Inside Turkey’s Most Glamorous New Resort

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The AFAR take

With its seemingly endless Aegean coastline, azure bays, and hedonists bouncing from one scene-y spot to the next, the Bodrum peninsula has been dubbed the St. Tropez or Ibiza of the Aegean Sea. The hotel boom here kicked off a decade ago with the Mandarin Oriental, followed by such sleek brands as Aman, Six Senses, and EDITION. On the way, reportedly, are Four Seasons and Bulgari. But it will be a challenge to beat the bravura design and the jaw-dropping location—28 green hillside acres girding a cove-like secluded bay—of Maxx Royal Bodrum, opened in May 2024 on the peninsula’s north coast. This sustainably minded hideaway of 282 suites and villas marks a new chapter for the beloved local Maxx Royal brand, known for its luxurious all-inclusive resorts elsewhere in the countrytutk, with a Maldives expansion currently planned.

Given the opening hype among Istanbul’s A-listers, I expected something ultra-gilded and flashy. Instead, my partner and I entered a soaring minimalist atrium lobby dominated by a vast digital mural of trance-like aquatic swirls by Turkish-American artist Refik Anadol. We felt as if we’d disembarked at a sleek modern art museum—where the female staffers in chic bespoke Beymen dresses looked fashion-shoot ready.

Out on the open-air terrace, we sipped our welcome proseccos and took in the gorgeous landscaped tiered pools down below and the greater bay beyond edged by the soft hills of distant coastline. Monumental abstract sculptures—by trailblazing French artist Bernar Venet, part of the hotel’s formidable art collection—rise like sentinels on the headlands. Cascading down the slopes toward the water, the low-rise guest habitations by Turkish architect Mahmut Anlar suggest a kind of Med-Scandinavian Zen: horizontal lines, warm wood, glass and gray stone in a landscape of olive trees, pines, flowering shrubs, and pink bougainvillea. The vibe was impossibly cool and serene, aside from the brief rumbles of Ferraris pulling up by the entrance.

Courtesy of Maxx Royal Bodrum

Maxx Royal was conceived with glamorous Turkish and international sun-seekers in mind—just count the Dior totes on the beach, the visiting yachts, and yes, the Ferraris. The hotel partnered with Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, Paris-based Caviar Kaspia, and plus Soho House-owned Scorpios beach club, a Mykonos cult favorite among jetsetters, and other high-flying establishments. The property features six pools, several bars, eight restaurants, and a wellbeing center of truly pharaonic proportions. The main attraction is the secluded bay for swimming and sunning. Soak up the rays on the sandy beach or stake out a lounge chair on the wooden decks from which you can launch straight into the impossibly blue water.

Who’s it for?

Party people will relish access to the super-exclusive Scorpios beach club with its massive daybeds, bamboo cabanas, pulsating house beats, and steamy nights of dancing and cocktails headlined by international celebrity DJs. Romancing couples will find bliss gazing at technicolor sunsets from panoramic restaurants or their own balconies, while solo travelers will appreciate the warmth of the staff. For foodies, there’s the starry presence of celebrity chef venues. And fitness fiends can burn off the calories on the tennis court or at the state-of-the -art fitness center.

Despite the adult vibes, families might be the biggest winners here, thanks to the wondrous Maxxi Land kids’ club, open late and with separate zones for different age groups. At this awesomely designed funhouse, kids can be dropped off for the day to be entertained with a cinema room, theater productions, a huge costume cupboard, and workshops in everything from butterflies to marine life. Tots get napping cots with a sleep playlist.

Courtesy of Maxx Royal Bodrum

The location

The resort sits a 50-minute drive from the Milas–Bodrum airport with its multiple short daily flights from Istanbul. Once ensconced, you might not want to leave, but for the restless there’s plenty to do in the neighborhood. You can join the sun-bronzed, linen-clad locals in the charming Türkbükü village a short drive away to browse chichi jewelry and beachwear boutiques. A 30-minute ride west lies glitzy Yalıkavak marina with its superyachts, Prada and Guccci shops, and flashy outposts of Zuma and Bagatelle. Bodrum town, about 12 miles south of the resort, offers its picturesque harbor, bazaars, 15th-century Castle of the Knights of St. John, the evocative ancient ruins of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus—and very loud nightlife. For sublime modern-Aegean cuisine, head to the Michelin-starred Ayla at the nearby Maçakızı hotel favored by the likes of Kate Moss. Or have a dreamy Greek dinner of meze and fish right on the water’s edge at Paraliaki at the new boutique hotel Bobo by the Stay, also nearby.

The rooms

Designed by fashionable Turkish firm Geo_ID in natural hues with handsome slatted wood paneling, the 282 suites and villas are meant to harmonize with the Mediterranean flora outside, while the huge windows, generous balconies, and private patios showcase the Aegean vistas. Accommodations come in many configurations spread across the resort’s varied topographies. They range from entry level suites—at 775 sq ft still larger than most New York one-bedroom apartments!—to the 11,442-square-foot Presidential Villa comprising five bedrooms, a private saltwater pool, a steam room, and a fitness center. Book way ahead for the sought-after Laguna Series, which spans studio to three-bedroom, all opening on a suavely landscaped saltwater pool. Also popular: the airy Hill Villas, most with their own private swimming facilities and panoramas of cerulean sea and distant coastline.

