SOME USEFUL TIPS.
IMPORTANT Entry Visa - Do not forget to have a ten-pound note ready with your passport when you arrive at Dalaman airport or you will not be let into the country. You cannot pay with two five-pound notes or for a couple of people a twentypound note, everyone has to pay separately with a ten-pound note. You buy your visa at the imaginatively named “visa” section and then go to passport control, get your passport stamped then collect your luggage. Don‟t bother with a trolley, the driver waiting to pick you up will help with your luggage. The name on the welcome board at the airport is „IN RESORT‟. Once you have collected your bags there is only one exit door, walk down the ramp and you will see the throng of people waiting to meet and greet. The journey from airport is approx 45 mins. Our agents will meet you at the villa. (You can give the driver a couple of pounds tip if you want to, but that‟s entirely up to yourself.) The villa is near to the Hotel Ernur, which is run by Pearl, Ron & Cemal (pronounced Jemal). Some of the staff are Cellal (pronounced Jellal) and AlJon. If you are unsure of anything, just ask at the Ernur as they will be sure to know. They are also our very good friends and will help with anything you need, nothing is too much trouble for them. You are welcome to use all of the hotel amenities including their pool, which is open all year. There are also a couple of shops about 100yards further up the road from the Ernur, buy great fresh bread each morning (10p a loaf!) The lady in the shop speaks English and will help you with anything that looks unusual. Although you can drink the water in Turkey, it does have a higher mineral content than here so for drinking we buy big 5 litre bottles from the shop. If you like to take water to bed, the villa has plastic jugs which you can fill and keep cold in the fridge and plastic beakers which are ideal to use in bedrooms – there is nothing worse than knocking over a glass in the dark! There are a few restaurants and bars nears the villa, Aydin Pide is just on the right hand side ( in front of hotel with water slides ) as you walk towards the beach, it is really cheap here, the do great casseroles as well as Turkish Pizza, they also do home deliveries. One of the trips you definitely should try and do is SAKLIKENT GORGE. It takes about an hour and fifteen minutes from Fethiye on the dolmus, but it is a nice experience and well worth doing. If you plan to walk through the gorge, wear short shorts and things that will dry off quickly, or pack some spare clothes in a waterproof bag and get changed when you come out. Make sure you hire the rubber shoes as the rocks are really slippy. There are toilets near to where you pay, outside of the gates of the gorge itself. Also, don‟t wear any expensive jewellery / watches in case they get wet. There are a few different restaurants to choose from for a nice relaxing lunch.
Another nice place to visit is GOCECK. It has a lovely marina and a nice shopping area. It also has a Sunday market. OLU DENIZ is also well worth a visit and just a short trip on the dolmus. Also look out for a dolmus to Katranci, this is a lovely sandy bay and well worth a visit. Katranchi is just before you get to Gockec, there is another lovely beach there called Gunluklu. The MUD BATHS are located at Dalyan which is back near the airport, the hotel does regular trips, you can hire a car or as a last resort take an organised trip. Once you get to Dalyan you need to take a water taxi up to the mud bath, Once inside it is great fun to wallow in the mud, let the sun bake it hard and then either shower off or let the guy with the fire hose wash you down, follow this with a soak in the hot Sulphur bath which leaves your skin feeling fantastic. They say you look 10 years younger after this trip. TLOS & YAKAPARK, take the dolmus from Fethiye to TLOS, it is not far from Saklikent Gorge, Tlos dates back to ancient civilisations and the ruins and rock tombs there are fascinating, there is a Roman amphitheatre and baths plus a hillside castle. Yakapark is a fresh water trout farm, it‟s a lovely place to stop and have lunch. OLU DENIZ – Take the dolmus to Fethiye and then catch the dolmus to Hisaronu & Olu Deniz, it‟s about a 20 minute journey, personally, we hate Hisaronu, it makes Blackpool look up market but there is a fantastic Chinese there called the Dragonoro, walk down the high street and turn right just after the bank of pay phones. The dolmus will carry on to OLU DENIZ, much is made about the BLUE LAGOON, although few people realise that the best side is the far side away from the beach. The main street has lot‟s of nice bars and restaurants, on the left hand side half way up the main street is Josephs bar which is a nice place for lunch. The very best restaurant in the area is THE WHITE DOLPHIN is here at Olu Deniz, it is set high up in the cliffs and is a fantastic setting to watch the sun go down and Olu come to life at night, fish is the speciality and it is not cheap, but a great experience. Once you have finished at the white dolphin, take a taxi back into Olu and visit the Belkeciz Beach hotel for some great open air entertainment.
