All roads lead to Bodrum: Where to relax in this summer’s most preferred holiday resort?

Cote d’Azur, narrow streets and endless mountains – this description may fit the expensive seaside resorts of Europe, but this is how our article about holidays in Bodrum, the most popular destination of this season, begins. Turkey has long been associated with all-inclusive hotels with strange animations and endlessly long buffets. It is time to admit that holidays here have replaced southern France and Spain in many ways – and we are talking about Bodrum, of course.

Five hours by plane from Moscow – and you are on the Aegean coast of Turkey, on the other side of the eastern part of Greece. So you should not be surprised by the large number of young and wealthy Europeans who come here on their own yachts. Bodrum itself is like a perfect Pinterest board: clear blue water, atmospheric buildings in the same style and pure luxury everywhere. In the morning it resembles a sober resort, in the evening it turns into an arm of Mykonos, Ibiza and Saint-Tropez.

One of the most anticipated projects of recent years, Maxx Royal Bodrum opened its doors in May in a secluded bay in the Geltürkbükü area of ​​the north of Bodrum. And with it, the first branch of the beach club Scorpios, which was born in Mykonos, in Turkey.

We will tell you how one of the most expensive Turkish hotels came to be and why you should definitely visit it at least once.

Maxx Royal Bodrum is the most Instagrammable* place. Since the hotel itself is located in the hills, it will be quite problematic to visually determine its area. But do not worry, when you take a car from the reception area to the suite or to some restaurants, you will immediately notice that the resort occupies the entire 11 hectares. What is especially nice is the huge landscaped gardens and plenty of greenery, which are ideally combined with the architecture of the hotel. And by the way, a few words about it.

At the new Maxx Royal they decided to combine tourism with art. Here it plays a major role – for example, the 82-year-old French sculptor Bernard Venet created one of his largest monumental works to date for the hotel in the form of two arches at the entrance to the pier. Venet’s work is also exhibited throughout the property, with sketches and sculptures in the public areas, and a sculpture book on the coffee tables in all rooms to help you get to know his work better.

The art theme doesn’t end there. The Bastok Lessel gallery on site has two exhibition spaces. A large exhibition programme is open for the season, which is also open to non-residents.

The hotel has paid special attention to gastronomy. Each of the restaurants in the area is unique. For example, there is the world-famous Caviar Kaspia with its legendary baked potatoes and black caviar, and the restaurant of the famous Oscar-winning chef Wolfgang Puck. But let’s talk about everything in order.

Maxx Royal Bodrum serves à la carte. By the way, this is the first experience of this kind for this network. Therefore, only breakfast is included in the price of your stay here, and the rest of the time you can visit local restaurants. In our opinion, the first place is shared by Caviar Kaspia with the ORO project of Michelin-starred chef Alfredo Russo. Less memorable restaurants at Maxx Royal include the Latin American Casa Sol, the fish restaurant Le Pont and the international Twenty4, where breakfast is served for guests.

Of course, the list of restaurants does not end there – here is the famous London MAINE and the confectionery Le Melange & Chocolatier, where the author of this text first realized that life without sweets is impossible. There is the Ice Cream Parlor corner where you can try the legendary tangerine sorbet.

There’s a reason Bodrum is called the new Mykonos. The iconic Scorpios, home to the island’s best parties, has opened a branch just across from Maxx Royal Bodrum. True, during the day it’s more suitable for meditation practices. There’s also a large wellness centre with programmes based on Ayurvedic practices and modern scientific research, as well as a hall for gong meditation and yoga. But come evening, it turns into a club where the best techno parties take place until the break of dawn.

By the way, on the territory of this beach club there are also 12 luxury bungalows with minimalist design where you can spend the night. Each of them has its own infinity pool and open-air bathroom.

Maxx Wellbeing is a mandatory part of the holiday programme. The hotel has placed great emphasis on wellbeing, so the number of procedures on offer is dizzying. Our favourite is, of course, the massage. Here you choose the scent of the oil according to your mood and the intensity of your movements. Then, a comprehensive programme of treatments and retreats based on the Seven Elements programmes of Maxx Royal Wellbeing, combining traditional anti-aging methods with healing rituals.

For those who are not used to giving up sports even on vacation, in the same center there is a fitness studio equipped with cardio and strength training machines, as well as group Pilates classes on the reformer, yoga, including aerial yoga, functional training, work with breathing and sound healing.

Maxx Royal unobtrusively took care of those who prefer to relax with children. On the territory of the resort there is a large children’s club Maxxi Land. It is divided into special zones by age – from one-year-old babies to teenagers. And the author of this text dreamed of returning to his childhood and visiting there as a guest.

The kids club has everything: from dance halls to areas with master classes, game rooms with consoles, cinemas, performances, various sports and many clubs that we did not even know existed at that time.

*Social networks Instagram and Facebook are prohibited in the Russian Federation. By court decision of March 21, 2022, Meta was recognized as an extremist organization in the Russian Federation.