Daily Mail, Friday, May 9,2008

OVERSEAS PROPERTY

The delights of Turkey...

It doesn't have the euro, but the Turquoise Coast is in the money, says Liz Rowlinson

TURKEY'S membership of the EU could still be a decade away — but that hasn't stopped the country's property market picking up momentum.

And for good reason. With its hot climate, exotic culture and unspoilt scenery, Turkey is a genuine alternative to Spain and Cyprus. What's more, it's only a three to four-hour flight from Britain, and you get more for your pound than you do with the euro.

During the past five years, infrastructure along Turkey's popular south-west coast has improved, mortgages have become easier to obtain and prices have been rising by 15 to 25 per cent a year.

EU accession — assuming it does come — will help regularise the property market, and the government is taking steps to avoid making the same mistakes as Spain, by limiting the amount of construction along its beautiful Turquoise Coast.

However, the country's ambivalent attitude to foreign investment is confusing for prospective buyers and last month's moratorium on title deeds (TAPU) only compounded this.

This temporary suspension of foreigners' purchase rights — which also happened in 2005 — was revoked last week when a piece of legislation was drafted to allow the purchase of property, though in a restricted quantity in any one area.

Such a swift U-turn demonstrates that tourism is high on Turkey's list of priorities. And foreign ownership is a necessary part of this.

John Howell, of the International Law Partnership, says: 'It's a strong, long-term market and the country's development requires foreign companies to own land — or it won't happen at all.'

Emerging-market analyst James Gonzalez, of Obelisk, is more cautious. He says: 'You've got to look at the long-term view. What happens if the government does this again in a couple of years?'

This kind of market is attracting the buyer seeking to enjoy the Turkish lifestyle, rather than speculators after a quick return. The low cost of living in Turkey is an additional incentive.

Bernard and Ann Tomlinson hope to spend six weeks a year in the upmarket seaside town of Kalkan until they retire. They took ten years looking for a holiday home — rejecting mainland Spain, Cyprus and Mallorca — before settling on a three-bedroom villa with a pool in the La Vanta resort. >

They bought the property, which is up a hill above the town, for £225,000 last year. Its value has since risen to £320,000.

Bridgehouse International is selling one-bedroom apartments here from £81,000, through to five-bedrooms for £479,000, on behalf of Kemer Group — one of Turkey's leading developers.

Kalkan — which reminds Bernard of a Cornish fishing village, with narrow streets running down to the seafront — is relatively pricey for Turkey. It is also less developed due to its inaccessibility from airports, though new tunnels have reduced the journey time to one-and-a-half hours from Dalaman Airport (which easy Jet is flying to).

'We wanted a high-quality gated development with good amenities. We went to see Kemer's country club near Istanbul to see what to expect,' says Bernard, 60, from Manchester. 'It's half the price of a similar project in Cyprus, so we feel confident we are not getting ripped off.'

Pockets of heavy building can be found around Bodrum, Kusadasi, Altinkum and Alanya.

But Julian Walker of Turkey specialist Spot Blue — which advises all buyers to use an independent lawyer — recommends the resort of Kemer, an hour south of Antalya, where a villa up in the wooded hills costs £59,000 for two bedrooms or £120,000 for three bedrooms.

Spot Blue is also selling new-build four-bedroom villas for £399,000 in an unspoilt area surrounded by pine trees and waterfalls. The stunning 18km Patara Beach is also nearby, while Kalkan is just 20 minutes away.

The availability of flights to Turkey is slowly improving, and the upgrading of Gazipasa Airport next year to take more domestic and then international flights could open up things for this untapped stretch of coast.

Mortgages are easy to arrange on something already built — 55 to 75 per cent at 7 to 8 per cent interest — but pre-constructlon is tricky and depends on the reputation of the builder.

Daily Mail, Saturday, June 21,2008

Turquoise Delights

CINDY BLAKE gives her taste buds a treat on a mouthwatering trip to Turkey's Lycian coast...

NATIONAL stereotypes often turn out to be true. Germans do get up at dawn to bag the best poolside sunbeds, Americans do talk too loudly and wear neon nylon, and the Dutch do have a penchant for invading campsites en masse and running around naked.

And the Turks? They're unfriendly and serve up inedible food. Well, I go along with all of those — except the one about the Turks. It couldn't be more wrong.

If you visit the Turquoise Coast in southwest Turkey, I guarantee you'll meet warm, friendly, loquacious people and eat spectacularly well. In fact, I was so impressed by the local cuisine, I signed up for a Turkish cooking course.

The Turquoise Coast runs from Bodrum in the north to the city of Antalya in the south, a spectacular stretch of coastline, once the home of the Greek Lycian civilisation. Two-thirds of the way to Antalya, and a two-hour drive from Dalaman airport, is the harbour town of Kalkan, fronting the sea and flanked by the Taurus mountains.

When I arrived on the terrace of the Villa Mahal, a boutique hotel just outside Kalkan, the sun was setting behind the mountains across the bay. On my left, two small islands loomed in the distance, stepping stones on the way to an endless horizon. To my right, Kalkan sat in the lap of hills, its harbour full of fishing boats and gulets — traditional wooden Turkish sailing boats.

