About US

Why Likya

Built from a shared belief that travel should feel lived-in, not only consumed.

The origin

The story behind Likya

Some places stay with you, not because they are famous, but because of how life feels when you are there.
For both of us, that place is Kaş.
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Jordan first arrived in Türkiye as a child. While his parents were working in Istanbul, they bought a home on the southern coast, and construction started in 1998. Even after the family moved back to the United States, the Savads returned every summer. Over time, Kaş became more than a vacation destination. It became a place of familiarity, a harbor town where mornings begin slowly, where the mountains meet the sea, and where the same café, shop owners and fishermen greet you each year.
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Jordan carried that spirit of exploration into adult life. He studied ocean engineering, crossed the Atlantic twice by sea, guided diving trips in Kaş, worked aboard expedition vessels in Alaska, climbed glacier-covered mountains, and has hosted guests in Kaş for the past two summers. No matter how far he traveled, the Lycian Coast remained a constant reference point, a place that shaped how he thinks about travel and the world.
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Ece’s connection to Kaş began in a similar way. She grew up between Istanbul and the southern coast, where her family also discovered the quiet beauty of Kaş. Her curiosity led her to study biology, eventually completing a master’s degree while living in Berlin. But science was only part of her story. Ece has always been someone who naturally gathers people together, creating warmth and conversation wherever she goes. Today she lives in Kaş most of the year.
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When Jordan and Ece began talking about building something together, the conversations were never about tourism. They were about hospitality, and about what it means to truly welcome someone into a place, and about sharing a coastline we both grew up returning to. We love Kaş and want to share it with like-minded individuals looking to explore this beautiful place with us.
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Likya grew from those conversations: a villa-based hosted experience centered around small groups, shared meals, time on the water, and the slower pace that allows a place to actually reach you.

The question was never "how do we build a travel company." It was "how do we share this place the way it deserves to be shared."

What we learned

Three things that shaped how we host.

No two trips are the same. But they share a rhythm.
Celebration with Turkish flags in Kaş town square

Community

The locals make the place

Every captain, baker, and guide we work with has been part of this coast for decades. We didn't hire a team. We built relationships over years. Hatice's kitchen, Denizhan's stories, the captain who knows every cove. They're not vendors. They're collaborators here to show you the Likya Way.

Time

The best days aren't the busiest

Early on, we realized that not every hour had to be an activity. Guests enjoy Kaş most when they move at the same speed Kaş does. The evenings with nothing planned, reading by the pool, wandering the harbor or swimming at a local cove to cool off, are the ones people remember most.

Villa Savad pool with a view of the sea
Group of Likya guests in Kaş

Everlasting friendships

The right people find each other

We don't curate guest lists. But we do start every booking with a conversation. That one step, a real phone call before any deposit, changes everything about who shows up and how the trip unfolds.

Our People

The Hosts Behind It

Jordan Savad, Likya co-founder and host
This villa is home
and we invite you here
this summer to experience
living like a local in Kaş.
Young Jordan watering plants in a stone courtyard at the family villa in Kaş

Jordan

CO-Founder & Host

Jordan is an ocean engineer and expedition traveler whose life has revolved around water and exploration. He has crossed the Atlantic twice, worked aboard ships in Alaska, guided diving trips along the Turkish coast, and spent much of his adult life moving between mountains and sea. Kaş has remained a constant throughout the years. Through Likya, Jordan shares the place that first sparked his curiosity about the world.

Ece (Eh-Jeh)

Co-Founder & Guide

Ece studied biology and completed her master’s degree in Berlin before returning to the coast she grew up visiting. Today she lives in Kaş most of the year and works in tourism, always learning more about the region and its history. Warm and thoughtful, she has a gift for bringing people together. For guests, Ece often becomes the bridge into daily life in town, introducing the people, places and small moments that make Kaş feel like home.

Ece, Likya co-founder and guide
"The hosts are incredibly sweet people, they took care of us during our stay and gave us local advice. We had a lovely time and it was worth every moment."
Şevval, Istanbul

Our Foundation

Built Slowly. Built Intentionally.

Likya operates with a US-based structure, partnered with licensed Turkish tourism operators. We work with travel agents, schools and universities (through Likya Scholars, our group programs) and study-abroad programs, while keeping the guest experience small and personal. The vision is long-term: to build something that lasts, not something that scales for its own sake.

If this resonates, we'd love to speak with you.

We are excited to have you as our guest!
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