First Time to Calis Beach / Fethiye Area (Hotel Mutlu) Tips & Advice Wanted : )

[davidmbell]

Hello forum, I am new here so please be gentle...   

I had posted this very post on Turkish Living Forum  , but not had any responses, and this forum seems much livlier, so here goes...   

I first started going to Turkey about 10 years ago, but to the Turgutreis/Bodrum area. I fell in love with Turkey in that first visit, and we ended up coming back again and again  - about 8 times from 2005 to 2010, bringing more and more family members with us each time, as they also fell in love with it too after our tales of great holidays.

Sadly due to my o/h losing his job in 2010, we had to curb our foreign travels.

Until now...

As the hotel we used to stay in in Turgutries is no more (the Opal) we have booked the Hotel Mutlu on Calis beach.

Can't wait to come - we fly out 1st Oct for 2 weeks.

Anyhoo, reason for my post... are there any top 10 lists of things to do, as a newcomer to the Fethiye/Calis area?

My partner and I love local villages, scenic areas/drives, quiet bars with lovely views/sunsets, traditional honest tasty Turkish food, local history, markets etc etc.

We DON'T do boats with loud banging music, we don't do "egg & chips" restaurants, and don't do 'bar street' type areas, or over keen waiters... (not that there's anything wrong with any of these, just not for us, each to their own).

So where would you recommend, for a chilled out two weeks, some nice relaxed meals, nice days out etc. Oh and where sells Efes DARK?

We hope to hire a car for 4-5 days, and maybe do the islands tour - other than that, we're up for recommendations!

Thanks, look forward to any replies

David (& Gary)
from near Leeds

[Scunner]

Hi David & welcome

Many questions - here's one topic to start you off. It's from 2008 but still pretty relevant. It was called "First Timers - You MUST Try this": http://www.calis-beach.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=19732.0

Calis is lovely and best for the sunsets - for more traditional Turkish restaurants it is more usual to find these in Fethiye.

Keep asking the questions, there's no limit  

Stayed at the Mutlu, good choice.

[davidmbell]

Hi David & welcome

Many questions - here's one topic to start you off. It's from 2008 but still pretty relevant. It was called "First Timers - You MUST Try this": http://www.calis-beach.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=19732.0

Calis is lovely and best for the sunsets - for more traditional Turkish restaurants it is more usual to find these in Fethiye.

Keep asking the questions, there's no limit   

Stayed at the Mutlu, good choice.

Brill, thanks for the reply, I shall dive into that post and digest!

I'm currently saving nice looking restaurants in both Calis and Fethiye into my TripAdvisor account so I can remind myself once we arrive and I boot up the Hudl on the hotels wifi!

[Highlander]

Obviously down to personal choice but

http://www.calis-beach.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=57083.msg387109#msg387109

[Highlander]

And here is the Fethiye one

http://www.calis-beach.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=57087.msg383497#msg383497

[suehugh]

Do your remember when you first came to Turkey. In our case, it was over 20 years ago. No trip adviser. No forums that we knew about. Our guide was a brochure from the the coop. All you had to go on was a small picture of the hotel with a short blurb.
The fun was in arriving and not knowing what to expect, not knowing where to go and discovering for ourselves the magic of Turkey.     
Shame that initial frisson of excitement has gone.
Sorry to Digress from your post
would recommend the following
Taxi boat to feyhiye from Calis.   Eat in the fish market, or restaurants such as Mosaic Bache . (Trad east turkey food), kaffe Kaffe (slightly posh Turkish European Japanese), address bar (Turk/European bang on the sea front)
For tasty Turkish value for money food, it's the lokantas in fethiye.
Calis is for the holiday maker and the menus will reflect that. There are some excellent places to eat and the quality is good. Try Obens or Guvens.
Places to visit.
Olu Deniz
Kaya Koy

[SteveJ]

Turkish Living Forum 0 Calis Beach Forum 4

You know it makes sense   

[Jacqui Harvey]

Don't buy any "designer" perfume from street sellers or in the market. Same goes for tobbaco products.  Do not change money with a guy in Fethiye who has an estate agency opposite Migros.   
Do go to Kayakoy it is lovely there and some great restaurants.  Lots of restaurants around Calis you will be spoilt for choice.  Walk up from the water taxi away from the beach keep left and turn down the lane at the side of the Berlin Jewelers. Straight ahead is the old town square with the Guitar Bar, live Turkish music every night.  Straight ahead and at the very end is the Bedestan Hatay Ocakbasi. A small Turkish restaurant with meat cooked on an Ocakbasi.  Order a meal and you get a table full of little dishes with mezes, olives, salads, potatoes etc.,  Not a big menu, but very traditional and really cheap.
There is also the Yoruk Tents on the prom where you sit in a tent and get Turkish food and entertainment.

[Rana]

Hi Jacqui I think I know the old town square, discovered it this year for lunchtime drink nice spot. Not sure about other restaurant you mean but will try next year. Just bought our Apartment so looking forward to sampling more of Calis and surrounding areas  

[Jacqui Harvey]

Hi Rana walk right passed the Guitar bar passing the hairdresser right to the end where you see the road and the restaurant is just there.
I would also recommend the Saphir Jewellers just behind the Berlin Jewellery shop, and in the square. He will clean, repair and make any jewellery you want at such cheap prices.