BEST HEDONISTIC HOTSPOT: Maçakizi, Bodrum, Turkey

Bodrum is in vogue, thanks to the beat of its beach-club scene and its yacht-studded coastline. Which explains why heavyweight hotel groups such as Bulgari, Four Seasons and Maxx Royal – plus Mykonos’ very own Scorpios – are descending on its paradisal perch by the Aegean Sea. But riding the crest of the wave is the original shoreside pleasuredome: Maçakizi, the area’s most glamorous bolthole, which not only has personality and panache but also the most coveted beach-beds in town. The Agnellis and Delevingnes are regulars, as are Lila and Kate Moss. When Bill Gates wanted to throw a birthday lunch, well, no other villa could compare to Maçakizi’s sprawling residence, complete with an enormous wine cellar. That’s why party-planner extraordinaire Carlo Bernardini has been put in charge. But if the private villa – with its own divine boat – is the standout of all Maçakizi’s seductive offerings, the hotel is an alluring warren of hangouts, scattered with Yastik cushions by Rifat Ozbek, and leading to a truly impressive restaurant terrace, carved into a forest of bougainvillea. Here, you will eat the most generous lobster pasta imaginable, thanks to chef Aret Sahakyan. The salads, ceviche and courgette fries are out of this world; as is the lively aperitivo scene, when champagne corks pop while the bartenders work wonders with pomegranates and hibiscus syrup. For any lotus-eater, it’s love at first sight. But then its owner, Sahir Erozan, knows how to have a good time. Whether he’s doing a pop-up at Art Basel, or devising a new arts and cultural festival to bring to Bodrum, this Gatsby-esque figure is as wildly hedonistic as his hotel.

Bodrum Turkey

Our front-runner for the next Ibiza? Bodrum, Turkey. While always known for its chic clientele – Ahmet and Mica Ertegun vacationed there for decades – it’s received a glamorous jolt as of late: last summer, The Bodrum Edition opened, joining the 1970s bohemian icon Macakizi as one of the most fashionable resorts on Turkey’s side of the Aegean. (“A resort destination that doesn’t feel resort-y, the vibe at this luxury spot on the Turkish Riviera is more “chilling out at your extremely stylish billionaire friend’s estate” than “hotel stay,” Vogue wrote in our hotel review). This November, their restaurant Kitchen received a Michelin star. Meanwhile, this summer will see the arrival of Scorpios, the famed Mykonos beach club, within the grounds of the much-anticipated Maxx Royal Bodrum, which opens its doors this May. With the Côte d’Azur and Amalfi Coast being swarmed with unprecedented crowds over the past few years, the Turkish Riviera is primed to become the next see-and- be-seen summer hotspot.

Best Hotels & Resorts

Maçakizi
In the Göltürkbükü neighborhood, not far from Yalikavak, art galleries, jewelry makers, and clothing stores are interspersed between boutique hotels. More Turkish in scope than international, travelers can find the beating heart of Bodrum’s art scene, particularly at the 74-room Maçakizi, a boutique hotel that originally opened in the 1970s and that was refreshed in 2000. It often hosts pop-up exhibitions from artisan retailer ’74Escape.

No coração de Bodrum, encontrase o icônico Hotel Macakizi, onde fiquei hospedada. O Macakizi é a definição do lifestyle local, tanto que Kate Moss e outras personalidades escolhem o local para se hospedar quando visitam o balneário turco.

Durante minha estada, no fim de agosto, ou seja, finalzinho do verão europeu, a família Agnelli – dona da Fiat e uma das mais tradicionais da Itália – estava por lá celebrando o aniversário de um de seus herdeiros. Ao chegar ao Macakizi, a vista é de tirar o fôlego. O hotel é rodeado pelo Mar Egeu e seus hóspedes podem nadar na piscina natural que se forma na frente do deck da propriedade – um deleite! A arquitetura do hotel é uma fusão do design contemporâneo com elementos tradicionais turcos, criando um ambiente acolhedor e sofisticado sem perder o charme local.

“Nascemos como um bed & breakfast na década de 1980 e fomos crescendo, mas sempre preocupados em manter nossas características locais”, contou Sahir Erozan, filho da fundadora e atual dono, durante um agradável almoço mediterrâneo com vista para o mar. A culinária, aliás, é um show à parte. Os restaurantes do hotel oferecem uma rica seleção de pratos turcos e mediterrâneos preparados com ingredientes frescos colhidos na horta da propriedade. Eu me deliciei com o famoso buffet servido na hora do almoço, com pratos à base de peixe fresco, azeite de oliva, queijo feta e ervas locais. Dá água na boca só de lembrar.

Além de relaxar à beira-mar, outra atividade imperdível é realizar o Haman – o famoso banho turco – no spa do hotel. Foi uma das melhores experiências da minha vida. Saí limpa e plena (risos). Para quem quiser conhecer mais da região, o hotel oferece passeios em um de seus iates privados, que estão disponíveis para aluguel.

À noite, o Macakizi se transforma em um local de entretenimento, com coquetéis artesanais e música ao vivo. No dia em que curti o sunset, o DJ que estava comandando as pick-ups tocou uma das melhores playlists que já ouvi, cheia de músicas brasileiras remixadas. A atmosfera é vibrante.

Hoje os turcos, principalmente a alta classe de Istambul, ainda são a grande maioria dos hóspedes, chegando a 75% da ocupação. Os americanos e europeus somam os outros 25%. Em resumo, o Hotel Macakizi é a personificação do luxo e da hospitalidade turca.

Juliet Nicolson revels in expansive vistas and laid-back luxury at the Maçakızı hotel in Turkey – a jewel of the Aegean Sea.

Some 800 miles from the epicentre of Turkey’s recent catastrophic earthquakes, the timeless beauty of the Bodrum countryside remains undisturbed. Stone-domed, 16 th -century cisterns and 18 th -century windmills crown the buxom hills, and white-washed villages are scattered across the pine-clad slopes. As my husband Charlie and I made our way from the airport along a route that twisted through narrow village streets, our car braking for sleepy cats and foolhardy goats, the sea seemed to burst into view at every turn, until eventually we reached a bay where tall-masted sailing ships jostled with sleek yachts and working fishing boats.

After leaving grey and drizzly Britain, our arrival at the Maçakızı hotel (pronounced ‘magic-easy’) felt like swapping the school canteen for the Ritz. It was not difficult to see why supermodels, rock stars, international royalty and discreet billionaires have long made this a favourite refuge. Ahmet Ertegün, the founder of Atlantic Records, used to stay here with Mick Jagger, Chuck Berry and Bette Midler. Nowadays, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell love the place so much that they rarely miss a season. With views across the turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea, Maçakızı sits at the northern end of the Bodrum Peninsula, just along the rugged coast from the small, buzzy village of Türkbükü, with its seaside restaurants serving freshly caught fish. The hotel, whose name means ‘the Queen of Spades’, a symbol of intelligence and beauty, was founded in 1977 by the entrepreneur Ayla Emiroğlu. Her son Sahir Erozan, who now runs the business, is here, there and everywhere, his approach heralded by the unmistakeable scent of lit cigar, ready to lavish care and attention to his guests.

The hotel’s 74 rooms and suites are laid out over hillside terraces that are filled with pepper plants, tangerine bushes, delicate blue plumbago flowers and century-old olive- trees. They come furnished with brilliantly coloured fabrics, hand painted ceramics and works by contemporary Turkish artists, each selected personally by Erozan. From the huge window in the sanctuary of our airy room on the uppermost terrace, we faced the stunning panorama of the bay below. The path from our suite descended to what was known as ‘the Beach’ – a sweeping wooden walkway set over a sheltered expanse of the sea. I marvelled at the view before us: a seascape punctuated by tiny, vegetation-thick islets, which has not changed since the pirate-driven traffic of the Bronze Age criss-crossed these waters 4,000 years ago.

Climbing back up the hill, I found the hotel’s Nuxe Spa tucked among the trees, offering an array of indulgent treatments. After a luxurious deep-tissue massage, I opted for an invigorating body-scrub in the slick black and white marble hammam: nothing could be more restorative than a traditional Turkish bath. Nearby, the restaurant forms a part of the vast, glass-walled space, with sumptuous coffee-table books in the lounge areas and a long wooden cocktail bar. One night, when we sat for dinner, we were treated to plump squid cooked in its own ink, a favourite of the chef Aret Sahakyan, while the organic celeriac purée, made using ingredients from the hotel’s plentiful plots and accented with a hint of local orange juice, confirmed what vegetables should really taste like. After a couple of days of this reviving luxury, we were in the mood for a little sight- seeing. Half an hour away by road, the city of Bodrum offers its visitors an ideal mix of history, culture and retail temptation. Once known as Halicarnassus, the city to which Alexander the Great laid siege in 344 BC, Bodrum was the site of a magnificent mausoleum (sadly destroyed by an earthquake about 1,000 years ago) classed among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The busy harbour, home to a shipping and boat-building industry that dated back three millennia, is dominated by the 15 th -century St. Peter’s Castle, constructed by Crusader knights. It now houses a museum with full size replicas of ancient shipwrecks, an astonishing cargo of glass recovered from hundreds of fathoms below the sea, and hoards of gold and silver. In the alleyways near the castle, we explored cavernous shops crammed with three of this country’s most desirable life-enhancers: slippers, carpets and, of course, Turkish delight.

Another of the attractions of the hotel’s location is it can be used as a jumping-off point for Greek-island hopping, should you happen to be travelling by boat. Fortunately for the rest of us, Maçakızı has its own chic, white-upholstered speedboat, which we used to take an exhilarating ride across the bay to check out the hotel’s private villa. This is the ultimate cross-generational party house on Paradise Bay, accessible only via a jetty from the water and with staff out-numbering guests by three to one. Here, residents become the sole beneficiaries of a huge infinity pool on which sunshine dances like strobe lighting, a seductively scented spa and a master vintner’s wine cellar. The villa’s chefs are available to fulfil your gastronomic desired and there is even a tiny pastry kitchen devoted exclusively to producing mouth-watering baklava.

After five days of dreamy Turkish hospitality, and with our suitcases packed full of treasures, we reluctantly turned our backs on the glamour of Maçakızı, the glint of its superstar glitter shimmering in our minds long after our return to rainy everyday life.

MAÇAKIZI
A former artist’s retreat near Bodrum on Türkiye’s stylish Riviera stays true to its origins, promising bohemian style that veers as far from glitz as it is possible to get without losing one iota of comfort.

Taking a plum perch amid viridescent plant life, in that really rather sweet spot between Bodrum’s hillside and the Aegean Sea, Maçakızı captures all that’s good about life on the Turkish Riviera. In its first iteration, back in the Seventies, it was an artist’s retreat and the bone fide bohemian spirit sparked by owner Ayla Emiroğlu lives on, imbuing the property with a sense of quiet authenticity in the face of generic glitz elsewhere along the coast.

A family affair, with its roots grounded in a rustic subtlety – balanced with the gentle gloss of contemporary luxury – the unique space framed by jasmine, magnolia and bougainvillea is staggered in four layers from the hill to the water. Feeling like the kind of place only a few people know about, it merges beach-club vibes with the sentiment of an off-radar hideaway, where all the staff know your name – and your drink order. Each of the 74 pared-back but homely rooms, dressed with unique artwork, comes with a blossom- framed terrace, with those on the lower levels affording proximity to the water below, where loungers line the deck ready for sun salutations. Elsewhere, tranquility amid the pines is broken only by the chorus of cicadas.

Heroing seasonality and local traditions, food is a big deal here. Chef Aret Sahakyan has been at the helm since 2000, bringing new Turkish cuisine to visitors from near and far. An open-air pavilion plays host to breakfasts of local fruits, homemade bread and Turkish pastries; and lunch is a wealth of koftes, fresh salads and fish caught on nearby shores. Come dinner, expect modern twists on classic Mediterranean fare to emulate art on the plate; king crab tempura with yuzu mayo, grilled grouper with beetroot gnocchi and sea samphire, perhaps.

If you can pull yourself away, a Nuxe spa with glass-fronted hammam beckons, a yacht’s on hand for day-tripping to Greece, there’s windsurfing nearby and Bodrum itself is a 45-minute drive away. Or you could simply head to the sail-enrobed hotel bar, take a dip in the pool or pootle along the beach and see who you run in to... Chances are, they’ll be interesting.

Maçakızı, Bodrum
Built into a hill that overlooks glittering views of the Aegean, framed by lush olive trees, plants and bougainvillea, this hotel has long been a magnet for the jet set. On the seafront deck sit sleek loungers and oil-slicked limbs. As the sun soars, cocktails flow, and the vibe becomes decidedly more party-ish, not least when the yachts start to dock.

The food is exquisite, running the gamut from the buffet to tapas to fine dining, with an extensive wine list. Indulgence can be offset in the glass walled gym, or if being scrubbed of your sins sounds more appealing, head to the spa for a traditional Turkish hammam. Breakfast is served in a bohemian pavilion, filled with cool coffee-table books and modern art, while in the bedrooms things are refreshingly simple and white washed with Acqua di Parma toiletries in the bathroom. WE SAY: Plump for an al fresco massage, where the bed overlooks the bay. TRY THIS: Treatments come courtesy of Nuxe and can be personalised, whether you want to get rid of a hangover or hike-induced aches and pains, reduce stress or improve your sleep.

Editor’s Picks – Juliet Nicolson
Half an hour outside the medieval city of Bodrum, and almost entirely hidden from view by road, air or sea, the spectacularly stylish Maçakızı resort sits high up on a dreamy peninsula, where the zing of pink bougainvillea and the seductive scent of rosemary and thyme welcome lucky guests. Since 1977, supermodels, rock stars and international royalty including Mick Jagger, Rudolf Nureyev and Kate Moss have chosen to make this secret haven their favourite retreat. Tumbling terraces, an open-air spa, a marble-lined hammam, a glass dining-room and outdoor local-art-installations guide residents down to the shimmering water’s edge.

Maçakızı, Bodrum
When Mick and Bianca Jagger came to Bodrum in the 1970s, they stayed at Maçakızı. Back then it was a pension with a simple sort of glamour to it; and though the spirit lives on, the hotel has blossomed into something more accomplished. The setting is low-key but beautiful: 64 rooms, though you wouldn’t know it, unobtrusive casitas with greenery growing up around them, tumbling down the hillside to the sea. Bowers of pink bougainvillea frame views of the coast, gulets moored out in the bay. The mornings are perfect peace, sunrise silvery on the water. Afternoons sway with beats and cocktails, long limbs stretched out on the waterside deck. By evening the indoor-outdoor terraces of the restaurants and bar thrum with a vibrant, all-ages crowd, eating seafood that’s pure joy, drinking too much Whispering Angel and making new friends for life. Sahir Erozan, son of the original owner, counts Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell among his; and it’s his passion for entertaining that gives Maçakızı its enduring party spirit.

Legendary haunt of the global glitterati, Macakizi is the stand-out stay on the Bodrum Peninsula’s north shore, Turkey’s top summer playground. An elegant and stylish beach club / hotel – a bit blingy but a bit more boho – Macakizi is set among gardens scattered with terraced suites.

Along the shoreline, stylish decks are busy with attentive staff and thick with canopied cushioned areas and loungers. For high-class lazing there’s nowhere quite like it; and the food, especially the legendary breakfast spread, is exquisite.

Surrounding area
The bay which fronts this hotel is pretty, but it’s also stony and can get busy with boats. Turkbuku, the so-called ‘Saint-Tropez of Turkey’, is not the quiet fishing village it once was. Though the essential charm remains, the streets are in danger of being overrun by boutiques, and villas are sprouting up in the hills behind the port. The place gets packed in July and August, when the traffic can be excessive.

