kalkansecrets

[kalkansecrets]

Kalkan Secrets are pleased to announce that the Kalkan 2019 Restaurant of the Year goes to... The Junction! It was really close, with Brothers being pipped at the post on the very last day, and three time winners Mussakka coming in third place. Next year, we are considering introducing several categories... for example: best food, best ambience, best service, with a winner in each category and an overall winner.... any ideas? All suggestions gratefully received! Until then, congratulations to Maggi and the team at The Junction!

http://www.kalkansecrets.co.uk/2019/10/kalkan-restaurant-of-year-2019.html

[kalkansecrets]

Stop Press! The superb Falcon Town Villas, on the edge of the Old Town are going to be extensively refurbished for 2020, whereupon we estimate that rates will increase by 40-50% - but all bookings made before the refurbishments will be held at current advertised rates. Superb location, great pool, incredible value....  Grab a BARGAIN!! www.kalkansecrets.com/falconvillas

http://www.kalkansecrets.co.uk/2019/09/stop-press-grab-bargain.html

[kalkansecrets]

from Buffer

[kalkansecrets]

from Buffer

[kalkansecrets]

from Buffer

[kalkansecrets]

from Buffer

[kalkansecrets]

from Buffer

[kalkansecrets]

A couple of weeks ago we were in Kalkan and thoroughly enjoying our first boat trip of the 2019 season, having managed to grab a sneaky day-off from all the usual frantic pre-season preparations. As always, the day was relaxing and chilled, with the usual fabulous food courtesy of Captain Abdi and his lovely wife, and some interesting and friendly banter and conversation with the other guests on board. The weather was sunny and warm, without being oppressive, and we were all relaxing after lunch - sunbathing, chatting, or just reading or listening to music. Our boat was anchored in one of the small, peaceful coves out by Kalamar Bay, along with two or three other boats of a similar size. It was typically restful and we were enjoying that contented feeling you only get from a Kalkan boat trip. Restful, that is, until we all became aware of what sounded like a swarm of bees, getting closer and closer. It was really loud against the gentle lapping of the waves and quite startling. Looking up, one of our party spotted a drone, at first flying directly towards our boat and then manoeuvring alongside, apparently filming the boat and passengers (some of whom were sunbathing) and then flying up into the air and over to one of the other boats - where the "pilot" was evidently situated, as the drone proceeded to land on it. A few minutes later, the drone took off again... this time swooping down over some people who were swimming in the sea, then over to the shoreline where people were having mud baths... then back to the owner's boat... then back to our boat and then over to each the other boats that were moored in the bay, all the while sounding like a swarm of angry bees.... disrupting the peace and quiet, generally causing annoyance amongst our party and presumably all the other boat customers - and considerable concern amongst everyone over the invasion of privacy. Now, I'm the first to admit that aerial pictures and videos taken by drones can be inspirational, and I fully understand why some people would wish to use them. But is it fair to intrude on other peoples' privacy in this way? I don't think so. Drone owners - please have some respect for other peoples' privacy! It's not much to ask.

http://www.kalkansecrets.co.uk/2019/06/drones-inspirational-or-just-intrusive.html

[kalkansecrets]

from Buffer

[kalkansecrets]

from Buffer

[kalkansecrets]

from Buffer

[kalkansecrets]

from Buffer

[kalkansecrets]

For Kalkan lovers who haven't booked yet: a new direct-to-owner site where you can view, compare, check prices and availability for Kalkan accommodation and then... contact the owner!  NO SNEAKY BOOKING FEES! For Kalkan property owners... a site where you can advertise your property with  NO COMMISSION NO INTERFERENCE  and NO OBSTACLES  to you speaking direct to your customers. It's what you've all been waiting for, and it does what it says on the tin: Kalkan (tick) Private (tick) Rentals (tick) https://kalkanprivaterentals.com  from Kalkan Secrets

http://www.kalkansecrets.co.uk/2019/04/kalkan-private-rentals-you-know-it.html

[kalkansecrets]

