January 2026
Over the past decade, Bodrum has cranked up the voltage. The once-sleepy Aegean town now mimics the pulse of Mykonos with its bottle-service beach clubs and raki-soaked parties. Shiny new hotels open each season, but sitting above the fray is Macakizi. A sprawl of whitewashed cottages half hidden beneath retina-popping bougainvillea that spills down to a yacht-dotted bay, it’s a pulse-slowing alternative to the party scene just 40 minutes away in downtown Bodrum.
Most of the day takes place on the sun-dappled wooden jetty — swimming, reading and playing backgammon — with the luckiest guests bagging the front loungers by the ladder that slips straight into the ocean. Stray cats sleep under tables and no one’s in a hurry, yet although service seems relaxed, staff don’t ask for anyone’s room number twice.
The property began as a guesthouse opened by Ayla Emiroglu (nicknamed ‘Macakizi’, or Queen of Spades) in the 1970s, and quickly became a word-of-mouth classic. Today it’s still the place those in the know return to — same room, same table, same sunbed.
Throughout the day guests — silver-haired regulars, art industry insiders and off-duty directors — slip in from the jetty barefoot for long, languid lunches. At dusk the sound of the lapping tide is drowned out by the clinking of ice before dinner, when silk shirts and Hermès scarves set loose as everyone lingers over dishes that taste of the land and sea.
Bodrum may have changed over the years, but Macakizi is still its original glamourpuss.
October 2025
Tyrkiet klinger måske umiddelbart af Alanya, billig bazar og charterrejser, men i Bodrum, sydvest for hovedstaden Istanbul, får du alt andet. Kom med til det ultimative ferieparadis lige ud til Middelhavet, hvor det salte hav, lækre krydrede køkken og ultimativ luksus står på dagsordenen.
Hotellet Macakizi, eller spardame som det betyder, er til dig, der er til gennemsyret luksus og lækkerhed, men ikke på den corporate og kædeagtige måde. Det femstjernede luksus-boutique-hotel blev grundlagt i 1977 af den nuværende ejer Sahir Erozans mor, Ayla Emiroglu, og netop Ayla er også at mærke overalt på den kuperede og lilla blomstrende grund.
Ikke alene er en af de tre restauranter (den ene med en Michelin-stjerne) opkaldt efter hende, hun er faktisk spardame, som hotellets navn betyder, og det lille sparlogo finder du subtilt gemt mange steder på hotellet. P.S. snyd ikke dig selv for at prøve den tyrkiske vinproducent Chamlija, som blandt andet serveres her på hotellets restauranter.
Glæd dig til en overdådig, men ikke grotesk, morgenmadsbuffet, hvor friske frugter, grøntsager, ost, krydderurter, æg, brød, meze og lækkerier à la tahin- og pistaciekager venter. Er du modig (og glad for salt) kan du starte dagen med en hjemmelavet ayran – den kolde, ekstremt salte yoghurtdrik, du måske kender fra kebabshops, men som her kommer i alt andet end et plastikbæger – hvis altså ikke du allerede har skudt morgenen i gang i hotellets fitness- eller spaafdeling.
Ved formiddagstid åbner “the deck”, hvor du kun skal tage stilling til ét spørgsmål: Sol eller skygge? Og fortryder du dit valg senere på dagen, kommer det veloplagte personale og skubber dit hullede stoftag frem og tilbage på skinner højt over din madras, så du får det præcis, som du vil have.
Hele området, der også huser frokostrestauranten Café Med og den cool, centrerede bar, ligger lige ud til det salte Middelhav, så du dels kan holde øje med bølgeskvulp og dels de imponerende både, der suser frem og tilbage i horisonten.
På de lækkert indrettede værelser ved man godt, at det hele handler om den vidunderlige udsigt, og derfor er de designet præcis derefter. Er du glad for kunst og smukke ting at kigge på, skal du glæde dig til at gå på opdagelse fra receptionen til loungeområdet ved morgenmaden samt endda på vejen til toiletterne. Macakizi er gennemsyret luksus, men på “den der lever stille, lever bedst”-måden.
Tekst: Nikita Hoffmann Andersen
December 2025
At this enlighteningly epicurean place, every detail is “just so” and – hats off to chef Aret Sahakyan – especially in the culinary department, where all is deliciously local. It starts at breakfast on a bougainvillea-adorned terrace. But after feasting on the flakiest spinach-and-cheese pies, what’s to do? Well, days can be spent lounging on the hotel’s destination beach. And then there is lunch, which could cure even the most buffet-phobic. Choose from all kinds of fabulous green bean and chickpea salads, as well as lentils and black rice, and chicken and meats whose divine flavour comes from the charcoal and woodsmoke over which they’re cooked. Special mention for its courgette fries, fluffy flatbreads, stuffed vine leaves, kofte and more-ish Turkish pizza called lahmacun. For eating as high theatre, make for the Ayla Emiroğlu restaurant, named after founder Sahir Erozan’s legendary mother, who started Maçakizi as a guesthouse back in 1977. Here, Sahakyan serves beetroot millefeuille with caviar, lobster poached in a rose butter and the most deliciously aged smokey rib-eye, drizzled with dark chocolate sauce. Everything here is of serous quality- including the negronis, made with the hotel’s own rose liqueur, which are truly decadence incarnate.
