In 2024, the first year of our marriage, the holiday we took became our second honeymoon. This was by far the best holiday we’ve had so far, and we didn’t make any plans for it. On our honeymoon, we went to an all-inclusive hotel in Bodrum just to follow the tradition, and although we were satisfied, I honestly don’t know if we’d go to another all-inclusive hotel that doesn’t really suit our preferences.
As someone who strives to live a zero-waste life, everything from buffet meals at hotels to packaged consumption products feels overwhelmingly consumer-oriented, and it always results in regret. I don’t know when I can fully return to a zero-waste lifestyle, but especially after the pandemic, this awareness has become more deeply rooted in my life, and I continue to apply it in many areas of my daily life.
Given this, our goal when planning holidays has always been an escape from the city to nature. We love camping, stayed in village houses, traveled with minimal belongings, and nature has always been a source of inspiration for our dream home. One of the places we stayed this summer was exactly what we had in mind. It’s a wonderful little farm located in one of the Kaş Andifli villages, which you can find by searching for “Kaş Köy Evi” or Small Farm Kaş for its location details.
How Did We Find Köy Evi Kaş?
While we were in Kaş for our holiday, I was looking at the map to see where we could stay, and the feature I was looking for was a place far from the lively life of Kaş, up in the mountains and hills, with beautiful air and views. I had visited Kaş and Kalkan before and fell in love with the nature there. I had already put in my mind, “One day we will have a place here, and I will build a stone house and live in that house all year round.” It’s just a dream, of course, for someone whose job and social circle are in Istanbul, it’s something that can never go beyond a dream.
But this was someone else’s opinion. As for me, I never gave up on my dreams, and somewhere in my mind, that house and life I dreamed of always existed. Even though I didn’t know when or how it would happen, I lived with that dream. When I looked at the map, I saw a place I was sure would take us to somewhere very similar to the picture in my mind. Small Farm Kaş. I was filled with excitement, but there was only one date we could go, as we had already planned the other days. I immediately searched for the name on Instagram and couldn’t stop looking at the photos. They were so impressive. What really hit me in the heart, though, was that this was a sustainable home. My curiosity about sustainable living made my excitement grow even more, and we decided that no matter what, we had to visit. So, we contacted the owner to check availability. Unfortunately, when we spoke on the phone, we found out that there was no availability on the date that worked for us; all the houses were booked. Even though we couldn’t stay, we decided we had to see the place and meet the owner. Just as I was thinking this, the owner, Mr. Yücel, called us. He said there was availability for one day, and we quickly adjusted our schedule to fit this into our plans.
Our conversation that started with ‘Mr. Yücel’ continued as ‘Yücel Abi’ (meaning ‘brother’ in Turkish, a term of affection). We set off with excitement, passing through stunning landscapes. Finally, the place we arrived at was exactly the village I had imagined. There were no settlements except for a few houses where only the villagers lived. We arrived at a place with a sign that said “Yolcu Ailesi” (Traveler Family). While my husband was looking to see if this was the place, my eyes were already on the blue-doored houses. We pushed the iron gate, and while my husband Akın was driving the car inside, I hopped down like a partridge. We were warmly welcomed by bright white ducks in the middle. I can’t describe the excitement I felt as we entered the place. There are such unique plants here, and to see them all together was incredibly captivating. Of course, these plants didn’t grow there by themselves. They were the product of much care and dedication.
As soon as we entered the farm, our conversation with Yücel Abi began. He was so energetic and friendly that we felt like special guests.
How Was Small Farm Kaş Established?
First and foremost, this is a sustainable living space. The sustainability project, which has been gaining more attention in Turkey in recent years, is aimed at protecting the planet, halting the ever-increasing global warming that poses a great danger to all living beings, and promoting social development. When it comes to sustainable agriculture, permaculture comes into play. Many of the plants and trees in the farm were abandoned and brought here from different places, finding life in Small Farm, and giving life to other plants as companions.
In the houses on the farm, many things have been created by assembling transformed parts, and each serves a different purpose. During our visit in the hottest time of summer, the houses didn’t have air conditioning, because a natural airflow has been achieved, and of course, a great deal of knowledge played a big role in this. For example, the positioning of the trees according to their species and size plays a huge part in this.
Our conversations with Yücel Abi expanded our horizons so much that we could sense the main purpose behind the establishment of this place: to allow visitors to benefit from the ideas here, get to know the plant diversity, and become more conscious about sustainable living. As a couple who wants to establish a village life in the future, this was something we truly appreciated.
