Wine and Dine in Bodrum, Turkey
To wrap up the summer season of 2014 I went to Turkey with my boyfriend for some last minute R & R before facing the winter months back in Ireland.
I need beach
I flew Turkish Airlines to Istanbul – excellent airline, great movie selection – and then joined what seemed like Turkey’s “in crowd” for a connecting flight to Bodrum.
Amidst the designer clad passengers in their hangover essential sunglasses and shiny new stilettos I decided that Bodrum must be a very trendy place to go.
Fabulous Picture of Bodrum from http://www.goturkey.com
We managed to pack a lot into a few days so here is the round up of our trip!
Stay – Hapimag Resort Sea Garden
The room was very spacious with a living room and balcony with a terrific view of the Agean Sea.
View from room at Hapimag @liakadatravel
Pros: – Lovely calm sea – Great selection of water sports
Cons: – Lots of hills – Very crowded in the summer
Sea at Hapimag Resort Sea Garden @liakadatravel
Eat
1) Limon
In the evenings we went touring around the area and checked out some great restaurants and bars. First up was Limon, a lovely romantic cafe set on hillside overlooking the sea.
Sunset at Limon
The vibe in Limon is somewhat off beat, the furniture is random and vintage, and the fairy lights in the trees give it a slight ethereal feel. The food was delicious and if you get there in time for the sunset (we did not, oops) I’d image the view would be spectacular.
Interesting Decor at Limon
2) Sait
On our second night we checked out the beautiful Palmarina in Yalikavak. The marina advertises itself as being situated on the “Turkish Riviera”, a statement that I was initially skeptical about but as I strolled past the million dollar yachts that were casually moored there I thought I might as well have been in Nice.
For dinner we went to Sait, a famous fish restaurant that opened its second branch in the Marina. The restaurant, started by a husband and wife team, had a humble beginning operating out of what locals jokingly refer to as a ‘shack’. 11 years on and it is now an institution of the Bodrum scene.
Sait at Palmarina
Having said all that, personally, it wasn’t my cup of tea. I am not a fan of the Turkish style of presenting customers with a platter of dead fish, eyes and all, for you to choose which one will end up in your tummy. I also feel the restaurant had gone a bit too far in its road to being institutionalised and had lost its personal touch.
Please Don’t Eat Me
3) Evimiz
Tucked away from the chaos, in a quiet corner of Bodrum is Evimiz. Evimiz is a tiny french restaurant in the converted downstairs and courtyard of a house, and perhaps the only non-seafood restaurant in the region. The food was tasty and every dish is individually prepared by the chef giving it a wonderfully homey feel.
Not Seafood at Evimiz
Dance at the Billionaire Beach & Club
Located in the trendy Palmarina is the Billionaire Beach & Club. This place draws large crowds throughout summer and is the perfect place to showcase your new dress.
Billionaire Club at Palmarina @liakadatravel
Cocktails at Maçakizi
Speaking of bars, on our third night we went to Maçakizi a boutique hotel with an incredible cocktail bar right on the sea. This place is uber cool, with large white sofas on a wooden deck over the water, lounge music playing softly in the background, and super chic clientele. I could have stayed sipping cocktails all night.
Maçakizi
Relax at the Kempinski Bodrum
By this stage I am sure you are sick of reading about endless food… I swear I do sometimes do something other than eat but this one last place was too good to leave out.
Kempinski Hotel at Dusk
On our fourth and final day in Bodrum we planned to drive down the coast to Çeşme in the afternoon, but the lazy summer ways had gotten to us and we didn’t end up leaving until 7pm so of course we then had to stop to eat.
It’s Always Dinner Time
We headed to the Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay Bodrum, a white castle-like building that is perched on a cliff overlooking the sea – typical Kempinski style.
Subtle
I know its not authentic Turkish cuisine but the food and setting were just so good that I had to share. We were taken from the main hotel by golf carts to their seafront brassiere where we dined on prawns and fresh fish. We also lit Turkish coffee on fire to scare away the bees.. who knew?
Delicious Prawns
We then finished our lovely Bodrum trip with a Blue Hawaiian cocktails!
Blue Hawaiian at the Kempinski Bodrum @liakadatravel
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