Everywhere beneath and beyond me the water was sparkling — shimmering pockets of emerald green mixing with the darker blue to produce that gorgeous turquoise. Nature isn't just showing off here, it's positively boasting.

Murat Tolbas, his wife Sebnam and sister Ipek, who own and run the Villa Mahal, welcome their guests with genuine warmth. Twenty-two years ago, when Murat came to Kalkan, it was a small fishing village with two small hotels and a couple of restaurants. The family bought land in the hills outside town and built four rooms for themselves.

They have since M expanded into a 13-room hotel. Each bedroom faces the sea, and there is an infinity pool halfway down the 181 steps which lead from the i terrace to the waterfront; steps which are a killer on the calf muscles, but good training for would-be hikers.

The Mahal is not a generic boutique: it has a distinctly Turkish feel to it and blends into the surroundings discreetly.

'In Turkey, we think that small is good,' Murat told me. And everything we do comes from the heart. We don't just care about the hotel, we care about preserving the beauty of the area and of Kalkan.'

Kalkan isn't a little fishing village any more. There are more than 200 restaurants, most of them on rooftops. During the day and late into the night — shops stay open until midnight — tourists wander the streets checking out the bars, restaurants and shops. Unfriendly? A fellow guest at the Mahal, Andrew, was looking for a white linen shirt in Kalkan, but couldn't find what he wanted. He and his wife, Anna, went into a shop selling household goods and spotted that the owner was wearing exactly the shirt Andrew had been coveting.

Jokingly, Anna suggested to him that they buy his — he and Andrew were about the same size. After they'd bought a tablecloth and a towel, they were amazed to see the man unbutton his shirt, take it off and hand it to Andrew — for free.

That evening I joined Andrew and Anna for dinner at Ibo, one of the rooftop, restaurants. He wasn't wearing the shirt — it fitted, but needed a wash.

They, too, had been unsure about the cuisine before they arrived, but were delighted with the dinner at Ibo. We shared a platter of tasty meze, a yogurt steak kebab and grilled prawns. With a decent bottle of wine, the meal for three came to around £70. I had heard that Gurus, a restaurant up in the hills between Kalkan and the next coastal town, Kas, was offering traditional Turkish cooking courses on Wednesday and Friday mornings at £11 per person. >

Anna decided to come with me to see if a more rural restaurant would offer the same high quality of food or be a contender for a Turkish version of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. The atmosphere at Gurus is informal and rustic.

Hussein, the manager, is a bubbly, energetic 27-year-old. It's a family affair: his father greets guests from his wheelchair; his mother, sister and aunts all cook.

We took off our shoes, donned aprons and headscarves and gathered in the tiny, spotless kitchen at the back. Hussein translated as his sister taught us how to cook stuffed aubergine and a side dish of bulgar wheat with vegetables. We helped by chopping up ingredients: everything was fresh, almost all of it from their garden.

After our lesson was over, we sat at one of the outdoor tables, ate the meal we'd just cooked and posed for photographs that Hussein took to record the event.

On the drive back to Kalkan, I asked him if he thought Turkey should join the EU.

'No — too many silly rules,' he said, before smiling and adding: 'But I think the EU wants to join Turkey. I don't blame them.' It's not just food, views, sun and shopping: there are impressive Greek ruins at Xanthos, a 20-minute drive from Kalkan.

Now a United World Heritage Site, Xanthos was the capital of Lycia when the Greeks inhabitated this area, and dates to the 4th century BO. The site at Xanthos includes a remarkably well-preserved amphitheatre, the Harpies Tomb, Basilica and many sacrophagi. There are other historical archealogical sites further afield.

For the intrepid, there is white-water-rafting in the impressive Saklikent Gorge, 40 minutes away, and para-gliding at Olu Deniz, an hour's drive. All-day Jeep safaris up in the Taurus mountains are also on offer.

Patara Beach, a 15-minute drive from Kalkan, is a 1 mile stretch of white sand, unspoilt by buildings or hotels. Renting an umbrella and sun-lounger costs ten Turkish lira, approximately £4.

Unsurprisingly, tourists who go to Kalkan often return, and many of them want to buy villas. The danger is that, inevitably, a tipping point will come and Kalkan will be over-run.

Already, Murat told me, many of the areas once designated 'green' are being bought and developed into villas.

The large majority of tourists are from Britain, although Turks who want a break from the bustling city of Istanbul hop on a plane to Dalaman, a flight which takes just over an hour and a half.

Still, for those who want an authentic Turkish experience, it would be wise to go to Kalkan before it loses its unique charm. After my cooking course, 1 went back to the Villa Mahal for a massage and swim. That night, I had a candlelit dinner on one of the seaside platforms, which by day are used for sunbeds and at night are transformed into a dining area.

I opted for the sea bass, chose a glass of Turkish rose wine and gazed across the bay at the sparkling lights of Kalkan.
On rainy days in England, I listen to a plaintive country and western ballad sung by Greg Brown called When Does The Good Part Start?
Hop on a plane, Greg. Fly to Turkey and book a room at the Villa Mahal. The good part starts right there.