The road to Yalikavak marina is lined with ancient olive and almond trees rising from dusty scrubland. It feels as though you might turn off any minute into a primitive smallholding with a few scraggy goats and free-roaming hens. Instead, you arrive into a different world entirely, a place where gleaming superyachts jostle for space beside a pristine promenade lined with designer shops in which haute couture is “curated” and hung sparsely on rails.

The Bodrum peninsula, a thumb of land that juts into the Aegean Sea in the southwest corner of Turkey, just north of the Greek island Kos, is very much not what it seems at first glance. It’s dubbed the Turkish Riviera, and often compared to St Tropez for the glut of private villas being built up the hillsides around the coast, which sell off-plan for in excess of £3 million. The best bays have been claimed by international luxury hotel brands: The Mandarin Oriental opened in 2014, the Edition, Aman and Six Senses followed in 2018. A new Four Seasons is being built and there are rumours Bulgari is about to build on an unspoilt stretch of sand.

Yalikavak, Turkey’s first high-capacity mega-yacht marina, which opened in 2017, has largely been credited with kick-starting the boom in luxury tourism.

“If you want to tour the Greek islands and have a private plane or yacht, this is the place to start,” says Cem Mirap, founder of cult Istanbul restaurant Lucca. “Bodrum has a world-class airport and one of the few marinas in the world with space for multiple superyachts.”

Mirap is one of a growing band of Istanbul entrepreneurs opening Bodrum outlets; last year he launched Lucca by the Sea at the Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum, and this year he has expanded with Lucca Beach, a beach club on the sand in Paradise Bay. It feels like Bodrum is becoming “Istanbul-on-Sea”.

But, he explains, it is more than just infrastructure that has made Bodrum a magnet for celebrities and the super-rich. “This place has history, it has a story. For a destination to become this popular, some magic has to happen.”

To trace the origins of the story, I head to the Macakizi hotel on the edge of trendy Turkbuku Bay. This legendary hotel is the haunt of celebrities (Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell are regulars). They come to lounge on decks that extend into the Aegean, to be scrubbed and massaged in the hammam and to party into the small hours at the beach club; but mostly they come for the warm welcome and unwavering discretion of owner Sahir Erozan.

Erozan continues a tradition of hosting celebrities on this blessed stretch of Turkish coast that his mother initiated in the 1970s. I meet him at the bar, where he’s sitting with his signature Cohiba cigar between his lips and one of his vast collection of scarves hung loosely around his neck. His eyes are warm and friendly, his smile wide. To the sound of the cocktail shaker mixing cool drinks for the designer clothing-clad guests who multiply as the evening progresses, Erozan tells me how it all began.

“My mother was like a personality in Bodrum,” he explains. “Have you heard of Régine of Paris, who started the first nightclub? She was the Bodrum equivalent . . . only she started the first beach club.”

Ayla Emiroglu moved to the region in 1977 and opened a B&B that attracted the intelligentsia from Istanbul. Then Ahmet Ertegun, the co-founder of Atlantic Records, bought a house nearby.

“My mother’s bar was always filled with famous writers and artists, it was a very bohemian place,” says Erozan. “Then Ahmet would come one day with Mick Jagger, next day with Chuck Berry or Bette Midler; every day, all summer long, you’d meet people you’d only seen in magazines.”

Moving from Bodrum town on the south coast to Torba Bay in the north, she expanded her business until, around the millennium, Erozan decided to leave the restaurants he had successfully established in Washington, the US, and help his mother turn her B&B into a hotel.

“When this property came up here in Turkbuku, just west from Torba, I swam here, I smelled it, I walked around it and I loved the place because it had the right angle of the sun, it was totally protected — a perfect location.”

In 2000, the hotel opened in his mother’s style: rooms with no televisions and simple Ottolenghi-style buffet lunches. It was frequented by the grown-up children of those stars who’d come to the first B&B all those decades before, along with political friends Erozan had made in Washington, such as Caroline Kennedy and Chelsea Clinton.

“Over time, international chains started coming and Bodrum became an international destination,” says Erozan. As word spread among the It-crowd, the hotel grew and evolved into the five-star place it is today.

I ask Erozan when he felt the scene in Bodrum turn into the ultra-luxury one it is now. “The very high-end luxury is three years old, thanks to the marina,” he says. “But demand created the marina. That level of client was already coming to these hotels, enabling the marina to convince the big brands to move in.”

Erozan is catering to this new discreet, ultra-wealthy tourist with the launch of Villa Macakizi, an exclusive-hire mansion a ten-minute boat ride away on Paradise Bay. We get there the next day in his speedboat. The gleaming white building, designed by Italian architect Fabrizia Frezza, emerges on the coastline enveloped in a cloud of bright pink bougainvillaea.

As we walk down the pontoon, I spot a wooden banqueting table beneath a pine tree strung with wicker-shaded fairy lights. It seems styled for an Instagram shoot, but you’re unlikely to see pictures on social media; guests come to this ten-room hideaway for complete privacy. The villa is fully serviced by the hotel and comes with a Venetian chef, Carlo Bernardini, who creates bespoke menus of Italian-influenced fine-dining, but can also cook up a breakfast omelette or a barbecue lunch.

The interiors are the work of the designer Barbara Pensoy, who has developed an upmarket boho style, with Turkish carpets, floor-to-ceiling houseplants and Italian hand-painted bathroom tiles. The walls are adorned with artworks, including black-and-white photographs of Erozan and his mother in the 1970s and 1980s, lounging and partying with a host of famous people. You can party here, too, as the villa has its own DJ booth, wine room, spa and swimming pool.

“It works for celebrations,” says Erozan. “Because 20 people can stay here, but Carlo can easily cater for parties of 50 or 60 people and the guests can take rooms at the hotel, so it provides great flexibility.”

If you were staying here, you’d be forgiven for keeping entirely to yourself and enjoying Bernardini’s cuisine every day, but it would be a shame to miss the colourful salads — pomegranate and beetroot; butternut squash and lentil — from the buffet lunch at the Macakizi hotel.

At the marina you’ll find restaurant outposts of Novikov, Zuma and Bagatelle. And if you hop on a boat towards Torba Bay, you’ll find the newly opened Nobu Bodrum at the Bodrum Loft hotel. The Nobu is run by the Süzer Group, owner of the Ritz-Carlton Istanbul, which launched Turkey’s first Nobu there last year. It has brought a touch of glamour to the villa- only Bodrum Loft resort, which opened just before the pandemic struck, and has until recently been occupied almost exclusively by wealthy Istanbulites who were looking for a coastal retreat to work away from the city. The architecturally striking villas (a wall of glass in the master bedrooms frames the sea views), can be rented for the entire season (£69,000 from May to October) but are put into a rental pool when the “owners” are away, so British guests have taken advantage of nightly room rates. Here you can enjoy the space and privacy of a villa along with the services you’d expect from a hotel, including a pool, spa, beach deck, restaurants and room service.

While tucking into fresh sashimi at Nobu with a jasmine-scented breeze coming in off the sea, surrounded by the quiet conversation of linen-clad sophisticates, I have to agree with Cem Mirap. Some magic has happened in Bodrum.

MAÇAKIZI VE ALEX ATALA
Yeme-içme dünyasının starlarından biri kabul edilen Brezilyalı şef Alex Atala ile 10 yıl önce Brüksel’de yapılan Bocuse d’Or Yarışması sırasında tanışmıştım. O dönemde dünya başkanlığını yürüttüğü yarışmanın jüri başkanıydı ve tüm kameralar ve gözler onun üstündeydi. Yemekleriyle tanışmam ise geçtiğimiz hafta sonu Maça Kızı’nda oldu. Bodrum’u lüks turizm sahnesine taşıyan, Maça Kızı’nın çıtasını her geçen yıl yükselten Sahir Erozan, şubat ayında farklı kültürlerden gelen ya da farklı mutfak anlayışı olan şefleri bir araya getiren bir proje başlatmıştı. İlk buluşmada Türkiye’nin önde gelen kadın şeflerini bir araya getirmişti. Bu kez ise konuk şef Atala’ydı. Atala geçen cuma akşamı Villa Maça Kızı’nın şefi ve artık bizden biri Carlo Bernardini ile birlikte mutfağa girdi.
Cumartesi akşamı ise Maça Kızı’nın mutfağında Şef Aret Sahakyan ve ekipleriyle birlikte hazırladığı menüyü sundu. Sahne tabii ki Atala’nındı ama iki şefimiz de geceye yerel malzemeler kullanarak birer imza yemeğiyle katkıda bulundu.

Carlo’nun beyaz ve kuşkonmaz şerbetçi otuyla lezzetlendirilmiş arpa şehriye risottosu da Aret’in kemik iliğiyle hazırladığı nefis ‘bordelaise’ sos ve kaz ciğeri ‘mousse’la servis edilen yerel morel mantarı da çok başarılıydı.
Pazar günü düzenlenen brunch, yörenin bahara özgü otları ve sebzeleri hazırlanan salatalar, zeytinyağlılar, deniz ürünleri ve açık ateşte pişen oğlak ve kuzudan oluşuyordu. Alex Atala’nın yemeklerine gelince tam anlamıyla 1999’da açtığı ‘D.O.M.’un felsefesini yansıtıyordu. Atala sürdürülebilirlik ve su rezervleri söz konusu olduğunda tam bir aktivist.

20 yılı aşkın süredir menüsünde sadece Amazon’da yetişen, kökeni kendi topraklarına özgü malzemeleri kullanıyor, bu ürünlerin yaşaması için üreticilere destek oluyor. Karıncaları menüsünde kullanan ilk isim de kendisiydi. Hazırladığı tabaklardan Amazon’da yetişen manioc adı verilen bir kök sebze ile yaptığı Tucupi sos, yoğurt ve sumak eşliğinde sunduğu baklava yufkası kullandığı mantı, Amazon’da yetişen özel bir böğürtlen türü olan Acai ile yaptığı ponzu/ konsantre sosla sunduğu kurutulmuş balık ve tatlı patates gibi bu özelliğini yansıtanları deneyimlemek heyecan vericiydi...

KENDİNİZ OLUN
Alex Atala ile kısa bir sohbet yapma fırsatı da buldum. Pandemi koşulları onları da çok etkilemiş. 7 ayı tümden kapalı olmak üzere 1 yılı aşkın bir süreyi açılıp kapanmalarla geçirmişler. Kapılarını açtıklarında ise malzemeye erişmek zor olmuş. Çoğu zaman istediklerini değil tedarikçilerinin elinde ne varsa onları alabilmiş. Atala, Türkiye’ye birkaç kez gelmiş. İlk gelişinde Kapalıçarşı’da Brezilya bayraklarını gördüğünde, satıcıların Portekizce konuştuğunu duyduğunda çok şaşırmış. Ailesiyle gittiği Kapadokya’yı ise hiç unutamıyor. Yemeklerimiz, kullandığımız malzemeler farklı ama iki ülkenin kültürleri arasında o da benim gibi benzerlikler olduğunu düşünüyor. Aret ve Carlo’nun yanı sıra tanıdığınız ve yemeklerini deneyimlediğiniz şef dediğimde ilk aklına gelenler Mehmet Gürs ve Murat Bozok oluyor. İkisinden de sevgiyle söz ediyor.
Fark yaratmak isteyen genç şeflere ne önerirsiniz soruma yanıtı ise; bir Paul Bocuse, Atala ya da hayran oldukları bir şef olmaya çalışmamaları, kendileri olmaları.

Brezilyalı ünlü şef Alex Atala ülkesinin lezzetlerini Türk mutfağıyla harmanladı. İsteyene böcek, isteyene bacuri dondurmalı baklava.

Brezilya mutfağının en önemli temsilcilerinden Alex Atala hem kullandığı malzemeler hem e yemeğe yaklaşımıyla rengarenk bir şef. Zaten Time dergisinin dünyanın en etkili 100 kişisi listesinde ya da Netflix’in Chef’s Table belgeselinde karşımıza çıkmasının nedeni de bu fark yaratan yaklaşımı. Restoranı D.O.M. ile de dünyanın en iyi 4. Ve Latin Amerika’nın en iyi restoranı ödüllerini aldı.

Bugün 54 yaşında olan Atala 35 yaşındayken Amazonlarda kaçırılmış. Bununla ilgili soru sorulduğunda “Bunlar Amazonlarda normal… İyi bir kalp büyük sorunları çözmeye yeter” diyecek kadar hümanist. “Benim çok lezzetli yemekler yapabilmemin tek yolu yemeğe benim kadar değer veren başka birinin kullandığım malzemeyi üretmesi” diyor.

Maçakızı Otel’in bir yemeği için konuk şef olarak Bodrum’a davet edilen Atala ile Türkiye deneyimini, farklı malzemeler kullanımını ve hayata bakış açısını konuştuk.

Özel bir yemek için Bodrum’daydınız, nasıldı?
Türkiye’ye daha önce birkaç kere geldim, ailece ülkenizi çok seviyoruz. Ama Bodrum’a hiç gelmemiştim. Denizaşırı yemek yapmak zorlayıcı olabiliyor. Malzemeleriniz yanınızda değil, kendi mutfağınızda değilsiniz, üstelik başka kültürler için yemek yapıyorsunuz. İnsanlar ulaştırmak istediğiniz mesajı almaya hazır olmayabilirler. Tabii ki “Amazonlardan gelen mutfak” kulağa seksi geliyor. Tanınan bir şefim, bu da işe yarıyor ama yine de hiçbir zaman emin olamıyorsunuz.

Menüde böcek olmasından korkan davetliler varmış?
Yanımda getirmemiştim! Ama insanlara Brezilya lezzetlerinden tattırabilmek adına birtamın başka malzemelerle seyahat ediyorum. Latin Amerikalılar olarak birçok kültürün karışımıyız. Ayrıca büyükbabam Filistinliydi, ailemin diğer yarısı ise İrlandalı.

Mutfağınızda karınca kullanıyor musunuz?
Yemeklerimde kullanmıyorum ancak restoranıma gelen her misafirime bir tane ikram ediyorum. Bence bu birine güven duymanın gerçek tanımı. Ben onlara sadece ikram ediyorum, asla zorlamıyorum ama onlar her defasında bana güveniyorlar ve ağızlarına atıp sürpriz bir tatla tanışıyorlar.

Yanınızda taşıdığınız tatlar hangileri peki?
Fermente edilmiş manyok sütü, bazı bitkiler ve tabii ki eşsiz meyveler. Örneğin Bodrum’da sunduğum menüde bacuri meyvesinden yaptığımız dondurmayla birlikte servia ettiğimiz fıstıklı Türk baklavası vardı. Risk aldık ama ikisinin lezzeti çok uyumluydu. Mantıyı kendimize göre yorumladık. Belki kimi için bu mantıya bir hakaret olarak bile algılanabilir ama ben bu mantı değil de bir Brezilya yemeği desem yaklaşımları farklı olacaktır. Kültürlere saygı göstermek benim için önemli.

Amazonlardan gelen 80’den fazla malzemeler kullanıyorsunuz, yeni malzemeler keşfetmek hala mümkün mü?
Amazonlarda her zaman mümkün. Ama ben hafta sonu Türkiye’de de yeni bir malzeme keşfettim. Sumak baharatını biliyorum sanıyordum, ama benim bildiğim sumak gerçek sumak değilmiş, gerçek sumak Türkiye’deymiş.

Maçakizi put Bodrum on the map. When Ayla Emiroglu first moved to the area in the 1970s there was little more than a few simple houses, cafés, and stray cats. But its rustic charm and turquoise waters soon captivated her imagination. In 1977 she opened a small guesthouse in downtown Bodrum that boasted her sophisticated interiors and distinctive take on laid-back luxury. Maçakizi, meaning Queen of Spades, soon became one of the hottest destinations in the Mediterranean, attracting intellectuals, artists, and glitterati alike. The hotel is now run by Ayla’s son, Sahir Erozan, who relocated Maçakizi to its current Türkbükü location in 2000. Harnessing his mother’s vision, he renovated the hotel with the demands of a new generation of luxury traveller in mind. The result is a chic home-from- home with a focus on top-notch food, delicious cocktails, and a bohemian brand of Turkish hedonism.

