Costa Rica Travel – Another Adventure Travel

Kalkan is a town on the Turkish Mediterranean coast. This is an old fishing town. Most of the surrounding area is undeveloped. Until 1970 it was an important harbor town. However after construction of Fethiye road its importance as a harbor port declined. Now it has emerged as a tourist resort. In the absence of mass tourism, Kalkan resort town has remained unspoilt and is a charming town on the brilliant blue sea coast. It lies snugly curled up at the foot of the Taurus Mountains overlooking the beautiful bay.

Kalkan’s economy is now entirely dependent on tourism. The town has proudly and painstakingly preserved its historical distinctive Ottoman Greek Architecture. Kalkan resort town has preserved the old historic architectural style. The houses line up the narrow streets winding up from the harbor. Houses are often covered with bougainvillea of different colors and they look so pretty. Most houses are two storied and are built of stone. They often have courtyards and gardens. The houses are built so as to keep cool in summer. The windows and balconies on upper floors open facing the sea so as to get the cool breeze from the ocean. The ground floors are generally used for shops or for storage; residence is generally on the first floor. You notice decorative elements on sills between floors and on top of windows.

Good dining has always been a tradition of Kalkans and this has reflected in the very large number of restaurants in Kalkan; in fact it is said Kalkan has probably the highest number of restaurants per inhabitant as compared to other Turkish coastal towns. Roof terrace restaurants and bars of Kalkan are renowned in Turkey; it is so nice to sit at one of these harbor side restaurants and watch the pleasure boats and fishermen go about their business in the morning, or to watch them returning in the evening with their catch of fish.

Tourists generally spend the day time strolling along the bay and the marina. Swimming, diving and snorkeling in the bay quite enjoyable. There are many boat trips also available. By night time, Kalkan transforms into a bustling town; there is so much you could do. There is shopping, dining and generally strolling around by the sea side or doing window shopping. In the evening, shops come alive with T-shirts, boxes of Turkish delight, silver jewelry being sold. Turkish rugs are famous for their designs and craftsmanship, and many shops sell the rugs. Tourists find a lot of typical old style Turkish articles to buy.

Tourists and visitors to Kalkan resort town come to enjoy the laid-back relaxed life style in this Turkish sanctuary. There are a few good hotels catering to the tourists. One of the popular hotels is Hotel Pirat; it is only 80 km from Fathiye or 130 km from Dalaman airports. Pirat Hotel is overlooking the harbor and the bay of Kalkan, right at the front of hilly resort islands backed by hills and mountains.  The view of the bay from the balcony is enchanting. This 136 room hotel has all modern amenities. Excellent outdoor swimming pool, children’s swimming pool, sports facilities such as table tennis and billiards are available. There is provision for diving school, parasailing, jet ski, canoe, sailing and all water sports are available at the beach for a modest fee.

The island of Elba in the Tuscan Archipelago is one of the most popular tourist spots in Italy. The island is a unique combination of history and nature and you can find quaint old villages mingling with modern resorts and hotels on this island. The 225 square kilometer island has more than fifty picturesque beaches and you can take your pick from hard rock and fine sand beaches. Elba is an extremely popular tourist spot and while it has all the amenities to cater to the vast hordes of people visiting it, at times accommodation runs short. Therefore, if you are planning to visit Elba anytime during the peak season of May to September, then it is advised that you definitely get your hotel reservations done before setting foot on the island.

Hotel reservations for your stay in Elba can be made either online or by calling up hotels directly. All you need to do is log on to a site that provides you with a list of places to stay in Elba. These websites will also give you a description about the kind of accommodation and amenities that will be provided and the contact details of different hotels. Many sites will list budget hotels separately. The best way of getting your hotel reservations done is by calling up the hotel yourself and then making a booking. You can also book directly through a website if you are tech savvy enough to believe in everything virtual or if the hotel you are booking with is ready to send you an email or call up to confirm your booking.

If you really do not want to stay in a hotel but would prefer to spend your stay in Elba at places that are cheaper than hotels, then you can book your stay with a Bed and Breakfast. However, you might be surprised to know that a B&B in Italy does not necessarily mean Budget, and you can find Bed and Breakfast establishments featuring all kind of luxuries and amenities. At the same time, budget B&Bs are also quite common and you can book yourself with one if you are a budget traveler. Once again, the internet is the best option for searching and finding out about the best and the most suitable B&Bs in Elba.

Then again, there are a number of people who find hotels too impersonal and would rather stay at places that offer a more homely atmosphere. If you are one of these people, then you can choose to look for one of the numerous family homes, villas and estates that let themselves out to tourists in part. Nothing beats staying with a local family if you really want to get a taste Italy first hand.

Those with money and a spirit of adventure can also book themselves into one of the many agri-tourist resorts in Elba. These are generally olive and wine estates that have the amenities for lodging and feeding tourists. In most cases, these are luxury estates that might offer you individual cottages and wine and olive grove tours and activities along with all the modern amenities that you will find in a hotel. Whatever type of accommodation you wish to have, just make sure to book in advance if you do not want to find yourself shelter less on the island of Elba.