The clear azure waters of Turkish resort Bodrum are fast attracting the in-crowd, discovers Jenny Southan.
It was dark when we eased into the low-lit driveway of the Kempinski Barbaros Bay hotel, perched on cliffs facing the sea, so when I opened the doors to my balcony the following morning, I was dazzled by the sunlight, and the blue. The turquoise of the lagoon-like pool met with the cerulean of the Aegean, and the sky was a heady swathe of azure. Looking down from my vantage point, I noticed a fashion shoot setting up, and a recognisably famous model-slash-actress sashaying along the decking in a white one-piece.
Ever since the mid-1800s, the French Riviera has been a magnet for the fragrant and the moneyed, who seek out its palm-fringed beaches, polished yachts and glamorous nightlife. But in more recent times, “Turkey’s St Tropez” – the Bodrum Peninsula, on the southwest tip of Turkey – has become a captivating rival for holidaymakers, socialites and chic hoteliers, who have their pick of locations in its many bougainvillea-splashed hills and coves.
In a sure sign of its flowering reputation as a luxury destination, Cipriani and the Billionaire Club have joined forces on Palmarina Island – the new state-of-the-art marina is being expanded to accommodate more than 30 mega-yachts this spring – while Mandarin Oriental will open 98 villas and 116 residences next year. And, yet, it’s not all glitz and flash. There is a stretch of affordable, fun-time bars along the western side of Bodrum’s waterfront, and casual al fresco seafood restaurants to the east, towards the yacht club.
In the middle, on a promontory leading out into the bay, is the town’s castle. Built by the Knights Hospitaller in the 1400s, it repelled numerous attacks until it finally fell to the Ottomans a century later, and is now home to the Museum of Underwater Archaeology. You can even visit the former home of late legendary singer Zeki Muren – Turkey’s rather more flamboyant answer to Elvis Presley.
We divided our week between the Kempinski – taking a trip out on its zippy speedboat, experiencing a magical open-air dinner at Italian restaurant La Luce and squeezing in a rejuvenating massage at the Six Senses spa – and the boutique Macakizi hotel. Located about half an hour’s drive away in Turkbuku, its rustic whitewashed villas are set within gardens leading down to pontoons, from which bronzed bodies dive straight into the water. At sunset, guests are joined by the Vilebrequin-clad residents of nearby floating gin palaces for cocktails and dancing at the bar.
It was tempting never to venture out from these hideaways but, in fact, we discovered ever more delights in doing so. Taking a taxi down the twisting roads into Bodrum, we spent an evening or two meandering along the harbour admiring the Turkish gulets, before sitting down to a feast of flavourful cous cous salad, grilled halloumi and perspiring bottles of chilled Efes beer at the Cookshop (126 Neyzen Tevfik Caddesi). Sait (for local fish), Orfoz (for oysters), Cento per Cento (for pasta) and Mimoza (for after-dinner drinks) were all recommended by insiders, though we didn’t have time to try them.
However, we did make it to what quickly became our favourite – Limon Café (limongumusluk.com), possibly the peninsula’s best-kept secret. Nestled among fig and lemon trees on a remote hilltop near the village of Gumusluk, it’s hard to find, but venture past the stone walls of the kitchens and down uneven pathways and you will emerge into an expanse of meadow dotted with tables and chairs. We arrived an hour before sundown and sat facing a strip of sea in the distance, before ordering zesty caipirinhas and a mezze platter. As the sky turned to a blaze of orange and soft pink, the air filled with the sounds of cicadas and the chatter of local families dining.
Our meal arrived on a circular wooden board holding round and star-shaped bowls filled with stuffed zucchini flowers, smoked red peppers with garlic and olive oil, spicy lentil balls and tubes of fried pastry stuffed with cheese – heaven for vegetarians, but there was plenty of seafood and meat on the menu too.
Providing you can drag yourself away from your sunbed and book, taking to the water is also a must. Southern Cross Blue Cruising is one of many local companies with a fleet of elegant gulets for charter. You can happily spend days cruising around islands and inlets, stopping to fish, but we were content to let our captain, Mo, do the hard work, and dive off the boat for swims between being plied with cold wine and homemade food by the attentive deckhand, Vural. Surely, this is what holidays are made of?
- Visit kempinski.com/bodrum, southerncrossbluecruising.com, macakizi.com. Easyjet (easyjet.com) flies from London to Bodrum between March and October.