August 2025
MAÇAKIZI, LA REINA TURCA
¿Sabría Ayla Emiroğlu que su bohemio Maçakızı iba a terminar siendo una leyenda hotelera en Bodrum?
POR QUÉ RESERVAR
Hablar de Maçakızı es hablar de lujo, por descontado, pero es también hablar de un lugar que rebosa estilo, carisma, espíritu bohemio, hedonismo. Oculto entre olivares, buganvillas y pinos, este hotel es apenas imperceptible tanto desde la tierra como desde el mar. Es el reflejo perfecto de las vacaciones soñadas, de ese lugar que podría protagonizar cualquier película.
EL HOTEL
Consagrado como un clásico en la vacacional península de Bodrum, se podría describir el hotel como el chico malo de buena familia. Carismático, el espíritu rebelde y bohemio propio de los setenta se conjuga con una privacidad exquisita y un elevado gusto por el detalle. Aquí el lujo está en el detalle, en el placer de estar en un lugar de casi 80 habitaciones pero sin parecerlo. En caminar entre parterres y disponer de villas donde disfrutar de unas vistas de ensueño. En poder estar solo si se quiere, pero disponer de uno de los puntos de meollo más exclusivos de la zona con solo descender a su piscina. Esa piscina, sin duda de los mejores spot que uno puede imaginar.
HISTORIA
Antes de que Bodrum fuera la Saint-Tropez turca, con jets privados, enormes yates y lista de espera para todo, Ayla Emiroğlu ya estaba allí. Corría el año 1977 cuando abrió una pensión en un lugar donde las carreteras y el turismo brillaban por su ausencia. Pero ella, que todo el mundo que la conoció la tacha de visionaria, debió ver el potencial del lugar. Su B&B se llamó Maçakızı, que se traduce como ‘la reina de picas’, como la llamaban sus amigos. Tenía pocas habitaciones, baños compartidos, mezze casero y un jardín salvaje de limoneros y buganvillas. ¿Qué hizo convertir este lugar en un atractivo para la jet set más bohemia? El carácter de ella.
Dos décadas después, su hijo Sahir Erozan decidió continuar el legado familiar adaptando Maçakizi al lujo contemporáneo pero sin perder su esencia. El resultado es un espacio abierto al mar, escondido entre naturaleza, donde menos es más. Madera, piedra, arquitectura sencilla y plantas por doquier recuerdan que no es la ostentosidad lo que marca la diferencia, si no la energía. Y en Maçakızı es mágica, como llegar a casa por Navidad.
DISEÑO
Todo en el hotel está pensado para abrazar la luz del Egeo. Terraza a terraza, el hotel está encaramado a una ladera, asomándose aquí y allá con discreción. Las buganvillas le dan toques de color al diseño mediterráneo del hotel, donde priman los colores crudos, (mucho) arte discreto y materiales naturales.
Desde unos grandes ventanales uno disfruta de las vistas mientras arranca el día con un exquisito desayuno. Es la parte alta del hotel. Un camino lleva ora una piscina perfecta para niños, ora el spa – donde abandonarse a la piedra caliente de mármol del hammam–. Ya casi a nivel de mar aparece el restaurante Maçakızı, ajetreado a todas horas. Y debajo de él, la gran joya del hotel: su beach club abierto al mar con un precioso embarcadero de madera y tumbonas.
LAS HABITACIONES
Todo en el hotel respira lujo natural. Y las estancias no son menos. Las habitaciones blancas y gris pardo son encantadoras. Como la casa de campo de un amigo adinerado donde nada sobra, nada falta. Sábanas suaves, duchas amplias, una terraza privada, buganvillas que aportan sombra.
GASTRONOMÍA
La cocina de Aret Sahakyan se ha ganado a pulso la lista de espera que tiene cada verano. Cuando Sahir tomó el mando, llamó a este cocinero amigo formado en restaurantes italianos y franceses de Washington. Ya son dos décadas al mando de una cocina de producto y recetario local cuyo brunch en formato buffet le ha valido estrella Michelin.
