Turkish Adventure

Introduction

Merhaba (hello)

Who are we? What is Truffle Residences? How did it all start? I hear you ask. We sometimes still ask ourselves the same questions! I hope our blog will let you share what has become an incredible journey for us both.

Let me introduce us, Mel and Nigel, a lawyer and an accountant (I know....don't groan!) working and living in Yorkshire. Who amongst other things share a passion for properties, in all shapes and guises. This is Mel's blog of our adventures in Turkey !

May 2009

After a flying visit to the UK for four days it was back to Kalkan to ensure that we were ready for our first guests. There were a number of last minute things to sort out; we had parasols but no bases, some plants had died and needed replacing, I wanted some large beanie bags for the roof terraces and I hadn't quite finished putting the information together for the Guest Folders in the apartments.

We also finalised the Additional Services we are going to be offering guests at Truffle Residences; you can stay in the comfort of your apartment and have a massage, pedicure or manicure; babysitting or company for an elderly relative; car rental; tours and excursions; picnic hampers; meals prepared and served to you at the apartments; BBQ's prepared, cooked and served to you at the apartments. Full details are in the Guest Information folder in each of the apartments.

Nige (not David Bailey!) took lots of photographs with which to update the website. I think they give a good idea of what Truffle Residences now looks like, we have come a long way since the building work restarted in October 2008. Photographs of each finished apartment are now featured on their respective pages under the Apartments section of the website.

Was it all work? Ummm no, I do have to do market research (well that is what I tell Nige) so I managed to squeeze in having a pedicure whilst sat reading my book at the poolside. Heaven! We also went to Coast @ Gironda for dinner one night, the courtyard bar is stunning and the food was very good. Oh and I am a bit of an ice cream fiend so we had to try the new Dunya Ice Cream Shop on Kalamar Road (next door to Atlantis Restaurant). Yummy, yummy from simple tubs or cones to delicious calorie laden sundaes!!!! We also had dinner at Ramis which has relocated for 2009 to a larger roof top terrace in the centre of the Old Town. The views over the harbour are great and the food was delicious.

However, for Nige and I no trip to Kalkan is fully complete without a visit to the Kalkan Regency, given that it all started there nearly 5 years ago, so it is great that they are now open for the season. So we just had to go for lunch at the poolside bar and have our favourite, butter shrimps. They are to die for!! The staff as usual were welcoming and friendly, you really cannot beat the service here. This just wetted the appetite so we just had to go back for drinks after dinner one night, for us this is one of our favourite bars in Kalkan and it has stunning views over the bay.

We were also invited to the Likya Residence Spa opening party. Since last year they have added a stunning pool, poolside bar and restaurant at the front of the hotel. The evening was a gala of drinks, food, Brazilian dance troupe and fireworks. Great fun. For a full review go to www.turkishlocalnews.com which is a great new website full of useful information; local news, what's going on in Kalkan, useful maps etc. The information on the website is provided by people who are living in Kalkan and therefore it gives a greater local insight as to what is happening in Kalkan.

The feedback from our first guests at Truffle Residences has been very positive and they have also given us some constructive comments. We will shortly be putting an additional page on the website to share these with you.

April 2009

Where do I start, the last few weeks in Kalkan have passed in a flurry of activity to get the apartments finished.

Given the amount of deliveries we have had of barstools and outside furniture, I never want to see another piece of packaging! Every single item was individually wrapped and then every arm and leg of the chairs was also wrapped. Also stickers, why are they are put on everything these days? Never mind it is all now unpacked, washed and put in its respective place.

The pool has been cleaned and filled, what a difference that makes now it glimmers in the sunshine. The spa pools have at last been finished, a cheer went up that day. They really have been a source of irritation, but now they are finished they were worth it. They are huge!!! 6 people will comfortably sit in them. Something I am hoping to find the time to do next week once they have been filled!

There has also been the job of dressing the apartments, that's the nice bit. Putting pictures and mirrors up, dressing the beds. Do they look good? I think so. I am sure our guests will let us know what they think in due course.

Everyone in Kalkan has been busy getting ready for the season, all of a sudden the place has come to life again with the restaurants open, shops with new stock and all the boats have been put back in the water in the harbour.

It was very exciting the day our toiletries range arrived from Istanbul, which we ordered last October. The range is made by Aisha, who use natural products and essences and do not test on animals. In collaboration with Aisha we have created a scent exclusively for Truffle Residences, which has a touch of muguet, lilac and mandarin peel. It has a lovely fresh smell which I think both our male and female guests will enjoy using. I look forward to receiving your comments.