+ Kalkan Secrets and Kalkan Private Rentals.Changes for 2019 season About this time last year, Kalkan Secrets took over the Kalkan Private Rentals ("KPR") site from the previous management.Kalkan Private Rentals is based on the "Direct-to-Owner" model that was very successful for Owners Direct and Holiday Lettings (before they were taken over by Home Away and Trip Advisor respectively). With so much dissatisfaction surrounding the way those two multinationals were treating their customers, we felt that there was a need for a Kalkan-specialist direct-to-owner site that simply does what is says on the tin: put potential Kalkan holidaymakers in touch with the owners of holiday rental accommodation in and around Kalkan. So, when the KPR site became available, we felt that we could really make a difference.As at this time last years, the existing KPR site already functioned quite well and had a number of features that we found attractive, including: the ability for owners to log in and set up their own property listings and maintain their calendars without our involvement the ability for enquiries to be passed direct to owners, without our interference  a simple, straightforward, easy-to-use design  However, we felt it needed a number of vital improvements - all of which we have since introduced - including the following: Site security via "https" Location maps for each property Guest review capability These changes have been greatly welcomed (although not every owner is currently taking advantage of them!) and the site is now generating a healthy level of enquiries for engaged owners. Of course, we have needed to spend substantially on search engine optimisation, Google ads, Facebook promotions, etc., in order to improve visibility and drive more and more new visitors to the site. We introduced annual and monthly subscriptions to help pay for this ongoing work and KPR membership is now more than double what it was this time last year - and enquiries are up by 300% since we took over. We have further exciting plans to increase the success of this site over the coming months.During this time, we have been running the site alongside our well-established Kalkan Secrets site. As you may know, Kalkan Secrets is a commission based site with two levels of service for new members - Premium (15% commission and we handle the bookings) and  Standard (5% commission and we pass all enquiries straight to the owner).  We have a few legacy members who are on different arrangements but new owners registering their properties can currently choose one of the above models. (For a while, we also offered a subscription service on Kalkan Secrets for those owners who preferred not to be charged commission. However, we felt that this created a conflict of interest and upon acquiring the Kalkan Private Rentals site, we decided to withdraw the subscription-only listing option on Kalkan Secrets as this was, in effect, a duplication of the facility offered by KPR).During the last year, we have constructed a new website for Kalkan Secrets with a number of new features and this has been generally well received. However, a number of owners have found the new site difficult to manage alongside the old site and have found it confusing when juggling passwords - especially those owners who are also listed on KPR!!We also think there remains something of a conflict of interest on Kalkan Secrets, in that the 5% (direct to owner) listings on KS share the same platform as the 15% listings, for which we handle all the bookings. Clearly, this creates some potential for confusion for visitors, as they do not always know what level of service to expect.when making an enquiry.For these reasons, we have decided that with immediate effect, Kalkan Secrets will only feature "Premium" listings for new subscribers.The existing 5% "Standard" listing options will no longer be offered and existing listings will be withdrawn by 31st May 2019. Owners will therefore be faced with a simple choice of listing options Kalkan Secrets: a full-service proposition where we handle every aspect of the booking process, including guest liaison, receiving payments etc., in return for 15% commission on successful bookings Kalkan Private Rentals: a genuine Direct-To-Owner listing service for annual subscription only. We take no commission, just charge an annual subscription depending on the size of property. The annual subscription will be £110 for smaller properties (up to 3 bedrooms) and £130 for larger properties (4 bedrooms and above). Owners with more than one property will get a 30% discount on all subsequent properties. There will be a £10 initial submission fee per property for new subscribers, which provides a 30-day trial period before the annual subscription is taken.  This will affect owners in the following ways: Existing Kalkan Secrets Premium listings - no change  Existing Kalkan Secrets Standard listings - we will be happy to upgrade your listinmg to Premium. Alternatively, you may transfer your listing to the KPR site free of charge (ie. no submission fee) and we will provide a month's free trial before requesting the first annual subscription (if you decide to list at the end of the free trial period). You will receive a 10% discount off your first annual subscription. Please email info@kalkanprivaterentals.com Existing KPR listings (annual subscription); no change until the next renewal date, when the new annual fee will apply. However, to reward your loyalty, we have introduced a "Founder member" lifetime discount of 10% for all existing KPR members as at 1st May 2018. This applies from next renewal Existing KPR listings (monthly subscription); we will not be offering the monthly subscription going forward. You may continue on the existing arrangement indefinitely, but if you agree to change from monthly to annual at the new rate within three months, we will apply a discount of 30% to your first annual subscription as an incentive We believe that these changes will make things a lot simpler for owners and visitors alike. And us, for that matter! No more multiple passwords/log-in details, and no more conflicts of interest.For owners who want a genuine direct-to-owner site, the new and improved Kalkan Private Rentals can be used as your main calendar and booking portal, if you wish; it can send or receive iCal feeds, facilitating its use as either "master" or "slave" when blocking out dates, according to your requirements. (We strongly encourage, and can provide straightforward instructions on using iCal in conjunction with other booking sites such as HomeAway, TripAdvisor, AirBnB etc. Just ask for our iCal guide).We will be contacting owners shortly to explain how these changes will affect them individually, but please don't hesitate to contact us in the meantime if you have any immediate questions about these developments.Kind regardsMartyn and FionaKalkan Secrets / Kalkan Private Rentals

http://www.kalkansecrets.co.uk/2019/04/kalkan-secrets-changes.html

[kalkansecrets]

from Buffer

[kalkansecrets]

from Buffer

[kalkansecrets]

from Buffer