Este hotel se disfruta de desayuno a cena. El día arranca con quesos locales, frutas y verduras de temporada (muy típico el pimiento verde en los desayunos turcos), simit (pan turco), miel natural, yogur… El desayuno es todo un ritual aquí. Aunque el almuerzo tampoco se queda corto. Tras un buen baño, la zona de restaurante se llena de vaporosos caftanes dispuesta a disfrutar de una carta donde no falta el pescado fresco del día, unas sugerentes pastas caseras, o una buena selección de meze reinterpretados, tampoco el vino turco. Aunque es su buffet el que tanto huéspedes como visitantes reservan con fervor.
Éste es un homenaje al que Ayla preparaba cada mediodía en su guesthouse. De hecho, se sigue dando un toque de gong para anunciar que todo está preparado. Dichosos los ojos que puedan ver en directo este festín. Ensaladas con hierbas del huerto, berenjenas y pimientos en todas sus formas, arroces, pastas y, por supuesto, clásicos como albóndigas de cordero.
El año pasado estrenó el hotel Ayla, para solo 30 comensales. La apuesta fine dining es un corto pero acertado menú degustación. Nuevamente en la sencillez reside el éxito. Sobre una plataforma, solo seis mesas con vistas al mar invitan a disfrutar de una experiencia en actos, como si de un teatro (o película) se tratase. Una carta de amor a la gastronomía turca donde muchos de los productos, orgánicos, son cultivados ad hoc en las granjas de la zona. Se huye de la rigidez y de la imposición incluso aquí, donde es el comensal el que elige qué tomará en cada acto, si será el Milhojas de remolacha, corek, kaymak (tipo nata montada) y caviar o prefiere dejarse seducir por el Tarama, con alcachofas, huevas de pescado y bottarga.
EL EQUIPO
Como no podía ser de otra forma, es eficiente pero sin ser intrusivo, siempre atento, siempre elegante.
EL DETALLE
Para aquellos que buscan todavía más privacidad, el hotel ha estrenado la Villa Maçakızı, una propiedad con diez habitaciones, piscina infinita, embarcadero propio y cocina personalizada a cargo del chef Carlo Bernardini.
August 2025
DOLCE VITA, ACTIVATED: TATLER REVEALS THE MOST UNAPOLOGETICALLY FABULOUS BEACH CLUBS
Maçakızı
Bodrum, Turkey
Slow-pulse dance music and a life-enhancing social vibe: this place holds a magnetic lure for free spirits who equate holidays with party time. 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). And new this year is the palatial ten-bedroom Villa Maçakizi: available for private hire, it’s located on a lavender-scented hilltop above the turquoise waters of Paradise Bay, a short boat ride from the original bolthole.
The familiar boho-cool, white-on-azure Maçakizi aesthetic infuses its sea-view suites, sun-drenched terraces, chic infinity pool and beachfront cabana scene, but it’s your private domain: you don’t get high-rollers rocking up in their yachts to hang our over lunch. The villa team, on call 24/7, aim to spoil; chef Carlo Bernardini produces garden-to-table feasts of fresh pasta, salads and grilled seafood – including böcek, the local lobster – all paired with delectable wines. Fairy-lit cocktail and dining areas set the hedonistic scene by night. But when wellness calls, the top-floor spa – equipped with a fitness centre and massage rooms, sauna and hammams, sundeck and hydrotherapy pool – awaits.
2024
As resort towns and villages flourish along Turkey’s once-sleepy Turquoise Coast, the Macakizi hotel has evolved with the times into a true luxury escape.
Macakizi is almost hidden by Golturkbuku bay’s olive groves, fuchsia-hued bougainvillea and pine trees. The restaurant, hotel and beach club is nestled in one of the most picturesque inlets on Turkey’s Bodrum peninsula. The venture’s owner, Sahir Erozan, believes that its charm lies in the surrounding nature, as well as in its family roots. In 1977 his glamorous and bohemian mother, Ayla Emiroglu, opened the original Macakizi hotel at another site in Bodrum. “Back then, you would see cows grazing on a stretch of land behind the hotel,” says Erozan, squinting in the bright, late-summer sunlight as it glints off the water. “It was a different time. Bodrum still had an untouched beauty.” Macakizi relocated to Golturkbuku in 2000, having outgrown those humble beginnings. It originally offered just 16 guest rooms; now its team of about 350 staff oversees a 72-key hotel with four kitchens. The ambitious expansion didn’t stop there. In 2018 the brand added a 10-room private villa, located less than five minutes away by boat. In other words, a lot has changed. When Emiroglu ran things, almost 99 per cent of the business’s clients were Turkish. Now some 75 per cent of them are international visitors. Erozan says that, despite all of this, the fundamentals of Macakizi’s approach to hospitality are exactly as they were in the beginning. Visit it today and there’s still a sense that it’s a refuge from all that surrounds it – an oasis of calm far removed from whatever might be happening in Turkey’s economy or politics (though many movers and shakers holiday here). “We’ve always tried to be natural, kind and aware,” he says. He credits his mother with instilling in him this philosophy, which has steered him as both the industry and the business have evolved over the decades. “I didn’t go in different directions,” he says of running the company. “I kept building.”
