As
there is a ban on most building work here in the summer, as soon as the season
ends work starts everywhere. Some of it
is small-scale – people having their rooves fixed, hotels doing repairs and
renovations – but there is also new building going on. I have noticed several plots where new villa
or apartment complexes have been started.
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| Barut Sensatori 'swim-up' |
But
there is a bigger change going on in Calis.
This summer saw the opening of our first five-star hotel, Barut Sensatori. I stayed at a Barut Hotel in Antalya a couple
of years ago and it was beautiful and stylish and though not as large, I’m sure
the Barut in Calis is equally impressive. However, as it is situated in ‘Koca Calis’ (way along the beach), it isn’t
visible from the main beach and its guests do not really visit the centre of
the resort. The hotel provides a boat
service so they can go to Fethiye to shop or have lunch (though as they all
stay ‘all-inclusive’ many won’t even do this) but they are unlikely to walk 3km
or so along the dusty track back to Calis centre.
The
hotel that is being built this winter will have a much greater effect on the
resort. A rapidly-expanding, local
company called Liberty Hotels bought the old Seketur Hotel and the empty plot
behind it. These are situated mid-way
along the sea-front and now that they have demolished the hotel and cleared
most of the plot it is obvious what an enormous project it is.
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| part of the plot of the new Liberty Hotel |
Thanks
to new building restrictions the hotel can be only two stories high (so I am
told). But they will still have by far
the biggest property in the resort, with several hundred beds. Their guests will use the main beach and will
be able to visit the shops and restaurants right outside the gate. Liberty Hotels has also bought Letoon Hotel
(at the end of the beach, close to the minibus stop) and have a third project
planned for Koca Calis. That is a lot of
new five-star, all-inclusive beds!
I
know we can’t stop change and I always assure people that most of the changes I
have seen here in 23 years have been positive.
I know too that there are benefits to this development: I am sure the Liberty Group will keep the
beach clean - at least the part of the beach immediately in front of the hotel;
their guests are bound to spend some money in local businesses – we might even get
more stylish souvenir and clothes shops like those in Paspatur (the Old Town in
Fethiye).
However
I hope that the character of Calis is not affected. It has always been a laid-back place, where
most of the hotels are small, family-run affairs and to which people return
year-after-year for the warm welcome and relaxed atmosphere. It is not a party resort (like Marmaris and Hisaronu),
it is not a showy resort (like Bodrum and Oludeniz). There is nothing wrong with these, if that is
what you aim to be, but it has never been what Calis is about. As a large proportion of our guests are Calis
regulars who like it as it is, I hope that these developments do not destroy
what people have always appreciated about it.
Here
are some definitely positive developments…..
1. The sea front between Fethiye and Calis, the
last part of which should be completed this winter; coming home one last afternoon I was amazed
at the number of people out walking, running, fishing, taking selfies and generally
enjoying the promenade (and the lovely weather)
2. (for
those of us who live here) the Christmas Fair – last Sunday – was as good as
ever with over 100 stalls selling crafts, food and everything Christmas….
I finally bought a new angel – hand-made felt – though
I still cannot bear to retire my 50+ year old angel so they are doing a joint
job; you can never have too many angels!
