I was super lucky to be offered a place on Solmar Villa’s first ever agent trip in October 2025, where we stayed in one of their premium villas in the stunning town of Kalkan, Turkey for 5 nights.

The Villa

We were fortunate enough to stay in one of Solmar’s premium collection villas in Kalkan, Villa Max View. The villa sleeps up to 12 people with 4 double bedrooms and 2 twin bedrooms, 5 of which have their own en-suite bathrooms and balconies, split over 3 stories. There is also another main bathroom as well as a toilet and utility room on the ground floor. There is a fully equipped kitchen with everything you would need to use and a lovely lounge and dining area. The villa is very modern throughout with a stunning entrance, but the main attraction was definitely the outside space. There is lots of outdoor seating including a covered terrace area with a dining table and built in barbeque, an open terrace with sofas and a parasol and its own stunning infinity pool with built in sun loungers. As the villa is located in the Kalkan hills, it also offers breathtaking views of the bay, one of the best views I have ever had!

Kalkan

Kalkan is a beautiful coastal town located on the southwestern coast of Turkey, about 1.5 hours transfer from Dalaman Airport. It has a very laid-back feel with mainly villas and small boutique hotels located in the hills above the town, which overlook the bay with amazing sea views. There is also a harbour offering regular boat trips around the bay. You could walk from our villa to the town, however there are steep hills, and it was very easy to get taxis. There is also a taxi rank at the top of the town and the bottom of the town so you can make your way down and get a taxi back up. Kalkan is full of cobbled streets which give it a Greek feel, full of boutique shops and many bars, restaurants and beach clubs to choose from. The town is especially known for its rooftop dining as many of the restaurants have terraces which offer panoramic views over the harbour – great for sunset dining!

Day 1

We flew from Birmingham Airport with Easyjet on an early morning 4-hour flight into Dalaman and then had a private transfer to our villa in Kalkan. We arrived to gorgeous sunny weather so spent the rest of the afternoon making use of the villas private pool. We then headed out into Kalkan for our first evening where we dined at a rooftop restaurant called The Olive Tree.

Day 2

We went out to local Turkish café for breakfast and then headed to a supermarket to get supplies for the villa. We had a relaxing day in the villa making use of facilities and had a

barbeque for lunch. We then headed out to the town in the evening and ate at Aubergine Restaurant which sits next to the harbour and wandered round the shops.

Day 3

On day 3 we went on a private boat trip from Kalkan harbour where we got to explore 6 different bays around the coastline, swim & snorkel. The views we had were unbelievable and the sea was crystal clear; we also had lunch cooked for us on the boat. This was probably my favourite day!

Day 4

We took a drive out to the nearby, larger resort of Fethiye where we had a look round one of the local markets which sold a bit of everything from fresh fish to handbags and sandals. We also explored other areas of the Kalkan Hills before dining at Salt & Pepper, a restaurant in the heart of Kalkan’s old town.

Day 5

Our final day was spent looking around other villas that Solmar offer in Kalkan as they have a portfolio of around 50 villas in the area, varying in size and style. We then headed out to Mey Terrace, another roof top restaurant with amazing views, for cocktails and our final evening meal, which was one of the nicest meals I’ve had.

If you are looking for a laid-back villa holiday, with good food, independent local shopping & unbeatable views, I can’t recommend Kalkan enough.

Thank you Holiday Lounge for the opportunity & Solmar Villa Holiday’s for an incredible trip!

Kathryn Wilkinson – Hinckley Office.