TO CHANGE MONEY get the water taxi from Calis to Fethiye. When you get off the boat, cut directly in front of you onto the main road, (there are restaurants / bars as you get off the boat, walk through at the side of them). On the same side of the road you will see on the right hand side a large supermarket called GIMA, which is great for picking up supplies!! Cross on to the other side of the road and carry on walking right for a couple of hundred yards. On this road is a clothes shop and outside there is a foreign exchange board and usually a man stands there, trying to encourage tourists to go in and change money. The exchange rate here is usually very good. The banks are all here but can take ages to change your money, the queues can be large and locals have no idea of waiting their turn. ( Tip ) always take a calculator and work out exactly how many lira you should get for your money,
you will be charged a small commission so ask how much you will get back before you hand over your cash. Warning If you are in Fethiye and want to see the rock tombs, do not let children latch on as a guide, they will take you into Gypsy homes where you will be conned into buying drinks or having a massage etc. avoid at all costs. To find the nice Turkish café/bar, instead of turning right at Gima, turn left, cross over to the other side of the road and it‟s the first proper side street on the right hand side. There‟s a restaurant on the corner, but walk past and carry on up the street for approx 100 yards, it could be less. The café/bar is on the right and it‟s also on a corner. We think it is called the Birlik café. Make sure you order the lavash bread as a starter then take your choice from the buffet. The DUCK POND restaurant is situated in the streets behind the banks, turn left after you pass Garanti bank, it is very nice there and good value. TO WALK TO CALIS - turn right out of the villa and then turn left at the end of the road. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to walk to the prom where the shops, bars and restaurants are. Also, on the left hand side of the road near the prom, you will see the water taxi which goes to Fethiye. The times are on the hour and half hour and that applies to the return journey back from Fethiye to Calis. It takes approx 20 mins on the boat and it‟s very relaxing. TO GET THE BUS TO CALIS – Bus is called Dolmus. Turn right out of the villa and walk to the end of the road. Cross over to the opposite side and the bus will come from your left (if you are facing the side road where our house is.) The bus will be signed CALIS. You can also walk to the ERNUR HOTEL, which is left outside the villa and then first right. The bus will come from the right, if you are facing the hotel. TO GET THE DOLMUS FROM CALIS – You need to make sure the bus says FETHIYE – GUNLUKBASI it‟s the one with the red sign in the window, and this will stop outside the ERNUR HOTEL. (Just in time for a beer) TO GET THE DOLMUS TO FETHIYE - turn right out of villa to main road and the bus comes from the left and stops on the same side of the road as you‟re standing. The dolmus will stop anywhere that you put your hand out. TO GET THE DOLMUS FROM FETHIYE TO CALIS – either go to the terminus or pick one up on the road. Again they will stop anywhere, there are no definite bus stops. Make sure the bus says CALIS – GUNLUKBASI. It could say Calis and then another name but it turn off too soon and you will get lost. There are some nice restaurants on the front. As you cut through to reach the prom, the Eroz on your left is nice or turn right and a few restaurants down is THE ORIENT EXPRESS which is run by George. The food here is lovely and the speciality is Lamb Shank. If you do go, mention that you‟re staying at
George and Chris‟s house and he will look after you. The Bus Stop bar is a fun place and has a nice open air restaurant upstairs. Quite a bit further up the prom (a couple of hundred yards), is THE LIGHTHOUSE. Again the food is lovely, try the Turkish specialities and you won‟t be disappointed. This restaurant is run by a young English couple called LOU and PHIL. Try the Jack Daniels steak. Again, mention our names and Phil will let you buy him a beer! MOBILE PHONE We provide you with a Turkish mobile phone to use during your stay, making calls on your English mobile is very expensive. You may want to leave the number with anyone at home in case of emergencies, you can buy top up cards at the corner shop near the Ernur hotel. The boys at the hotel will activate your top up card. To phone home dial 0044 and omit the first zero from the UK number. Note, if people call from the UK to your own mobile, you will pay to take the call, the Turkish mobile provided for you use is much cheaper and you will not pay to receive calls. YOUR SAFETY The safe is in the cupboard under the stairs, the agent will give you a key when you arrive. Please use the safe, There is a fire extinguisher also under the stairs. The villa has gates over the downstairs doors, please always lock them when you leave and also at night if you want to feel more secure. The local dogs and cats are really friendly, but please don‟t let them inside the house, otherwise they will take up residence. THE POOL Really important rule this one, You must not wear shoes up on the pool platform, not even sandals. You must shower before getting into the pool, please get the children into this habit. Try to avoid wearing tee shirts in the pool, the local people do not like this and the detergent or conditioner in your clothes will ruin the pool chemicals. The pool is cleaned and treated every day, you must not swim until 10.00am to allow the chemicals and chlorine to disperse. Ladies, Topless is not an option, the female Muslim residents do not appreciate this ( cant speak for the male ones ! )
ALMOST FINAL TIP. I know that you don‟t want to be thinking about the end of your holiday before you even get there, but remember (in case of delay) to take some sandwiches and drinks to the airport on your return, as things are very expensive at the airport. A can of soft drink will be as much as £2 and the food is also very expensive. The airport has also been known to have power cuts (we know as it happened to us), so they can‟t serve food anyway as they have nothing to cook on. FINAL TIP. Read our visitors book, there is loads of information and tips from our previous guests, the front of the book has lots of information about places to go & eat etc. Make sure you also look in the back of the book for information on the villa, electric, TV, water etc. Hope this tips come in useful and have a great holiday. For some detailed information about everything on Calis Beach and the surrounding area, visit http://www.calis-beach.co.uk/forum/