El Camino Hostel & Pub – From The Heights Of Fethiye

El Camino Hostel & Pub. It’s the pub bit we’re concentrating on in this post.

Because we’ve been up to this rooftop terrace bar many times and it’s a great place with a great view!

For as long as we’ve known it, Fethiye’s Karagözler has always managed to play host to a happy mix of local dwellings.

Lots of them are very swanky local dwellings, too, we might add.

There’s also small hotels of the more luxurious variety. And mid-priced hotels too.

There are also backpacker hostels where travellers happily share budget multi-bed dorms with other like-minded wanderers.

For us, this mix is part of what makes Fethiye special.

El Camino Hostel & Pub

And, since 2015, the Karagözler has had a very welcome addition to the hostel tally.

Apart from the fact that it adds more budget beds to the town centre, this place is also a pub.

A pub that serves food!

It’s a great place – young, friendly staff; chilled atmosphere, decent food.

And then there are the fabulous views over the bay of Fethiye, Ece Saray Marina Resort and Çalış Beach in the distance.

In winter, you can also be awed by the backdrop of the snow-capped Çal Dağı mountain view.

Amongst Fethiyeli (people from Fethiye) El Camino Hostel & Pub is arguably the town’s worst kept secret.

Most of our Turkish friends either go there often or have at least visited occasionally.

The Discovery

We first saw a photo of the view from there on Instagram, taken by a guy we know.

As I was scrolling through photo after photo in our feed one morning in 2015, I stopped dead on his photo.

“Where’s this? Why have we not seen this? El Camino Hostel & Pub? In Fethiye? Never heard of it. Barry, we’ve got a new pub in town and it looks really good. We need to go and explore!”

While we’ve certainly not been to every watering establishment in Fethiye, we like to think we know where most of them are.

You know, for intended future sampling and all that.

But this one was a complete mystery at the time.

We could see where it was from the photo because, apart from the views over Fethiye marina and the bay, the immediate scene down below was that of Hotel Unique and its swimming pool.

Yeah, we needed to go and explore, but we know that road very well.

We hoped the steep climb was going to be worth it…

First Visit

Our first visit was straight after we’d been walking around the peninsula on a sunny, spring day.

8 miles of ups and downs, nosying through the trees at the changes to the bays.

And then the climb up the hill to El Camino.

Woooo, that was pull on the legs, that day.

Now, in the summer heat, if we know we’re heading up that way, we make sure we don’t do daft things like going for 8-mile walks beforehand!

As it’s a hostel, too, we thought the bar might be quiet; perhaps just a place for guests to mingle.

Well, we thought wrong.

It’s only a small bar. But on that day in 2015, it was packed.

(It’s been packed ever since!)

Fortunately, someone was leaving as we arrived.

So we managed to bag ourselves a seat right on the edge of the terrace, overlooking town.

Originally, the kitchen was on full display to customers.

But so small is the bar, they just needed some extra space for a couple of tables.

So, after a short time the kitchen was blocked off, leaving a serving hatch for staff to receive food.

And this gave the guys space for the extra two tables you can see in the photo.

But, most people who go to El Camino, go there in the hope of getting those sea views from way up high.

If you want one of the tables with panoramic views, do yourself a favour and reserve one beforehand.

There’s only four of them. And they’re in hot demand.

The El Camino Menu

The El Camino Hostel and Pub menu is not massive but there are a few different dishes on there.

Noodles, a couple of Thai options and more familiar offerings like pasta, wraps, salads, cheeseburgers or köfte.

Burgers and köfte are homemade.

And, as we’ve had both (you know us and our köfte love), we can highly recommend them.

Not bad for ‘pub grub!’

We’ve had different dishes and snacks at El Camino over the years.

Most recently, I opted for a lunch of Mexican chicken.

Pieces of chicken breast in a spicy, creamy sauce with a more than decent sprinkling of chilli.

A definite kick to this one.

And who doesn’t love a bit of fusion?

The Mexican chicken is served with a portion of traditional Turkish rice.

Barry went for the chicken pad thai.

The dried chilli was scooped straight into the bowl and mixed in.

As were the nuts!

But it’s not just about the food, coming to El Camino Hostel & Pub.

We just like the atmosphere and the young energy.

It’s got a happy feeling.

And it’s also got a map of the world made from beer bottle tops at the entrance.

We love that. Good effort!

And, when you do arrive at the doorway to El Camino, slightly out of puff from your climb, you head through the bar and across to that oh-I-can-never-get-bored-of-looking-at-this view.

Sitting at a table and having that first freezing cold beer placed before you – oh, how much do we enjoy that beer!

Our friends have an apartment in Karagözler and when we told them about El Camino Hostel & Pub back in 2015, it instantly became their new local.

We also went with some more friends who were over on holiday and they both mentioned the atmosphere, too.

As for the hostel part, we’ve not seen any dorms or rooms in person but El Camino is currently on a ‘Fabulous’ rating on Booking.com.

So you see, it’s not just us.

Always good to get an endorsement from other people along the way.

Great bar, great hostel (according to reviews).

And, of course, great location!

El Camino Hostel & Pub – Useful Info

• El Camino Hostel & Pub is on Abdi İpekçi Caddesi on Karagözler 1 (see map below).
• Credit card and debit cards are accepted and there is free Wi-Fi.
• To get there, head up the steep hill facing Yacht Boheme Hotel, following the bend to the right, not the left towards Hotel Unique. Then take a left after you’ve passed Ideal Pension. The entrance to El Camino is on your left after about 50 metres.
• Alternatively, you can do the circular Aşıklar Tepesi walk (taking in the Lycian rock tombs if you have the energy) and stop off at El Camino just before you make the descent back to town. You’ll be properly thirsty by then.
• If you want a guaranteed table with sea views, get in touch with the guys at El Camino beforehand to book a table.
• If you are coming here to stay at the hostel, you can take the airport shuttle bus from Dalaman Airport (the nearest airport) to Fethiye Otogar (the main intercity bus station). There’s a regular Karagözler dolmuş from the otogar that goes along the street below. Or, you can take a taxi.
• You can get more info, photos, updates etc by liking the El Camino Hostel & Pub Facebook page.
• If you love rooftop terrace bars, we can also recommend Cafe Park Teras, also in Fethiye.
• Click into our page for more ideas about where to eat and drink when you’re in the Fethiye area.

Share this article