a resort that is ultra clean with authentic, classy restaurants then Calis isn't for you. If however you are looking for a fun place that can be as loud or as quiet as you want with breathtaking sunsets and lovely, friendly people who serve a huge variety of different, decent grub then you'll love it.

[Scunner]

 if you want a stunning, sandy beach in a resort that is ultra clean with authentic, classy restaurants

So where is this place?

I'm struggling to think of an example in Turkey (possibly anywhere else too)

[Piscoe]

http://www.barcelo.com/BarceloHotels/en_GB/hotels/Dominican-Republic/Punta-Cana-Beach-Bavaro/hotel-barcelo-bavaro-palace-deluxe/general-description.aspx

This is the one that probably ticks all the boxes along with Cancun and Varadero (Cuba)