Kate Moss. Beyoncé. Jade Jagger. The amount of celebrities flocking to Bodrum over the past few decades has put the Turkish Riviera firmly on the A-list map. And it’s not difficult to see why. With cliff top resorts clinging to the hillside and dazzling views of the cobalt-blue Aegean Sea, Bodrum is often breathlessly described as “the new St. Tropez”. Every summer brings an influx of Arabian princes, Euro stallions and supermodels who descend in their droves to yacht hop, sun tan and dance the night away. Even in the whitewashed rusticity of Bodrum’s quiet lanes, where old men squat on stools playing backgammon and cats mewl from doorways, celebrities are a common sight.
“Kate Moss? Yes, she comes here every year,” says Ibrahim, the owner of Bodrum Arkada Sandalet (Cumhuriyet Caddesi Hilmi Uran Meydani No. 2; Tel: +90 252 316 8497; www.bodrumsandalet.com). I’ve happened across Ibrahim’s tiny shopfront in the cobbled lanes of Bodrum’s old town, which has sold handcrafted leather sandals since 1941, cladding the famous feet of Moss, Mick Jagger and Catherine Zeta-Jones. “Last time, she bought three pairs,” he says, pointing to a pair of brown, studded gladiator-style sandals on the shelf.
The crystalline Aegean Sea in Bodrum keeps luxury lovers coming back year after year
Flat sandals – indeed, flat shoes in general – seem to be de rigeur in Bodrum. But not any old flat shoes, mind you. Hermès loafers will do for strolling through the small boutiques and ateliers in the old town’s laneways, taking respite from the summer heat with a pastel-coloured ice cream (tangerine is a local specialty). Chanel espadrilles are what you’ll need to clamber the stone steps of the Castle of St. Peter (Bodrum Castle) or navigate the crumbling, 18th-century windmills set high on a hillside in Gümbet for a dizzying panorama over the Aegean.
As for yacht hopping? A pair of Tod’s leather boat shoes will hold you in good stead at the gleaming Palmarina Bodrum (Tel: +90 252 311 0600; www.palmarina.com.tr), the largest marina in Turkey at Yalıkavak, which opened in 2013. With more than 70 berths for superyachts, megayachts and gigayachts, the marina has even lured yachting royalty like Roman Abramovich. The Russian billionaire and Chelsea Football Club owner made an appearance aboard his 163.5-m gigayacht Eclipse last year, undoubtedly enjoying the marina’s clutch of exclusive restaurants like Cipriani and Nobu Bodrum, and an offshoot of Billionaire Club by former F1 boss Flavio Briatore, where the party carries on well into the dawn.
Fine dining by the sea at Cipriani Bodrum
If you do happen to be in Bodrum for all-night partying, there’s really only one other place that compares: the chic (and legendary) Halikarnas (Kumbahçe Mah, Cumhuryet Caddesi 132; www.halikarnas.com.tr). Halikarnas, which has been open since 1979, believe it or not, is an open-air mega club built like an amphitheatre facing the harbour, where international DJs like David Morales and Seb Fontaine man the decks. It isn’t only for clubbers however; there’s also a VVIP French restaurant, Secret Garden, designed by Jade Jagger, who has holidayed in Bodrum since she was a child.
Another favourite haunt for Istanbul socialites and international A-listers is found in the chic bay of Türkbükü at boutique hotel Maçakızı (Baarası Mah, Mula; Tel: +90 252 311 2400; www.macakizi.com) where you can rub tanned shoulders with the glitterati dining on chef Aret Sahakyan’s fusion of Turkish and Mediterranean flavours beneath a canopy of bougainvillea and century-old olive trees.
With so many well-heeled travellers flocking to Bodrum each summer, it’s little wonder a raft of new snazzy resorts have launched on the peninsula in the past year, though none are as palatial as Jumeirah Bodrum Palace. The “palace” moniker of this sprawling resort, which opened in May commanding its own hillside overlooking Zeytinlikahve Cove, is far from a misnomer. The property covers a colossal 110,000 square metres with numerous restaurants and an opulent Talise Spa with 12 treatment rooms.
Fortunella Restaurant at Jumeirah Bodrum Palace
Every inch of the resort is fittingly regal, from the mix of stately suites and Maldivian-styled villas named “Royal”, “Majestic” and “Imperial” to the dancing fountains and Romanesque statues of voluptuous women and lions mid-roar adorning the resort’s grounds. There are a number of luxury boutiques selling diamond-encrusted necklaces or exquisite Turkish carpets adjacent to the lobby, with Chanel and Fendi handbags displayed in a cabinet near Gloriette restaurant where guests dine for breakfast (just in case the appetite for a Chanel clutch should suddenly strike).
Set over tiered landscaped gardens, the resort spills down the hillside to the sea, where bubblegum pink sun loungers set up along a timber jetty provide a pop of colour against the powder-blue skies. Even though guests can leap directly from the pier into the Aegean, most have access to their own pool. The resort’s sizeable main pool is spread across two tiers, complete with a miniature splash park for children. The pools shared between Grand Suites are long enough to do laps in, while the Maldivian suites and villas have their own private infinity pools. Chatting to general manager Mete Atakuman, an affable Australian-Turk who has overseen the resort’s refurbishment and opening, I pose the question: Just how many pools are there? “Including the decorative pools?” he says, with a grin. “More than 100.”
The Jumeirah Bodrum Palace in all its sprawling glory
Gold (and lots of it) is another signature of this palatial Jumeirah property. In my Grand Suite, gold adorns nearly every piece of furniture and ornament, from the desk, the lamps and the bathroom tiles to the gilded frames that surround the wall-to-wall mirrors. A bubble bath in the freestanding gold tub would make anyone feel like a princess, though bona-fide royalty might choose to stay in the resort’s grandest suite, aptly named “The Palace”. The 2,000-sqm residence, fitted with a royal living room and six deluxe master bedrooms with marble bathrooms, has every facility a royal might expect, from butler service and private pools to a Turkish hammam and sauna, along with a private beach and an exclusive pier – ideal if you want to BYOB (bring your own boat).
If you happen to be a “have yacht” like Abramovich, the Aegean Sea is the ultimate playground. But even the “have nots” can board a gulet (a traditional wooden boat) for a day of sailing, which is one of the best ways to take a gander at the peninsula’s beauty. There are countless operators offering day trips and I join one for a leisurely day of cruising around the coastline, dropping anchor in secluded coves and bays where tiny fish dart in translucent waters, and the only sound is cicadas trilling in the midday heat or the soft clatter of wooden backgammon pieces.
Palmarina Spa & Fitness Center at Palmalife Wellness
Other bays, like the immensely popular Orak Island, are noisier affairs, with house music thumping from gulets and yachts, ice cream-selling dinghy vendors motoring past, and holidaying Turkish youths hurling themselves into turquoise waters, their limbs glistening with suntan oil. But even with the ruckus, I can’t help but feel enchanted by Bodrum – its laid-back charm and the panache in which it manages to pull off both the perfect blend of tradition and hedonism.
Back at the harbour, I stroll along the promenade, past a boutique where a pair of tan-legged women clad in Ralph Lauren polo dresses peruse evil eye amulets and pistachio lokum (Turkish delight). Just next door, a group of leathery-skinned, whiskery-bearded gulet captains puff on shisha at a café. It’s only early afternoon, but they order a chilled, aniseed-flavoured raki. “Şerefe!” they say, smiling as I walk past. “Şerefe,” I reply.
