Property and local area description
Resort Description
This beautiful apartment is within the luxurious Patara Prince Resort, overlooking the picturesque bay of Kalkan.
When the complex was built it attracted architectural interest worldwide - and no wonder! As you enter, you immediately notice the extensive use of the local stone and design sympathetic to the shape of the land sometimes going so far as to build around natural rock features.
In addition some design echoes local antiquities, the most ambitious of which is a replica of the first century AD Roman triumphal arch that stands in Patara itself some kilometres down the road to the West.
Club Patara is ambitiously styled on a Roman town. Walking through the stone arches to the marble- floored Agora built around a fountain is like stepping back in time, but the strange mix of traditional Turkish, reproduction Roman and openly modern works surprisingly, well and belies Club Pataras actual modernity, giving the place a feel as old as the rocks themselves.
But its not only a case of good looks. Club Patara have got the luxury element so perfectly sown up that representatives of the tourist trade flock from all over the world, anxious to see how its done.
This was the vision of one of Turkeys top architects, who sought to combine aesthetic value with practicality. The design is attractive, but throughout it makes the most of the hillside setting, providing little nooks of cool shade and spreading platforms on which to toast yourself in the sun.
The platforms are scattered along the waters edge, close to where the scheduled water taxi to Kalkan shuttles back and forth. Here also is the watersports center, which includes a diving school.
In addition there are facilities for water skiing, banana rides, windsurfing, fishing and sailing. Also close to the jetties - but discreetly away - from the hotels and villas - is the Apollonia night club, where, if you have not exhausted yourself with the days activities, you can dance and drink till the small hours.
There are four swimming pools within Club Patara. The indoor Jacuzzi forms part of the fitness center, which also has a gymnasium, sauna, Turkish bath and massage facility.
The larger outdoor pool - the Grand Pool - is for the whole family, the circular outdoor pool - Apollonia Pool - with its splendid cascading waterfall feature, is for adults only. The fourth pool situated near the tennis courts and features a skimming water slide. There is also a supervised club for children aged between four and ten years, to help channel that youthful activity which even Mediterranean sun cannot sap. Meanwhile the grown ups get on with some serious peace and quiet.
Close to the swimming pools are the main a la carte restaurant and the Patara bar, while around the Agora are the Agora Bar and restaurant.
For truly fine Turkish dining, the a la carte restaurant provides a wonderful open air section close to the waters edge beneath a charming thatched roof. Seafood is the barbecue speciality here.
If you have a taste for pizza and pasta the Italian restaurant offers an excellent selection. You can dine on the Agora or inside in a air-conditioned comfort.
At lunchtimes there is also a poolside barbecue serving delicious charcoal-grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, while in the evening you can enjoy live music in the piano bar close to the adult swimming pool.
The Patara Prince is a truly remarkable place, a holiday destination in its own right, more a town than a hotel, a community which gives you the freedom to socialise or to shut yourself away.
Around and About Kalkan
Kalkan is a place to fall in love with.
A small peaceful Mediterranean resort and fishing town on the beautiful turquoise coast of Turkey, Kalkan has not been touched by mass tourism yet. More sophisticated
than the usual resort town, Kalkan appeals to travelers looking for more than a "sun and sea" holiday. According to the Sunday Times, Kalkan attracts the kind of visitor who would also enjoy Tuscany or the Dordogne. The Guardian likens the town to "the Italian Riviera minus the poseurs."
Because of its great charm, Kalkan has a growing number of perennial visitors who say the town is the only holiday destination they would choose to visit repeatedly. There is simply no other town quite like Kalkan along Turkeys coast.
Kalkan curls snuggly around a historic harbour sheltered at the foot of the towering Taurus Mountains. The town overlooks a beautiful bay in which islands seem to magically float upon the shimmering sea. Narrow streets twist down to the harbour, lined with old whitewashed villas with shuttered windows situated alongside small local specialty shops and restaurants in historic buildings.
