Kalkan is a Turkish Mediterranean fishing village gone upscale to resort status. Located 27 km (17 miles) west of Kaş, it’s like Kaş with less land but more money.
Kalkan has retained more of its Ottoman-era character, and has beauty and charm despite the inevitable modern development, most noticeable in the form of the 60-room Patara Prince Hotel & Resort and the 18-villa Club Patara Villas on the southeast side of Kalkan’s pristine little azure cove.
The good news is that Kalkan has a good selection of hotels and villas to rent/let for your visit.
Once an Ottoman Greek fishing village named Kalamaki, Kalkan (kahl-KAHN, shield) has a tiny beach, but is too hemmed in by mountains falling right into the sea to have much coastal sand. Most people swim from tiny concrete decks set near the sea, reached by stairs or ladders.
Kalkan’s small yacht harbor stays busy ferrying day-trippers to the Blue Cave and to tiny, hidden Kaputaş (KAH-poo-tahsh) beach, 7 km (4.3 miles) to the east.
Kalkan is a favorite destination for British travelers coming for a week’s villa vacation, or years of easy retirement living. If you’re traveling through, I wouldn’t recommend Kalkan for a long stay, but a night or two can be pleasant.
You get a completely different feeling for Kalkan if you stay in your own villa—an easy thing to accomplish.