Surrounded by pine-clad hills, Maçakizi is spread haphazardly across four levels, each boasting gorgeous views of the shimmering sea below. For maximum wow-factor, descend the meandering stone stairs to the shoreline with fabled pontoon decking and uninterrupted vista across the bay.
The hotel has 73 rooms, of which 21 are suites and villas, a decent-sized pool framed by pretty blossoms and shrubs, a freshly opened screening room, two restaurants, as well as open-air treatment rooms, and countless secluded spots to eat, drink, and while away a sun- drenched afternoon.

For a super-luxe experience, check-in to Villa Maçakizi, a private hire just 10 minutes away from the hotel by boat. It has 10 elegantly designed rooms, ample entertaining space, a pool, cellar, and delicious food courtesy of Chef Carlo Bernardini. Oh, and did we mention the 24/7 butler service?

While the summer months are the best time to visit Maçakizi, the hotel is now open all year round. In the winter, you’ll find guests cocooned in cosy blankets or huddled around the fire pit, sipping raki while stroking the hotel’s motley crew of cats and dogs. Not surprisingly, it’s quieter outside of high season, which makes it the perfect winter escape for couples seeking romance and seclusion.

THE VIBE
Happily, Maçakizi has retained the boho-chic spirit that made its name all those years ago. It feels more like a friendly members’ club than a hotel, where well-heeled Istanbulites rub shoulders with models, A-listers, and Euro yachters. Rumour has it that Kate Moss checked in after a stint at nearby LifeCo (the famed detox retreat), leaving days later in Sahir’s boat with Naomi in tow. They were late for their flight, or so the story goes, so Sahir stepped in. It’s this can-do attitude that keeps loyal guests coming back for more. During the day, you’ll find Sahir chatting to guests, cigar in hand, and well-dressed waiters refilling glasses long before being asked. Bronzed bodies recline poolside or chatter on padded lounges by the sea, cocktail in tow. The pace is slow here, so lazy, long lunches often morph into drinks, even dinner. But that’s the Maçakizi way. Come evening, the vibe shifts up a gear: while the DJ spins Euro beats, Caroline Herrera sandals are swopped for Louboutin wedges. (With the hilly terrain, it’s best to avoid heels at all cost.) Hotel guests mingle with glamorous locals who waft in for a pre-dinner tipple or a night of cocktails, good food, and dancing. The DJ calls it a night when the last guests have gone to bed…

THE ROOMS
Rooms are decorated in powder white with light wooden furniture, but the vibrant wall art and patterned Rifat Özbek cushions add a warmth that makes them feel homey rather than stark. The French, king-size beds, sumptuous linens, duck-down pillows, and remote- controlled black-out blinds make for a heavenly night’s sleep. For added privacy, request an Upper Deck Room, as they are located furthest from the buzz below. All rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and a private balcony or terrace, 27 of which have views of the Aegean, where you can sit back and soak up the Maçakizi magic. We particularly loved the travertine-tiled bathroom, complete with fluffy white robes and Acqua di Parma toiletries. There are no baths here, but the powerful rainfall showers more than make up for it. We promise.

THE LITTLE EXTRAS 
Waltz around the magnolia and oleander planted gardens before treating yourself to an energising facial or relaxing massage in the Nuxe spa. Hammams, bespoke treatments, and personal training sessions in the small but well-equipped fitness centre can all be booked upon request, as can the hotel’s private yacht. Paddle boards and other water-sporting equipment are available to book during the summer months. Left your sunglasses behind? Don’t panic. The on-site boutique (only open during the summer) sells everything from designer kaftans to ceramics and suitcases. Even the Rifat Özbek cushions are up for grabs.

What really sets this hotel apart, though, is its above-and-beyond staff who always remember your name and stop to say hello. Some have been there since the beginning; others come from afar to see what the hype’s about; but all will ensure your stay is as comfortable as it is enjoyable.

THE FOOD + DRINK
Behind the menu is Turkey’s star chef, Aret Sahakyan, who came to Maçakizi with Sahir in 2000. Expect flavours from around the world blended in innovative and creative ways. For breakfast, which is served until 11AM, tuck into Turkish pastries, homemade granola, and dried fruits before ordering eggs cooked the way you like and a Turkish coffee, if you’re feeling brave.
Long lunches by the pool are a Maçakizi must as are sundowner margaritas by the sea. For dinner, opt for seafood: the octopus comes highly recommended. Need a late-night snack? Look to Maçakizi’s signature dishes, notably manti (egg pasta dumplings with ground beef) and lahmacun (a thin pizza topped with tomato and spiced lamb). Guest chefs and pop-ups are popular here, so check in advance if you’re keen to try something new. When we went, the hotel was hosting a gastronomy weekend celebrating women chefs from across Turkey. Each of the five courses were prepared by a different chef and paired with a glass of Veuve Clicquot champagne. The star of the show was, without a doubt, Müge Ergül Karaca’s starter of succulent shrimp with mandarin and fennel. But we’re glad we saved room for dessert: the cardamon-avocado mousse with chocolate brownie and pomegranate sauce was quite delicious.

THE TO-DO LIST
In addition to guest DJ sets, movie nights, spa treatments, and themed dinners, Maçakizi hosts a curated programme of exhibitions and events. There’s very little reason to leave Maçakizi but nearby Türkbükü offers plenty of good local fare if you’re after a change of scene. (The staff are more than happy to give recommendations.) Boat excursions can be booked on request – the Greek islands of Patmos, Leros, and Kos are all within sailing distance – and the centre of lively Bodrum is only a 45-minute drive south. Cars, tours, and transfers (including the hotel’s private seaplane) can also be organised on request.

Sadece Türkiye’nin değil, dünya jet-set’inin de sevilen tatil destinasyonlarından olan Bodrum’daki Maçakızı Hotel, bu yıl ilk kez kış boyunca açıktı. Sanat ve gastronomi alanındaki kadınları onurlandırmak için özel bir program yapan otel, geçtiğimiz günlerde ünlü kadın şefleri mutfağında ağırladı. Şemsa Denizsel, Seray Öztürk, Damla Uğurtaş Özay, Pınar Taşdemir, Sara Tabrizi, Müge Ergül Karaca, Çiğdem Seferoğlu ve Zeynep Pamirtan’ın lezzetlerine, şarap uzmanı Oluş Molu eşlik etti. Oldukça keyifli geçen bu buluşmanın ardından otel, ISTANBUL’74 ile birlikte de heykeltıraş Mine Akın’ın sergisine ev sahipliği yapıyor. Zeytin ağacından yapılmış heykellerden oluşan sergi, 24 Nisan’a kadar gezilebilir.

Mine Akın’ın Bütünün İçinden serisi heykellerinde, zeytin ağacının sonsuzluğu sembolize eden gücü kadın vücudunun estetiği ile bütünleşiyor. Onunla ilk defa çalıştığı bir malzeme olan zeytin ağacı gövdelerine oyulmuş ahşap heykellerden oluşan, 29 Nisan’a kadar ziyarete açık olacak sergisini konuştuk.

Zeytin ağacının formu ile kadın bedeni arasındaki ilişkiyi nasıl yorumlarsınız?
Mücadeleci yanı, dayanıklılığı, doğurganlığı, ölümsüzlüğü, bilgeliği.

Serginizi zeytin ağacı ile özdeşleşen yerlerden biri olan Bodrum’da gerçekleştirmek sizin için ne ifade ediyor?
Atölyemi 2019 yılında Yalıkavak’a taşıdım ve burada özgürce farklı malzemeler ile çalışma şansı buldum. Daha önce ahşap çalışmamıştım, bir arkadaşım zeytin denememi önerdi, iyi ki de önermiş. Aşık oldum adeta. Zeytin ve ben baş başa kaldığımızda macera başladı. Sürprizler ile dolu açılmamış bir kutu zeytin. Bedeni insanı heyecanlandırıyor ve bu heyecan hiç bitmiyor. Doğaçlama çalışmaktan keyif alan bir sanatçıyım. Zeytin ile bu noktada birbirimizi tamamladık; zeytin anlattı, ben dinledim, sonra ben yonttum, zeytin ve ben mutlu olduk.

Zeytin ağacının materyal olarak zorlukları neler?
Zeytin ağacının bedeni dışarıdan tekmiş gibi görünse de dış kabuk soyulduktan sonra içerisi oldukça sürprizli, boşluklu, renkli ve hikaye dolu. Yağlı bir ağaç ve son derece sert bir yapıya sahip, o nedenle önceden belirlediğiniz bir tasarıma çok izin veren bir yapısı yok. Aslında bu bana uyan bir yapı; malzeme ile uyum sağlayabilmek, onunla birlikte sonuca ulaşmak, sonucun mükemmelliğinde çok önemli. Özgür çalışmaktan hoşlandığım ve değişikliklere hızlı uyum sağladığım için zeytin bedeni ile çalışırken bu bir avantaj oldu.

ISTANBUL’74 ile yollarınız nasıl kesişti?
Ferda Art Platform’da açtığım kişisel sergimi Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli gördükten sonra, hayata geçirmek istediği ‘wood-art’ projesine başlangıç olarak düşünmüş. Mekan olarak da Maçakızı’nı belirlemiş. Heykellerim, ISTANBUL’74 ve Maçakızı böylece yeni bir üçlü oluşturdu.

Heykellerinde zeytin ağacının zarafetinden ve kendine has yapısından destek alan Mine Akın’ın Bütünün İçinden isimli serisindeki ahşap heykeller, sanatseverlerle buluşmaya hazırlanıyor. ISTANBUL’74 tarafından Bodrum’da Maçakızı Otel’de 19 Şubat – 29 Nisan tarihleri arasında ziyaretçilerini ağırlayacak olan sergi, sanatçının ilk defa çalıştığı zeytin ağacı gövdelerine oyulmuş ahşap heykellerden seçkilerle hayata geçecek. Heykel sanatçısının Bütünün İçinden sergisine araç olan zeytin ağacı bedenleri, Gaziantep’te bir inşaat alanına yer açmak için kesilen 100 yıllık köklerden oluşuyor. Bu sergiyle ilgili olarak Mine Akın, “Zeytin Akdeniz coğrafyasında başlar, Ege ile son bulur. Benim doğduğum topraklar Akdeniz, zeytin memleketi ve hayatımı devam ettirmeye karar verdiğim nokta Bodrum. Buna ne denir bilmiyorum ama sanki evren önceden bunu belirlemiş.” Sözleriyle düşüncelerini ifade ediyor.

MAÇAKIZI
Bodrum, Turkey

Slow-pulse dance music and a life-enhancing social vibe; this place holds a magnetic lure for free spirits. Kate Moss is said to have once checked out of a nearby detox centre and bolted to the bougainvillea-clad terraces of its collection of villas (founded in 1977 by current owner Sahir Erozan’s mother Ayla Emiroglu). New this year is the palatial 10-bedroom Villa Maçakızı: available for private hire, it’s located on a lavender-scented hilltop above Paradise Bay, a short boat ride away. The familiar boho-cool, white-on-azure Maçakızı aesthetic infuses its sea-view suites, infinity pool and beachfront cabana scene, but it’s all your own private domain: you won’t see high-rollers rocking up in their yachts to hang out over lunch. On call 24/7, the villa team aim to spoil; chef Carlo BErnardini produces feasts of fresh pasta, salads and grilled seafood – including böcek, the local lobster. Fairy light-adorned cocktail areas set the scene by night. When wellness calls, the top-floor spa – with a fitness centre and hydrotherapy pool – awaits.

From sprawling beachfront resorts to boutique city digs and palatial hideaways, there's a stay for every occasion.

This hotel is actually a collection of villas on one of the most beautiful of Bodrum’s peninsulas and was opened in the 1970s as a hangout for writers and artists. Times have changed, as has Bodrum — these days Macakizi’s patrons include the supermodel Kate Moss and any number of sheikhs and oligarchs, who moor their yachts in the nearby marina. But the laid-back vibe remains, enhanced by its lush gardens, private beach and elegantly designed interiors. The hotel has its own speedboat, which you can rent for the day to take you to other parts of this lovely area.

Ayla Emiroğlu was the headmistress, the boss lady that talked to wild flowers on her property and disciplined her staff without so much as an admonishment. She worked with the same people for years, and they loved her. She fed the most basic staples of Turkish home cooking to the wealthiest, and they loved it. They loved it so much that they would follow her wherever she went – even to the first ever beach club she opened in a far-flung bay, inaccessible by any other mode of transportation but boat.

Just like his mother, Sahir Erozan is also one of the beloved faced of Bodrum. Writing his success in a different part of the world, in Washington D.C., he fell in love with the peninsula all over again during his visit in the early 1990s. He decided to work with his mother in her second beach club project in Gölköy, and then the property that we know and love today as Maçakızı Hotel in Göltürkbükü.

Marrying her mother’s authentic, rustic style with his own vision of contemporary luxury, Erozan renovated the rooms with the demands of a new generation of travelers in mind. The menu was updated with flavors from around the world as a result of Erozan’s travels with his executive chef, Aret Sahakyan. There were many changes to adapt the hotel to the changing times but one crucial aspect remained the same: the boho-chic spirit of Bodrum Ayla Emiroğlu has cultivated since the beginning. That social club vibe where the staff knowns everyone by their name, and you get to have conversations all day with the owner. And that prove to be the best recipe to attract a loyal following around the world, who whisper to each other that Maçakızı is the summer home they love coming back every year.

There’s nothing wrong, in life, with a spot of hyper-trendy bohemia from time to time. And, if you like your artsy sybaritism served up to a soundtrack of slow-pulse ambient dance music – surrounded by Middle-Eastern princesses, the Hollywood elite and occasionally Mick Jagger – then Maçakizi is the place for you once Turkey finally makes it onto the Green List.

Maçakizi began life in the 70s as a bolt-hole for artists and jet-setters on a private bay close to Bodrum. Since 2000, it has occupied a property, festooned with lush vegetation and vivid bougainvillea and surrounded by pine-dotted hills, which clambers up a terraced hill overlooking Türkbükü Bay (aka The Turkish Riviera).

Now, Maçakizi has put its unique stamp on an enviably positioned property  in Paradise Bay, a 10-minute boat ride from the main hotel. Villa Maçakizi (from €19,500 per night including breakfast) has 10 sea-view suites with its own spa with two massage rooms, Turkish baths, fitness centre, extensive outdoor terraces and an infinity swimming pool with 24/7 service.

Its gardens are filled with olive trees, lavender and freesia while the villa’s private beachfront has cabanas on ocean-front decking, close to two pontoons ready to moor arriving yachts.

Meanwhile, Chef Carlo Bernardini has kicked off a new farm-to-table concept involving lavish Mediterranean feasts using local produce, brought to life with herbs grown in the villa’s gardens. A major highlights of the seafood options is freshly caught Böcek, the local lobster.

Maçakizi is a party destination, of course, and the villa has been designed with wedding, cocktail or dinner parties for up 250 people in mind (it has two bars and private DJ booths).

Another new jewel in the resort’s crown is Halas 71, a 12-bedroom luxury super-yacht which is available for charter for a few hours or weeks to traverse the Aegean coastline.  The vessel was once used by British Armed Forces in World War One and was returned to Turkey after the conflict to be used as a passenger ferry. Her roster of guests has included Princess Margaret, Prince Charles, John Malkovich and Hilary Clinton.

Already the riviera of choice for the jet set, the Turquoise Coast is about to get even better, says Laura Fowler.
On the waterside deck at Bodrum's Macakizi Hotel last summer, you wouldn't have guessed that there was a pandemic raging. Every socially distanced daybed and cabana was occupied, bodies sun-tanning like it was the 1980s: music, sunshine, happy hubbub. Only the masked waiters flitting between them were a sign that this place had not escaped the crisis entirely.

