Villa Havuc

Villa Havuc is in the most stunning location, built into the hills of the Taurus mountains, above the coast road of the cosmopolitan town of Kas, situated on the aptly named Turquoise Coast, the jewel of the Mediterranean Sea.

The villa is 155 kilometres from Dalaman International Airport, a scenic mountain and coast road journey that takes approximately two hours by car. The nearest town is quaint Kas, just fifteen minutes away, with its Ottoman houses hanging with pastel coloured bougainvillaea, winding streets, busy working harbour, and lots of inviting restaurants, cafes and bars, as well as a lively live music scene in the evening. The town draws an international crowd and has some excellent shopping, whether for hand-crafted souvenirs, fabulous holiday fashion, delicious foods from organic grocers and delis, or the must-see Friday market selling locally grown fresh fruit and veg and traditional Turkish household goods.

Take the car or walk down to the nearest beach from the villa, which is a couple of kilometres away. As you drive into Kas, there is an impressive marina, home to many luxury yachts cruising the Med. Around the Kas coastline, there are many exclusive beach clubs where you can enjoy a day sunbathing on wooden platforms, diving into the sea from jetties, swimming and snorkelling, and sampling the local fare in their cafes and restaurants.

No stay in Kas is complete with a boat trip from the harbour, all aboard for a day at sea, snorkelling and swimming, discovering secret coves and beautiful bays, not to mention the homemade mixed meze lunch and fresh fish served for lunch. If you want to go further afield, ask the captain to take you to Kekova, where you can view a sunken city through a glass-bottomed boat, climb ancient Roman ruins, and try the famous homemade ice cream for an afternoon treat. For those interested in history, Kas is full of surprises; just a walk around town will uncover amphitheatres, tombs, and archaeological sites from Lycian, Greek, Byzantine and Roman times. A boat trip to Aperlai allows you to swim above age-old ruins and get off the boat to wander through Roman remains.

The coast road to Kalkan is well worth a trip, with breathtaking views of the stunning and dramatic coastline that dates back to the time of Homer. On the way, stop at Kaputas beach, formed from a natural gorge; there are only two hundred steps down to a beautiful beach with sunbeds and parasols, cafes and loos, and the most welcoming warm sea in which to swim.

If nature is your thing, the area around Kas has it all; follow the famous Lycian Way, and trek the trail to discover the area's natural flora and fauna. The local dolmus will take you from the Kas Otogar to the must-see Patara beach, twenty kilometres of soft golden sand, and home to the famous Caretta Caretta turtles. It is well worth staying until the early evening, watching the sunset over the horizon from the ever-changing sand dunes; it's the stuff memories are made of. And if you've really got itchy feet and a desire to travel, you can cross continents and go to Greece from Kas harbour; simply hop aboard the daily twenty-minute ferry to Meis and enjoy some Greek delicacies by the seashore.

Read more about Kas

Kas have become boutique resorts, with cobbled streets and converted Greek houses, which belonged to the Greek merchants before the exchange of population in the 1920’s. Once quiet fishing harbours these days you are more likely to see traditional wooden gulets taking tourists to soak up rays on the sparkling turquoise Mediterranean. A boat trip is a must do, from the boat you can snorkel and usually a delicious lunch is prepared on board. Keen walkers should check out the Lycian way for designated walking paths in the area.

You cannot come to this area without spending  some time exploring the many Lycian sights, such as Xanthos, Patara, Myra or the sunken city of Kekova.

Patara is said to be where democracy started (they excavated stone voting block) and is also said to be the birthplace of St Nicholas, who became bishop at nearby Myra. The ruins here include an ancient theatre, city walls, government build and agora. The lighthouse on the site is said to be the earliest of its kind. Visit Patara in the late afternoon and finish the trip with a drink on the sandy beach watching the amazing sunset.

The Salikent Gorge is a great place to visit, especially if you want to cool off in the fresh waters whilst walking up the gorge. For the more energetic there are rafts and rings to ride the flowing waters. Further down you can enjoy a day canoeing toward the beach.

Islamlar sits 8 km above Kalkan. Once the place Kalkan folk went to cool off at one of the trout farms built to make use of the mountain’s springs. Today Islamlar houses many a villa, enjoyed by Istanbul Turks who prefer a holiday in slightly cooler and cleaner air. Here the locals grow grapes and pomegranates, but you’ll mainly see the men sat gossiping next to the local teahouse. The trout farms remain a place to come for a wonderful fresh meal, or a breakfast consisting of fresh local fare. The rocket will be the freshest & most tasty you’ve ever had; and the fresh chips cooked in olive oil take some beating.

By night both Kalkan and Kas come alive. Kas has more of a bohemian feel, people ambling through the cobbled streets, passing the ancient tomb in the street, haggling for textiles, carpets and other goodies, maybe stopping for the traditional Turkish ‘maras’ ice cream, a tulip-shaped glass of tea or a wonderful kebab in the shadow of the mosque. Most of the villas in Kas are just out of town on the Cukurbag Peninsula. A reasonable (5km) taxi or Dolmus (local bus) ride into town. Be sure to try the Piyaz, a white bean salad with tahini sauce.

Travelling along the coast, towards Kalkan you pass the modern marina, the children’s beach park (run by the local hotel school) and halfway to Kalkan the stunning Kaputas Beach, cut in a gorge with all different shades of turquoise in the sea.

Kalkan is a more sophisticated resort, with the villas built onto the mountainside. Evening are spent enjoying the rooftop restaurants, perched on the top of the old ‘konak’ houses. Then wandering to a seaside bar for a cocktail, after shopping for glass lanterns, Iznik pottery, handbags or pestemel towel. Do visit the ‘pastane’, local patisseries which do the most delicious morning pastries and you must try the ‘Gozleme’ pancakes at the Thursday market.

Other things to do in the area include scuba diving as the visibility is excellent, paragliding, horseriding on Patara Beach or kayaking around the sunken ruins at Kekova.