Apartment
The best of both worlds?
You know how it is: you quite like the idea of having hotel facilities available to you… a lunchtime snack at the poolside... a friendly pre-dinner drink at the bar… an occasional breakfast prepared for you, to be enjoyed by the pool… but you also want the freedom, space and privacy of your own apartment, to which you can retreat whenever you want to and just do your own thing.
Well, with this apartment you've got it - the best of both worlds!
Location, location, location
Our Kalkan Secret is set in a block of 5 apartments adjacent to the Nur Hotel, a small family establishment owned by our friend Baris, a local who speaks perfect English, knows the area inside-out and is always on hand..."Just ask Baris" is the catchphrase here!
The apartments share a large swimming pool with a wide sun terrace overlooking the bay - ideal for sunbathing or reading - and each apartment has its own allocated sun-loungers with parasol. There is also a barbeque area for those al-fresco eating moments.
This pool is exclusive to the apartments, but apartment guests are also welcome to use the hotel facilities, which include another large pool, a poolside bar for breakfast, drinks and lunchtime snacks (room service available), and a newly refurbished rooftop bar and restaurant with spectacular views over Kalkan harbour. There is a supermarket almost next door to the hotel for essential provisions, together with a pharmacy and a doctor's surgery within a couple of minutes' walk - all speak good English - and the nearest restaurant is also within two minutes' walk. Kalkan centre is just a five minute walk down a gentle slope. As we mentioned earlier, this was the most important criterion we had on our list when selecting an apartment in Kalkan!
The apartment offers the following features:
Comfortably sleeps 4 (+ cot, or bed for small child, available on request). One air-conditioned bedroom with king-size bed; lounge contains two single sofa-beds, both suitable for adults
Separate shower room with shower cubicle, wc and wash basin
Kitchen area has all you need for a comfortable stay including hob, small oven, fridge with freezer section, microwave, kettle, coffee-maker and toaster
Small rear balcony with a clothes rack - great for drying wet swimwear etc
Main living area consists of air-conditioned open plan lounge/diner with two full-size single sofa-beds, dining table and four chairs
Large balcony overlooking pool, with sea and mountain views to the side, table and four chairs - great for a leisurely breakfast or a quiet pre-dinner drink at sunset, plus a small barbeque
There are two separate air-conditioning units; one in the bedroom and one for the main living area
Mosquito screens are fitted to all opening windows
CD player - also plays MP3s via USB port
We haven't provided a TV in the apartment because, quite frankly, most visitors to Kalkan probably wouldn't use one! However, guests are welcome to use all of the hotel facilities, including the large, comfortable TV lounge
Towels and linen provided (but please bring your own beach towels). Apartment cleaned daily; towels and linen changed twice weekly
Maintenance: there is a general handyman available for routine maintenance - he also cleans the pool every day
"Just ask Baris"
Baris Gurses is a gem. He loves the British people and speaks English extremely well.
His father built the Nur Hotel in 1994 (Nur is Turkish for "moonlight" and was also the name of his mother). The apartments were built several years later. Baris is really proud of the fact that his family built one of the first hotels in Kalkan… if you show the slightest interest, he will whip out his photos of the construction… but his father is no longer involved in the day to day running of the business; it is now in the capable hands of his son.
The family recently decided to sell off the apartments so that they can concentrate on running the hotel, and we were the first to buy one, so Baris considers us his "special friends." He is happy for any of the apartment guests to use the hotel's facilities and he is always on hand to assist with local information, with transfers to and from the airport (he has just bought a people carrier for this purpose) and with any problems that may arise.
Baris being Baris, the external appearance of the apartments and the hotel may change from time to time… you see, like most Turkish businessmen he doesn't have just one business - he also owns a painting and decorating shop in Kalkan; so, whilst the apartment is currently a pleasant shade of green, it could just as easily be pink next year… or white… or just about any colour he fancies!
The pool
The pool is very well designed, with gently graduated depths from 1.15m to 1.80m - ideal for less confident bathers but still big enough for the serious swimmer.
The apartment has four allocated sun loungers with parasol on the apartment's pool terrace (and a spare parasol kept in the apartment, just in case). The large shared pool is private from the hotel, but our apartment guests are also welcome to use the hotel's pool, poolside bar, snack and restaurant facilities.
Distances
Supermarket: 2 minutes walk
Restaurants/boutiques/banks etc: 5 minutes walk
Beach: 10 minutes walk
Kas: 25 minutes by road (spectacular scenery on route!)
Patara Beach: 25 minutes by road
Fethiye: 1 hour by road
Olu Deniz: 1 hour by road
Travel
Dalaman airport, now open all year, is about 100 minutes away by private taxi transfer, which we can arrange for you - currently from £90 return for 2 people. Car hire is readily available but not really needed for guests at this apartment as you can walk into Kalkan in 5 minutes; if you want to go further afield, the dolmus is a good bet, but if you want a taxi or really want to hire a car while you're here... "Just ask Baris".
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