For most of the world, the past year has been disastrous for travel. Not so in Turkey, whose Turquoise Coast became the Mediterranean riviera of choice in 2020, for all those travelers who would usually seek sunshine on Balearic beaches, Spanish costas and French promenades. As the borders of other holiday destinations flapped open and closed in the winds of the pandemic, Turkey's coast with its low infection rates remained steadfastly open for Warless in an extended season that kept the party going until October.

"The crowd who would usually be in St Tropez and Ibiza were coming here instead," says Sahir Erozan, owner of the Macakizi, Bodrum’s glamorous bolt-hole where the blessed and beautiful - Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Poppy Delevingne - go to party. "Once people returned in July, we were busier than ever. Every room was full." And this year the Turquoise Coast's newfound status as Mediterranean summer scenester is set to strengthen. Turkey's tourism minister, Mehmet Ersoy, has said that the country would not require vaccination passports from international travelers - which mean, it may be possible to go there as soon as the UK ban on non-essential travel is lifted as early as May 17.

"Not to jinx it, but it’s looking good,” says Erozan. “We have a lot of demand.” He puts this down to the clients they gained last year spreading the word about what the Macakizi and this coast of the gods, whose temples still remain along its shores, has to offer. Despite the uncertainty that lies ahead, his cautious optimism is understandable, by last autumn his hotel had exceeded its targets and had 80 per cent new business -a mix of first-time holidaymakers and digital nomads on extended workations, tapping away on laptops in the buzzing open-air lounge, beside Russian oligarchs and models sipping muddy Turkish coffee. “It was like WeWork here some days," he says. “One couple from London stayed from June until October.”

It was the same story throughout the region. Once business picked up midsummer, the peninsula's hotels extended their seasons and had record autumn bookings. Nearby Amanruya also had a strong season and even improved on the previous summer, with guests seeking out stand-alone pavilions with private pools for space to themselves. The Mandarin Oriental Bodrum reported arise in extended stars and guests arriving by private jet, with families requesting more spacious suites and villas. The party-hearty, Bodrum EDITION was effusively upbeat. “We were able to exceed our own expectations of the summer beyond our wildest dreams,” says Marc Matar, the hotel's general manager, who describes how they revamped their beach club and upped their al fresco offerings in terms of wellness and activities and socially distanced outdoor dining, making the place "very attractive to those craving escape from busy congested cities and grim pandemic reality".

Joining the peninsula's luxury offering this summer is Bodrum Loft, on the coast near the fishing village of Torba. The 36-villa resort has all the space and privacy of a villa holiday, but with the added advantages of a hotel - from the landscaped gardens, pools and beach club, the smart restaurants and spa, right down to room service. It's perfect for big friends/family get-togethers.

The Macakizi crew have tapped into this desire for exclusive takeovers too. On April 15 it will open its 10-suite Macakizi Villa, a vast party pad which floats above clouds of bougainvillea in Paradise Bay and comes with its quill spa, gym, private beach deck and cabanas, plus Michelin-star-winning chef, Carlo Bernardini, who can also teach guests how to cook his Aegean-style dishes with an Italian twist.

The new opening comes alongside the brand's other recent launch, for a stylish bubble holiday at sea: the Macakizi Halas 71. Its long, low form and black funnel cuts an unusual silhouette among the 
gulets and Mangustas and increasingly super superyachts anchoring along the coast.

A former passenger ferry from Istanbul, it was made in Glasgow in 1914 and used in the First World War by British troops before it made its way to Gallipoli: then, in the 1980s, restored and turned into a boutique hotel on the water, hosting Prince Charles and Princess Margaret in its mahogany-paneled cabins. Last year it was spruced up and rebranded.

It is the ultimate multi-gen Blue Voyager: slow and steady, with deep-pile carpets for grandpa, canoes for the kids. 12 en suite cabins, a sauna and a deck big enough to hold a party for 150. The hotel has added its signature touches: east-west beats, decks and sound system; a champagne bar on deck, a cognac bar below. What a joy to rediscover travelling, face-mask free! Watching the pine-forested coast slide by, past ancient . ruins and sleepy fishing villages, hopping to shore for lazy taverna lunches. No wonder nobody wants to leave this corner of heaven. "We are not going to be free of Covid this summer either,” says the Macakizi’s Erozan, "but people felt safe and comfortable here - it's all open air and outdoor living - and I think that will be important in deciding where to travel.”

The Turquoise Coast may have become last summer's riviera of choice by default, but now that so many have tasted the fruits of Turkey's land and sea, they seem bound to return this year, after a winter of uncertainty, to embrace its light and heat once more.

Boutique stay on the Turquoise Coast

Turkbuku village is Turkey’s St Tropez, with an upmarket beach scene liberally sprinkled with supermodels. Macakizi Hotel is its grand doyenne, a hedonists’ hideaway with 74 suites that are artfully understated. The palm-studded pool is captivating by day and even better by night, when there’s seafood by Aret Sahakyan, one of the country’s star chefs, and a sexy vibe courtesy of Turkey’s hippest DJs. If you need further distraction, the hotel’s motorboat can whizz you to the Bodrum peninsula’s quietest coves.

LIFE IS EASY AT MAÇAKIZI

The good times keep rolling at Bodrum’s legendary hotel – and now the revelry is a little more socially distanced with the arrival of a sleek new yatch and villa by the sea. by Jemima Sissons

Yachts passing Türkbükü Bay, near the Maçakizi hotel in Bodrum, Turkey. Opposite: The Halas 71’s upper deck.

Above: The 175-foot Halas 71, anchored in Cennet Koyu in front of Villa Maçakizi. IT WAS THE WITCHING hour when we first arrived at Maçakizi, on the Turkish Riviera. The air smelled of jasmine and the sky had turned into an inky black cloak studded with stars. But the scene on Türkbükü Bay, just a few steps in the sand from the hotel, was hardly subdued. Disco-lit superyachts bobbed in tune with the thumps of electronic music blasting from their onboard DJs. A trio of women in diaphanous dresses made their way inside the hotel from a long night at the beach bar, sweeping like lovely ghosts past creeping bougainvillea and geometric glass sculptures by Turkish artist Sema Topaloğlu.

Having just arrived from London, my husband and I sat observing it all quietly from a table in the lounge when, suddenly, we had company. An English chap plonked himself at our table, ordered a tequila and soda ("Rum makes you fat. Tequila makes you high”, he informed the waiter), and began regaling us with his love affair for the hotel. “We are all one family here,” he proclaimed jovially, between slurps.

I had long heard the stories about Maçakizi—the supermodels and royalty, the parties that last until morning (sometimes the afternoon)—but to see it in action was another story. The hotel is less a place to stay than it is a lifestyle, where guests are welcomed by the charismatic owner Sahir Erozan and his amiable Australian sidekick, general manager Andrew Jacobs. The next day, at the beach club, a group of Americans were deep in discussion about the minimum length of yacht required for a family of four plus staff (73 feet, apparently). At breakfast, an English couple worked from laptops at their table; they’d, been staying there since June, with no plans to leave before the hotel closed for the season in November. By the beach bar, no matter the hour, a group of Givenchy-clad men could be found smoking Cohibas. Even with COVID-19, the spectacle couldn't be stifled: Colorful masks and bespoke hand sanitizer in chic bottles were the latest must-have accessories. I had not come to talk boats or smoke cigars, though. I had come to see the newest additions to the Maçakizi family: A 12-suite pleasure yacht and an exclusive-use villa. That afternoon, we set sail on the 175-foot Halas 71. Gliding from Cennet koyu (Paradise Bay) to Çatalada (Fork Island), past mega-mansions and superyachts, the vessel was majestic, if not exactly in the same style as the glistening white snowboats we passed along the way. Commissioned in 1912 by the Bosphorus Steam Navigation Company and built in 1914 in Glasgow, Scotland, the ship was, like many back then, repurposed by the British navy for use in World War I. After the defeat at Gallipoli, it operated in Istanbul as a steam ferry, transporting traders and tourists across the Bosphorus. In 1984, it was again converted, this time into a luxury yacht, media tycoon Haldun Simavi, who, with his wife, Çiğdem, entertained an impressive roster of guests on board—Princess Margaret, Prince Charles, John Malkovich, and Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Today the Halas 71 is owned by Turkish textile magnate Caroline Koç and managed by Erozan and his team. The boat is available for charter for a few hours or up to a few weeks for visits to the sunken ruins of Simena in Kekova and stunning seaside towns like Bozburun and Göcek. Elevating it to Maçakizi's lavish standards to sailboards, waterskis, and wakeboards, and, coming this season, a dance floor for more of those famous all-night parties.

I wasn't disappointed to find there was so DJ spinning on the upper deck when we boarded that afternoon. There was, however, a perfect breeze and the rhythmic sound of gentle waves lapping against the bow. Our suite, named for Princess Margaret, was decorated with dune-soft silk carpeting, Haremlique linens with toile bed covers, and taupe-and-cream linen curtains. Next door in the library we found Turkish history books and leather-bound Voltaire, and along the corridor below, a Cognac bar and infrared sauna. Everything was wrapped in mahogany paneling, and maritime artworks lined the walls. Above: The entrance to Villa Maçakizi, Below: The private estate’s lounge overlooking the pool.

In the evening, we dined on risotto with bocek, the local spiny lobster, the handiwork of Venetian native Carlo Bernardini, who oversees catering on the yacht and at Villa Maçakizi. The entrée was served alongside locally made buffalo mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, and a selection of excellent local wines. There is a movement of dynamic young winemakers in the Urla region, the Tuscany of Turkey, and Bernardini’s intimate knowledge of its biggest stars served us well. The Porta Caeli Ament reminded me of a Bordeaux, and the Kavaklidere Pendore Öküzgözü was rich with dark-red fruits; both paired nicely with fresh focaccia and pistachio baklava drizzled with honey.

Over the next several days we sailed the Aegean Sea without hurry. We dove into the dark waters to swim laps around the yacht, catching glimpses of its hulking anchor, one of a few remnants left from the vessel’s former life. One afternoon,we cruised past a horizon of humpback rocks to the twinkling village of Gümüşlük, where we shopped for jewelry and ceramics at an open-air market and snacked on a local delicacy, midye dolma (mussels stuffed with a spicy pilaf). On the way to Palm Tree Bay, our mooring spot for the night, we watched the Greek islands of Leros and Patmos light up as the sun went down.

A few days later, I was sunbathing on the upper deck when one of my Maçakizi flip-flops took flight, urged by a sudden gust of wind. I watched as it journeyed gracefully across the bay before landing just short of a beautiful white estate, perched above a private boardwalk lined with sun loungers. It was not a hotel, as I had initially thought, but Villa Maçakizi, Erozan’s new exclusive-use rental property. (Turns out that, in its previous life, the estate was a boutique hotel, known as Il Riccio Beach House.)

Offering ten rooms, a spa with a hammam, a fitness center, a swimming pool, and a private beach, the villa has already attracted a loyal following among the publicity-shy and COVID- wary. All the rooms—soon to be updated with Maçakizi-worthy makeovers—have their own balcony or terrace overlooking the pool. The vast grounds provide plenty to do too: There's a garden filled with olive trees, lavender, and freesia (a perfect place for alfresco yoga or a cocktail); cabanas on the edge of the sea; and, of course, a DJ booth for all-night parties. Guests can also arrange private fishing tours, boat charters, cooking classes, horseback riding, and scuba diving at nearby shipwrecks. A tour of the villa had been on our afternoon itinerary, but a last-minute buyout by a Middle Eastern royal family had thwarted our plans—though the views from the Halas 71, from which we could just make out the glistening pool, were enough to convince us to book our own stay next season. We arrived back at the hotel as aperitivo hour was kicking off. The Halas 71 had just slipped into the marina when the nightly symphony of competing DJs started up. Guests emerged from their rooms—women dressed in flowing caftans and dripping with carats, men with their top four buttons proudly undone—and we all marveled for a minute as the sun went down. The music got louder, prompting pods of guests to dance, and, as I sipped a tequila and soda, for one brief moment of unmitigated joie de vivre, I understood what that English chap had meant. Maçakizi is a club, and once you're part of it, you want to stay forever. Yacht from $189,000 per week; villa from $23,000 per night; hotel rooms from $650 per night; macakizi.com

Above: Villa Maçakizi's swimming pool. Opposite: A quiet corner on the hotel's always- hopping waterside deck.

Everything classic
Everything exceptional
Everything to dream about


MACAKIZI

BODRUM, TURKEY


In the 1970s Mick Jagger, Rudolf Nureyev and their pals flocked to the sleepy fishing village of Türkbükü on the west coast of Turkey, lured by a boho B&B run by flamboyant host Ayla Emiroğlu. Thirty years later, her son Sahir Erozan had loftier visions, transforming the modest guesthouse into Maçakizi - 74 rooms spread across four bougainvillaea-bright terraces on a sweeping site overlooking a beryl-blue bay. Today the whitewashed hangout is a magnet for Istanbul’s soigné night-owls and well-heeled Euros - you can see why the buzzing peninsula is often labelled the St Tropez of Turkey. Breakfast (pillow-soft sesame pide slathered with honeycomb) is taken late. By midday, rows of beach beds are strewn with Hermés sarongs and everyone seems to know each other. Stealth yachts and teak sailboats anchor for the night so their inhabitants can come ashore to feast on chef Aret Sahakyan’s deft cooking: creamy calamari carbonara and delicate lamb manti (dumplings). It could be just another frou-frou designer resort. Yet Maçakizi is unlike anywhere else, because it has identity, personality and a twinkle in its eye. This is all to do with the wonderfully charismatic Erozan, who flits between his many friends (Kate Moss is a regular), Cohiba clenched between his teeth, vodka on the rocks clinking. The white and taupe bedrooms are lovely but most of the action takes place outside: the beach deck, the breezy restaurant, the waterside bar for Bellinis. It has all the signatures you would expect from a cool independent hotel: a boutique stocking local designers (the Mae Zae bashed-gold earrings are hard to resist), a Bodyism gym and its own wonderful boat, Halas 71, a converted 1914 steam liner. Yet more than that, Maçakızı is simply a club you want to be part of. Doubles from about £425; macakizi.com

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29 Macakiz
Bodrum Peninsula

Turkbuku village is home to Turkey's most glamorous beachscene, and this boutique resort is where the interiors are paleand the action is interesting, especially when celebrities suchas Mick Jagger and Kate Moss check in. The bougainvillea-festooned suites are an ode to stealth wealth, with designerfurnishings by Rifat Ozbek and paintings by local artisans. The palm shaded pool is laid-back, food is by Aret Sahakyan, one of the country's star chefs, and the hotel has its own boatthat is perfect for exploring deserted coves and enjoying on-deck wine-tasting workshops. 

Details Doubles from £330, half-board (macakizi.com). Fly to Bodrum

HOTELS ARE GOING THE EXTRA MILE

Hotels looking for ways to meet guests’ distancing needs are thinking beyond the hotel and offering guests new and creative ways of travelling, revamping old modes of transport.

From rails to sails; Bodrum2s jewel of a boutique hotel the Macakizi (macakizi.com) has taken over a spiffed-up 1940s motor watch that harks back to the Ottoman era and has hosted British royals and American presidents. Halas 71 can accommodate up to 23 guests on a bespoke Blue Cruise along the Turquoise Coast of Turkey- on the safe list for holidays this summer- whose seaside treasures remain eternally open.

Laura Fowler

A Turkish idyll – 

by land and sea Mediterranean beach mavens know: Bodrum is a forever place. And Maçakizi – the funky, singular hotel with a diehard fan club spanning the globe that’s been a summer happy place for artists, designers and bourgeois bohémiens of various stripes and nationalities since opening in 1977 – is its forever address. This summer, owner Sahir Erozan adds twin passions: Halas 71, a 10-cabin vintage motor yacht that will ply the Turkish-Aegean coast to Alaçati and back on overnight excursions (think wine tastings and deserted-beach lunches); and Villa Maçakizi, a new 10-room estate, lost in an artful tangle of oleander bougainvillea (and perfect for buyouts) just 10 minutes’ speedboat ride from the hotel. macakizi.com; Villa Maçakizi from €24,786 per night (max 23 people); Halas 71, POA.

