4 REASONS Hotel on the Bodrum Peninsula, Turkey! A lovely sun soaked hillside hideaway that won't break the bank.
4 Reasons Hotel
The Anniversary trip to Turkey continues! After three luxurious, adventurous days on a sailing yacht on the Aegean Sea, we regained our landlegs on the Bodrum Peninsula in Southern Turkey. For a brief tutorial on the Bodrum Peninsula and its layout, check out the post I wrote last week on our first days on the Peninsula at the culture and luxe steeped Casa Dell Arte.
Yalikavak
The town of Yalikavak on the Northern shore of the Bodrum Peninsula is made up of several bays, most of which are lined with white traditional style (read: white and boxy) houses. The development in this area is a real shame and we pray that it slows and stops-- as many of the residents do! That said, it is not overwhelming and the little town of Yalikavak is cute with narrow pedestrian streets offering lots of shops -- mostly filled with tchotchkes but I did find some cool rope bracelets here-- that open up onto waterside cafes and restaurants that are charming despite catering to tourists. It was amazing to learn that this small fishing village was introduced to electricity (and tourism) only 30 years ago!
This boutique property is perched high on a hill overlooking Yalikavak with the sea beyond. The pictures don't even do the views justice-- we found ourselves exclaiming every time we looked up at how stunning our surroundings were. Owned and operated by a charming Turkish couple who speak fluent English, 4 Reasons offers 20 rooms that are chic and modern yet still warm-- we loved the wood platform built around the bed filled with river rocks, the white brick fireplace, the sunny balcony and stylish bathroom (would like to recreate this bathroom at home!). The rooms are simple yet they still have personality. And they are an incredible value!
Although it was piping hot when we were there (end of June), I loved having our own private balcony for morning journal writing sessions and star gazing at night.... and it was the perfect spot for enjoying the champagne and chocolate covered strawberries the owners sent as an anniversary gift!
the view from our balcony (Passionate room #31)
Which leads me to the sweet and earnest staff. They were friendly and personable yet professional (with only a few little snafus involving a language barrier with a gentleman at the front desk and no converters on hand in the hotel-- we recommended they get a few for all of their international guests). The staff made meals extra special by festooning our dinner table with bouganvilla and other native flowers, whipping up signature cocktails and they couldn't have been more pleasant in the mornings during the complimentary full service breakfast and afternoon tea and cake around the pool. And the food was delicious! Everything tasted incredibly fresh and their variations on the traditional Turkish dishes we came to love, were unique and refreshing. We also give their wine list a thumbs up-- we discovered (and quite frequently imbibed) the Sarafin chardonnay-- from Turkey with love!
One thing to know about staying at 4 Reasons is that you will need a car. The main area of town and beaches are a drive away. And the hotel doesn't have its own beach so you'll need to pay (about $10/person) to go to a "beach club." We spent an afternoon at Xuma Beach Club which was very pleasant. Lovely swimming, sunning and lunch/drinks spot. They also were about to unveil a nice gym and spa (if you want to get a workout in other than swimming, this is your spot as there is no gym at the hotel and it is so damn hot you might die if you tried to run outside... or get run over).
We loved out two nights at 4 Reasons and recommend it as a budget friendly option for a few nights on the Bodrum Peninsula!
Finally this week I will be rolling out the glitz, the glam, the absurd beachwear and luxe-y fabulousness of Macikizi-- the grand finale of our Turkish anniversary adventure. And also will be providing you all with a quick and dirty all around guide to Turkey. So stay tuned!
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