Destination Guide
Bodrum
Stay
We only feature hotels that we can vouch for first-hand. With Indagare Plus,members receive special amenities.
Kempinski Barbaros Bay
The Kempinski Barbaros Bay is perfect for families. While adults take advantage of the extensive 5,500-square-foot Six Senses spa, golf course, and outdoor exercise classes, the children can stay busy at the resort’s private beach with kayaks, boats and jet-skis, a marina, six separate indoor and outdoor pools, a kids’ club and a game room. The property also has five restaurants offering a variety of cuisines that can cater to the pickiest eaters.
With 173 rooms and suites, many connecting, Kempinski Barbaros Bay is one of the larger properties in Bodrum. It has a spectacular location with luxurious rooms and service to return to after a day of relaxing by the pool or windsurfing out in the bay. Other outdoor activities include golf, mountain biking, wakeboarding, gulet cruises, sailing classes and a diving school. The property also offers private visits to the nearby Sevilen winery or a family-owned farm to experience Bodrum’s local community. Those who would prefer not to drive 40 minutes to reach GölTürkbüku and the rest of the northern peninsula, or to lounge by a large pool with lots of children should stay elsewhere. The property is only 20 minutes from Bodrum proper, however, which is a quick trip to take advantage of the history, marina, and night market in town.
Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum
Overlooking Paradise Bay, east of Türkbüku, the Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum is the Turkish Riviera’s most polished, family-friendly luxury resort.
Amanruya
Located in an old olive grove and surrounded by Mediterranean pines on the northeastern corner of the Bodrum peninsula, Amanruya’s architecture hearkens back to an original Anatolian village. The 36 salmon-hued stone cottages are set into the natural landscape, with hand-laid pebble pathways that wind and weave around cypress trees and hidden corners.
Each cottage is impeccably constructed – the interiors are white marble floors, pane glass windows, four-poster beds with curtains, dark wood accents and a Turkish mangal charcoal fireplace. The bathroom is decadent with a rain shower and a stand-alone tub that looks out onto the garden beyond. Each cottage has its own private, green marble-inlaid pool and a garden that features a pergola with large day beds, a wooden table for an intimate meal, and an outdoor shower with a view of the bay below.
The resort is separated into multiple pavilions for dining and relaxing, and supports the local arts scene with a three-story library tower with books by Turkish authors, and a domed art gallery and carpet gallery that highlight local textiles, jewelry, and artifacts. In its four separate dining pavilions, Amanruya takes advantage of the variety of microclimates in Turkey to deliver a fresh, seasonal menu of Turkish, Indonesian, and Thai cuisines. Although the resort is not set directly on the bay, the property offers a private beach club less than five minutes by golf cart with a fantastic restaurant, kayaks, catamarans, sailboats and a 40-foot speedboat available for daily excursions.