In this continuing series for Forbes, I talk to a range of experts and insiders working in the travel industry about their plans for reopening across the sector. I find out more about the new practicalities which are now necessary, and the leaders’ thoughts for the road ahead – from heightened cleaning protocols – a new ‘essential’ in a post-covid world – to the acceleration of advanced technology to aid seamless travel experiences.

Having already opened its doors to Ikos Olivia in Halkidiki, Greece, on 1 July, Ikos Resorts is one brand taking the lead when it comes to health and safety measures. With resorts also found on Cos and Corfu, and a new property, Ikos Andalusia in Spain, slated to open on 1 September 2020, it has announced its detailed ‘Infinite Care Protocol’, which covers everything from increased outdoor activities and advanced ‘touch-less’ services to new disinfecting technology..

“Physical distancing will be actively encouraged and a range of measures will offer a contact-less guest journey, from the moment guests check in all the way through to the end of their holiday,” says Ikos Resorts. “We’ve upgraded the Ikos Resorts Mobile app, allowing for digital services and limiting face-to-face interactions. Guests will able to enjoy 24-hour room service, fully contactless, make digital restaurant and spa bookings, view the resort’s à la carte menus, which are all curated by Michelin starred chefs, and the hundreds of wines selected by the Ikos Sommelier, fully zero touch.”.

Also embracing new technologies to reassure its customers is Airport Dimensions, one of the fastest-growing global lounge operators. With a network of over 24 airport lounges across Europe, the US and the Middle East, Airport Dimensions is part of Collinson, the founder of Priority Pass, the world’s largest lounge access program used by 20m frequent travellers..

The company’s lounges, branded as The Club in the US and Club Aspire in the UK, are now gearing up to re-open, with new measures and practices being put in place to meet the changed needs of customers..

“It’s imperative that we provide spaces where travellers can feel confident that they are in a comfortable and safe environment,” says Errol McGlothan, managing director at Airport Dimensions. “This includes additional safety measures, such as increased hygiene practices, enforcing social distancing, and temperature checks for employees. .

“The current crisis has also accelerated the use of technology and demand for access to services from the traveller’s phone,” he continues. “Developments such as that from e-commerce platform Grab, which allows customers to pre-order food from their phone and then collect it en-route, or have it delivered to the gate, will make ‘grab and go’ even more convenient. Similarly, Inflyter, which gives passengers the option to pre-order duty free, will also make airport shopping easier and quicker. These sorts of technologies, until very recently, were seen as ‘nice-to-haves’ but are now regarded as essential provisions for passengers and can help provide smooth, contactless travel.”.

Foreseeing that lounge use will be even more in demand in the future, due to the fact that these spaces can provide an element of sanctuary away from busy terminals, Errol also reveals that Airport Dimensions is looking to invest in further technological innovations, as well as continuing its expansion plans. The company is due to open eight new lounges in the coming year, reaching into the Middle East and Asia-Pacific..

“There’s a continued high demand for lounges, and lounge experiences, and we are continually looking to innovate,” he says. “We want to move beyond the traditional lounge concept with the introduction of sleep pods, for instance. These will be particularly welcomed by travellers looking for more privacy and space away from others. We are also looking into other options, such as gaming offerings and holistic spas to address increased wellness needs.”.

Having garnered praise for its swift ‘track and trace’ procedures early on in the pandemic, resulting in keeping infection rates low, and with one of the lowest death rates in the world, Singapore is embracing technology in the fight against Covid-19. As well as being the first country to deploy a national coronavirus-tracing app, it is currently looking at introducing the latest wearable contact-tracing tech, called Trace Together tokens..

Another of the country’s recent initiatives is SG Clean, a certification programme to rally businesses in the tourism and lifestyle sectors to uphold excellent sanitation standards and hygiene practices..

Chief executive officer of the Singapore Tourism Board, Keith Tan, comments: “Singapore already has a reputation as a safe and clean destination with a world-class public healthcare system. SG Clean, our national mark of excellence for safety and hygiene, adds to this. It certifies businesses that adhere to rigorous standards of safe management and provides added reassurance for visitors. .

“We know that travellers want that assurance, from the time they board the plane to the point of arrival and throughout their stay,” he says. “Hence the new measures taken by our airlines, hotels and MICE venue partners will all contribute to instilling more confidence in travelling again.”.

Keith continues: “Maintaining Changi’s reputation as a key hub and transit point for travellers is important. In this regard, Changi Airport Group has rolled out a suite of initiatives. These include the setting up of new Transit Holding Areas (THAs) in Terminal 1 and 3 to facilitate transit travel through Changi Airport. The THAs, which offer amenities such as snooze and play areas, are deep cleaned and disinfected regularly. Temperature taking is also conducted at the entrances.”.

Focusing on virtual experiences, so that travellers can experience an element of Singapore from their homes, has been key over the past few months, says Keith, to ensure the destination keeps “top-of-mind among our future visitors”..

“We are not rushing to re-open, as we want our visitors to have peace of mind when they are here,” he adds. “As such, our borders will also re-open gradually with necessary safeguards, balancing health considerations and the needs of our economy and people. Travel to Singapore has restarted on a limited scale through ‘green lane’ arrangements, focusing on transit passengers as well as essential business and official travel that support our economic recovery, critical services and global supply chains. We will progressively put in place such ‘green lane’ arrangements with more countries and regions, and adjust measures for inbound travellers according to risk of importation..

“Singapore Airlines has also resumed flights to several destinations in June and July, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Christchurch and Melbourne. The airline will be flying to 27 cities in these two months. This is the first step towards gradually restarting air travel, and adjustments will be made as the Covid-19 situation evolves in Singapore and around the world.”.

Looking towards the future, the Singapore Tourism Board says it will continue working with tourism companies to help employ safety measures – such as the SafeEntry digital check-in system, which requires visitors to scan their identification to facilitate contract tracing; and the TraceTogether app which supports Singapore’s efforts to fight the spread of Covid-19..

“We will also be reviewing our longer-term tourism strategies to ensure that they are resilient and meaningful in a post-Covid world. At the same time, we will continue with our long-term plans for our famous shopping belt Orchard Road, the Mandai nature precinct, Jurong Lake District and the rejuvenation of our Integrated Resorts (Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa). Investment in tourism will continue, to ensure a strong pipeline of leisure and business offerings that appeal to various interests.”.

Plans afoot for the future in Singapore include the inaugural edition of Art SG, the Singapore art fair, taking place at 5-7 November 2021 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre. Set to be the leading art fair in Southeast Asia, it aims to showcase the most visionary and exciting contemporary art from the region and globally. .

Next year will also see the opening of Pan Pacific Orchard, the group’s first zero-waste hotel. The property, located along Singapore’s famed Orchard Road, will have four levels of soaring gardens that will redefine vertical sky-rise architecture..

In 2021/2022, Jurong Bird Park will be relocated from its current premises to the Mandai Nature Reserve. Its new location will be home to around 3,500 birds across 400 species. Once opened, visitors will be able to immerse themselves in multiple landscapes and vegetation, to see the birds in their natural habitats. The birds will fly freely in nine large walk-in aviaries, and will include colourful birds of paradise, orange beaked hornbills and vocal parrots, among many others. The Bird Park is part of the regeneration of Mandai, currently being transformed into an integrated wildlife and nature precinct. Within the next two-three years, Mandai will also see the creation of new public spaces – including green landscaped decks and boardwalks – as well as the opening of a brand-new park, ‘Rainforest Park’, which will focus on Southeast Asian biodiversity..

Opening slowly with proper protocols in place is also key for the andBeyond group, the luxury experiential travel company. Nicole Robinson, andBeyond’s CMO comments: “Tourism re-opening for local travel is one thing, international movement is harder to predict – there are so many variables ranging from international air availability and pricing, visa requirements and quarantine protocols to implementation of health and safety protocols. What we’re hearing from our key markets is that travellers will travel locally first and then start to branch out as the situation around the world stabilizes.”.

“When that happens, we believe that travellers are more likely to be interested in exploring and interpreting nature and looking for more meaningful, purposeful travel experiences. Our vision of luxury has always been aligned with one of transformational travel – where we strive to provide an experience that goes beyond expectations, where guests leave with a transformed view of how they can leave their world a better place. I think the luxury travel experience will morph into one that is more purposeful, where making a positive impact and giving back in meaningful ways will form basic tenets of what guests seek in a luxury travel adventure.”.

Having recently opened its new property, Ruby Lissi in Vienna, hotel brand Ruby Hotels says that its innovative 'Lean Luxury' model will put them in good stead for a post-Corona world..

Michael Struck, CEO and founder of Ruby Hotels says: “There is no question that the Covid-19 pandemic will change travel as we know it. As it becomes increasingly clear that social distancing is here to stay, hotels with a high degree of automation and intelligent use of technology are predicted to come out in front. Ruby Hotels' 'Lean Luxury' model makes use of just that, providing travellers with a safe, luxurious and unique hotel experience at an affordable price point.” .

He continues: “Thanks to proprietary technical innovations, we plan, build and organise ourselves differently from conventional hotels. We design and structure our properties in a very modular way, centralising and automating processes behind the scenes wherever possible. This means that we can run our hotels on lower staff levels than many of our peers. Plus, we can give our guests the option: how much interaction do you want? The human touch is important to us all. But in times like these, it is good to have the option to minimise social contact..

“For example, a self-check-in system makes use of tablets to reduce check-in time to under one minute, while check-out is eliminated altogether (the guest simply receives an invoice via email at the end of their stay). Further, Ruby Hotels’ galley kitchens and vending machines supply guests with all of their needs, in complete privacy. Large open bars, movie lounges, private yoga rooms and rooftop chill-out spaces replace traditional spa and gym facilities, allowing guests to relax and unwind in a safer way.”.

As COMO Hotels and Resorts start to reopen, CEO Olivier Jolivet, has identified that there will be an increase in travellers looking for smaller, more boutique places to stay, perhaps with large suites or private villas. “Luxury is to do with space and intimacy – in this new era, this is more pertinent than ever,” he says. “I also predict there will be a stronger emphasis on people wanting a wellbeing offering.”.

He continues: “As each COMO destination approaches its reopening, we continue to adjust measures to remain in line with government guidelines, including social distancing and temperature monitoring. Looking ahead, we are focussing on developing our lifestyle component by investing into new trends, new businesses and new destinations. We are also in the process of launching COMO Card, a membership programme with access to the world of COMO from hospitality and wellness to sport and fashion.”.

Echoing the importance that space will bring for future travellers is Sahir Erozan, owner of Macakizi, the iconic luxury hotel located in Bodrum in Turkey. He foresees that travellers will be more cautious and conscious in the immediate future and will look for those special places where they can escape the crowds..

“We think travellers will be more selective and thoughtful about how they travel and where they stay. Travel will be about quality over quantity, we expect that people will be taking longer trips to reduce any risks of travelling and minimise time in airports and on planes. With safety the new buzzword, people will be looking for hotels with amped up, super-cleaning regimes, and strict regulations in place, so they can feel immediately at ease.”.

From implementing Covid-19 testing kits to temperature checks upon arrival; extensive sanitisation to digital information, such as using QR codes for menus – Sahir reveals that the resort has already put in place a raft of new initiatives..

“We want Macakizi to be known as a safe haven, full of small yet significantly thoughtful details to ensure our guests continue to feel at home with us. One of the benefits of staying at Macakizi is its unique layout,” he continues. “There are lots of open air spaces, with no corridors or enclosed areas. Integrated with the surrounding nature and beachfront, the core design of the hotel is all about open spaces, offering plenty of areas for guests to enjoy their own privacy.  

Having the last word, Sahir says: “The reset button has been pressed, this is a chance for the tourism industry to rebuild for the better. People will always have an innate desire to discover the world, enjoy beautiful food and authentic experiences. Although the pandemic has been a crisis, one of the positives arising from it is that it has given people a new appreciation of travel.”

For our latest issue, a special edition with the theme of Under One Sky we asked our favourite globetrotters to open up their address books in support of the travel industry. The idea is to shine a light on businesses big and small - from Guyana to Panama; to pay it forward and bookmark for later the go-to destinations and experiences of the best-travelled people we know: tour operators, hoteliers, designers, adventurers, actors, chefs and more. These are our insiders' insider tips - in this case, their favourite small and secret hotels in the world.

For more global recommendations, plus love letters to travel from writers including Bernardine Evaristo, David Sedaris, and Sebastian Faulka, download the current issue of Condé Nast Traveller.

MAÇAKIZI, BODRUM
Recommended by lzak Senbahar, owner of smart New York City hotel The Mark

`Macakizi in Bodrum. It is in a beautiful bay with the bluest, clearest water. The landscaping is mesmerising. The food from chef Aret Sahakyan is so good that once I stayed for 14 days and never left the hotel for a single meal. The outdoor breakfast area, with dramatic views of the sea and the islands and the huge buffet spread, is something you look forward to every morning.'

Hikayesi 1977 yılında başlayan Bodrum'un ikonik oteli Maçakızı, lüks ve rafine bir tatil deneyimi vadediyor. 

Deniz, güneş ve huzur veren doğa... Geçen yıllara ve değişen seyahat trendlerine rağmen Bodrum, hem yaydığı pozitif enerji hem doğası hem de farklı tatil seçenekleriyle favori yaz rotası olma özelliğini koruyor. Bodrum denince akla gelen ilk yer olan Maçakızı ise tıpkı üzerine kurulu olduğu muazzam bölge gibi müdavimlere sahip bir yer. Bodrum’un ikonik otelinin hikayesi 1977’de, Göltürkbükü henüz sadece birkaç ev ile sokak kedilerinin olduğu küçük bir sahil kasabasıyken, Ayla Emiroğlu tarafından Bodrum’un güzelliğini başkalarıyla paylaşmak için küçük bir butik otel olarak kurulmasıyla başlıyor. 0 günkü bohem ve sofistike ruhunu hl koruyan, begonviller içinde, yeşille çevrelenmiş bir alanda konumlanan Maçakızı, yaşamdan keyif almayı bilen, iyi yemek yemeyi, doğayı, sanatı seven insanlar için açıldığı günden beri buluşma noktası. Lüks anlayışı, şef Aret Sahakyan’ın mutfağından çıkan Akdeniz lezzetleri, servis kalitesi ve profesyonel ekibiyle Maçakızı, bu yaz pandemiye karşı tüm önlemlerini de aldı. Hem Maçakızı Hotel hem Villa Maçakızı’nda yeni kurallar uygulanmaya başlandı. Her yer düzenli olarak dezenfekte edilirken, sağlık prosedürleri ve sosyal mesafe kuralları ciddi bir şekilde uygulanıyor. Otel yönetimi tarafından alınan her tedbir, tatil deneyiminizi daha huzurlu kılacak nitelikte. 

Bodrum denince akla gelen lokasyonlar arasında yer alan Maçakızı’nın sahibi Sahir Erozan ile bir araya gelerek, kendi gustosu, turizm ve otelciliğe dair keyifli bir sohbet gerçekleştirdik.

Tüm dünyada için zor geçen bir kış mevsiminin ardından yepyeni bir yaz sezonuna giriş yapıyoruz. Ülkeler arası sınırların kapalı olduğu bu dönemde lokal değerler her zamankinden daha çok önem taşıyor. Hiç şüphesiz Bodrum da en çok ilgi gören tatil beldeleri arasında. Sizce Bodrum’u bu kadar özel yapan nedir? 