Our Royal Sea suite was a whopping 1,500 square feet with an open-plan living room outfitted with a pair of deep tangerine-colored couches that could sleep a small family, and a spacious balcony (where I kept getting locked out until I caught on how the sliding door worked). The fluffy Yataş brand bed in the bedroom delivered deep slumber (once we twigged how to turn off all the lights). And I loved the handsome hand-crafted tiles and striking green marble sinks in the bathroom outfitted with fragrant Diptyque toiletries. Besides the usual pillow and fragrance menus and in-room control tablets, amenities included a stylish waterproof beach bag (for those lacking that prerequisite Dior tote).

The food and drink

With eight restaurants, six bars, a pastry boutique, and a cool ice cream “parlor,” there’s no real need to venture off-property for exciting dining. While we couldn’t afford the beluga eggs at Caviar Kaspia—an outpost of the century-old Parisian stalwart—we did indulge in the iconic smoked salmon pizza dolloped with caviar at Spago where Wolfgang Puck and his son Byron, who happened to be on-site, related the story of its creation. Sitting there on a deck that seemed to float on the water, a cocktail called Austrian Summer in hand, I was reminded why the world went crazy for Spago’s now-classic sesame cones filled with tuna tartare and that sizzling whole sea bass in a sweet-sour pineapple glaze.

Courtesy of Maxx Royal Bodrum

I was also impressed with the modern Italian alta cucina at Oro restaurant from the Turinese one-Michelin starred chef Alfredo Russo. Among the highlights: an ethereally deconstructed eggplant parmigiana and the ur-traditional Piedmontese ravioli del plin. And for our post-swim late morning breakfast, we always took a table under a shady tree at the Latin-inflected beachside Casa Sol. It was fun supplementing the traditional Turkish briny cheese and sun-kissed tomatoes with huevos rancheros, and the corn tostadas and empanadas from the restaurant’s beach menu sure hit the spot in the afternoon sun.

My cozy favorite was Le Pont restaurant, an upmarket version of a classic water-view balıkçı (traditional fish restaurant). It delivered a perfect Aegean experience with a meze tray featuring garlicky dips and zucchini flower dolma, ethereal fried mussels, and perfectly grilled turbot and sea bream from the daily catch display glistening on ice.

Staff and service

Given the resort’s sheer scope and potentially daunting logistics, I found the service impeccably smooth and professional but always with a welcoming personal vibe. The pair of our own dedicated concierges were always available through the MaxxRoyal app, working tirelessly to dispatch buggies to take us to the beach or to dinner, send spa and restaurant menus, make reservations, and help solve the riddles of the high-tech in-room controls. It was a pleasure, too, getting to know the Nigerian buggy driver, the Azeri beach attendant, the Italian bar manager, and the Kazakh server—all with their own stories and fluent in several languages. A beach attendant stopping by to clean sunglasses felt like a bit of overkill, but the Russian and Turkish oligarch types seemed to expect this.

Accessibility

There are four ADA-compliant guest rooms as well as ramps for accessing the pool from the area housing the main Twenty4 restaurant, patisserie, and bar. Elevators are available in the different buildings. While many public areas are flat and do not require ramps, the hotel is built into a hill so getting around might still be an issue. Transport is mainly by buggies, which are not wheelchair-accessible.

Spa and wellness

All 5,750 square meters of the Maxx Wellbeing Centre grandly overlooking the gardens and the sea seemed less spa than lofty modernist temple to health and vitality. Its ground floor houses an Olympic-size swimming pool, a futuristic Technogym fitness studio, an array of exotic saunas, a Himalayan salt room, and a deep Kneipp Walk. At the modern marbled hammam, the sea-salt essential oil exfoliating scrub treatment left my skin baby-soft. On the first floor, resident Turkish celebrity health expert Dr. Buğra Öktem oversees a Longevity Clinic; he might recommend an Auyrvedic detox or a rejuvenating IV infusion.

Courtesy of Maxx Royal Bodrum

Further upstairs, 21 serene rooms for facial and body treatments use brands such as Biologique Recherche, Swiss Perfection, and Santa Maria Novella. Massage choices range from hot stone to Polynesian Lomilomi, while body sculpting with icoone®, LED lights, or rejuvenating mesotherapy are among the high-tech options. Feeling a sudden urge for a Zerobody cryotherapy bed, a halotherapy room where you breathe salty air, an ozone sauna, or a sensory deprivation flotation tank? Head straight for the medi-spa area. Seeking a serious wellness journey? Chose from packages ranging from 3 to 7 days, focused on anything from yoga to muscle recovery.