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<\/a>JANE SLADE enjoys a stay at a villa owned by the Hideaways Club in the fashionable Turkish resort\u00a0of Kalkan and talks to some Brits who have built their own properties there<\/h3>\nIt\u2019s hard to measure the excitement of approaching your\u00a0overseas villa\u00a0bathed in sunshine, with the sea sparkling in the distance and a warm welcome waiting inside.<\/p>\n
But that is what you can expect from the Hideaways Club, which owns a portfolio of luxury properties all over the world and\u00a0offers\u00a0an ideal alternative to buying a second home abroad.<\/p>\n
One of\u00a0the prize properties in its Classic Collection of 43 chalets and villas is Kalkan Heights<\/a> in the fashionable Turkish holiday resort of Kalkan.<\/p>\n And\u00a0it is everything you might expect from an exclusive shared-ownership club that only buys exquisite luxury homes in choice locations, ranging from 12th century Tuscan farmhouses deep in the olive groves, beachfront villas on paradise islands, to Broadway penthouses overlooking Times Square; and for a starting investment price of \u00a388,000.<\/p>\n Our four-storey villa (pictured above and below) had a rooftop terrace with breath-taking views of the Mediterranean, a private pool, a vast sitting and dining area and lots of little spaces where one could escape with a good book or glass of wine. There was room to do whatever you wanted.\u00a0Soon after we arrived one friend\u00a0settled down to watch\u00a0cricket on the satellite TV channel,\u00a0another lazed on\u00a0a comfy sun lounger while I ventured onto the roof terrace to admire the view. Everyone was happy.\u00a0All of the time.\u00a0What\u2019s more each of the\u00a0four bedrooms had ensuite bathrooms so privacy was guaranteed.<\/p>\n A welcome basket of groceries greeted us with all the essentials to ensure a great start to our holiday and soon after we\u00a0had unpacked\u00a0Wendy the concierge arrived to offer us tips on getting around, good places to eat, and the low-down on the local attractions which included a 16km-long beach, and a bo-ho village called Kas a short drive along a scenic stretch of coast. The resort, which is 1 \u00bd hours from Dalaman airport, has proved a great lure for British property hunters many of whom have built their own holiday villas. [pullquote1 quotes=”true” align=”right” variation=”purple”]Hideaways Club members are attracted by the lower capital investment required\u00a0… compared with buying a second home.[\/pullquote1]<\/p>\n Claire and Uluc\u00a0Bilgutay,\u00a0who run the property company Korsan Kalkan<\/a>\u00a0have been refurbishing old properties and building sparkling new ones in Kalkan for over 20 years; selling apartments as well as luxury villas to well-heeled Brits. They also run one of the most popular and oldest restaurants in the town and have a service maintenance company which manages the Hideaways Clubs two properties in the resort.<\/p>\n \u201cThe property business has really taken off in last 14 to 15 years,\u201d says British-born Claire who met her Turkish husband when she came to Kalkan on holiday. \u201cWe have a lot of British customers. We work with different owners, some know exactly what they want which is lovely and other don\u2019t so we help them create a vision.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can source everything for them and take care of their property when they aren\u2019t here. We organize cleaning, pool and garden maintenance and\u00a0also offer a barbecue service where one of our chefs can come and cook for you.\u201d Korsan Properties is currently\u00a0building four five-bedroom villas, two semi-detached three-bedroom villas and four two-bedroom apartments priced from \u00a3249,000 rising to \u00a3844,000 on a scheme overlooking Kalamar Bay<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fiona and Nico Fontaine from Wandsworth, South London\u00a0employed\u00a0Korsan\u00a0Kalkan\u00a0to build\u00a0their five-bedroom\u00a0property Villa Bono<\/a> so they could enjoy family holidays with their three teenage daughters and friends. They moved in 18 months ago.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople want something completely different here,\u201d says Fiona, a yoga teacher who first came to Kalkan with some girlfriends two years ago. \u201cThe people here are lovely, it’s very safe and we love being isolated yet close to the town.<\/p>\n \u201cClaire and\u00a0Uluc were fantastic; nothing was too much trouble. They organized everything and still do. We pay around \u00a34,000 a year service charge and it is worth every penny.\u201d Their multi-storey villa cost just \u00a3550,000 and occupies a prime spot overlooking Kalamar Bay\u00a0and all\u00a0the bedrooms\u00a0have uninterrupted\u00a0sea views.<\/p>\n Cool, modern and spacious, the villa also has a huge outdoor terrace with an infinity pool.