Bodrum’un sakin, güzel doğası, samimi ve sıcak Ege atmosferi, birbirinden güzel koylarının yanı sıra, Antik Çağ’a dayanan 7000 yıllık bir tarihi de var. Leleg, Karia, Pers, Helen, Bizans ve Osmanlı gibi birçok uygarlık ve kültüre ev sahipliği yapmış olan Bodrum, belki de bu yüzden herkesi çeken bir şeyler barındırıyor içinde

Bodrum’un geçmişine baktığımızda tarih boyunca her zaman popüler bir tatil beldesi olmuştur. Her dönem de farklı bölgeleri öne çıkmıştır. Barlar Sokağı ve Halikarnas efsanesinden Güm-bet’e, Türkbükü’nden Yalıkavak Marina’ya... Sizce bu değişimi tetikleyen ne oluyor? 

Bodrum’da yerleşim yarımadanın değişik bölgelerine yayıldıkça Türkbükü, Yalıkavak gibi farklı koylar ön plana çıkmaya başladı. Bodrum merkezinde kıyı sahilinden denize girmek zor olduğu için oteller ve mekanlar bu koylarda açılmaya başladı. 

Sizin için Bodrum’un yerlisi diyebiliriz. Bu yaz turistlere gerçek bir Bodrum deneyimi yaşamaları adına bilinen popüler lokasyon-lar dışında nerelere gitmesini önerirsiniz? 

Tekneyle Bodrum’un eşsiz güzellikteki sakin koylarına. 

Yurtdışına baktığımız zaman St.Tropez, Capri, Ibiza gibi lokasyonlarda çoğu otel, restoran ve gece kulüplerinin kuruluşu çok eski yıllara dayanıyor. Bodrum’da ise Maça Kızı gibi köklü mekanların sayısı bir elin parmağını geçmeyecek kadar az. Buranın en eski mekanlarından biri olarak sizce neden bu kadar çabuk tüketiyoruz? Ya da mekanlar neden ayakta kalamıyor? 

Bir mekanın kalıcı olabilmesi için bulunduğu yerin ruhunu, yaşam tarzını çok iyi anlıyor ve uyum sağlıyor olması gerekir. Yeni açılan mekanların birçoğu başka şehirlerden Bodrum’a geliyor. Bodrum’un atmosferini, ve ruhunu iyi kavrayamıyorlar. Her yerin sevilen, bilinen lokal işletmeleri ve buraların sadık takipçileri vardır. Her gittiğinizde size özel bir duygu ve keyif yaşatır. Bu tadı insanlara veremeyen mekanlar insanlarla güçlü bir bağ kuramıyor, dolayısıyla kalıcı olamıyor ve kısa sürede kapanıyorlar. 

Biraz da Maça Kızı’ndan bahsedelim. Bodrum’daki 43. yılınızı devirmek üzeresiniz. Anneniz Ayla Emiroğlu’nun Bodrum çarşı içerisinde devraldığı küçük bir pansiyon ile başlayan macera nasıl bir yolculuk ile bugünlere geldi? 

Annem’in Bodrum aşkı 70’lerde başladı. 1977’de Bodrum’un içinde ilk Maçakızı’nı açtığı zaman burası birkaç ev, araba ve sokak kedilerinin olduğu küçük bir kasabaydı. Annemin tutkusu, disiplini ve dokunduğu her şeyi bambaşka bir güzelliğe getirme yeteneğiyle Maçakızı bugünkü konumuna geldi. Bahçedeki çiçeklerle teker teker ilgilenir, mutfaktan çıkan her yemeği titizlikle teftiş ederdi. Maçakızı’na bohem ve sofistike ruhunu veren annem ve onun benzersiz kişiliğidir. Zamanla dönemin sanatçılarını, entellektüellerini çeken samimi ve keyifli bir ortam oluştu Maçakızı’nda. Ahmet Ertegün, Mick Jagger, Nureyev gibi isimleri ağırlardı annem. 2000 yılında ben de Washing-ton D.C.’deki 26 senelik kariyerimi geride bırakıp, annemle beraber Maçakızı’nın Göltürkbükü’ndeki yeni yerini kurmak üzere Türkiye’ye geldim. Son 20 senedir, otelde birçok yenilik ve geliştirme yaparak bugünün yaşantısına adapte etmekle uğraşıyorum; annemin yarattığı ruhu, abartısız lüks anlayışımızı ve kusursuz servis ilkelerimizi asla değiştirmeden. 

Bölgenin ikonik lokasyonlarından biri haline gelen, yabancı turistlerin de favorilerinden Maça Kızı’nı nasıl tanımlarsınız? Öne çıkan ya da farklılık yaratan özellikleriniz sizce hangisi? Maçakızı dünyanın her yerinde güzellik arayan, yaşamdan zevk almayı bilen, iyi yemek yemeyi seven, doğayı, sanatı hayatının vazgeçilmez birer parçası haline getirmiş insanlar için bir buluşma noktası oldu. Annemin vizyonu, enerjisi ve eşsiz dokunuşuyla hayat bulan bohem-şık Maçakızı ruhu, abartısız lüks anlayışı ve her zaman en üst seviyede tutmaya çalıştığımız servis kalitemizle bizi bugünlere getirdi. Ekibimizin çoğu çok uzun zamandır bizimle ve Maçakızı’nda misafirlerimiz için bir ev sıcaklığında ağırlayabilmemizde büyük rol oynuyorlar. Birçok Türk ve yabancı müşterimiz her yaz gelir, ve burada bir aile buluşması hissi yaşatır bize. 

Kurulduğu günden bu yana kalitesini hiç bozmadan hizmet veren mutfağınız da otel kadar ses getiriyor. Bu yaz için bizleri Maça Kızı mutfağında neler bekliyor?

Bu yıl şefimiz Aret Sahakyan yine “Yeni Akdeniz Mutfağı” diye tarif ettiği lezzetlerinden oluşan harika menüler hazırladı bize. Pandemi önlemlerimiz kapsamında restoranımızda birkaç değişiklik yaptık. Öğle yemeği ve brunch açık büfemiz artık büfe şeklinde değil, menümüz dahilinde masalara servis edilecek. En sevilen yemekleri-mizin hepsi menüye girdi, merak etmeyin. Akşam yemeklerimiz için de online rezervasyon sistemine geçtik. Her akşam hem favori Maçakızı klasiklerimiz, hem de şefin günlük değiştireceği başlangıçlar ve ana yemeklerimiz arasından seçim yapabileceksiniz. 

Son zamanlarda sağlıklı yaşam konsepti oldukça yükselişte. Vejeteryanların sayısı oldukça artarken glütensiz ya da rafine şekersiz beslenenlerin sayısı da oldukça fazla. Birçok kişi de seyahat ederken bu alışkanlıklarından ödün vermek istemiyor. Bu doğrultu da mekanlar da artık menülerini çeşitlendirmeye başladı. Siz bu konuda ne düşünüyorsunuz? 

Özellikle bu dönem sağlığın değerini daha da iyi anladık. İyi beslen-mek herkes için önemli ve Maçakızı’nda da her türlü beslenme şekline uygun opsiyonlarımız mevcut. Spor salonumuzun bir kısmını açık havaya taşıdık bu yaz, sosyal mesafeyi koruyarak bireysel ve küçük gruplar için derslerimiz yaz tatilinde formda kalmak isteyenler için devam edecek. 

İçinde bulunduğumuz bu dönemde sizce eğlence bu yaz nasıl olacak? Sosyal mesafemizi koruyarak eğlenmek mümkün mü? İnsanlar haklı olarak eve kapanmaktan çok bunaldı. Ama bir süre daha dikkatli olmaya devam etmemiz gerekecek. Açık havada olmanın, güneşin ve denizin tadını çıkarmanın sosyal mesafeyi koruyarak da mümkün olduğunu düşünüyorum. 

Son zamanlarda modadan gastronomiye, dekorasyondan turizme her alanda “yeni normal”lerimizi konuşuyoruz. Hiç şüphesiz turizm ise koronavirüs salgınından en çok etkilenen sektörler arasında. Sizce neler değişti ya da değişecek? Sektörden bağımsız olarak bu günlerin hepimiz için bir milat olacağını düşünüyorum. Tüm değerlerimizi, yaşam biçimimizi, tüketim alışkan-lıklarımızı gözden geçireceğimiz, yeni bir sayfa açacağımız bir süreçteyiz. Daha fazla, daha büyük ya da pahalı değil, daha kaliteliye yöneleceğiz. Bencillik ve bireysellikten uzaklaşıp, birlik olmayı, toplumsal fayda yaratmayı, doğaya karşı daha saygılı olmayı öğreneceğiz. Yüzümüzde hissettiğimiz ilk yaz güneşinin değerini daha iyi bilerek yaşayacağız. Sektör olarak da önlemlerimizi aldık, bu sezon ilk defa yeni normali deneyimleyeceğiz. 

Maça Kızı olarak siz bu sürece uyum sağlamak adına nasıl önlemler aldınız? 

Hem Maçakızı Otel hem Villa Maçakızı’nda bu yaz tüm önlemlerimizi aldık. Yeni prosedürlerimizi uygulamaya başladık. Her yer düzenli olarak dezenfekte ediliyor, otele giriş yapan tüm misafirlerimiz ve çalışanlarımızın ateşi ölçülüyor. El dezenfektanları, eldiven ve maskeler otelin tüm ortak alanlarında mevcut. Teması en aza indirgemek için tüm menülerimizi, bilgilendirme yazılarımızı, oda içi kitapçıklarımızı QR kodlarıyla dijital ortama taşıdık. Sahil ve restoran bölümlerimiz sosyal mesafe kurallarına uygun olarak yeniden düzenlendi. Restoranımız ve sahilimiz için online rezervasyon sistemine geçiş yaptık. 

Kendiniz tatile çıkacak olsanız, gideceğiniz ve kalacağınız bir otelde nelere dikkat ederdiniz? Hijyen şu sıralar en önemli faktör. 

Peki yabancı turistlerin şu sıralar azalacağını düşünürsek sizce bu durum sizi ya da genel olarak turizm sektörünü nasıl etkileyecek? İlk etapta kötü yönde etkileyecek tabii ama bu dönem atlatıldıktan sonra seyahat etme isteği daha da öne çıkacak diye düşünüyorum. İşletmecilik dışında iyi de bir koleksiyonersiniz. Sanat hayatınızın neresinde? Dedemden ve annemden dolayı sanat her zaman hayatımda oldu. Tüm dünyadaki fuarları ve bienalleri takip ediyorum. Ayrıca Türkiye’nin tanıtımına katkı sağlayan sanat etkinliklerini de desteklemeye çalışıyorum. Venedik Bienali ve Art Basel Miami dönemle-rinde organize ettiğim etkinliklerde sanatçıları ve koleksiyonerleri ağırlıyorum.

Özellikle takip ettiğiniz bir sanat türü ya da sanatçılar var mı? 

Çağdaş sanatla ilgileniyorum. Çoğunlukla heykel, video sanatı ve tablo almayı seviyorum son dönemde. Türkiye’den ve yurtdışından birçok sanatçının işlerini takip ediyorum. 

Son yıllarda sanat eserlerin otellerin olmazsa olmaz parçaları haline geldi. Birçok otelin kendine ait özel koleksiyonerleri bulunuyor. Maça Kızı’nın çeşitli alanlarında birçok farklı sanat eseri karşımıza çıkıyor. Dönem dönem farklı sanatçılarla çalışıp, otelde yeni işler sergilemeyi seviyorum. Sanatçıların mekandan ilham alarak otele özel bir eser yaratmaları bana heyecan veriyor. Maçakızı’nın lobisinde Haluk Akakçe’nın annemi ve Maçakızı’nı resmettiği çok sevdiğim bir eseri var. Elif Uras’ın uzun zaman geçirdiği ve çok sevdiği Bodrum’u yansıtan çeşme eseri de otelin bahçesinde yer alan, her önünden geçtiğimde enerjisiyle bana mutluluk veren bir iş. Maçakızı odalarında ise Suat Akdemir’in işleri yer alıyor. Maçakızı’nın sanatla iç içe dokusu annemle başlayan, benim de keyifle devam ettirdiğim bir durum. Kendi koleksiyonum için sanat alırken her zaman Maçakızı’nı da düşünürüm. 

Röportaj Timur Can Ersoy

Bodrum’un eşsiz mavi koylarında açılan birbirinden güzel restoran ve plajlara her gün bir yenisi daha ekleniyor. Bu yazın en yeni ve klasikleşen Bodrum mekanlarından oluşan rehberimizle yaza davetiye çıkarıyoruz. 

Maçakızı Beach- Bodrum’un vazgeçilmeyeni 

Maçakızı Beach tüm koşullara uyarak bu yaz da sevenleriyle buluşuyor. Şezlongların arasındaki mesafeler bir buçuk metre mesafe bırakılarak yeniden düzenlenmiş ve online rezervasyon sistemine geçilmiş. Eğlencesi ise kaldığı yerden devam ediyor. 

Yazı: Timur Can Ersoy 

’74ESCAPE STORE & GALLERY MAÇAKIZI OTEL BODRUM

Yazla birlikte, herkes için zorlu geçen, daha önce benzeri görülmemiş bir dönemden birlik ve dayanışma duygusuyla çıkarken ’74Escape Store & Gallery bu sene Türkiye’nin yetenekli seramik sanatçılarını, zanaatkarlarını ve tasarımcılarını bir araya getirerek coğrafyamızdan çıkan birbirinden güzel tasarımları sergiliyor. 

Mağaza, Temmuz 2020’de Bodrum Maçakızı Otel’de kapılarını açıyor. Akdeniz tarzından esinlenerek özenle seçilmiş ve hazırlanmış modern tasarımlardan oluşan koleksiyonlar, güneşi ve denizi anımsatan, neşeli kaçışların tuzlu hatıralarını saklayan seramiklerden, kıyafetlerden, aksesuarlardan ve dekoratif objelerden oluşan birer seçki. 

Projeye katılan onlarca seramik sanatçısı ve marka var. Bunlardan bazıları; Ayşe Tanman, Mesut Öztürk, Metin Ertürk, Pınar Baklan, Anais Margaux, Aslı Filinta, Begum Khan, Dice Kayek, Gül Hürgel, Homemade Aromaterapi, Marche İstanbul, Mehry Mu, Misela, Nackiye, Ninon, Piece of White, Serena Uziyel. 

@74escape 

Turkey's Bodrum peninsula is an absolute gem. Fringed by the crystal clear Aegean sea and peppered with authentic and pretty towns and villages, the Turquoise Coast it's known is inevitably and rightly getting more and more attention from wealthy vacationers around the world.

That has brought with it a glut of luxury resorts – Aman, Mandarin Oriental and a particularly ugly Hilton hotel all occupy prime spots up on pine-flecked hills over luminous blue bays. but it's the Turkish owned Macakizi that's the pick of the bunch. While not the most luxe (though high-end nonetheless), its more amenable price point (double rooms start from €425 ($475) in low season and €595 ($655), in high season including breakfast and dinner) and unassailable status as the best beach club in Bodrum make it the most compelling choice.

Set on the northern tip of gorgeous hay near the fashionable village of Türkbükü, Maçakizi climbs its way up a steep hill over four tiers from waterside dunking 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 color front magnolia and oleander-rich gardens hide a tangle of stone stairs and walkways snaking their way to the water's edge, connecting everything like arteries to a beating heart.

Among them sit 53 simple but comfortable rooms and 21 suites, many, but not all offering ocean views. Beds are big and comfy, doused in feather-soft covers and Rifal Özbek-designed cushions. My vast Bose TV sits unused on the wall as I prefer the views from my small private terrace. Bathrooms are travertine tiled with rainforest showers and Aqua di Parma toiletries.

Sensibly placed close to the rooms the airy breakfast pavilion alongside a quiet, deserted pool — conundrum quickly answered when compared to the waterfront setting. Below, a spa offering hammam and massage and a gym so buried behind plants it feels like working out in an airconditioned rainforest.

