Kemer is typical of most of the coastal resorts in Turkey. It pampers to the needs of tourists with crowded beaches, masses of five star luxury hotels and enough shops to empty your purse in the flash of an eye.
However, I was not looking for the typical tourist experience. I wanted to find the face of Kemer that was not hungry for money and made it obvious at every opportunity. It was easy to realize that greed was seeping through the pores of many excursion touts, leather shops owners and desperation was obvious at every turn.
About Kemer in the Antalya Region of Turkey
Don’t get me wrong. Kemer is aesthetically pleasing on the eye. The town is very clean and uniformed. Surrounded by the Taurus Mountains; it is a pretty destination consisting of a harbor, posh marina and long beach front. Don’t forget about all the streets that look the same and the quirky taxi driver who thought it was rather funny that I was walking in completely the opposite direction to where I wanted to go.
However for all the maintenance and upkeep that goes into Kemer, there were no welcoming vibes and it was absent from any feel good factor. I headed to places out of town to experience a relaxed atmosphere and meet locals who did not try to sell me a leather jacket that is of no use to me in this blistering heat.
The same taxi driver that was laughing at me soon turned the conversation into a serious one and told me that many businesses are struggling. Apparently, Kemer used to be filled with Germans spending the Euro currency like there was no tomorrow. Now, he says the town is dominated by Russians who count every penny twice and refuse to move from their artificial havens of the all-inclusive hotels.
While the Aegean coast seems to be dominated by Brits, I struggled to meet any in this area. I overheard just two English accents. Now this does not bother me, because I was happy with my own company and did not need to make friends. What did bother me was the obsession with the Euro. This is Turkey and the currency is Turkish lira so why in the hell is everything priced up in Euros?
My budgeting for the first couple of days of the trip was gone because of the towns obsession with the Euro and the different currency exchange rates being used. I had lunch in a restaurant whose menu was advertised in Turkish lira, the bill arrived and it was in Euros!
Four days in Kemer was enough for me. Walking along the beach front was not a pleasant experience, when faced with numerous men who are past their sell-by-date wearing tight skin speedos. The town is fake but thanks to Ufuk Guven who is a passionate traveller and tourism expert from the Adventure Forest Park, I managed to get away from the main town of Kemer and discover some surrounding areas of pure beauty.
If you do come to Kemer, don’t assume that this is Turkey at its best. It is not. In my opinion, Kemer appeared tired and desperate , hence the result is a holiday resort that has no attraction. Hire a car or use local transport and head to the many hidden secrets surrounding the main town of Kemer. They are the destinations that will ensure you have a memorable holiday.
Have you been to Kemer? Do you agree with me or do you find it an attractive resort?
That is such a shame, you’ve been longing for this trip, to be on the road again exploring.
In my head Kemer is this pretty little place, less touristy than our Aegean coast – clearly wrong!
I don’t like the whole Euro thing, I understand the amazing exchange rate at the moment makes it a massive bonus for traders to get paid in Euro but it still feels wrong and I think it intrinsically takes away the Turkish atmosphere of a place.
Hope the trip improves!
K xxx
Karen recently wrote about..Mi Casa es Su Casa
Hi Karen, The trip improved. I moved onto the small resort of Cirali and I love it here. Stayed longer than planned. Having read the blog posts about your village, I imagine it to be very similar.
Natalie recently wrote about..Kemer – The Sad Facade and an Obsession with the Euro
I totally agree with everything in this post. I had the same reaction when I stopped off in Kemer on the way back from Phaselis. I can’t even believe you lasted four days there; one was enough for me. And there are so many beautiful spots within an hour of Kemer: Phaselis, Ç?ral?, Adrasan, etc. Or try the other direction and end up on my home beach in Konyaalt?!
The area from Kemer right down to Alanya was dominated by the Germans for years hence the obsession with the Euro. It’s a throwback to when the lira wasn’t stable, before the establishment of new Turkish Lira (when all the zeros were dropped). Now the Russians have moved in, they still prefer to trade in Euros. It’s a way to inflate prices. Glad you made it to Cirali. It’s lovely there.
Jack Scott recently wrote about..Blood on My Hands
Kemer is somewhere that has never interested us because we heard it was full of all-inclusive resorts and had an obsession with the Euro. The mountain scenery in your photos looks fabulous though so glad you managed to get away from that.
Maybe we’re just argumentative but we would have ‘discussed’ with the restaurant that if they advertise their prices in lira, then we’re paying in lira.
Julia
Shame about Kemer – I’ve never been there.
