Turkey - a great place for your holiday home
Why Turkey?
Turkey is a treasure chest of ancient history, home to an astounding number of ancient cultures and the cradle of 10 of the world's greatest civilisations.
From Hittite and Assyrian to Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine cultures, each group has left relics that can be found in many corners of the country.
Turkish property market
Turkey is becoming more popular year on year. Flying to Turkey has been
revolutionised by the arrival of budget airlines, so wherever the house
of your choice is located, it will be readily accessible. According to
figures from the Turkish Statistics Board (TUIK), a record-breaking 21.1
million foreign tourists visited Turkey in 2005 – an increase of 20.4 per
cent from the previous year, which was the most successful on record at
that time. By far the largest proportion of visitors came from Europe,
in particular Germany (the country of origin for 16.2 per cent of visitors)
and neighbouring Bulgaria (14.2 per cent).
Read more about the Turkish Property Market
The Lycian Coast
The
Lycian Coastal region is one of the most spectacular and beautiful coastlines
in Turkey. There are over 50 ancient and historic sites within a 2 hour
drive of Fethiye. There are many stunning walks for those wishing to get
away from it all. Follow the footsteps of the ancients and walk the Lycian
way. Or visit the ruined cities high in the mountains surrounded by dense
pine forests sweeping down to the sumptuous golden beaches of the Mediterranean
coastline. Magnificent architecture, marvellous food and wines, inspiring
ancient Greek Roman and Lykian towns; the list is endless. Turkey, first
and foremost is an experience waiting for you.
Calis and Around
Calis is
the nearest town where you will find all the amenities you will need and
is only a few km away. The beach is a short walk and offers over 3 km of
shingle beach which is popular with sun seekers and those wanting to partake
in water-sports such as windsurfing, snorkeling, etc.
The beach front has many bars and restaurants catering for the traditional
Turkish cuisine to full international menus. The main resort of Fethiye can
be reached from here by local “Dolmus” bus or water taxi to the harbor.
The
nearest airport is Dalaman which
is currently about 45 minutes away but an improved road is being built
through the mountains and will reduce the journey time to around 25 minutes.
Calis Beach
Over
3 km of shingle beach which is popular with sun seekers and those wanting
to partake in water-sports such as windsurfing, snorkeling and in a restricted
area jet skiing.
The beach front has many bars and restaurants catering for the traditional
Turkish cuisine to full international menus. There are also a number of
disco bars for those who want to “Dance the Night Away”
The main resort of Fethiye can
be reached from here by local “Dolmus” bus or water taxi to the harbour.
Fethiye
This
is the main town in the region and has everything you could wish for. Top
class restaurants friendly bars and countless shops for those “shop-aholics”.
Each Tuesday there is a local market where you can buy almost everything
you could need from Gucci to goats. Don’t be afraid to haggle about the
price it is expected. You should end up paying about 50% of the original
asking price if you are firm.
In the town centre is a pedestrian shopping area that has many high quality jewelers and clothes shops as well as many restaurants. Nearby is the harbour area with its paved promenade were you can spend a restful evening sitting by the bay and watch the sun go down while you have a drink or some of the fabulous seafood that is a specialty in this region.
The
town of Fethiye was founded around
400 BC by the Lycians and continued as a key defensive fortress for 1500
years. Next to the harbour are the remains of a Roman amphitheatre which
has only recently been discovered.
High on the cliff above the main town mosque are a number of well preserved tombs. These can be reached by following the footpath from the main shopping area. It is quite a walk up many steps and steep inclines but is well worth a trek to get that perfect holiday photograph of the whole bay and town. Read more about Fethiye
Olu Deniz
Is
a further 15 minutes from Hisaronu and is a coastal resort with stunning
views and scenery. The blue lagoon here is probably the most photographed
beach resort in Turkey. This is an ideal place for families as the lagoon
is very shallow and very warm. The ideal time to visit would be late afternoon
when all the tourist have left. There is a small charge for entering the
lagoon area as it is a nature reserve.
Tlos
On top of a high outcrop of land sits the Lycian city of Tlos, the site
will take about 1.5 hours to visit , there is a guide who speaks good
English and this should cost about £2 per group. A little further along
the road and not included in the guided tour is a well preserved Roman
amphitheatre.
Saklakent
Is 30 minutes drive from Fethiye and is highly recommended. This deep gorge with its rushing waters of the River Saklakent and miles of country walks is well worth a visit. You may also eat fresh trout in one of the many restaurants as you dip your toes in the rushing waters.
Patara/Xantos
Many tourist visit both sites by joining a jeep safari from Fethiye. Part of the trip also includes taking a natural mud bath on the banks of the Saklakent river that passes close by Xantos. Both of the sites were capital cities during the Lycian and Roman periods. Patara is a site of outstanding natural beauty and has the largest breeding colony of green back turtles within the Mediterranean. The breeding site has restrictions so care must be taken when walking close to the shoreline.
Kas & Kalkan
Well worth the 2 hour drive along the A4 and down the winding coastal road. Both towns are small and are popular with scuba divers for the fantastic amounts of marine life just off the coastline. There are many “PADI” registered dive companies who provide lessons for the beginner or more advanced divers. From Kas you can take a boat trip to St .Nicholas island supposedly the original birthplace of “Father Christmas” . On the same trip you will visit the sunken town of Kekova . No diving or landing on the coastline is allowed in this area.
Cadianda & Oeanda
Both situated high in the Aka Dag mountains and are Lycian and Roman cities.
Each site is in dense but accessible pine forest with lots of wild life.
Most spectacular of these are the swallow tailed butterflies that breed
in the area during May and June. There are literally thousands of them
so ensure you have plenty of film in your cameras.
