Where did you go?
After spending ample amounts of time at home during COVID, I was ready for a quick getaway. I decided Turkey, specifically Bodrum would be perfect – it was almost end of season there, so I knew it wouldn’t be too crowded, plus I knew we would be spending all our time outdoors, which is definitely safer given the COVID situation. A few days later, I booked my flight, reserved hotels and was off!
Where did you stay?
I wanted to avoid spending too much time in taxis, so I decided to stay in the Yalikavak area of Bodrum. I knew the area was happening and I would be close to some really great restaurants, cafes, and boutiques.
For the first two nights, I stayed at the Arts Hotel, since it wasn’t peak season, I managed to get a great pool room even though I booked last minute. The hotel had its own dock, and a nice-sized pool. The place had a “cool”, “hip” vibe to it.
I reached the Arts Hotel in the afternoon, just in time for a quick swim and lunch at the dock.
For the second two nights, I stayed at the Bodrum Edition, and it was absolutely fabulous. With a massive dock, a lovely infinity pool with sea views, and a white sand beach, it really was heaven! The minimal yet massive room, had everything I could ask for – from a Nespresso machine, to a sauna room, to a massive bath tub (and bath salts), and Le Labo products, which was probably my favourite part. Everything smelled divine. The hotel breakfast was delicious as well. The resort oozed luxury.
What places did you visit?
For our first evening out, we went to Mimoza, a local outdoor restaurant by the water. We were there for sunset, which was absolutely breath-taking. As we walked down to the restaurant, we stopped by little boutiques and picked up some cute evil eye charms.
The next day, we spent the afternoon at the popular Maçakizi Hotel. We had lunch there and spent the day sunbathing on the dock until sunset to some really great music. The place came alive at sunset, when the music picked up and the lights made for a beautiful setting. We went back to the hotel to freshen up and headed to Nusr-ET for dinner (no trip to Turkey is complete without Nusr-ET).
We spent our third day in Bodrum at our hotel, alternating between Edition’s infinity pool and their beach, eventually heading out to Zuma for dinner, which was really happening on Saturday night.
On our last day there, we decided to spend most of our time relaxing at Edition. We lazed on the dock (book early as the loungers get taken up quickly!), then booked ourselves in for a massage. At night we opted for dinner at the hotel, which was quite lively yet laid back. Perfect for our last night there.
How was your experience travelling during COVID?
All the places we went to were outdoors including Zuma and Nusr-ET, which was great and quite a relief. We spent most of our days on loungers by the beach, pool, and dock, which were distanced from others. Also, we travelled mid-October when the crowd in Bodrum begins to die down, so I’d say we felt pretty safe.
What did you pack?
Tanning oil, bathing suits, headbands, sunglasses, cover-ups, kaftans, evening dresses.
Travel Tips:
Bodrum is one of those places that is chilled out yet luxurious so pack accordingly. Pack you fancy sunnies, fun accessories, and your best bathing suits, along with your evening wear.
Tell your hotel concierge to book the restaurants for you as soon as you check in, because the popular ones (Novikov, Zuma, Nusr-ET, etc.) fill up quite fast.
Also, if you stay at the Edition, don’t forget to buy their signature candle – it smells divine (and reminds me of the amazing time I had there).
PHOROGRAPHS COURTESY: MAIRA PAGGAANWALA
