Local Area

CALIS / FETHIYE & ITS ENVIRONS
Calis/Fethiye lie on the Western Meditteranean coastline, enjoying a wonderful climate, with over 300 sunny days a year and long dry summers and short mild (actually, warm for the most part) winters.

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Fethiye
Those wishing to experience a real Turkish fishing port and working town with tourist amenities thrown in will love Fethiye whilst those seeking a more laid back beach- orientated holiday will flock to Calis (pronounced Chalish) - and yet they sit next to each other both can be enjoyed in one holiday.

Fethiye is dominated by pine-clad mountains, beaches and islands – and overlooked by ancient Lycian rock tombs, as well as the remains of a medieval castle, believed to have been built by the knights of St. John.

Fethiye sits on the Turquoise Coast, so named because of the beautifully coloured, crystal clear and warm waters that are peppered with picturesque islands on which you can comfortably sail and swim for nine months of the year.

The Taurus Mountains provide a breathtaking backdrop to the wide, blue bay, on the other side of which sits Calis. Fethiye’s naturally protected harbour is a drop-by place for all yacht crews. Find the right location and you can also enjoy some fishing – our taxi driver helped us buy bait and took us to a good spot from where my six-year-old son excitedly caught four fish in 30 minutes (after a few minutes we noticed that a turtle was sitting right next to us!). You can also go on sea fishing trips.

There is a small but growing ex-pat community in the Fethiye/Calis area that have relocated here to take advantage of the good all-year climate, reliable communication links, excellent medical, schooling & banking facilities, welcoming locals, an authentic Turkish working town, a beautiful marina resort, superb beaches and modern facilities sitting alongside the old way of doing things (like traditional barbers), a very low cost of living, and some delicious, healthy food.. Fethiye/Calis and its surrounding towns have a great selection of Turkish and international restaurants as well as cheaper snack bars (some of which are top-notch). The local seafood is excellent.

Fethiye has a busy/lively atmosphere with a peaceful marina and promenade, where you can pick up the hydrofoil to Rhodes, boat trips to the twelve islands in the bay, various criuses to islands/beaches/caves/towns along the coast, as well as the water taxi to Calis (quick, cheap – and the only way to travel!). The many double-decker boats you see as you wander around the harbour all advertise the famous 12 Island tour, which departs between 10.00 and 11.00 and returns between 17.30 and 18.30 and includes lunch.

Fethiye’s cobbled streets are paved with numerous shops, bars, restaurants and the old city holds a bazaar, a fish market (where you can choose your fish and have it cooked to your taste) and other markets.

The town’s beach resort is Calis, a gorgeous 20 minute water taxi cruise away, a 10 minute dolmus trip or a five minute taxi ride – all of which are very good value.

Calis
Resting behind a wide swathe of sand and shingle that stretches over 2km, with lovely views out to sea, and famous for its stunning sunsets, Calis is a laid back but modern resort with its beach at its heart. It has a relaxing and relatively low key nightlife . Do as we do and enjoy this sunset in one of the many restaurants that line the pedestrianised promenade, soaking up the atmosphere and people-watching (whilst keeping an eye on the children playing on the beach between courses!).

Just behind the beach lies a small town with various shops, together with the water taxi moorings , from where you can begin your short-hop to Fethiye along the reeds of the canal. All this is a 15-20 minute walk from our house, or a very easy and convenient 3 minute dolmus ride: simply flag down one of the frequent (every few minutes) minibuses that pass directly outside Mucehver, pay your 40p (children free) and enjoy the ride!

Calis has its own large market on Sundays (a 10 minute walk from the house) which is almost a match for Fethiye’s incredibly large Tuesday market. At both you can buy a range of products from vegetables and fruit, homewares, linen, designer and fake designer gear and jewellery.

Like Fethiye, Calis is framed to the West, North and East by mountains forested in Silver Fir, Scotch Fir and Norway Spruce.. The rich flora of the area includes olive, laurel, myrtle, acacia, plane trees and the frankincense tree - the source of myrrh, which is widely used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, and is one of the world’s rare species (only found here, Koycegiz and a small district of California).

Olu Deniz
Olu Deniz consists of two parts: an incredibly long beach and the calm and shallow waters of the lagoon.

The lagoon is widely quoted as being the most photographed view in world tourist brochures, which is understandable when seen, and considering it is an officially declared conservation area of outstanding natural beauty. Its fantastic sandy beach and clear, clean water can be enjoyed by purchasing a day pass (very reasonable), with which you can use the shower/w.c. facilities.

From the lagoon or the beach watch the brave parasend from the overlooking mountains – or try it yourself. Choose one of the local agencies (e.g. Turkish Aeronautical Association) and a pilot will do everything for you. For £50+ they will gently glide you down from 1400-1700m and 30-45 minutes later you will land on the beach.

On the main beach you can relax or choose from a number of water sports. The adjoining restaurants and bars offer lovely views and good food, if a little pricier than Fethiye/Calis.

Olu Deniz is 12km away or a 20 minute Dolmus ride from Fethiye, and is reached through the valley in which Ovacek and Hisaronu sit, which being 300m above sea level benefit from the cool mountain air.

Hisaronu
Hisaronu is a former village which has developed into a lively resort for those wishing a bit of nightlife. Initially, the impression is one of a tourist town full of restaurants, bars, and gift shops. However, it does hold some surprises: we’ve had a number of simple but lovely lunches in town; The Olive Tree restaurant is one of the best in the area and provides a lovely setting for a romantic meal; and the large Gold shop at the top of the main street is an apparently good place to buy jewellery - my brother bought his wife an eternity ring there in June; and others tell stories of having items valued in the U.K. at double the purchase price – but we can’t vouch for this (we have bought from Telemossos in Fethiye which is very good – you need to bargain hard for a good price, but this is no problem).

Hisaronu also holds a weekly market on Mondays, which is set up close to the taxi rank / Turkish Baths (which we’ve yet to try).

Ovacek
Ovacek sits close to Hisaronu at the foot of the mountains, and is a quiet place with no real centre to it. To be honest, there is no point in stopping here, apart from an excellent and courteous barber from the old school (‘Kings’).