JUNE 2021
A LOVE STORY
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.