Macakizi has become a favourite retreat for notable guests, some of whom you’ll recognise. Regulars greet waiters with a kiss on both cheeks; the staff never hover awkwardly but are always on hand to help. Drinks are topped up before the sun melts the ice cubes – a service overseen by the hotel’s charismatic, Australian-born long-term manager, Andrew Jacobs.
“A lot of people don’t realise that there’s a hotel here,” says Erozan, sitting in the breakfast hall nestled in the heart of this green stretch of land overlooking the Aegean. Only about a third of the visitors are hotel guests; the rest come to enjoy the beach club, drink and dine. The property’s layout is designed to give patrons privacy. Labyrinthine pathways framed by Mediterranean shrubs link the white, two-storey villas, each of which has a private garden or a sea-facing balcony.
Erozan refers to the Mediterraneo Pavilion, where breakfast is served every morning and dinner is hosted on off-season nights, as “the winter garden”. It’s a striking, black-metal structure with expansive windows that make you feel as though you were sitting outside among nature.
For the past three years, Macakizi has stayed open well beyond its usual summer season into winter. Built in 2019, the pavilion was designed by Ahmet Alatas; Istanbul-based firm Tabanlioglu oversaw the hotel’s reception area, built in 2000, as well as the recently opened Ayla restaurant.
“I don’t let any architect touch the interiors,” says Erozan with a smile, peering over his round, metal-framed sunglasses. “They make things look too pristine, too unin-habited. I like some chaos. I want this place to feel lived in.” Erozan has personally overseen every detail of the hotel’s interiors, from the carpets and the lighting to the artwork. He describes his aesthetic sensibilities as “eclectic, bohemian and modern”.
That eclecticism is perhaps most evident in the art. Antonio de Felipe’s pop art painting of Audrey Hepburn hangs in the entrance next to a work by Turkish contemporary artist Haluk Akakce that features the marque of the hotel: a queen of spades playing card. It breaks the otherwise uniform layout of the couches and tables. An almost human-sized metal mirror ball by Mihat Sen is one of three statues in the pool area, exemplifying Erozan’s sometimes hard-to-define style.
There’s no formal check-in counter or receptionist. Instead, there’s a laid-back lounge where you might find one of the hotel’s three dogs – Alexis, Vasilis and the newest addition, Lucy – running up to greet you or lazily curled up like a pretzel on the plush carpet. Inside the white-painted guest rooms, vintage photographs of social gatherings at Macakizi from Erozan’s mother’s time hang above the beds, which are adorned with colourful Rifat Ozbek-designed pillows.
While Emiroglu laid Macakizi’s foundations and cultivated a community around the hotel and its legacy, Erozan spent many years refining his craft abroad. Before fully committing to Bodrum and Macakizi, he spent some 26 years in Washington, starting from his university years.
During that time, he worked in and owned several restaurants. That was how he first crossed paths with Istanbul-born chef Aret Sahakyan, who ran the kitchen at Erozan’s Georgetown restaurant Cities, which was open from 1987 to 2007.
Sahakyan, who trained in French and Italian culinary traditions, has been with Macakizi since Erozan moved back to Turkey. Over the years, he says, the country’s food culture and tastes have changed. “When I arrived, chefs weren’t viewed in the way that they are today. A chef was simply someone who cooked in the kitchen, not someone who crafted and designed dishes.” This summer the Michelin Guide made its debut in Bodrum and Macakizi earned its first star. “We have a concept,” says Sahakyan proudly. “We stay true to it.”
In the busiest season, the restaurant regularly welcomes more than 500 guests for Sunday lunch. Its menu features traditional manti – tender Turkish dumplings filled with ground lamb and topped with yoghurt – made using a recipe passed down from Emiroglu’s time. Sahakyan says that the magic of the manti lies in the yufka (thin flatbread) that accompanies it, carefully layered on a tray and baked until perfectly crisp. This lighter version of the classic dish has become a favourite among regulars.
Erozan inherited more from his mother than the community that she fostered around the hotel and its legacy. She also passed down some of her staff. Ayhan Hanagasi began working at Macakizi as a bus boy and has been with the hotel for 34 years. “Ayla Hanim had high standards and she could be tough but I grew both personally and professionally under her guidance,” says Hanagasi. “She was an endlessly generous teacher.” He was among the staff members invited to an exclusive 60th birthday celebration of a regular hotel guest held at Macakizi over the weekend on which monocle visited.