We have also had a Fairtrade cotton bag produced for Truffle Residences for our guests to use as a beach bag/shopping bag. Why? Well everywhere you go in Turkey you are given your shopping in thin plastic bags, so we thought it would be great if we, and our guests, could do our bit for the environment by using a cotton bag instead. We hope you agree and use it both during your holiday and when you return home.

Our range of toiletries and beach/shopping bag will be provided in the apartments, with our compliments.

I have also been busy creating relationships with local businesses to offer our guests either a discount or an additional service, see the Exclusive Truffle page of the website for more details.

Well we are now at the stage where it really is a question of doing those last few tweaks, which I think is a female thing. Nige has yet to work out the purpose of me walking around moving things either an inch to the left or an inch to the right! Oh and I think we need just a few more pots and plants, but I am not telling Nige I think I will just go out and buy them. Well they don't really do a returns policy here in Turkey!!!!

Then there is just the matter of photographs, professional ones. So we can update the website and at last say to all those enquiries, yes we are finished and looking forward to welcoming guests to Truffle Residences for our first season. I do hope you will enjoy staying with us as much as we have enjoyed this incredible journey of ours.

March 2009

After a brief, but busy week in the UK, back to Kalkan in early March to crack on with the apartments. The weather had continued to be unpredictable, therefore the spa pools had not been tiled as they have to completely dry out first. People who live in Kalkan say it is the wettest winter they have experienced in the last 10 years. The weather over my first week back improved enough for the main pool to be grouted.

The good news was all the internal lights had been put up, I have so lost count as to how many there are! Ibo had finished putting all the beds and wardrobes together and the frosted glass arrived for all the wardrobe doors. Next job was finding 150 coat hangers!

Outside all the trellis had arrived and been put up, I think it looks fabulous and worth every penny. Whilst we are in a very central position and have fabulous views, I also want to create the feeling that once inside Truffle it is like being in a secret garden and is a private haven from the rest of the world. The next job for me was to organise for the outside area to be planted, so it has time to get established before our first guests arrive in May. Over the road from Truffle is a small garden centre which is run by Kamil. Given that language was a barrier we managed by walking round the terraces and then going through brochures so he could point to me which plants he thought would work in each of the planting spots. Given that we needed some quite large plants, it involved Kamil making a trip to Izmir to purchase the plants and some very large pots. Two days later everything arrived at Truffle and it took 3 men a whole day to bring in the soil and plant it all up. I love what he has done and whilst some of it is looking very new, I am told that in this climate it doesn't take long for things to look established. Some of the plants were on my personal wish list, like the olive tree and the lemon tree; I have romantic visions that at some point in the future our guests will be able to pick a lemon straight from the tree to use in a G & T.

All the kitchens are now finished with the tiling complete and appliances installed. However, on checking each kitchen I found that not all the appliances were connected and in some cases the socket was too far away for them to be connected. Hey ho another phone call to get the installation company back and get it sorted! Two days later they were back, job done and gas bottles installed for the cooker hobs. Another tick on my list, yippee!

I was very excited the day the sofas were arriving and nervous, as Nige was the one who had been to check the density of the stuffing of the sofas and try them out. Given that 10 sofas and 2 armchairs were on their way, what if they were too hard and uncomfortable?? I awaited with trepidation. The delivery arrived at 9pm in the dark, instead of lunchtime! I was not a happy bunny. Mind you I was relieved to find that they are comfortable, Nige had done okay. Consequently, all the sofas had to be put in the apartments at ground floor level, which then left me with the problem of how do I get the sofas up to the roof level of Devine Seville and Chocolate Blues?? These things are large and heavy and would not go up the internal staircases! Fortunately for me Aslan's men on site are extremely helpful and once I explained the problem, half a dozen men and a piece of rope came to the rescue. Job done, another tick on the list.

A lot of time was spent on this visit ordering flimsies, curtains and blinds for the windows, of which there are in excess of 30! Various items started to arrive, that had been ordered on the previous trip, including all the towels and the kitchen cutlery and crockery. I was able to move into Mellow Mocca, which very quickly started looking like a warehouse. I didn't care it was just lovely to start staying at Truffle and every morning I got to wake up and lie in bed with a cup of tea just savouring the views of the bay, oh lucky me!

Amongst all of this activity I was fortunate enough to do a day trip to Sidyma with an English anthropologist and a couple of chaps who were visiting friends in Kalkan. The weather was glorious and the fields were covered in daisies and red anemones. Sidyma has some minor Lycian ruins with the village sitting in the centre of the site, many of the old stone houses incorporate building materials from the ancient city.

