Turkish delights rediscovered: Why the Turquoise Coast is slowly regaining its popularity

Descending a flight of stone steps down to the sea, we turned a corner and caught sight of our table, laid for dinner and gleaming in candlelight, its legs almost lapped by the water. Beneath the starlit sky, empty tables were perched here and there on the wooden decks and rock-hewn platforms which, dotted with loungers and strung with hammocks, doubled as the sea-level beach club by day and the hotel’s magical restaurant by night.

Like many hotels that get under your skin, Villa Mahal’s delights aren’t immediately revealed. Instead they have to be discovered – and thanks to its near vertical setting, you have to work to find them. The word “luxury” was not on my lips the next morning as I toiled up the 181-step “Stairway to Heaven” after a swim in the warm sea. But once I had reached the roof terrace of the main building with its spectacular views of town, rugged coast and open sea, I reckoned I had easily earned the indulgent breakfast spread of fruits, cheeses, eggs, yogurts and pastries.

Villa Mahal is located on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, which in recent years has seen a sharp downturn in tourists after a spate of terrorist attacks in Istanbul and a failed coup. But now they are steadily returning (summer 2017 saw a 28 per cent rise in bookings to the country) and here in sheltered Kalkan, where sunshine is guaranteed for 330 days of the year and there are no large hotels, the feeling was one of cautious optimism.

? The best hotels on the Turquoise Coast

It was in the mid Eighties that Ipek Tolbas, a young graphic designer from Istanbul, first saw, from a boat, this wild stretch of coastline whose views embraced both the town and the Mediterranean. She fell for it and, with no experience of hotel keeping, created from scratch her chic boutique hotel, its bedrooms and pools inserted wherever they could nestle into the hillside. Thirty years on, she remains in charge of her slice of paradise, an essay in simple, stylish seaside luxury – white splashed with bright colour – where every twist of the path brings a new joy: a massage bed that juts over the water; hammocks; roof terraces; crescent-shaped infinity pools with impossibly lovely views; sea turtles swimming in the blue waters below. And now, for anyone who might find those steps a real problem, a mini funicular that climbs through olive groves on one side of the hotel is under construction.

When Ipek first built Villa Mahal, tourism hardly existed on the Turquoise Coast; in the past couple of years one might be forgiven for ignoring it once more as a potential holiday destination. “It’s been very quiet,” says Mustafa, on whose gulet, Eclipse, we sailed to a nearby cove for dinner afloat, under the stars. “But our hotels and travel agents report that the year ahead is already looking good”. 

Uluc and Claire Bilgutay of Korsan Kalkan, a collection of sophisticated villas, apartments and suites, echoed Mustafa’s sentiments. “Our mainly British clients largely disappeared,” said Claire, “but strong bookings from both first-timers and returnees and a really favourable exchange rate means Kalkan is back on track.”

Korsan Kalkan makes a flexible and affordable base for families, with full hotel services if you need them. Our villa, Pembe Ev, had its own pool, views over palms and olives to the sea, ample storage in the white and mirrored bedrooms, and a sense of airiness and peace. Drenched in bougainvillea, the self-catering apartments and suites, with their own communal pools and restaurants, offer further choices. Charming, long-serving staff oversee them.

? The best beach hotels in the Mediterranean

Kalkan has always been noted for its repeat guests. Twenty years ago Robin and Judy Hutson, creators of the Hotel du Vin group and Pig Hotels, came here on holiday with their two sons and have returned every year without a break since then, gravitating from an apartment to Villa Mahal when the boys grew up. I was travelling with Robin and Judy to discover the reason for their long-held enthusiasm and to share their knowledge of Kalkan, for they know many of its friendly residents and all its best attributes. 

Back in town after our trip on Eclipse, still talking about the meteor we had seen streaking like a flaming snowball across the night sky, Judy and I indulged in a spot of leisurely late-night shopping (the purse is always loosened after a few drinks) at some of her favourite old town addresses for silver, pewter and handbags. The shops, bars and restaurants were gently buzzing, their owners happy that business was finally picking up. 

Hammams are another of Judy’s fortes: she took me to her favourite in the Kalkan Regency Hotel for an hour of scrub, suds and massage, and never have I felt so clean. Wine and ruins are Robin’s main strengths. With him we strolled around the haunting remains of Xanthos and Patara, and along Patara’s astonishingly lovely beach that stretches for 11 miles. And then we headed into the hills for a Hutson special: a tasting of Turkish wines in the simple restaurant at Yayla Trout Farm, Islamlar Koyu (0090 536 576 47 75). Wherever we went there was no sense of unease, just the usual warm, easy-going Turkish welcome; there were fewer tourists than one might expect, but still quite enough, and British voices everywhere. But when the holidaymakers return in force, there’s one place where you are always guaranteed an escape: Robin and Judy’s favourite in-the-know restaurant, accessible only by boat.

? The 50 best boutique hotels in Europe

Known to its aficionados as the “fish shack”, it’s perched above the rocky shore, with the word “restaurant” crudely painted in red across a torn sheet that flaps in the breeze. Chickens peck on the ground, the coffee is boiled on an open fire, and we all helped the owner bring out the dishes of tomato salad, aubergine, cucumber and yogurt, bunches of rocket and spring onion, chicken kebabs and grilled fish from the primitive kitchen. 

Sitting on comfy cushions at a low table, we tucked in, gazed contentedly out to sea, revelled in the views and the glorious weather and knew we were somewhere special. For anyone who believes that true luxury is simple and natural, the fish shack is surely the epitome. For Robin Hutson it’s a source of inspiration. “Where do you think I got the idea for the Pigs?” If you want to go, ask at your hotel or villa for the restaurant in Firnaz Bay.

But if the remote fish shack will always remain tranquil, Kalkan looks set to be much busier than of late; now, armed of course with necessary vigilance, is a good time to find out what keeps pulling the Hutsons back. I certainly get it.

Red Savannah (01242 787800) offers a seven-night stay at the Villa Mahal in a double room from ￡1,155 per person, including return flights and transfers. Pembe Ev is available through Korsan Kalkan (0090 242 844 2116), from ￡1,800 per week (sleeps 10).