Bodrum’s global rise in prominence as a luxury-travel destination has brought new challenges. Almost every corner of this breathtaking peninsula is being altered – its trees felled, its ancient heritage looted and the old ways abandoned. The most contentious development has been the Bulgari Resort Bodrum, which is being built in Cennet Koyu (Paradise Bay) on an area of archaeological importance and natural beauty with what its detractors suggest is scant regard for preservation.
So what does Macakizi think about the area’s new popularity – and does it feel a sense of responsibility for its role in Bodrum’s change? Sahakyan believes that it’s all about balance, gesturing to the breakfast bar. “Over there, you’ll find only the highest-quality selections, hand-picked by us and sourced from trusted partners who share our values,” says the chef. “I’m not offering 40 different types of cheese or 50 varieties of honey just to let them go to waste.”
Erozan, meanwhile, explains that the region’s recent success is part of a bigger picture. “First, there’s Turkey’s brand, then Bodrum’s, then that of Macakizi too,” he says. “All three things must evolve in tandem because you can’t thrive in isolation.”
Macakizi was the first beach club in Bodrum to introduce a happy hour but it chose to abandon the tradition this summer. “As a brand, we are always evolving and adapting,” says Erozan. “When we first introduced the happy-hour idea here, it was unique to the area. But now, with many others following suit, it no longer aligns with the direction we want to take.” The owner smiles as the pink-hued sun hovers low in the sky. “Today we’re a more mature brand.”
Macakizi’s top table In 2024 the hotel launched Ayla, a new 18-cover restaurant with just five tables, named after Erozan’s mother. “The experience unfolds in three acts, each offering four choices,” says Sahakyan. Over a two-and-a-half-hour sitting, diners are treated to dishes crafted from locally sourced ingredients, including olive oil from Memecik village, honey from Comlekci and blue crab from Datca. Among last summer’s signature dishes were courgette flowers stuffed with Turkish rice and a new take on Macakizi’s beloved manti dumplings filled with fermented salsify, accompanied by yoghurt, chicken broth and oil infused with roasted sumac.
Getting here: Just a 50-minute drive from Milas-Bodrum Airport, Macakizi has five Land Rover Defenders, each subtly marked with a spade, ready to transport guests anywhere. As you approach the secluded bay where the hotel sits, you’ll leave behind the bustle and find a serene escape.
2024
As we approach the end of the year and embark on the next chapter, there can be no better time to focus on personal wellbeing and mental health. With this goal in mind, Nicole Smallwood takes a trip to Bodrum to try the Maçakızı Reconnects wellness experience.
Review: Maçakızı Reconnects, Turkey
STAY
Having never been to Bodrum before, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. But Maçakızı has been on my radar for some time – and I was pleasantly surprised to find it did not disappoint. Set overlooking the turquoise waters of the Aegean, Maçakızı surpassed every hope and expectation I set off with.
Maçakızı possesses that wow factor that I have only ever experienced in a handful of places throughout the world. Simple yet elegant, with an air of 70s glamour, I knew this chic hotel and I were going to get along.
Speaking of the 70s – Mick Jagger and Rudolf Nureyevand (with entourages in tow) were regular visitors throughout the decade, to the then-guesthouse run by Aylan Emiroglu. They fondly nicknamed Emiroglu the Queen of Spades, and the motif is now used as the hotel’s logo.
A natural haven, Emiroglu’s aim was to create an inspiring location for creatives. And 30 years on her son, Sahir Erozan, armed with a new vision based (but with the same original values) has transformed the once modest B&B into the beautiful boutique hotel it is today. Elegant with its own unique identity, it’s easy to see why Maçakızı is now one of the most popular hotspots for people in-the-know on the Bodrum Peninsula.
The hotel comprises 53 rooms and 21 suites, all with a neutral whitewashed façade, with simple internal décor allowing the external natural environment to take centre stage. The beautiful sea view is complemented by the intoxicating smell and vibrant colours of the bougainvillaea at every turn.
Little hidden nooks and crannies allow you to get lost in this captivating environment, but the jewel in the hotel’s crown has to be the stylish sundeck which looks out onto the bay. Modern chic collides perfectly with rustic glamour, producing the ultimate sun downer spot.
The hotel also has a well-equipped gym, spa, hammam and a boat to take you on excursions – or simply drop you off for a day of sightseeing.
DO
It was such a treat to experience first-hand the inaugural Maçakızı Reconnects weekend. The experience is headed up by Emily Cresp and Shamanic teacher Madita Boer, who guided us on a journey of reconnection with ourselves and nature.
We began each day with sunrise meditation. Here, time stood still and we reflected on the beauty of this morning light. Regular relaxation times to reflect and rest were intermingled with afternoon yoga, Pilates, massage and tarot card reading. Nothing felt rushed, leaving you to drift away into your own oasis of calm.
