Adam and Brita Enberg from Sweden

Retirement home

“Simply put, we have been almost everywhere and for us, Fethiye is a perfect fit. Housing is cheaper, the weather is good all year round, the cost of living is low, it’s relaxed and there’s a lot to do,” said Adam. “We live on Calis Beach, and we like to walk to the promenade for lunch, and on Sundays we visit the big market to stock up for the week.” He added that healthcare was another big factor. “The medical facilities here are excellent, as good as Sweden.” The only downside, he said, was learning Turkish. “Turkish is my fourth language and it has been a challenging one. But we are getting there and locals are very patient with my efforts. A lot of people speak English, too.”

David Holmes from the UK

Investment and rental

“I bought a small home in Ovacik, near Hisaronu. I received a small inheritance and I wanted to invest in property. I chose Turkey because the economy is good compared to home, and property is cheap. I would also like to perhaps relocate there one day, but that’s far in the future as I have a lot keeping me at home right now. I bought my 2 bed apartment for £70,000 two years ago. I rent it out from April to October and make around £5000 each year in rental. It’s a really popular area because Oludeniz Beach and the blue lagoon are just a few minutes away. Property values are rising pretty quickly in Turkey so in the future maybe I’ll sell the property and buy something bigger.”

The James family from the UK

Family holiday home

“We originally looked at Spain, as we’ve been there several times, but prices are still crazy there, even with the recession,” Art James said. “We bought a small holiday home in Fethiye, in Calis, near the beach. Calis is perfect for us, we have two children under five and they love the beach. There are a lot of family-friendly restaurants and the Turks are generally more tolerant to children than people are back in the UK. We’re talking about moving out here permanently, but we’ll see. For now, we are happy simply coming out and spending time here each summer.”

The Jann family from Germany

Family relocation

“We love Germany but as a family we decided we needed a change,” Hannah Jann said. “Arnt and I were working very long hours and we didn’t spend as much time as we should have with our two boys, age 8 and 9. This is a drastic way to make a change, I know! Now I run an online consultancy and Arnt is running the house and the boys.” The Janns bought a large detached villa in Fethiye’s Uzumlu with a large garden. In Uzumlu the low cost of land means housing is cheap. “You can’t get more quiet or rural than where we are,” Arnt said. “There is lots of space for the boys to play and lots of places to walk - we are a family of walkers and we’ve been exploring the area - Kayakoy’s ghost village and the Lycian rock tombs are favourite places.” Every day Arnt drives the two boys to a local school in Fethiye. “It’s a good school and they’ve both adapted extremely well.”

Nigel and Sarah Hornby from the UK

Sailing

“Sarah would say I’m obsessed with sailing but I would call it a hobby,” Nigel says. “Although we have just bought this house - on an island, with no way off other than by boat - so maybe she’s right!” The Hornbys’ love of sailing prompted them to look at property for sale in Fethiye and eventually purchase a home on Fethiye's Sovalye Island. “Even Sarah has to admit that the sailing here has to be among the best in the world - and believe me, I would know.” Each summer the Hornbys spend a few weeks exploring the coastline. “The stretch of coastline between here and Bodrum, beyond Gocek and into the Gulf of Gokova is just gorgeous,” Sarah said.

Read more

• 15 reasons we LOVE Fethiye
• The pros and cons of moving to Fethiye with a family
• Is Hisaronu in Fethiye a good place to buy property?
• Why Uzumlu ticks the boxes for property investors
• Why did you buy property in Fethiye?
• Why Ovacik is a good place to buy property