Kalkan Delight

For our 10th wedding anniversary we wanted something a little different from our normal all-inclusive holiday. The resort of Kalkan in Turkey looked perfect, with its picturesque harbour and choices of bars, restaurants and old cobbled streets. It was traditional Turkey, sophisticated, charming and not a fast food chain in sight!

Our hotel, The Asfiya, was again traditional in style but to a very high standard. I wanted a boutique small hotel so this ticked all the boxes. The rooms vary in design and size but we were able to book the exact room number we wanted, as you can view all rooms via the Discerning Collection website.

We had a deluxe suite overlooking the pool, and the most amazing bathroom with a raised Jacuzzi bath. As it is a small hotel with just 42 rooms it was very quiet and relaxing. Perfect for what we wanted. The Asfiya has a poolside bar, breakfast and lunch was al fresco by the pool.

In the evenings we'd walk the 15 minutes to the harbour for our evening meal, as I said before there was plenty of choice and the food was excellent and reasonably priced. Our personal favourite was Doy Doy, we also enjoyed watching the sun go down on one of the rooftop bars. Our 5 nights flew by; we could have stayed a month and still not tried all of the restaurants.

On our actual anniversary day we went out on a Gulet cruise, with just a handful of other guests. We set sail for a day relaxing on-board with the occasional dip in the sea to cool down. You really can't go to Turkey without going on a Gulet cruise!

If you're after the real Turkey, then Kalkan is the resort for you. Likewise the Asfiya Hotel is a perfect choice if you want a touch of charm and relaxation.