5 Best places to stay in Bodrum

Legendary haunt of the global glitterati, Macakizi is the stand-out stay on the Bodrum Peninsula’s north shore, Turkey’s top summer playground. An elegant and stylish beach club/hotel – a bit blingy but a bit more boho – Macakizi is set among gardens scattered with terraced suites.

Along the shoreline, stylish decks are busy with attentive staff and thick with canopied cushioned areas and loungers. For high-class lazing there’s nowhere quite like it; and the food, especially the legendary breakfast spread, is exquisite.

The region’s stand-out resort hotel, startlingly Moorish-modern in appearance, is set in its own bay on the Bodrum Peninsula’s southern shore. The facilities include an award-winning spa, extensive water sports and a restaurant for just about every mood.

The 150-plus rooms combine a plantation-style feel – muted colours, floor-to-ceiling windows, balconies – with a generous sense of space. There are good kids’ facilities too, including a dedicated children’s restaurant. And though the beaches are hardly exceptional, this is an excellent resort for those in need of serious pampering who also wish to be within reach of Bodrum’s city vibe.

Set amidst delightful walled gardens, this restored konak (mansion) – one-time home of an Ottoman lord – is about the only instance of a period building hotel anywhere on the Turkish Riviera.

A painstaking restoration – ceiling details carved in walnut, ancient wall frescoes – ensures that the mansion exudes period atmosphere but never at the expense of comfort.

A beautiful, and architecturally exceptional retreat, it also makes an outstanding base for exploring the largely undeveloped coves and classical ruins of the Datca Peninsula.

An outstanding individual small hotel, set amid orange groves in a rare quiet corner of the Bodrum Peninsula’s hectic north shore. The hotel is cool but not swanky, with a uniquely convivial atmosphere thanks to the attentive stewardship of owners Ali and Esra.

The location is quiet, but still within easy reach of Bodrum and classical sites like Didyma. Whether it’s pool lounging you’re after, or a base for cultural forays further afield, the 4reasons effortlessly hosts young and old, couples and families alike. All this, and an excellent bistro too.

It’s a delightful surprise to come across this wonderful oasis on the backstreets of bustling Bodrum, the simple white-washed rooms with brightly painted balconies arranged around a central swimming pool lined by high palm trees.

With its bar and shaded seating areas, it’s a thoroughly convivial set-up, where owner Zafer provides evening meals on request.

With the waterfront just a ten-minute stroll away, the Su offers a wonderfully relaxing base within easy reach of Bodrum’s bars, boutiques and other attractions.