Overhead hang original carved Ottoman Greek timber balconies garlanded with thick masses of brilliantly coloured bougainvillea cascading to the streets below. It is
a very special place with a unique atmosphere.
Why is Kalkan so special?
Not only is Kalkan beautiful, but unlike other Turkish coastal resort towns Kalkans main economy is tourism and therefore its citizens put much pride and effort into the towns historic preservation. Because of this, Kalkan has retained the texture of its history by protecting its distinctive Ottoman Greek architecture (it was once an Ottoman Greek and Turkish fishing village). Very strict building codes keep the town small and architecturally blended with the historic heart of the town known as "Old Kalkan".
Besides the famous "Kalkan Style" historic architecture, the many excellent restaurants of Kalkan contribute to the special atmosphere within Kalkan. Good dining has always been the way of life in Kalkan and continues today. In fact, Kalkan is said to have the highest number of restaurants and bars per inhabitant or square meter on the Turkish coast (over 100 of them!). Additionally, Kalkan is especially renowned in Turkey for its numerous roof terrace restaurants and bars which offer a wonderful view of the town, sea and stars. Its also nice to sit at one of the many fine harbour-side restaurants and watch the pleasure boats and fishermen leave early in the morning as you eat your breakfast, or see the fishing boats return with the days catch in the evening.
There is lots to do during the day and nightlife is fun, but laid-back. You wont find noisy, wild nightlife here, like in some other coastal resorts.
Kalkan has many fine qualities, but without a doubt, it is the people of Kalkan who make the town extra special.
The people of Kalkan warmly welcome you, and you may at first be surprised by the universal friendliness within the town. This, along with warm Turkish hospitality is the basis of life here and the people of Kalkan sincerely enjoy getting to know their guests. So dont hesitate to accept one of the many tulip-shaped glasses of çay (tea) you will be offered while you amble along Kalkans winding streets. You wont be hassled while you are a guest of Kalkan - the town is hassle-free and is proud to be so. You will find a mixed population here, consisting of locals, some Istanbul Turks and Turks from other cities who have made Kalkan their home and own small businesses, as well as a small number of well-educated foreigners who have settled in the town.
If you feel that Kalkan was not enough, you can always explore the numerous beautiful attractions in the aeria, which are worth to be seen.
40 minutes drive away from Kalkan is PATARA BEACH, a beautiful 18 kilometre stretch of sand backed by dunes. Entrance to the beach is through the ruins of the ancient city of Patara, with a triumphal gate, several baths, a theatre and a few temples. After the ruins, at the entrance to the beach near the dolmus dro p-off, are a few basic restaurants to supply you with food, beverages, umbrellas and sun beds, as there is only one restaurant on the beach. The beach is closed for its own protection after sunset as it is one of the few places in the world where endangered Loggerhead turtles come to lay their eggs. It features regularly in brochures as one of the Mediterraneans most beautiful beaches.
Not quite so far away is ISAMLAR, a small village set in the Taurus Mountains, a twenty minute drive from Kalkan. The village provides a real insight into life as it has always been in rural Turkey with a day garden, where the men of the village put the world to rights over glasses of tea. There is also a bakery which still uses an old mill stone.
If you are feeling especially hot, then the place you should visit is the SAKLIKENT GORGE which delivers a rushing stream of pure limestone-filtered water.
The gorge is 18km long and so steep and narrow that the sun does not penetrate, so the water is icy cold, even in the summer. The gorge is approached along a wooden boardwalk above the river and opens out to a series of wooden platforms suspended above the water, where you can buy and eat trout at one of the specialist restaurants. Enjoy the refreshing cool air, before you return to sea level! Please note that if you want to explore the gorge fully, you will need a change of clothing, as guides take visitors up to their waist in water.
Although Kalkan has an excellent range of shops and restaurants, it is worth visiting KAS, which is larger than Kalkan, with life revolving around the town square by the harbour. It is worth noting that on the sheer rock mountain wall above the town there are a number of Lycian rock tombs, which are illuminated at night. The local fishermen are also happy to run a water taxi service to take you to a bay, cove or beach along the coast.
