Sultan Camp, My Home for Today, 1-3 August, 2019
Sultan Camp! Some friends I made through WorkAway and me decided to go to Kabak Valley for a few days since it’s such a popular spot for Turkish people, yet not many tourists know about it. I wonder how that works out.
We went to Kabak with the intentions to stay in Reflections Camp, which is the oldest one in the valley. However, one of my friends came with her dog, and since there’s a big old and very over protective dog at the camp already, we decided it was just a recipe for disaster. We arrived in the late afternoon so by the time we figured we can’t stay at Reflections it was already dark. We left our backpacks there and headed in the darkness into venture of finding a place to stay.
Sultan's Camp Location
The only existing road to Kabak (accessible by car) is the road from Fethiye-Ölüdeniz-Faralya-Kabak. You can get a local bus that costs only 10TRY. The bus will leave you on the road to the valley. From there, to get to the camping lodges in the first place, you’ll need to take a shuttle bus that goes up and downhill every 30 minutes. The prices vary depending on the passengers, do not be surprised if it costs 10TRY as well. But normally it should be 5-7TRY. Just mention the name of your camp or location where you want to be dropped off, and the driver will do the best for you.
If you do not want to take the bus, you can take a gorgeous downhill walk, which will last about 40-50 minutes, starting from the main road. Don’t put your fancy shoes on and be ready to sweat.
Sultan Camp was less than 50m away with a small door that you can barely notice, however we did see some people having dinner in between the bushes and food was all we needed for the final decision. We headed to the reception/bar and were wondering if we should check in or have a mojito (shout out to the receptionist/bartender for making the best mojito I’ve ever tried btw).
Accommodation at Sultan Camp
They showed us a bungalow which, not surprisingly, exceeded our very low standards. The price was not the cheapest but the place had a very chill vibe, it was full of creative elements, and as I mentioned, they had food already waiting for us. The price includes accommodation, breakfast and dinner. Wifi is not the best and I had to ask the receptionist/bartender to restart it for me, but if you don’t care about that too much, it’s definitely your place.
Sultan Camp offers a variety of bungalows, including (or not, if preferred) such with private shower and toilet, single or double beds, or combined. You can also use the camp tents. They have quite a bit of space, so you can even bring your own tent if you wish and pay as low as 100TRY (equal to about 16€).
Bar And Lounge
The bar at night (and during the day) is extremely chill. So if you’re looking for a big party you won’t find it. But as a person going with a few friends (or alone) who wants to chill out for a few days Sultan Camp couldn’t be more perfect. The music is lovely, the people are relaxed, the place is beautiful, and you won’t be able to stop taking photos of all the details, decorations and drawings.
The rooftop area has a nice lounge with many comfy pillows and mattresses which make it the perfect spot to enjoy a bottle of wine and stargaze at night.
The food is delicious so make sure you have enough space in your belly for it. It’s a buffet style with mostly typical Turkish dishes, however, plenty of vegetarian options so fear do not! There’s also a bit of meat for the meat lovers. Right next to Sultan camp is Sultan market which, funnily enough, is not related to the camp. They don’t have too many options, so don’t go there for shampoo, but they offer some basic drinks and snacks. The lady there is very hard working and will make you an amazing gozleme if you’re hungry.
What I Would Not Do Again
Laundry. Definitely don’t be confident about doing laundry. Yes, my friends are probably laughing if they’re reading this right now, since I even wrote it in the camp’s review book. I gave all my clothes for washing, with the wrong expectation that the lady will actually separate the whites from the rest of the colors. So of course, my brand new bright green and yellow hippie onesie made all my white panties look like I had an uncontrolled diarrhea. Worst of all, they ruined my white hook-up shirt! She had never betrayed me. 🙁
Surroundings
Apart from the small laundry and WiFi issues, I’d definitely recommend Sultan Camp, since it’s gorgeous. It’s bigger than you’d expect and the tiny handmade roads, surrounded by flowers and greenery, will lead you anywhere from bungalows and tents, to the lovely bar and chill-out area. It’s only a short and very easy hike to the beach, that’s between 10 and 15 minutes. Keep in mind there are not a lot of lights on the path. Make sure to take a head lamp or at least a phone with a torch so you can get back safely at night if you decide to stay at the beach after sunset.
Would you like to stay at Sultan Camp?
Or check Sultan’s Camp Instagram page for more photos.
