Kalkan Travel Guide

81km (50 miles) southeast of Fethiye; 25km (15 miles) west of Kas; 19km (12 miles) south of Xanthos; 18km (11 miles) east of Patara; 25km (15 miles) southeast of Letoon

When Erkut Taçkin, the famous Turkish singer from the 1960s, bought a house in Kalkan, the village's fate was sealed. For the Turkish "smart set," it had become the place to go. Ever since, Kalkan has undergone a renewal of sorts, and many of this tiny town's characteristic Ottoman and Greek structures have been brought back to life. The smart set has long moved on, replaced by Europeans (mostly Brits) looking for inexpensive vacation and retirement homes and as a result, building has sprawled almost all the way to Kalamar Bay. But while the ever-increasing influx of foreigners and visitors continues to exert pressure on this seaside village, Kalkan's terraced position below the main road prevents any palatable departure from the village's inherent small-town persona.

Contrary to its popular perception as a fishing town, Kalkan was actually settled around 150 to 200 years ago by merchants from the nearby Greek island of Meis (Castellorizo). By the turn of the last century Kalkan thrived on the production of charcoal, silk, cotton, and olive oil -- it even had its own customs house. As early as the 1950s and 1960s, the town began to attract rich English yachtspeople, leading to a trend in the 1980s of transforming dilapidated houses into characteristic whitewashed homes with shuttered windows and timber balconies.

The town's population of around 1,000 swells to 8,000 in summer, meaning that Kalkan may not be putting its best foot forward in July and August. This is when the English presence in Kalkan becomes overwhelming -- even disturbing. Meanwhile, two Brit-based tour operators (Tapestry and Simply Turkey) ensure that most of the town's better hotels exclusively host their clients, thus creating a shortage of rooms for the independent traveler during the main tourist season. Nevertheless, all of this attention keeps Kalkan running at full capacity, creating demand for some of the most consistent and sophisticated menus on the Turquoise Coast.

Meanwhile, services cater to a single clientele: Chips (french fries) are the unfortunate side dish to most entrees, and mobile potato kiosks are becoming a fixed part of the landscape. Price levels have been driven up to the highest level on the coast, and it shows no sign of letting up.

Kalkan's location is convenient to many historical sites -- although lazy days on the beach and hours chatting with the quirky town residents are good enough reasons to base yourself here. The summertime bonus is that Kalkan is graced with the lowest level of humidity in Turkey.