One tier down emerging from the green, and silver-leafed olive trees, the open-air a la carte restaurant is stylish but relaxed. It serves a mix of the Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine with a modern twist under the watchful eye of head chef Aref Sahakyan, who’s worked with the owner for more than 25 years.

Daily, fresh and flavorful breakfast and lunch buffets invite residents and day guests to drift in and out as hunger demands, keeping things buzzing but never too busy. Don't miss out on the manti, ground beef dumplings and daily octopus, which pair beautifully with a sizeable international wine list alongside excellent Turkish wines, in particular, those from the nearby Urla Winery. As darkness descends, soft lighting and candles add elegance and atmosphere. The service day and night in, in a word, faultless.

But it's the expanse of wooden boardwalks connecting warm waters to rows of cushioned day beds to a large central bar that are Macakizi's star attraction. Fanning out along the shore in an angular Aegean hug, they give well-heeled guests direct access to the water from their sun loungers while serving staff glide by silently behind white smiles and black Ray-Bans, topping up champagne glasses, delivering fresh towels to bathers emerging from the water, A live DJ curates a soundtrack to the entire show — well-chosen tunes that complement rather than intrude on the atmosphere.

Sahir Erozan, the Macakizi's owner and beating heart, is omnipresent. A hugely gregarious yet grounded character who named the resort in honor of his mother, - it translates as 'queen of spades' and was in turn the name of the artist retreat she set up in the 1970s - his spirit and personality seeps into every corner. He is a man who has no guests, no acquaintances - only very good friends who he greets more often than not by name. The Macakizi is all the richer for his presence, as his love of Turkey and enthusiasm for the good life lingers around him like the smoke from his ever present cigar.

Pack your most stylish swimsuit, your chicest shades and forget the rivieras you already know this summer, because you'll find the best party on the shores of the Turquoise Coast and the boardwalks of the Macakizi. But if the crowds and in-scene don't do it for you, the private Villa Macakizi is only a quick boat ride away sheltered in the cove of the aptly named Paradise Bay.

Fully serviced (including butlers), its ten rooms can host up to 20 people in complete luxury. There's a spa, huge pool, endless indoor-outdoor social areas - and those glorious trademark gardens that stand the Macakizi out from the crowd. It also has its own private jetty and waterfront scattered with loungers that take advantage of the idyllic setting.

“BODRUM WITH A VIEW” Edited By Christopher Silvester

When Sahir Erozan, owner of Bodrum’s Macakizi hotel, was seeking to convert an old seaside hotel near Bodrum into a chic private villa with 10 sumptuous sea-view suites, he chose the Rome-based architect Fabrizio Frezza to realise his vision.

The result is the glorious Villa Macakizi, a natural choice for weddings and landmark occasions, since it is a mere 35 minutes from Bodrum airport, can accommodate up to 400 guests for sit-down meals (with fine dining provided by Macakizi), and has all the facilities you would associate with a top-class hotel inside a private residence (spa, fitness centre, 24-hour butler service, etc).

With bougainvillea pouring over the edge of a flat roof that offers a magnificent view of Paradise Bay, as well as exotic gardens and terraces, it is the perfect party venue. While only 23 guests can stay at the Villa itself, your other guests can stay at Macakizi, which is only 10 minutes away by boat and 15 minutes by car. Prices start from €24,786 per night.

A spiky take on what’s hot for 2020

Originally conceived as a beach club, this Bodrum hotel will make you feel a part of the jet-set

Anyone forming their impression of Turkey's Mediterranean coast solely from the news reports of recent years might end up slightly terrified. But memories can be short. The sea is still a crystal-clear breathtaking blue, and the sun never stopped doing its daily dappled dance all over it. Everything's quite a bit cheaper too after US sanctions caused the Turkish currency to plunge in value. Suddenly there's a lot of people going to Turkey.

Not least in the upscale enclave around Bodrum, which looks like it's determined to have a bit of a moment. In common with other honeypots of holiday high fashion like Bali, Ibiza, or Goa, Bodrum's credentials were crystallized in a 1970s crucible of counterculture cool.

Not much more than a time-worn, overgrown village, the remnants of the ancient city of Halicarnassus, 50 years ago its slow-paced, off-grid allure attracted the attention of Turkey's wealthy Bohemian set. Ahmet Ertegun, the Turkish/American boss of Atlantic records, bought a rundown seafront property in Bodrum for $60,000 in the Seventies, his designer interior widow Mica, eventually sold in 2014 for €13 million.

His fellow pioneer was Ayla Emiroglu, an outlier for Istanbul's arty crowd, who converted a nearby property into a small hotel which she named Macakizi, the Queen of Spades. Bodrum was in with the in-crowd. Mick and Bianca were hanging out on the waterfront where women still washed their goats, and Rudolf Nureyev was dropping by for Sunday lunch, Ayla, nicknamed the Queen of Spades one night by a local Bodrum man became of the shape of her wild hairstyle, drew in Istanbul's rich and famous and mingled them with the musicians, writers, and artists of the day. Bodrum was on the map, and she was right there with it. The hotel relocated a few times until in 2000, in collaboration with her am Sahir, returned from a 20- year stint successfully operating nightclubs in the United States, Macakizi settled into its present position, 90 minutes north of Bodrum.

Originally conceived as a beach club, the current incarnation of Macakizi, nestled into a picture-perfect cove on the edge of the village of Golturkbuku, its 74 bougainvilleas, and oleander-festooned moms cascading down the hill behind, remains at the epicentre of Bodrum's ongoing evolution of opulence. Sahir runs the show now; the Queen of Spades has folded her hand in favour of the King of Clubs. On first name terms with A-listers across the globe, he is perhaps even more socially connected than his mother.

Recent years have seen luxury hotel brands slowly slide into Macakizi's slipstream and onto the surrounding coastline, adding style and substance to the concept of a Turkish Cote d'Azur. No matter how shiny and new, though, the corporate copycats simply can't dislodge this independent style-setter from a pole position that the queen bee created over forty years ago, and around which, everything has buzzed ever since.

To watch the day unfold at Macakizi, as it steadies itself from the night before and readies itself for the day ahead, is a trip to the theatre. Its beach club origins, where eating and drinking are very much to the fore, are evident from the cleverly conceived contemporary design, descending level by level from the expansive open-air breakfast pavilion to the Instagram-ready restaurant down the bayside sun decks and a seriously stylish, busy waterfront bar.

The rooms aren't especially glitzy, but somehow with innovative design and colourful landscaping, that doesn't seem to matter, because somehow it all works. The contemporary cutting edge of regular visitors like Kate Moss and Adam Clayton, sits seamlessly with Eastern Mediterranean glitterati that at times looks like it hasn't jetted far from the 1960s Jet-set, as it slowly smokes itself into oblivion.

Sahir himself has a cigar permanently glued to his lingers, in an image that should be screaming 'old fashioned plutocrat', but doesn't. On the contrary, this isn't so much a man whose linger is on the pulse; down this end of the Med, he is the pulse!

Every day, an overpowered powerboat pulls up and disgorges one of Turkey's wealthiest men for his lunchtime date. An impressively designed board-walk wraps around the waterfront, transforming the sea into a seductive saltwater swimming pool. The Mediterranean's east-meets-west of beautiful people is laid out three-deep in an oil-slicked siesta of silicon-supported sun worship. The catalogue of contradictions continues when high noon hits high society with the piercing notes of the call to prayer from the village mosque: a wake-up call that's met with bronzed bikini-clad puffs of nonchalance on cigarettes as thin as pipe cleaners. The Bodrum peninsula along this part of the turquoise coast, where the Aegean nestles up to the Mediterranean can be spectacularly beautiful. Slotting like a jigsaw into Greek islands so close you can almost touch them, their ancient intermingled histories deliver up culture, climate, and cuisine, as enchanting as any other corner of the Med.

Dining out in Turkey can be a revelation. The country that introduced agriculture into Ireland 6,000 years ago (according to 2010 academic findings also claiming the Turkish men who did so, fathered the nation!), can do delicious things with its bountiful produce, and there can be few better locations to savor Turkish cooking than in Macakizi's restaurant. The executive chef there, Aret Sahakyan, has been in place torn years and is regularly cited as the most accomplished exponent of Turkish gastronomy outside of Istanbul. The Turkish wine industry is also resurgent, with newly established ventures such as nearby Ude Winery producing wines of outstanding quality. After a trip out on Sahir’s yacht to visit Loft, the Macakizi branded development along the coast, which will offer short-term rentals when it opens next year, I Join him in a swim back to shore. It's the that time I've seen him without the cigar, although he could be doing breaststroke with it underwater.

TRAVEL FACTS
GETTING THERE: Ryanair flies Dublin to Bodrum from €50 return, visit ryanair.com
WHERE TO STAY: Macakizi operates April to October, from €475 per night, including a three-course dinner

The afternoon sun slants low; hazy as a dream, and paints the water gold. Out in the stillness of the hay a group of girls and boys swim, heads slick as seals, their laughter skipping over the sea hike a song. It is known as the Turquoise Coast but here, where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean, the colour of the sea is capricious as the shifting sky.

The sea informs everything in Bodrum. This place only realty makes sense from the water. Turkey's jagged south-west does not lend itself to sweeping corniches its evergreen peninsulas stretching out into the inky waters towards the Greek islands a couple of miles away. Its seafaring people lived around its edges, in disconnected fishing villages which, even now on Bodrum's sleepier neighbours of Bozburun and Datça, are only accessible from the sea. Well-groomed Bodrum also keeps secrets: fragments of islands too small to name, hidden coves where you drop anchor to swim in lagoons or come ashore for lunch at beach restaurants Bodrum's stars aligned almost 100 years ago when a writer-an aristocrat from Istanbul called Cevat Sakir Kabaağaçli - was exiled here for three year, In a hut! On a beach! He fell in love, of course and stayed for three decades. The local sponge divers showed him the underwater treasures. As the Fisherman of Halicarnassus, he wrote about Homer's land of eternal blue with its submerged cities, its imprints of Greeks and Roman, of saints and apostles, of Antony and Cleopatra. His idea of the Blue Voyage brought all Istanbul society to Bodrum, to spend summers sailing gulets along the fragrant toast.

Well-groomed Bodrum still keeps secrets: fragments of islands too small to name, hidden coves where you drop anchor to come ashore for lunch.

In the 1970s Bodrum emerged as the most glamorous spot in Turkey. And now, in pale-mineral Göltürkbükü bay, the waterside decks shine with oiled limbs lying cheek by jowl like a backgammon board. Hard to believe that a couple of years ago Europeans and Americans had all but stopped holidaying on the Turkish Riviera. It hasn't taken long to recover. 'People have short memories when the offering is this good,’ says Sahir Erozan, the owner of the hotel Maçakızı, surveying all the buzz and beauty with a fiendish grin.

It’s true, Bodrum is back with a bang, booming like never before, all aflutter with sleek openings which have manicured great swathes of the peninsula into next-level hotels. Old favorites have been revived; Nicolas Sarkozy was among those holing up at reopened Amanruya last summer. The newly enlarged Yalıkavak Marina is now deep and glitzy enough to accommodate superyachts with Monets and Rothkos on board.

Among the newcomers is the Bodrum Edition, importing Ian Schrager’s trademark all-white minimalism and knock-out proportions along with the star chef Diego Munoz from Peru, soft sand on the beach where children splash about on paddleboards and Balearic house music. Its bar Discetto, has a giant peek disco ball. Across the water on the mainland, an altogether more grown-up crowd drink cocktails from copper cups at Kaplankaya’s Anhinga beach bar. Rising up from the shore into a scrub of pistachio and olive trees, Kaplankaya is not just a hotel, but an entire new town: a turbo-smart hideout on a wildly ambitious scale, with one modernist Six Senses hotel and destination spa, and three more hotels in the offing (Cheval Blanc is confirmed) plus a marina by Foster & Partners. Kaplankaya's creator, Burak Oymen, spent hot, happy summers here as a child in the 1980s, his parents part of that Turkish intelligentsia lured by the Fisherman's tales. Like Bodrum, Burak grew up and made his fortune; and with it bought a stretch of empty land. 'I wanted to recreate the Bodrum of my childhood,' he says. Such is the power of nostalgia. It started simply, he and his girl Tereza living in a beach hut, not in exile but in love. If they wanted civilization, they took their boat across the bay for lunch at Maçakızı, the trade winds in their sails.

Maçakızı has encapsulated the spirit of Bodrum since it was opened in 1975 by Sahir Erozan's mother. It is authentically Turkish yet completely international, pretty yet progressive, barefoot and sexy as hell. Whitewashed suites tumble down the hillside among oleander and palms; then deck after deck for eating and drinking and dancing, all the way to the sea. Sahir is invariably found in the thick of things telling stories. He throws the kind of parties that get out of hand. 'You know — you tell two girls, they tell 88 people.' Guests waft around, brown skinned and beautiful with absurdly tiny waists. Kate Moss, so the story goes, checked out of nearby detox retreat LiteCo early and came straight to Maçakızı.

The hotel owner is invariably found in the thick of things, telling stories. He throws the kind of parties that get out of hand. ‘You know – you tell two girls, they tell 88 people’

People dance here all hours of the day, ebbing and flowing with the rhythm of the tides. It looks artfully effortless, but don't be fooled: this is a slick operation. Sahir spends his winters travelling the world for inspiration and rebuilding - last year adding a new beach club and state-of-the-art outdoor kitchen.

'Good, simple food like my mama used to make,' insists Sahir, when the dishes arrive. His mother -whose picture is in every room- must be a sensation in the kitchen, because this is no down-home cooking; it is accomplished and worldly wise, joy after jewel-coloured joy. Chargrilled octopus, its fat tentacle curled into a question mark, suckers like trumpet keys, comes with lentil cream and coconut vinaigrette. There's sun choke and purslane, roasted aubergine and stuffed vine leaves, and heavenly salads with spice. Forget your plans. Lunch Lasts all afternoon. By the end of it I am three hours late and three too many sheets to the wind to drive wherever it was I was supposed to be going. What fool drives here, anyway? 'The important thing is never to stop at stop signs,’ says Sahir. 'Because if you do the person behind will crash into the back of you.’ Luckily, Sahir has a boat. Someone in Bodrum always has a boat.

Like the sponge divers of Bodrum past, restaurant owner Çağlar Bozçağa still swims for his supper. Even this morning, with a broken leg, he slipped off the plaster cast to free-dive 25 metres down and pluck urchins from the sea bed as though it were an underwater larder. Whatever he does not slice open and eat raw for lunch on his boat, he serves in his restaurant, Orfoz. It is found on an unlikely side street of Bodrum City, where bergamot trees planted by the Fisherman of Halicarnassus shade the whitewashed buildings, next to a statue of the cross-dressing singer Zeki Müren. Beneath the bougainvillea Çaglar is clattering around on crutches, balancing plates of meze and pouring homemade wine from bottles scribbled with 'Chardonnay' and 'Shiraz’ in marker pen. It all looks unassuming, but what he serves is a bold adventure in seafood. Grouper soup is followed by morsels of house-smoked eel; oysters grilled with Parmesan; stone crab and sea snails and huge clams in their shells, sweetness in saltwater. The grand finale is testing: mantis-shrimp ceviche. Çaglar is particularly delighted by these semi-opaque götügöz (ghosts), which he gleefully calls 'eyes on arse'. People who lustily slurp down oysters should try raw mantis-shrimp ceviche. I manage a head or an arse, I can't tell which; then sink a glass of biodynamic white in a rush. It is made in a tiny local vineyard called Neferiye. The hand-labelled bottles may hint at moonshine, but the wine is good, clean and sweet, as Çaglar points out, ‘They've been malting wine in Bodrum since 2000BC.’ Homegrown and home-cooked is not a trend here, but an eternal way of life. At the peninsula's quiet tip, Gümüşlük's sheltered shore is lined with rustic restaurant tables set literally in the water ( in-the-know Turks head for Mimoza, the best of them), so you can cool your toes while you eat what the fishing boats hauled in that morning. Hidden in the hills above, bohemian Limon is possibly the best sunset spot anywhere, a patched-together outdoor café with bright-painted sculptures among the mismatched vintage furniture, and festoon lighting strung tree to tree, serving seasonal dishes and mama's legendary mint lemonade. Nearby, grass-rootsy Adali Kafe opened in summer 2018: blue views on a cool hillside, where the family pour local Vin Bodrum and grow their own tomatoes. Turks, like Italians, can talk about tomatoes for hours. In Bodrum the pink ones are the sweetest; seek them out in the market, where the sellers tease with scoops of stardust, offering them up to my lips to taste and leaving the scent in my hair and on my skin. People still shop like this here. Testing the firmness of fruit and swapping cookery tips. Around the periphery, old men sit in the shade beneath strings of dried chilis, smoking like mad and drinking sweet black tea, and playing okey (rummikub with Turkish rules), the tiles rattling in their hands like pebbles in a jar.