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s always a lovely breeze even when it\u2019s very hot,\u201d says Fiona who offers the villa for rent for \u00a33,600 a week high season.<\/p>\n The Hideaways Club<\/a> has two properties in Kalkan\u00a0but members can choose\u00a0from a variety of properties\u00a0in a huge number of city and rural\u00a0destinations all over the world and enjoy holidays year round. They also don’t have the hassle of maintaining Poonam Dhawan-Leech, CEO of The Hideaways Club says, \u201cRising confidence in the foreign property market is stimulating interest in The Hideaways Club membership.<\/p>\n \u201cNew members are attracted by the lower capital investment required for membership compared with buying a second home, the flexibility we offer and the wide choice of luxury homes to stay in. They also like the fact that that they are investing in properties spread across different countries and are therefore less exposed to the vagaries of any particular country\u2019s property market.\u201d<\/p>\n Di and Will Bailey who run an event-organizing company in London built their six-bedroom Villa Beylihan<\/a> (pictured above and\u00a0below)\u00a0which includes a\u00a0separate apartment in Kalkan 10 years ago and offer it for rent when they are not using it up to eight weeks a year. Will, 60,\u00a0maintains property in Kalkan represents great value for money.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve witnessed a complete transformation in Kalkan since we arrived 10 years ago,\u201d Will says. \u201cThere were hardly any villas when we arrived. Building has slowed but you get fantastic value for money. Our villa would have cost \u00a32-3million to build in France rather than a few hundred thousand. The people are lovely \u2013 they understand the service industry and you get a better type of Brit coming here \u2013 those who respect staff and locals more.”<\/p>\n 1. Keep bedrooms small<\/strong>. Big bedrooms take longer to cool in summer and air conditioning is costly. You don\u2019t spend much time in a bedroom so why do you want a big one? Install reflective glass which cuts down the heat. The\u00a0Classic Collection<\/strong> offers a choice of 43 stunning villas and chalets in such locations as France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Mauritius, South Africa and South East Asia. Members also have access to a further portfolio of 200 luxury villas through reciprocal agreements with other destination clubs, bringing the total number of villas available for members\u2019 use to 243. The properties typically accommodate 8-10 guests. Entry Level price for the Classic Collection start with a Lifestyle Associate membership at \u00a388,000.<\/p>\n The\u00a0City Collection<\/strong> offers 13 beautiful city centre apartments in such\u00a0iconic cities as\u00a0New York, Prague, Barcelona, Berlin, Istanbul, Bangkok and Dubai, with a further choice of seven homes available through reciprocal agreements, giving a total of 20\u00a0city\u00a0apartments which\u00a0typically accommodate 4-6 guests. Entry level price for an Associate membership starts at \u00a369,500.<\/p>\n The Hideaways Club: www.thehideawaysclub.com<\/a><\/p>\n Korsan Properties: www.korsankalkan.com<\/a><\/p>\n Villa\u00a0Beylihan: www.beylihankalkan.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Kalkan\u00a0is a charming\u00a0web of\u00a0hilly narrow streets, with a jumble of restaurants, some perched on top of each other and cluster of quirky shops.\u00a0It is also a treasure trove\u00a0of imitation designer handbags, watches and shoes and far better quality that you will find in the local market.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>their properties.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nWill\u2019s tips for designing\u00a0the perfect\u00a0villa<\/h4>\n
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2. The best view<\/strong>. Having looked at various views you don\u2019t want to look to far down. The right perspective is to be slightly raised so you can see further but not so high you feel like you are on an aeroplane when you look down. Most of all make sure you have a protected view.
3. Outside space<\/strong>. Communication between areas at pool level has to be right, so you can eat, swim and sunbathe within the same vicinity but also have spaces to escape to.
4.\u00a0A separate apartment<\/strong>\u00a0under your\u00a0villa can be great for teenagers or friends who want their own private space. It is also useful if you want to rent it out separately.
5. Location.<\/strong>\u00a0You want your villa to be in a peaceful location but within striking distance of the town.
6.\u00a0To extend the season consider putting a heat pump in the pool<\/strong> so you can still swim during the cooler months and offer a longer rental period.<\/p>\nFor those who don’t want to build their own villa the Hideaways Club offers two funds:<\/h4>\n