Central Kalkan, the Villa With 35 Steps to the Pool

The steps come first, about thirty-five of them, climbing from the road to the pool terrace. By the top the street has fallen away behind you and the water lies ahead, ten metres of it, ending where the bay begins. A long table that seats a dozen stands in the middle of the terrace, and a hammock hangs at the far end.

The villa stands in Central Kalkan, known locally as Ortaalan, on the slope between the old town and Kalamar Bay. It has six bedrooms and six bathrooms and sleeps up to twelve. Five of the bedrooms have full sea views, and the sixth has a partial one.

The climb is the price

Everything that matters sits above the road: the pool, the terrace, the living room. Carry the shopping up in two trips. Indoors, stairs connect the floors, so the house is not step-free either.

At the top the terrace is laid out in zones. A large corner sofa sits near the house, six sun loungers face the water and three raised daybeds stand to one side. The infinity pool is about 10 metres by 4 and 1.5 metres deep, with a jacuzzi section and seats built in. There is a barbecue beside the dining table, and the hammock is the last thing before the edge.

Where the kitchen meets the glass

The pool level is one large open room. The kitchen has an island with the hob, a dishwasher and a filter coffee machine, and a breakfast bar runs alongside it. The dining table seats ten. A big L-shaped sofa and two lounge chairs face a wall-mounted TV, and floor-to-ceiling sliding glass opens the whole room onto the pool.

The sauna, the hammam and a WC are on this level too, so a swim and a steam need no stairs at all.

A bedroom with a freestanding bath by a window onto the bay

A stone staircase and an open living space with plants set in glass, lit in the evening

A games room with its own entrance

The recreation room is on the lower ground floor, at the front of the property, and it is reached from outside, not from inside the house. It holds a table tennis table, a pool table, table football and an exercise bike. A table tennis match is loud, and here it stays away from the bedrooms.

Five sea views and a partial one

The first floor has three double bedrooms and a twin, each with its own wet-room bathroom, a wardrobe, a vanity table and a TV. The first two doubles open onto balconies over the bay, the third has the view without one, and the twin has a French balcony with a partial view. Two more bedrooms, a double and a twin, sit on the second floor. They share a balcony with two sun loungers and a seating area. The twin beds can be made up as doubles.

Down to the old town, up by taxi

The old town and the town beach are 12 to 15 minutes on foot, and that is the downhill figure. Supermarkets, bars and local restaurants are mostly within ten minutes, so a quiet evening can be run on foot. The way back up is a hill, and a taxi is the sensible way home.

Insider notes

Xanthos and Patara both accept the Müze Kart, so carry it on the days you go.

Thursday is market day in Kalkan, and a house for twelve empties its fridge fast. Buy tomatoes, cheese and olives there, and expect two trips up the steps with the bags.

The two second-floor bedrooms sit highest and share one balcony, which suits two couples or two families travelling together.

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How to get to Central Kalkan

Dalaman is the closest airport, about 1 hour 45 minutes by road, with private VIP transfers, shared shuttle minibuses and easy car hire at the airport. Dolmuş minibuses connect Kalkan with Kaş and Fethiye, and from the villa the old town is a 12 to 15 minute walk downhill or a short taxi ride. Flights from Europe and Istanbul are covered in Getting there.

A wet footprint crosses the terrace and stops at the hammock.