Kas or Kalkan – Where to rent a villa?

Hi guys.. I know this post is difficult to write considering the beautiness of both towns but I will do my best to express my views on the subject. 

Kas and Kalkan are beautiful towns of Antalya in th southern part of Turkey along the Mediterrenean cost.  Climitewise and from natural perspective, they show more charasteristics of Aegean towns rather than Mediterrenean ones.  It is easier to reach both towns from Dalaman Airport (DLM) than Antalya Airport (AYT) if you can choose between.  

From Dalaman Airport  Kalkan is 123km and Kas is 148 km whereas from Antalya airport Kalkan is 257km and Kas is 203 km.  As you can guess,  the distance between two towns are about 25 km.  Travelling time to airport is approximately 2 hours to Dalaman and 3 hours 20 minutes to Antalya.

Before starting as villa rental operator, I have stayed in both towns as a tenant and rented villas.  On overall balance after 10 years of experince as a tourst I have preferred Kas over Kalkan. Lets look at specifics and general infrmation about both towns.   There is detailed information about Kas  on this site here.  

Lets look at specifics of each town.

Kalkan

Kalkan is a harbor town, nestling into the foot of the Taurus mountains. It used to be one of the best naturally kept places  in the Mediterranean.   However, there has been many publicity in the UK press in recent years and made the town popular destination  for British people.  Th result? the town is full of villas from bottom to top.   There are also many constructions going on minimizing space between villas, homes, and apartments.  When you look at from bottom to top, there seems to be a view of villas like mushrooms all over the place.  However, top to bottom view looks great because of the slope of natural surroundings and differences in height of the placement zones. 

Kalkan is definitely preferred by English folks and there are many English villa owners in the town.  Nightlife and restaurants are organized to meet the demand of basically English tourists.  There are more restaurants in Kalkan per thousand square meter than any other coastal town nearby.  So if you like pubs, bars and vivid restaurants all over the own Kalkan is your place to stay in.    

As far as beaches are concerned, there are a few variety of beaches which do not allow food and drinks to their establishments. The main option is wonderful Kaputas beach which is closer to Kalkan than Kas.

Kas

We have a separate section on the website about Kas.  Therefore, we will not go into detail explaining the town.  In our opinion, Kas looks more naturally attractive and native than Kalkan.  As opposed to common English touristsin Kalkan area, the clientele in Kas is from European countries  as far as origin of foreign tourists are concerned.   Well people are people and does not make a difference from where they are. 

One thing is obvious that there are more beaches in Kas than Kalkan and number of them is countless as there is a large peninsula (Cukurbag) including many of them.  Besides Cukurbag Peninsula, Kas has its own beaches starting right from the town’s marina.  Please check out Beaches section of this website.  Purity and turquoise color of Kas sea is world famous and unmatched by any means around whole Mediterranean area.  Kas is in fact a world class diving destination and attracts many tourists local and international for this hobby.

Nightlife and restaurants try to match different tastes local or international but they are not as plenty as in Kalkan. Price tags seem to be a bit lower in Kas than Kalkan compared with smilar grade establishments. Beaches usually do not care if you bring your own drink and fruits but they expect you to spend around TL 150 per person if you use their umbrella and sunbeds. Some places take this money in advance and let you spend it with drinks and food, which we think is fair.

In summary, if you like more nature, laid back and relaxed holiday with variety of food, you should definitely choose Kas over Kalkan.  That being said, if you like active holiday check out Activities section of this website.  Sure, there is something you can do and enjoy with your family.  If you like crowded places and active street life and a lot of restaurants to eat,   you may choose Kalkan.

We welcome your thoughts on this post.

Best,

Mehmet

Where to stay in Kas?

Dreaming about a beautiful vacation in one of the Kas’ destinations?   Do you want to find a perfect villa for yourself?   We are here to serve you to rent a villa in any of these places and much more.   Of course,  where to stay depends on your interests and your budget.   If you are not attached to any specific place and just want to find the best place to rest, swim and enjoy, please read our thoughts.  We noticed that our guests always find it hard to choose between Kas Center, Cukurbag Peninsula or villages at higher altitude areas of Kas like Yeniköy or Cukurbag village.

ParkLet’s now list the main things to consider when choosing a a villa.  For us, it is:

  • the view
  • location (whether you have means of transportation)
  • season of the year, (humidity and temperature considerations)
  • your budget

Let’s start from Kas Center (Andifli & Çerçiler).  It must be preferred if you have no transportation (car or motorcycle) and you do not stay at hot summer days (June, July and August). In the summer, Kas Center is very hot and plus humidity may disturb you.   You can think of a reasonably sized flat (2+1) except hot summer times if you want to quickly access nearby beaches by foot like Küçük Çakıl  or Limanagzı (accessible by small boats)

Another option is to rent a villa in famous  Cukurbag Peninsula where heartbreaking views of Meis Island (Kastellorizo) or Kas harbour can be seen. Due to proximity to the sea, some summer breezes might refresh you, it is definitely a better but expensive option to Kas Center climatwise.  However, still some humidity and hot weather will accompany your stay.  Please expect to pay around EUR 400-700 per day for a decent villa in Cukurbag Peninsula in summer time.

Last and the most preferable option could be to rent a villa at outskirts of Kas with altitude around 600-700m to escape from humidity and hot summer days.  Regions include Yenikoy, Cukurbag Village, Buyuk Cakil, Agullu and Bayindir areas.   We especially prefer villas in Yenikoy having both sea views and almost no humidity thanks to summer breezes always passing through from small mountains next to it.  Yet the area is close to Kas about 7km.  Likewise, Cukurbag Village is also preferable (10km) and offers the same breathable and fresh summer days and nights.  Kas Villa Rent has three villas, Villa Maria, Villa Gurli, and Villa Emilie in Yenikoy region and one flat at Cukurbag village.  So, if you are searching for some places of historical interest in one bunch with a great sea and Mountain View, these villas are the best for you.

But what about villas in Gokseki ?    The region is 5 km to Kas and it is probably the region where the most frequent public transportation is available.  Altitudewise , it is in between Kas Center and Yenikoy – Cukurbag Village line. If you’re looking for a taste of sun-soaked south, but don’t have time for more than a day or three day weekend trip it is the right place for you.  Or, you may want to try the region in the summer by renting one of the villas at our site. We think staying in Gokseki is still a better option than staying in Kas Center.

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