From Kalkan or Kas you can also take a boat tour of the Sunken city of KEKOVA. A standard boat excursion might start by passing Kekove Island. Along the shore of the island are Byzantine foundations and ruins, partly submerged in the sea - the Sunken City. The boat should stop in a cove, so that you can swim and perhaps explore those ruins that are on the land.
Another lovely place to visit is KAPUTAS. It has a small sandy cove and beach nestled at the foot of a striking mountain gorge, so be prepared for many
steps! The water is always a brilliant turquoise blue. Umbrellas can be hired here. Kaputas beach is about 7 km away from Patara Prince Resort and a dolomus
from Kalkan will take you there in the summer months. A short swim from Kaputas is Mavi Magara or the Blue Cave, named for the colour of the boulders inside.
Please be very careful, though, as the currents are strong and there are no lifeguards. It is recommended that swimmers go at least in pairs.
Situated between Finike and Kas, Myra is 25 km from Finike and 48 km from Kas. Although it was originally a coastal town, it has retreated from the sea because of the alluvium from the Demre stream. The rock tombs, the theatre and St. Nicholas Church have survived to make it a place worth visiting.
Description of the Palm Tree 232 Apartment
Pam Tree 232 is an air conditionated apartment, which can accomodate a maximum of 4 people, and it is situated close to the car park, the Tempa mini market , the terrace pool Infinity, the mini club and the tennis courts.
The door of the apartment opens onto the kitchenette, which includes a fridge, toaster, kettle, oven, hob units, utensils and crockery for four. There is also an iron, ironing board and a drying frame.
In the main living aerea, which faces west, there is a double sofa-bed, with a coffee table and a nice fireplace situated in the corner. Just beside, there is also a 26 channel TV with English channels, and a telephone ready for incoming and outgoing calls. Please be aware, that telephone calls are extras and you can pay directly for themat the resort reception.
Around the corner from the living area there is a double bedroom with a wardrobe. The safe is situated in the wardrobe in this bedroom. The key for the safe is on the key ring with the apartment keys. Next to the main living area is a shower room with WC and basin, which has plenty of towels, complimentary soap and shower gel and a hairdryer.
Leading out from the living room through the French doors, there is a patio with sun loungers which await you for that essential snooze in the heat of the afternoon.
All linen and towels are included in the price.
Housekeeping is provided, which includes a complete change of linen and towels. Before your holiday we will inform you of the dates of housekeeping. Extra laundry service is provided for personal items, the charges being clearly marked on the laundry list in the apartment or available at the hotel reception.
If you are self-catering, there is a shop, Tempa, near the tennis courts which sells a small range of products. There are, however, a number of supermarket and family run stores in Kalkan, where you can buy a good variety of provisions.There is also a daily market for fresh fruit and vegetables, which is situated behind the taxi rank as you enter Kalkan.
There is a market in Kalkan on Tursdays, held by the top Mosque. The goods on offer area wide range from spices, carpets, fruit, tools, vegetables, clothes, fish, Turkish delights, household goods, meat, jewellery, freshly cooked snacks, assorted fabrics, honey and shoes, to name but a few.
And finally, please note that the villas and apartments on the Patara Prince Resort have been built into the rocks on a steep hillside. Our apartment is situated at the top of the resort.
There are three ways to reach the Agora Square, where the hotel is situated, by the small winding roadway inside the resort, by the steps which weave their way through the gardens, or utilising the free mini bus, which can be requested by telephoning reception from either the apartment or the vine arbour on the level up from the main swimming pool. The stopping points for the mini bus are just nearby the apartment, at the mini roundabout, known as the Palm Tree Square, next is the Patara Stop near the security office, then the Bougainvillaea Stop and the finally the Apollonia Stop underneath the vine harbour.
Staying in the Palm Tree, you are entitled to 25% off any food and drinks purchased at the resorts enticing restaurants or bars. Just need to show you membership card, which will be given to you by a member of staff at your arrival.