In the evenings we were taken on a breath and sound vibration journey. The experience, which combined a sound bath with a breath workshop, encouraged my mind to stand still and the chatter of everyday stress to subside. It was quite remarkable and I can still feel the effects of it today.
We were taught that bringing closure to an experience is as important as the experience itself and this weekend ended with a magical shamanic ritual.
For someone who has only ever been on retreats where the main focus is fitness, this experience really opened my eyes to the many and varied benefits beyond the gym.
EAT
Maçakızı is also home to one of the first restaurants in Turkey to be awarded a Michelin Star – so, understandably, the food itself was a taste sensation. The restaurant is helmed by Chef Aret Sahakyan, who is an old friend of the owner (the two went to university together), and uses fresh, seasonal ingredients from local producers and the Maçakızı Culinary Gardens. Every dining experiences led us on a new gastronomic journey through the flavours of Turkey, both modern and traditional.
BOOK IT
Rooms at Maçakızı start from €990 per night (including breakfast and two-way airport transfer). Dates and prices for the next Maçakızı Reconnects retreat coming early 2025. macakizi.com
A taste of Turkey
Maçakizi is a beloved Turkish hotel lying in the rocky bay of Gertürkboko on the northern coast of the bodrum Peninsula. Having achieved its first Michelin atar in 2023. this wear it has opened a fine-oning restaurant. Ayla. With just 30 covers. the restaurant is lounded on wasonality and promises to serve refined Turkish fare. macakizi.com
DECEMBER 2023
The 11 Best Places To Travel In 2024
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.
Maçakızı – The Hottest Hotel In The Med?
By Lucy Scovell
Maçakızı put Bodrum on the map. The hotel has 73 rooms, a pool framed by pretty blossoms and shrubs, and countless secluded spots to eat, drink, and while away a sun-drenched afternoon.
Maçakızı in Bodrum is a must-visit for Istanbul’s elite, often called the “Turkish Marbella Club.” This chic hotel is where you might spot celebrities like Kate Moss or Mick Jagger lounging on its famous wooden deck by the Aegean Sea. Nestled in the stunning Türkbükü Bay, known as the “Turkish St. Tropez,” Maçakızı is surrounded by luxury yachts each summer. Despite the rise of global hotel chains, Maçakızı maintains its independent spirit, offering rooms hidden among lush bougainvillea, magnolias, and oleanders. Recently, the resort launched the MedBodrum festival, promising to become one of the Mediterranean’s most exciting culinary and artistic events. The acclaimed restaurant has earned a Michelin star, and now it introduces a new dining space over the sea. The latest addition, Villa Maçakızı in nearby Paradise Bay, impresses with its extraordinary garden, art collection, and top-tier services, including a team of 20 staff, an infinity pool, and a spa
VILLA MACAKIZI, BODRUM, TURKEY
Villa Maçakızı is the expansion of a noble tradition of hospitality in Bodrum. Sister hotel Maçakızı opened in the 1970s and its success helped propel the peninsula into public consciousness (its founder, Ayla Emiroğlu, was nicknamed Maçakızı – Queen of Spades – for looks that resembled the playing card character). Emiroğlu’s son, Sahir Erozan, took her unpretentious boho-intellectual pension and transformed it into an upmarket 73-room hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant on the smart Türkbükü bay. In 2019 he ratcheted things up by renovating and opening Villa Maçakızı, a not-so-humble Aegean abode on Cennet Koyu, which aptly translates as Paradise Bay. The long, low white house is slung with purple bougainvillea and surrounded by herb gardens, a secluded private beach, infinity pool and multiple bars. Barbara Pensoy’s understated interiors are airy and light, with a muted, organic palette and lashings of crumpled linen; each of the 10 rooms has a sea view, large bathroom and striking handmade Italian blue-and-white ceramic floors scattered with kilim rugs. Erozan’s partner in this venture is Carlo Bernardini, an ebullient Venetian chef who has gathered experience from Four Seasons hotels around the world; his menus, tailor-made daily, propagate a farm-to-table-and-bar philosophy and centre local fish, cheeses and olive oils. What makes Villa Maçakızı special is that it runs like a seamless hotel with a permanent staff of 50, featuring a 24-hour butler service, an impressive wine cellar and a wellness centre with trainers, massage spaces and hammams. The Maçakızı Hotel is a quick, thrilling speedboat ride though tranquillity reigns here.SEVIL DELIN From about £34,240 per night, villamacakizi.com
It’s nearing midnight at The Maine Ibiza, an upscale Mediterranean restaurant hidden among theatmosnhere salt pansor Salings. bnt the tables of anietiv glamorons onesis or onlv iust setting started. In many waws, this moment encausulates biza’s long-held olace in the international travel scene. the crowd is a stone’s throw from super club MC10 vet the vibe is chilled: the menu features bougie hallmarks like red prawn carpaccio, but it’s freshly caught off neighbouring island Formentera and served simply with a sprinkling of the salt from this UNESCO world heritage wetland. This 1s authentic. low-kev usurvatits tiest with more Celine sunglasses and a sip ot Fierbas Ibicencas than rave goggles and tequila shots.