The residents of the village spin and dye their own wool and then weave it into rugs, it was fascinating to watch and I just couldn't resist purchasing a few. The colours are perfect for Mellow Mocca and they will look fab on the walls. After walking through the village we had a lovely picnic lunch in the courtyard in front the Mosque.

We then went for a good long walk through the surrounding fields which have an interesting collection of tombs. Oh, I also saw a piece of wood that I fell in love with and decided to lug it round on the rest of the walk, yes I know I am mad, but I think it looks lovely propped up against the olive tree at Truffle and it will always remind me of my day at Sidyma.

In my last week Nige joined me, with his son Matt, to give a helping hand. Which included lots of washing of kitchenware, brushing up and generally tidying up. They also brought the apartment signs with them and put them up. All that is left now is for me to dress all of the apartments and take delivery of the outside furniture when I go back to Kalkan in April.

February 2009 (Continued)

After Nigel returned to England I had the benefit of 2 weeks on my own in Kalkan, which just seemed to fly by.

Over the 2 weeks things continued to progress at the building, admittedly not always at the rate I would like. But hey, I have never said that patience is my middle name. There have been times when it has been frustrating, you go on site and find that things have been done that you have not asked for. For example, a whole set of wall mounted accessories were installed in the cloakrooms, which meant they had been drilled into the tiles. I think my face probably said it all - don't like them, don't want them, didn't pick them, so take them out. This meant the basins had to be removed to take the tiles off that had drilled holes in them, tiles replaced and the basins back on. You can imagine how popular I was!!!

The double curtain poles I had ordered were installed, by the time I got there they had all been put up and I was asked was I happy with them. I said I was but had just one question, why were they black when I had ordered silver? We did all laugh as it was obvious that this part of my request had been forgotten and all the poles had merrily been painted black. Not sure they carried on laughing when I said that they all had to come down to be taken away and repainted silver. I didn't think I was being unreasonable, it is no different to wanting want black shoes you don't come back with red ones (well maybe, but that would be because two pairs had been purchased instead of one!).

On the plus side, the light fittings started to arrive including those ordered from Istanbul, oooh they are so pretty. Glass, both crackled and mosaic in lots of different colours. Metal ones cut out in Ottoman designs, some with little crystals in.

The white goods arrived and were installed in the kitchens, looking good. Ibo was busy putting together the wardrobes and beds on site, which just all look great.

The 2 week period also required a day trip to Antalya (4 hours each way) as customs had decided to hang on to my imported bedding and I had to attend in person. The day started at 3am (in my book only an acceptable time for going to bed not getting up) and ended when we got back to Kalkan at about 7pm. All I will say is that the whole process of getting 5 large boxes released was tortuous and potentially was going to include day light robbery. Thankfully I had Soner with me who managed to sort the whole thing out and the 5 boxes are now safely in Kalkan.

A far more enjoyable day was a drive through the mountains, with friends, through Bezirgan which lies on a plain, apparently it was a prehistoric lake, and the landscape is stunning.

We then came back down through Ä°slamlar where there are half a dozen trout-farm restaurants. We stopped for a late lunch at Pinab'i, which is the first trout-farm on your left as you come down through Ä°slamlar (opposite the mosque which has blue glass on the minaret). There are a lot of steps up to the roof terrace but the views were amazing down through the valley to Kalkan and the sea, with the sound of streams burbling in the background. Lunch consisted of a starter of fried slices of village sheep cheese, served with olives and bread. Followed by salad (all locally grown), chips and fresh water trout (which can be grilled or fried). It was all delicious and cost approximately 10YTL per person.

I also went to Fethiye for the day on the dolmu, which takes approximately 1 hour 30 minutes and costs 10YTL each way (I have put the times on the See page, under Turkish Delights). It was Tuesday so I had a wander round the weekly market, fresh produce is in abundance as are clothes, bedding and some lovely embroidered table linen. Then I wandered through the Old Town for some retail therapy, found some lovely paintings by Turkish artists in a shop called Unique. This shop is an aladdin's cave of paintings, furniture, fabrics (to die for), ceramics, scarves etc. I was restrained, well not that restrained. The day finished with a couple of glasses of wine sat at the harbour, watching the world go by. Can't wait to go back to collect the paintings once they have been mounted and framed.

February 2009

Well, we arrived back in Kalkan on Monday 9^th February in the early evening, just as the light was fading but that didn't stop me hopping out of the car at the roundabout, to go and see the building. Taking the suitcases (4 !) to where we were staying was definitely Nige's task, I couldn't possibly wait until the following day to see what progress had been made.

Oooh and what a difference from the outside, with the railings up, the windows in and all the outside lights on, now it is starting to look more like a building and less like a building site. It is probably a girlie thing! but it's so nice when anything is new and sparkling!