Old and new swim together in Bodrum. As the muezzin calls at dawn, young things are swaying home, the night finally over. Out to sea, a gulet cuts across the water, its prow thrusting sharp as a sailfish. There's a softness to the early-morning light that's something close to nostalgia for this very moment, even as it happens. And it is easy to see how, despite all Bodrum's newfound glossiness, you can fall in love with the simple life here. Just as long as there is good food, to eat and good wine to drink, and someone has a boat.

WHERE TO STAY

Maçakızı
One of the Mediterranean’s most blissful little seaside hotels. There are 74 fairly simple rooms (though you wouldn’t know it) among the tropical and Mediterranean greenery, bowers of bougainvillea framing sea views from every spot. It has a small but marvelous spa, a beach-rocking bar and the best restaurant in all Bodrum. In the pipeline for 2020: summer hotel residences, Maçakızı Lofts. macakizi.com. Doubles from about £450 half board.

MAÇAKIZI
Bodrum Peninsula, Turkey

Maçakızı is, in a word, hot. Its hip-hotel credentials have endured since its opening in the Seventies, when it established itself as a favorite summer escape for the super-chic. This glamorous ‘beach restaurant with rooms’ is made for a good time, with daybeds and a pavilion decked out with comfortable sofas scattered with Rıfat Özbek's Yastik cushions. Maçakızı is the epitome of understated good taste across a myriad of chilling spaces, from the utterly serene palm-shaded pool to the lower level beach, a vibrant expanse of canopied decking that is the place to while away the day, going directly from sun lounger to sea as a DJ spins soft disco classics. Delicious cocktails are served by well-dressed waiters, relaxed lunches roll into mellow evenings, and you can always find the owner, Sahir Erozan, holding court at the bar chatting to his loyal customers. With a fabulous restaurant conceived by Turkey's star chef, Aret Sahakyan, a gym, spa and Turkish bath to recover from the glut of indulgence, the chicest boutique and a yacht for rent, Maçakızı encapsulates the joyous spirit of a barefoot beach club at its best. Double, from £368 (macakizi.com)

Want to work out like an A-lister? Maybe in an outdoor studio by the ocean? With their ruthlessly effective personal training and high-luxe locations, it's no wonder many of Hollywood's elite blaze a trail to Bodyism. If you're interested in a full-body reset with a kick of sunshine, you'd do well to consider their new retreats in Kate Moss' favorite Bodrum hotel, Maçakızı.
Entirely bespoke, each retreat begins with a full-body analysis, encompassing sleep patterns, nutritional deficits and hormone imbalances. This information feeds into a programme based on functional strength and interval work, balanced with yoga and massage. Each session builds to the next so your body is efficiently and completely worked — a wonderful excuse to spend the rest of your time idling among the beautiful people on sundecks built out over the Aegean.

For those who are less interested in change, but who want to maintain their physique while dancing late under the stars with the supermodels who come ashore from their superyachts — no problem. "Some people come for transformation," says Nathalie Schyllert, the fearsomely talented former model and CEO who has taken over James Duigan's share of the Bodyism business. 'Some people come to Bodyism to balance the partying..." There's even a Bodyism-styled cocktail of vodka, mint and lime.

As well as Maçakızı, Bodyism has a second base a 20-minute helicopter hop along the turquoise coast. D-Maris Bay is a far larger hotel, with five private beaches and six restaurants (don't miss the "meat sushi" at the steakhouse Nusr-Et, as liked by the eponymous chefs 19 million Instagram followers).
As with Maçakızı, the Bodyism team will design a menu for you to work best with your regime and room service will deliver your pre- and post-workout supplements. Perhaps take your training session out on the hotel's 14-metre sailing yacht; maybe make your post-workout protein hit some black cod under the stars at the only outdoor Zuma. I mean, you owe it to yourself, right? From £2,400 for four nights. bodyism.com

At this little-known treasure it’ll be just you and beautiful Turkish models and actors you won’t recognize sunbathing and taking dips in the Aegean.

At this little-known treasure it’ll be just you and beautiful Turkish models and actors you won’t recognize sunbathing and taking dips in the Aegean. Macakizi.com

As the far end of the town of Türkbükü, an unmarked path meanders up into the hills to the Maçakızı a regal hotel and classic beach club (the name translates as Queen of Spades) on Bodrum’s most exclusive bay. Hidden behind a riot of bougainvillea, the terraced wooden decks meander down the hillside to the sea and have hosted a smart yacht set and innumerable Hollywood A-listers for almost 40 years. Revelers arrive early to snap up a seat at the bar, feed the incongruous flock of tame ducks, and sip a signature Dirtier Diva (rum, passion fruit, ginger, lime and chili). The restaurant has a terrific supper menu, including dishes such as pan-seared sea bass and roast rack of lamb with sun-dried-tomato-and-feta pesto and smashed potato. +90 252 311 2400 macakizi.com Dirtier Diva cocktail £14

Tucked away in a glittering corner of the Bodrum peninsula, Maçakızı does the chic-seaside-scene thing to a T. Yes it’s glamorous and sexy and fabulous. But it’s also very laidback, which means the charming staff couldn’t give a monkeys if you’re Kate Moss (a regular) or just an average Joe. The beach deck is the hotel’s heartbeat flop on a sun lounger, toes tickling the turquoise Aegean, and peer over your paperback as the bronzed and beautiful swan around clutching icy mojitos. Now put that book away and order a cocktail. Things get amped up at sundown as pit-stopping superyachts arrive to get their pre-dinner groove on (spot the DJ hidden in the hot-pink bougainvillea); the music and the drinks flow until the early hours. Snaffle up plates of ocean-fresh seabass in the restaurant (a foodie destination in itself), then float back up the hillside. Big, breezy bedrooms are spread around cottages with cooling stone floors and powder-white sofas: the perfect, head-clearing antidote to all the happens, down by the water.

HIT THE DECK – TURKEY
Preface
On the north side of Bodrum in the village of Türkbükü lies the Maçakızı hotel, nestled in the hills. Family run, it was founded in 1977 as a place of inspiration for artists and intellectuals. It’s also the perfect spot to get that first bit of spring sun in our cruise and swimwear.

Like Rick's Cafe, everybody—or so it would appear during summer's long, sun-drenched days and jasmine-scented nights—comes to the Macakizi. Here, in this once inconsequential Aegean port on Turkey's newly discovered southern coast, Sahir Erozan has created more than just another hotel or fashionable beach dub but rather a world of in own, splashed against the sparkling waters of the sea and embraced by a new international jet set of sophisticated travelers, from Manhattan red estate wizards and French media stars to the occasional Kennedy and the opulently tanned and white-bikinied beach princesses from Kazakhstan and Cairo.

Nor that for all high-finance or rich-guy frivolity here on the Turkish Riviera- Merchants hawk “Turkish" silver and dried apricots in the nearby seaside souks, and burly fishermen still sell unrecognizable sea creatures from wooden baskets. Where, too, I ask, are you ever going to find Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia at Sunday brunch on the sundeck overlooking Paul Allen's yacht, the Octopus? True story. But more about that later I'm getting ahead of myself.

Call them Luxury's New Lifestyle Nomads—those fiercely curious, competitively discerning travelers manage, before the rest of us, through some sort of carefully calibrated inner radar, to know where to and whom to know. I first met Sahir in Istanbul last January at his house on the Bosphorus. "You must one day come to the Macakizi,” he said with a fluid pronunciation that I still haven't mastered—properly pronounced it's Mah-tcha-kee-zeeh. “We’ll have fun.” I told him I had been there having sailed, thanks to the hospitality of good friends, on a particularly magnificent gulet from the port of Göcek out final stop in Bodrum, where we bunked for one night at his hotel. I said I had always hoped to return.

Bodrum is a port city on the southern coast of the Bodrum Peninsula. (Historians, take note: This is also the site of Halicarnassus and the Mausoleum of Maussollos, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.) Here, about 45 minutes from the airport, on a winding, dusty road, is Türkbükü, a tiny fishing village with the chic, sophisticated scent of the Cote d'Azur. That, too, is the appeal of the hotel: As the rest of the world becomes bloated with bold-faced and brand names, the Macakizi has most defiantly not. At least not yet. "If we were really smart," an LA businessman confides to me over a lunch of grilled octopus and a Moet Ice with mint on the rocks, "you and I would scrape together a few bucks and invest now. This place has The New St.-Tropez written all over it."

In a feat of architecture masterminded high above the Aegean Sea, the Macakizi's 74 rooms and villas are cantilevered over a rocky hillside, past an open-air cocktail bar, lunch terrace and pool. It is, in fact, about 120 steps from the open-plan lobby, dining morn, gym and hammam to the water's edge, where Sahir has created his piece de resistance: a huge, U-shaped, tented wooden deck, where hot summer afternoons morph into cool, cashmere-sweatered nights. After dinner it’s the sounds overlapping waves, guests laughing in different languages and the low beat of lounge music into the wee hours.

Now about Ginsburg and Scalia: At 19, Sahir left Turkey for America to “get educated,” as his parents told him. An uncle taught at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore ("Not that I stood a chance of going there," he says), and as the family was keen on education and one of the more powerful newspapers in Turkey, Washington, D.C., seemed like a good stop. It was-- and wasn't. Sahir ended up not finishing college. "I was always kind of the black sheep of the family," he says. Instead he began a career as a sommelier, then as captain and waiter, eventually as a restaurateur. There were the fancy joints like Le Pavillon and Le Lion d'Or. Then he created his own, first Cold Med and then Cities in 1987.

Back in Turkey, Sahir’s mother has started the first beach club in Bodrum, in the mid-‘80s. In 2002, her son returned home and expanded on her original idea. Twelve years ago, they had opened the Macakizi in its current incarnation. It was, to be honest, a visit by Caroline Kenned and her husband Edwin Schlossberg, reported by gossip columnist Cindy Adams in the New York Post, that first got my attention. As far as Ruth and Antonin? Sahir says, “I don’t like to comment on famous people. It’s not nice.”

Nice is what this guy specializes in. To the max. His role is to life here a floating banquet of good friends and energy, fabulous food and Sternal summers. "My mother's now in her seventies, but I try to carry on in her original spirit, that same feeling that this is a living thing. Neither trendy modern nor old and classic. It's somewhere you feel at home.” Sahir says it's all about location. they places may have opened more recently (the new Amanruya is 20 minutes away), and more are to come (including a $200 million Mandarin Oriental scheduled for 2014). "I do think this is one of the most perfect locations on which you could build a hotel, a beach and a restaurant. It’s on a slope and the sun goes east to west, so you get light all day, breeze and waves but no choppy waters."

Life here is all about the sea and the sun, leisurely lunches of the grilled fob and endless muses and candlelit dinners by Ares Sahakyan, the Armenian Turk whom Sahir met years back in D.C. Not that there isn't plenty to do—seaside shopping for trinkets just down the hill in Türkbükü or perhaps a day at sea, maybe with Sahir himself or on his one-of-a-kind Ferretti 48 high-performance boat, designed as a prototype for a race in Monte Carlo. After all, Leros and that Greek island's best restaurant, Mylos Tavern, are only an hour away by boat. Just tell them Sahir sent you. They'll know what you mean. This year Sahir began a major renovation. "Everybody was com-plaining and yelling—'How can you charge this much for rooms with no TV or music?' What can I say? They all hated my hundred-dollar TVs. So I redid the rooms and replaced them," he says. When the hotel opens in April (it closes this season on November 1), Sahir will have completely redone every room, the gym and the pool, replacing the latter with an infinity pool fronted by an enormous aquarium.

This year Sahir began a major renovation. "Everybody was com-plaining and yelling—`How can you charge this much for rooms with no TV or music?' What can I say? They all hated my hundred-dollar TVs. So I redid the rooms and replaced them," he says. When the hotel opens in April (it closes this season on November 1), Sahir will have completely redone every room, the gym and the pool, replacing the latter with an infinity pool fronted by an enormous aquarium. He won't touch the original artwork by Suat Akdemir, but Turkish designer Rifat Ozbek will design new bed linens. "Even fish for the aquarium will be from these waters, not those silly bright-colored things from Hawaii," he says. "This is, after all, Turkey!"

On a peninsula with its share of opulent villas and over-the-top resorts, Maçakızı (pronounced mahcha-kiz-uh) is a standout, the sexiest hotel in all of Bodrum. That it’s hardly a traditional hotel is one reason; it feels more like the shoreside estate of some globe-trotting Turkish family blessed with considerable wealth but also the good sense to keep things simple. The property unfolds along a hillside studded with olive trees, tangerine groves, and bursts of bougainvillea. Eighty-one guest rooms are minimally but tastefully furnished and swathed in creamy white, punctuated by the bold abstract canvases of Turkish painter Suat Akdemir. Balconies offer knockout views of Türkbükü Harbor.

In July and August that harbor fills up with yachts and impossibly tall sailing ships, their masts piercing the sky like minarets. All day and night, launches to glide to and fro across alight at Maçakızı, whose beach club is a landmark in Türkbükü: a series of wooden decks over the water, strewn with white cushions and pillows, shaded by sailcloth canopies and twig-roofed pavilions. The water is clear and generally calm, sheltered within a semiprivate cove. Most guests spend their daylight hours -and much of the evening- at the beach. Every so often the muezzin’s call the prayer drifts across the water from the town mosque, a trebly counterpoint to the languid jazz playing at the bar.

Maçakızı is, in fact, owned by a globe-trotting Turkish family. Ayla Emiroğlu, who moved here from Istanbul in 1977, runs the hotel with her son Sahir Erozan, a former restaurateur who spent two decades in the power-dining rooms of Washington, D.C. At Maçakızı, the guest list alone is intriguing: Caroline Kennedy, Chelsea Clinton, Antonin Scalia, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg have all vacationed here, along with the requisite Turkish music and film stars. During the summer, paparazzi float in Zodiacs just offshore, training telephoto lenses on Maçakızı’s decks.

While it’s definitely a scene in high season, Erozan does his best to keep the atmosphere refined, the crowd just this side of raucous. Ant the food – served on a breezy terrace just above the beach – is fabulous, particularly the lunch buffet, with its tantalizing array of Turkish kebabs and meze: flaky spinach börek, stuffed peppers spiked with cloves, and a smoky patlıcan salatası (eggplant purée) that haunts me still.

So the heat and the maps put a damper on our explorations. By 3 p.m. we’d usually turn back, exhausted to Maçakızı, change into our swimsuits, and hit the decks. Here, people had more sense. None of them had broken a sweat. For the beautiful Maçakızians, sightseeing was limited to ogling their own cartoonish bodies: an all-day parade of gazelle-like women and the men who love them, or at least pay for their drinks. The women change bikinis after every dip in the water – seven, eight times in an afternoon, each swimsuit with a corresponding (and wholly ineffective) cover-up.