Macakizi
But this vear a new crowd of party peonleare on their war to Bodrum too. In May. Kate Moss graced its shores for the inaugural Med Bodrum Festival, where she was papped with Skip Marley (grandson of Bob). Meanwhile, George Clooney, Naomi Campbell, Roman Abramovich and plenty of other billionaires have also been spotted along the scenic coast. It’s certainly got A-List appeal – just look at the cluster of Mayfair favourite restaurants around Yalikavak, from Zuma to Novikov, and the rightfully hyped openings driven by an influx of new investment. As well as Max Royal and Scorpios, there’s Bobo (a shortening of Bourgeois Bohemian) by The Stay, the hotel group behind the Bebek Hotel in Istanbul. According to owner Muzaffer Yildirim, Bobo will have an ‘exclusive guest list atmosphere’ think member’s club minus the membership.
Ayla at Macakizi
In 2023, Maçakizi Hotel restaurant received a Michelin star – one ofthe first in Turkey to attract the accolade. ‘This vear. all eves wil be on Ava. the hotels newly aunched time dining spot that has just 30 covers for a decidedly exclusive atmosphere. The seasonal menu will feature organic produce grown especially for Ayla on local farms.
Address: Maçakizi, Göltürkbükü, Narcice&i Sokak, 48400 Göltürkbikü Bodrum/Bodrum/ Mugla
Website : macakizi.com
Bodrum’s Maçakizi Is Your Next Arty Party
Our destnation is Macakizi, a boutique hotel on the north ot the peninsula. Today. Macakizi is svnonvious with Bodrum, thanks to Ayla Smiroglu, who ettectively put the Aegean escape on the jetsetter map in the 1970s when she opened Macakizi as sixteen- room, no trills beachside bed-and-breaktast In its four decades. Macakizi has catered to the ion’s share of rockstars and rovalties, who escaped to off-the-radar bohemian riviera for laid back luxury and late nights. And it’s lore has lured top tier hoteliers looking to capitalize on the Turkish riviera vibe. The so-called “Bodrum Boom” includes The Max Royal, Scorpios, Mandarin Oriental and 2026’s Bulgari. Shair Erozan, Emiroglu’ son, isn’t surprised. He predicted a of this in the early 2ooos when he transtormed the nan After a full travel dav – two fights (there is no direct flight trom Rome. plus the drive – we finally arrive. Maçakizi, already hidden at the end of a curwy road. is a terraced labvrinth lost in vibrant green trees and plants. A sprawl of short-stacked buildings hide behind bright pink anc purple bougainvillea on a terraced hill beautitully landscaped like a wild forest. To find our room. we head down a stens framed by greenery. It’s tastefully minimal and easy going, the ideal place to drop your bags before heading to the beach.
“The DNA of Macakizi is hanging out, eating and living- you don’t spend your day in the room,” Erozan tells me. “It’s a ‘my home, my friends’feeling.” And that’s what we do. Each day we are there, we find ourselves spilling into the brunch area, and then down to the beach deck. We make triends with our neighbors at brunch, our neighbors at the deck. new guests. repeat clients as well as a smattering of art world luminaries who came to Macazikzi for a bit of relay as well as contemporarv art and gastronomy. By evening and after a quick change, we spill back down to the restaurant and the dance floor e chose this weekend for Med brum. srozan’s nassion nroiect dedicate to contemporaly alt. as an alt ancionado who nas long historic citv as much as Macakizi itself. The inaneural party is hosted the Castle of St. Peter. a medieval castle overlooking historic Bodrum. This crusaders outpost has one of the best museums for underwater archaeology, and with its columns and ancient statues, its an epic location for a party. The guests we bumr into are Brozan’s friends, collectors, curators. artists and chefs including artists Jake Chapman and Maryam Eisler, Skip Marley, and chets Ennico Cerea and Deepanker Khosla
Brozan worked with expert curator and art advisor Jerome Sans to handpick artists and install art throughout the hotel and in Macakizis private villa. He brought in musicians like Skip Marley. Thieverv Cororation and Bebe Gilberto and chefs Cerea. Aleiandm Serrano and veepranger Anolas to create a a gather that is the unique blend of but turning the focus more to Bodrum with more Turkish chefs anc Med Bodrum is the art world’s party- a lot of friends hanging out, great food and us. For four davs, we’re deck-side tanning, taking in the installations, and chatting up collectors and chefs at with chef-curated dinners, Just when Iam thinking the post-exam celebration can’t get any more epic. we’re on the dance floor with Kate Moss as San Marley sings Three Little Birds Bookmark MedBodrum next Mav tor a tour-dav festival of contemporary art, food and music.