The building is not completely finished as there has definitely been a battle with the elements given the amount of rain Kalkan has been having lately, but in the week we have been back progress continues.

My first job was to pick the tiles for each of the five kitchens, which was easier to do now the units and granite worktops were fitted. Within 24 hours the tiler was back on site finishing off the tiling in the pool and starting the kitchens.

Meanwhile construction of the spa pools on the roof terraces has been finished and now they are ready for tiling. All the bathrooms are in and they are now just fitting the glass shower screens.

On Wednesday, we hired a car and went to Fethiye as we needed to pick the white goods for the five kitchens and also start on the mammoth task of picking 80 internal lights. What do men not understand when you say no they can't all be the same!! All I will say is that there were a few fraught moments during the course of the day, women have never said shopping is easy!

It has been a busy week as we have also picked and ordered the mattresses, towels, robes and slippers and had the windows measured for the curtain poles. We have been to see Ibo the carpenter, to have a look at the beds and wardrobes that he is making. I think it is so exciting to see something that has been made for you from scratch, rather than just walking into a shop and picking it off a shelf. I have to say the craftsmanship here is wonderful.

We then went to see the travertine planters that I had given drawings for, again I felt like a kid in a sweet shop, from the sheets of travertine we selected in their raw state a month ago we now have beautifully polished trough and taper planters. I just can't wait to get them down to the building and start planting.

Meanwhile romance with Nige in Kalkan is not dead! I was taken out for lunch to Kosem Pilicevi which is in the row of shops in front of the building. They do spit roast chickens which you can have as a takeaway for 10 ytl per chicken or, you can sit in where you are given half a chicken with rice, salad and bread for 8 ytl each. Have to say it was simple, yummy fresh food. My expectations for Valentine's Day were high! but somebody had forgotten. So whilst I was getting dressed on the morning of the 14^th, a piece of A4 paper was hastily folded in half and drawn upon!! What argument can you give when you are told it is bespoke, unique and handmade!!!

On Sunday we hired a car to drive to Patara Beach (12 kms from Kalkan) and the Roman ruins there. The beach is 15 kms long, is one of the best in the Mediterranean, has great sand and is where turtles hatch their eggs. The Roman ruins are impressive!

Nige is going back to England tomorrow leaving me here to continue shopping for 5 apartments, good job he didn't spend much on the card!!!!

January 2009 (further)

I am sat in the kitchen on a Saturday morning pondering; I have just done my last day at the law firm I have been with for the last 8 years so that I can concentrate on Truffle Residences. Yikes....what have I done! It's like being on a roller coaster of panic and sheer excitement. I could have just gone to Alton Towers for the day, it would have been a lot cheaper and less risky!!

But I know once I am back in Kalkan (9 days to go), not that I am counting, any worries will fade away once I am stood on site and looking at that amazing view. Those people who have been to Kalkan will know about the magic I am talking about, and for those who haven't, well we will just have to hope that in time we can persuade them to come and see for themselves and stay at Truffle Residences of course!

I am quite excited though, after so much planning things are starting to come to fruition. My rugs (called kilims in Turkey) have arrived in Kalkan from Istanbul, yippee. I love the Turkish kilims but I didn't see how the traditional designs and colours would work with the apartments, as the building is quite contemporary.One of the reasons for going to Istanbul last November was to look at kilims made by a particular company there. They use a new weaving technique to create uncommon textures and patterns, each kilim is hand-woven, using organic materials and natural dyes. The result is beautiful kilims in contemporary styles and colours.

I think they look gorgeous ......................

One of the other things we did whilst in Istanbul, was we commissioned our own exclusive scent for the range of toiletries that will be provided to our guests staying at Truffle Residences. Apparently, this is on track and should be with us in Kalkan at the end of February, I will update you all soon as it arrives.

January 2009

Since coming back to the UK after spending New Year week in Kalkan, Nige decided he should go back out in a few weeks to check on the building works and source some of the items we still need.

I think I was very brave to agree to Nige going shopping on his own - he is not known for his taste in 'knick knacks'! We have 3 wooden ducks on our fireplace which Nige bought and I still haven't been able to break them whilst dusting!!! Anyway, thanks to modern technology it was agreed he would send me photos to my mobile before he bought anything. Phew - the cold sweats stopped!!

He flew into Antalya to spend a full day there, seeing the place and checking out lighting shops. Antalya is a big city with an Old Town (where he stayed in one of the many small hotels) situated above a large marina. It has lots of history see the Clock Tower and Hadrian's Gate and is much better for shopping (so I am told).

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