Hillside Beach Club Bay

Kalemya Bay lies at the western edge of Fethiye, about five kilometres from the town centre, on the gulf side of the peninsula. One fact governs everything else about it: the bay belongs to the Hillside Beach Club, and the beaches around its head are for resort guests only. Boats can anchor in it and swim off it; nobody walks ashore for a drink at the bar.

Where It Actually Is

The bay is often described as lying between Fethiye and Oludeniz, which is misleading. Oludeniz is roughly 13 km south of Fethiye on the open-sea side of the peninsula, over the hill and on a different coast altogether. Kalemya faces north-west into the Gulf of Fethiye, a ten-minute drive or dolmus ride from the town centre, and about an hour from Dalaman airport.

Pine forest runs down the slopes on both sides of the bay to the water, and the resort buildings are stepped up the hillside behind the beaches rather than spread along them, which is why the shoreline still reads as green from the water.

Anchoring and Access from the Water

The bay is sheltered from most prevailing summer winds, with north and north-east the exceptions, and those are the directions it opens to. The bottom is soft mud, so the anchor wants setting deliberately and checking before you trust it; taking a line ashore is common practice here. Guests arriving by yacht anchor off and run their tender in to the wooden jetties.

Boats working the gulf make Kalemya a classic stop on a Fethiye blue cruise itinerary, usually as the first or last swim of a week, since it is the closest properly sheltered water to the town on this side of the peninsula.

Swimming

The water in the bay is clear and generally flat, with almost no swell reaching in, and it warms to around 29°C in the hottest weeks of summer. It shallows steadily towards the shore. The beaches are pebble rather than sand, so water shoes make the entry easier, and the gradual shelving makes it manageable for children.

The Resort Side

Hillside Beach Club keeps several private beaches along the bay, two of them reserved for adults, plus a watersports centre, a spa and the bars and restaurants that go with a resort of that size. The bay carries Blue Flag status. All of it is closed to non-guests, which is the reason the shoreline stays as quiet as it does in August while Fethiye itself is at full stretch.

Practical Notes

• Season: high summer is busiest and hottest; the water stays warm well into September, when the bay is quieter.
• Footwear: pebbles underfoot, so bring something to swim in.
• Water: the beach bar is for guests, so boats should arrive provisioned rather than expecting to buy ashore.