That has introduced with it a glut of luxurious lodges – Aman, Mandarin Oriental, and a particularly unpleasant Hilton hotel all occupy prime spots up on pine-flecked hills over luminous blue bays. However, it’s the Turkish owned Maçakizi that’s the pick of the bunch. While now not the most luxe (though excessive-end however), its more amenable price point (double rooms begin from €425 ($475) in the off-season and €595 ($665) in high season along with breakfast and dinner) and unassailable fame as the first-rate seaside membership in Bodrum make it the most compelling choice.
Set on the northern tip of a fantastic bay close to the trendy village of Türkbükü, Maçakizi climbs its way up to a steep hill over four stages from waterside decking and bar to the open-air restaurant, pool and spa, and villas and suites. It’s a triumph of planning and implementation. Gorgeously landscaped grounds bursting in coloration from magnolia and oleander-wealthy gardens cover a tangle of stone stairs and walkways snaking their manner to the water’s facet, connecting the entirety like arteries to a beating heart.
Among them sit fifty-three easy but at ease rooms and 21 suites, many but no longer providing ocean views. Beds are big and secure, doused in feather gentle covers and Rifat Özbek-designed cushions. My sizeable Bose TV sits unused on the wall as I decide on the views from my small private terrace. Bathrooms are travertine tiled with rainforest showers and Acqua di Parma toiletries.
Sensibly located near the rooms sits the ethereal breakfast pavilion alongside a quiet, deserted pool – a conundrum quick responded while compared to the waterfront putting. Below is a spa presenting hammam and rubdown and a health club so buried in the back of flowers that it looks like working out in an airconditioned rainforest.
The open-air a la carte eating place is fashionable, however secure, one tier down emerging from the greenery amid silver-leafed olive bushes. It serves a mix of the Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine with a current twist below the watchful eye of head chef Aret Sahakyan, who’s labored with the owner for more than 25 years.
Daily, sparkling and flavorful breakfast and lunch buffets invite residents and day guests to drift inside and out as starvation demands, keeping things humming, however, in no way too busy. Don’t omit out at the manti ground red meat dumplings and day by day octopus, which pair beautifully with a considerable international wine list alongside notable Turkish wines, specifically those from the close by Urla Winery. As darkness descends, soft lights and candles add elegance and atmosphere. The provider’s day and night time are, in a word, flawless.
But it’s the expanse of wooden boardwalks connecting heat waters to rows of cushioned day beds to a large imperative bar that are Maçakizi’s star enchantment. Fanning out along the shore in an angular Aegean hug, they supply nicely-heeled visitors direct get admission to to the water from their solar loungers even as serving team of workers glide through silently at the back of white smiles and black Ray-Bans, topping up champagne glasses, handing over sparkling towels to bathers emerging from the water. A stay DJ curates a soundtrack to the complete show – nicely-chosen tunes that complement rather than intrude on the surroundings.
Sahir Erozan, the Maçakizi’s proprietor and beating heart, is omnipresent. A hugely gregarious yet grounded person named the inn in honor of his mother – it translates as ‘queen of spades’ and was in flip the call of the artist retreat she installation in the 1970s – his spirit and character seep into every nook. He is a man who has no guests, no pals – handiest excellent pals who he greets extra regularly than now not with the aid of call. The Maçakizi is all of the richer for his presence, as his love of Turkey and exuberance for the coolest life lingers around him, just like the smoke from his ever-present cigar.
Pack your most elegant suit, your chicest sunglasses and neglect the rivieras you know this summertime, due to the fact you’ll find the first-rate party on the seashores of the Turquoise Coast and the boardwalks of the Maçakizi. But if the crowds and in-scene do not do it for you, the personal Villa Maçakizi is handiest a short boat experience away sheltered within the cove of the aptly named Paradise Bay.
Fully serviced (which includes butlers), its ten rooms can host 20 people in the entire luxurious. There’s a spa, massive pool, endless indoor-out of doors social regions – and people’s superb trademark gardens that stand the Maçakizi out from the gang. It also has its own private jetty and waterfront scattered with loungers that benefit the idyllic setting. And if you can get enough buddies and a circle of relatives together to make the maximum of it, the $10,000 a night rate tag starts to look very affordable.
