Stay / Hotels
Likya Gardens, the Kalkan Hotel With a Cabana at the Waterline
A small hotel on the lane that leaves Kalkan harbour, with suites on the hillside and a cabana on the rocks below. The walk between the two is the character of the place.
Breakfast comes to a shaded terrace above the water: fruit, white cheese, eggs as you like them, coffee that is refilled before you ask. Below, the fishing boats swing on their moorings and the bay lies flat until the first gulet crosses it. Nothing is announced and nobody hurries.
Likya Gardens is small enough that this never feels staged. It is simply how the morning goes.
Where the harbour lane runs out
The hotel stands on İskele Sokak, a narrow coastal lane that leaves Kalkan harbour. The harbour is a couple of minutes away on foot, the bazaar ten to fifteen. For somewhere so close to town, the position is secluded, and the hotel is arranged to keep it that way. The buildings step down the hillside towards the sea instead of facing the street.
Most Kalkan hotels give you a view of the bay. Here the bay is also where the day ends up.
That small scale shapes the stay. With about a dozen suites the place is never crowded, and the walk between room, pool and sea is short enough to do in a towel.
A pool of your own, a cabana to swim from
The main building holds suites over three floors, with the penthouse at the top and the widest view of the bay. Further down, garden suites sit among the planting, and one of them stands apart from the rest for extra privacy. There are about a dozen suites in all, around half of them with a private pool, and a few villas come with hotel service for those travelling in a group.
The sea belongs to the beach club on the rocks below. Every room has the use of a cabana there, with a daybed and parasol, and you swim by stepping off the platform into clear water. There is no sand, so water shoes are worth the space in the bag.
Breakfast first, then very little
The day here has one real decision, which is pool or sea. Lunch happens at the beach club, a short walk from the suites, and the afternoon belongs to the daybed. When the light turns, you walk up the lane to the harbour for dinner and take your time coming back.
It is a hotel for people who like to stay put, and it does not apologise for that.
Editor's picks
- Eat breakfast without a plan.The terrace is the best seat in the house, and the view improves with the second coffee.
- Ask about a garden suite.It trades some of the height for privacy, which suits couples who want quiet.
- Swim before lunch.The cabana is at its best when the beach club is still empty.
- Keep lunch at the club.The walk is short, and it saves you a trip back up the hill in the heat of the day.
- Go to sea for a day.Gulets leave from the harbour, a few minutes from the gate.
- Find the Thursday market.Buy what is ripe and carry it back to the terrace.
- Drive 17 km to Patara.The ancient city and its long beach make an easy half day. Bring your Müze Kart.
Insider notes
Steps are part of the deal. The upper floors are reached by stairs only, there is no lift, and the way down to the beach club is a staircase too. If mobility matters, tell the hotel when you book and ask which floor your room is on. A room with the best view and a room with the fewest steps are rarely the same room.
Pets are not allowed. Pack light, since luggage travels the last stretch on foot, and keep your good shoes for the harbour.
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How to get to Kalkan
Dalaman is the closest airport, about 1 hour 45 minutes by road. You can book a private VIP transfer or a seat on a shared shuttle minibus, hiring a car at the airport is easy, and dolmuş minibuses run between Kalkan and both Kaş and Fethiye. Ask the hotel where the car stops and how many steps are left. Flights from Europe and Istanbul are covered in Getting there.
The harbour lane ends at the sea, and the cabana is the last stop.