The adventure park looks good though! I imagine most holiday resorts are struggling as tourists cut back – I know in Kalkan they’ve taken service charge off meals in all the restaurants to try and get more people in.
Clare recently wrote about..Breakfast in Turkey
I’ve heard of those wannabe high-society resorts in Turkey – shame those folks are missing out on the real Turkey – so much better!
Andrea recently wrote about..Bozcaada: Turkey’s Island of Wine
@Ellen – I managed to explore all the surrounding areas and they were the one saving grace of the place.
@I was so sad to leave Cirali Jack – It is a dream there
@Julia – I did argue the price and once they understood that I was not German, were quite apologetic. Never been mistaken for a German before.
@Clare – I have arrived in Kas today but Kalkan is on my next list of destinations.
@Andrea – This is so true Andrea but some people just want the sun and nothing else.
Natalie recently wrote about..Setting Off On My South Western Tour
sorry the starte of your trip was so disappointing BUT it can only grt better looking forward to the next post
looking at the photos it looks like it should be full of Brits just goes to show you never can tell
so places have a by-pass for a very good reason – getting to somewhere decent as quickly as possible!
Alan recently wrote about..Health & Fitness
@Phil and Di – It has got better guys so Kemer is now at the back of my mind
@Alan – Exactly
Natalie recently wrote about..Kemer – The Sad Facade and an Obsession with the Euro
Weird and soulless, isn’t it? So many coastal European towns have gone the way of this.
Theodora recently wrote about..Learning Mandarin: Week 1
They have gone that way Theodora and is very sad.
I was in Turkey in July, rented a car from Side (THE German place these days) and drove all the way over to Kemer to see how it changed since I have first been there 10 years ago. It is really beautiful set betweens those mountains, the water and even the stones were wonderful. I was surprised how clean and green it was, but also I was surprised that so many restaurants BEG you to come in and although they offered great food, they were empty.
The rest of the road trip was great, I enjoyed the scenery more than I thought I would, refreshed my memory of my first Turkey trip. I took great pictures, how can I share them here??
Hi Silkchen. Glad you had a good road trip. I would love to see your photos but you can not share them on here. I am on Flickr. Lets connect on there. http://www.flickr.com/people/turkish-travel/
I went to Turkey for the first time last year (Alanya) and loved it. I was puzzled by the fact that everything seemed to be priced in Euros. Me and my sister chose Turkey because it wasn’t in the Euro! We thought it would be cheaper so we did wonder what that was all about. I understood the currency of Turkey was the lira so that’s what I expected to pay!
Hi Chris, I was briefly in Alanya about seven years ago and liked it as well. So much better then Kemer!!
Natalie recently wrote about..Kas – Mediterranean Delight in Turkey
Hi Natalie,
I surfed onto your blog when looking for infomation about Kemer. Last year, I traveled to Turkey for the first time and stayed along with my Russian friends from Kazakhstan in Kiris (Kemer) in an all-inclusive resort. I will have to share your observations about the prices being everywhere in Euro. Actually, as probably the only American there at the time, I also noticed that they gladly took dollars, too. I would advise anybody reading this that Euros are fine for Kemer, but don’t otherwise walk around Turkey without Lira – as some of the people in my group discovered when traveling beyond the Euro-zone, e.g. Istanbul. We were in Kiris 10 days and indeed, for 8 days we didn’t much leave the hotel complex. I plan to return this summer and indeed, have already booked some extra days in Istanbul. So much to discover yet and so little time. Keep up the great photos!
Thanks Alan – The Euro business drives me crazy. Being in Turkey fulltime, I find it crazy when I have to request to use them! Enjoy your stay this summer and get out the complex sometimes!
Hi Nat -
Will most definately do. Since I had already changed my money into TL upon arrival, I really didn’t have to deal with the EUR situation too much. All the vendors in Kiris took Lira when I told them that I was going to pay in Lira. We took an organized “day” trip (24 hours long) to Istanbul from Antalya and some of the people from our group actually had trouble buying chai with a $50 dollar bill on Onur airlines. Go figure. I guess judging from our small group of 10 people, it’s pretty accurate what one reader wrote that the Kemer tourism industry went downhill since the Russians became the majority of the tourists. I can understand if one is paying good money for an all-inclusive resort that people are not looking to eat on the outside. Most of them already bought high-quality Turikish leather coats back in the 90′s, so they probably don’t fly off the shelves there in the 35C heat of summer. Strange enough, we don’t have Turkish leather goods in our shops in the States. I would say the goods here are 80% from China.
Ting! Business idea there then! Bet the leather jackets would do a roaring trade.
Natalie recently wrote about..The Boats Of Bird Island