THE JOURNAL
A getaway means different things to us all. For some, it’s a brief city break; for others, the year-long adventure of a lifetime. The common denominator for all holiday plans? The hope of escape from it all, in some way or another. It’s little wonder then, that even as travel trends change, being cocooned in the reassuring luxury of an exclusive resort remains an irresistible proposition.
With this in mind, and an eye to the shiniest new offerings, we found ourselves on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, an area that excels at this sort of thing. It’s partly to do with the setting, which, with its Lycian ruins, dramatic clifftops and majestic beaches, is the perfect location to escape day-to-day reality.
The luxury hotel group Maxx Royal has a firm grasp of what makes the perfect getaway round these parts with twin resorts in the charming coastal village of Kemer, and golfing mecca, Belek. Next spring sees the launch of its third five-star resort, Maxx Royal Bodrum – a preview of which can be seen in these renderings – where guests can get away from it all on a private peninsula with breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea.
Maxx Royal Bodrum has the intimate feel of a boutique hotel on the grandest scale. Accommodation is an escape from the everyday, without foregoing the good stuff. Suites offer guests an elevated sense of home comforts, while royal suites come with a generous measure of living space. If quiet is also a priority, the Laguna apartments offer additional levels of tranquillity with calming open-plan living spaces and adjacent heated seawater pools.
For utmost seclusion, enjoy privacy of the most luxurious kind in one of Maxx Royal Bodrum’s 27 villas. Hill Villas boast two, three and four bedrooms, while the Presidential Hill Villa, home to five bedrooms, a steam room, sauna, fitness centre, jacuzzi and heated seawater pools, may prove impossible to leave.
That said, there is plenty to entice out from your luxury cocoon. Dinner should start with a table at the on-site restaurant, where guests can experience a menu from Michelin-star chef Mr Alfredo Russo. Opportunities for culinary discoveries abound in a choice of seven à la carte restaurants, including the renowned Caviar Kaspia. And if that gets you in a social mood, there are eight bars to sample throughout the resort, or head to Scorpios, the iconic Mykonos beach club, which will be opening next door.
If socialising leaves you yearning for a lie-down in a darkened room, Maxx Royal Bodrum has created space for that, too. Vacationing with family? Drop the kids off at Maxxi Land, a magical recreation space for children. Then, indulge in the finest me-time imaginable, at the Maxx Wellbeing Spa, where you can avail of anti-ageing treatments, body contouring and a blend of holistic rituals including body massage, sound healing and manual body alignment therapy. Spa time complete, further therapy can be found in the simple act of a stroll through Maxx Royal’s beautifully landscaped grounds, which accentuate the natural local beauty. Wherever you go here, there’s no escaping it: Maxx Royal Bodrum is designed to be the perfect getaway for summer 2024.