How to Spend a Week in Istanbul and Bodrum
From exploring Istanbul’s oldest Hammam to days spent lounging on the sandy beaches of Bodrum as the world goes by, here GQ Middle East lists the must-visit places to be at the top of your Turkish itinerary Originally a retreat frequented by artists, Maçakizi was founded in 1977 by Ayla Emiroglu and toroy pontinues to pnt the foshionahip Tirkhibit on the man Tis restonrant-mm-hotel and beach club remain a go-to destination for the ‘it crowd. who flock to the bohemian paradise on their private yachts season after season Led under the direction of Ayla’s son, Sahir Erozan, Maçakizis beach club is deemed somewhat of a hotspot for its in-demand loungers dotted along the sundeck and with direct access into the shimmmenne waters shey overioor Daytime beats are played as cocktails flow and food under the direction of Chef Aret Sahakyan is served to either the day beds or Maçakizi’s main restaurant which was amongst the first to receive a Michelin star. The latest addition to Maçakizi is Avla, an intimate restaurant and the second to be led by Chef Aret, who has free reign to create an ever-changing menu served as three acts and championing typical recipes into modern dishes.
le mag: Maçakizi: A glamorous retreat on the Turkish Riviera, famed for its unique personality and the most sought-after beach beds in Bodrum.
When Mick and Bianca Jagger came to Bodrum in the 1970s, Maçakizi was a simple guesthouse. Today, whitewashed villas nestle into the undergrowth, the hammam is lined with light gray marble, and art installations from international galleries stand on the expansive grounds. In the newly opened restaurant ‘Ayla,’ star chef Aret Sahakyan reinvents Turkish specialties. On the menu, you can find dishes like Kokoreç with smoked potatoes and summer truffles, as well as a dessert made of cream, honey, and caviar. After lunch, guests can charter the hotel’s yacht and explore the Göltürkbükü Bay from the water.
5.Macakizi Bodrum
This hotel is actuallv a collection of villas on one of the most beautiful of Bodrums peninsulas and was opened in the yos as a hangout for writers and artists. Times nave changed. as has Bodrum – these davs Macakizis Datrons include the likes of supermodel Kate Moss and anv number of sheikns and oligarchs, who moor their vachts in the nearby marina. But the laid-back vibe remains, enhanced by its lush gardens, private beach and elegantly designed Interiors. Ime motel nas ats own speeaboat, which you can Tent for tne day to lake vou to other parts of this lovely area.
The flashy Turkish resort with buzzy beach clubs loved by the in-crowd
Bodrum is fast becoming Turkey’s answer to Mykonos, with celebrity chefs, hip bars and a beautiful coastline. And the party is only just getting started…
* 17 of the best hotels with swim-up rooms in Turkey
So, is Bodrum the new Mykonos? consult sanir crozan. owner of the Macakizi beach club and a veteran of the party scene here. When we arrive just before lunch – a buffet of Turkish salads and kebabs – the club’s sleek white deck is lined with dozens or well-oned men and beautiul women (mains from €46; macakizi.com)
Erozan doesn’t go to Mykonos any more. It’s got too expensive, he says. I raise my eyebrows. Bodrum isn’t much cheaper. He concedes that Bodrum is getting more flashy by the season too. “In Bodrum evervone is trying to outsize each other,” he says. “The hotels are getting bigger and bigger.” His boutique hotel, Macakizi, seems tiny in comparison, though nobody has quite managed to match its buzz, beauty and barefoot luxury. Every hidden cove and inch of Bodrum’s coastline is being built on. Just around the corner from Maxx Royal we see a huge digger perched on a hill: the new Bulgar Hotel, where construction has started.
Maçakızı has long been the chicest place to stay in the increasingly popular hotspot of the Bodrum Peninsula. The hotel’s elegant sundecks, Michelin-starred dining, and cascades of pink bougainvillaea are backed by the sparkling Aegean Sea, keeping the property as alluring today as when it was founded in 1977 by Ayla Emiroğlu.
More great stays on the Turkish coast
Macakizi, Bodrum
In Bodrum, bohemian, laid-back luxury starts and ends at Macakizi, a family-run hotel that opened in the 1970s in Turkbuku, a private bay a 30- minute drive from the city centre. On a hillside amid purple bougainvillea and pines broken up by leafy paths, the vibe at this 51-room hotel is boho- chic – everyone from Kate Moss to Mick Jagger and Aretha Franklin has stayed. The beating heart of Macakizi is its beach club, with its pine deck and white daybeds, but the restaurant, which last year was awarded its first Michelin star, is also popular. Details B&B doubles from £850, including return airport transfers (macakizi.com). Fly to Bodrum