The Bodrum Edition

June 26th, 2022

Posts in this series:

Introduction - Surf & Turf From the Aegean Coast to the Saharan Desert

Review - Air Serbia Business Class A330-200 New York JFK to Belgrade

Review - Metropol Palace Belgrade, A Luxury Collection Hotel

Review - The Bodrum Edition

Review - The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul

Review - Turkish Airlines Business Class B737-8 Max Istanbul to Marrakech

Review - Amanjena

Review - Royal Air Maroc Business Class B787-8 Casablanca to New York JFK

Enroute:

People always say good things are worth the wait. I think they’re talking about me and the Bodrum Edition. I previously mentioned that we planned to stay here in the summer of 2020, but obviously that didn’t happen. After two years and endless sleepless nights, we out here.

We took an early flight from Belgrade, by way of Istanbul and arrived at the resort shortly before 5pm. The hotel was quite far from the airport, as the ride took almost an hour without traffic. You absolutely need not worry about the taxi situation here in Bodrum. I mean, there’s not one single taxi driver who would try to scam you. They did drive a bit fast, but not to the point that you felt unsafe. There were some hilarious taxi drivers in Bodrum that would just crack you up when cussing at other drivers.

Check-in:

Once arrived at the hotel, there was a team of 3 to 5 bellmen waiting to take your luggage and escort you to check-in. The receptionist checking us in was Merve. Let me start off by saying every staff member we interacted with was outstanding. I’m familiar with the general Turkish hospitality, but the Edition took it to the next level. The staff here almost reminded me of Thai people who will never say no to any of your demands. Ugh, give them green cards asap. We need them in the US.

Merve invited us to have a seat, while she took our passports for registration. In the meantime, we were first treated to some flavored ice cream and water.

We were also brought a glass of prosecco. Returned with Merve was the front office manager Ferhat, whom I had emailed prior to our stay. They asked about our travel and wished us a happy anniversary. We had a nice chat about how Turkey was doing during Covid. At this point, Merve escorted us to our room in a buggy, which was the main mode of transport at the resort. Subsequently, we just walked when on property, as the Mediterranean climate was quite conducive to being outdoors. The resort was built on a cliff, meaning there were lots of stairs. Amazing, free StairMaster.

Here are a few pictures of the lobby area at night. You would only be here for departure and arrival to the hotel.

Unpack:

We were upgraded to a premier sea view room, which was massive. It was definitely more of a junior suite size. Immediately upon entry was a walk-in closet to the right.

The closet and drawer space were abundant. I could unpack three weeks worth of clothes and still have enough room. Outside the walk-in closet was a beautiful marble bathroom, with dual vanity, a soaking tub and plenty of towels. I wish all beach resorts would just place 3-4 sets of towels per person at check-in, since you tend to shower much more frequently at those places.

Before you enter the bedroom, there was the minibar, along with coffee and tea.

You could find the minibar menu here:

Past the minibar was the spacious sleeping and living quarter.

The hotel had arranged some welcome amenities, including a bottle of prosecco, a fresh bouquet and a delicious olive oil cake.

There were also some Covid supplies, which appeared to be of high quality.

Outside the room was a sizable terrace, with a partial view of the bay in the near distance.

I was impressed by the room. The size was generous for a non-suite, both indoors and outdoors. The humidity level was low, so it was always pleasant to sit outside. I love the signature minimalist design at Edition properties, and this one was no exception.

Unwind:

While the room was no doubt gorgeous, the grounds and other areas of the hotel did not disappoint either. The property was well manicured, and the elevation only added to the flair.

The hotel had one infinity pool, located on the level above the beach. There were plenty of seating options around the pool, as well as a sundeck connecting the pool and the poolside restaurant.

From the edge of the pool you could look down onto the beach, where most people seemed to be. The water was quite clear, similar to what you’d see in Miami. But the water temperature was much chillier. I didn’t acquire enough courage to get in.

One thing I didn’t expect was how windy it could get. For three days straight the wind was at a sustained 30 knots.

Gym and spa facilities were available, although we only made it to the latter 🤪. The spa at the Bodrum Edition was probably one of the most stunning spas I’ve ever used. Both the indoor and outdoor areas were iconic.

In addition to the treatment and hammam rooms, there were also a sauna, a steam room and a Himalayan salt room, which were all free to use even if you weren’t getting a massage.

The real gem at the spa was the outdoor treatment suite, which came with its own relaxation area and heated plunge pools. Oh, almost forgot about the unrivaled ocean view.

The actual spa service was provided by Spa Soul, who was the third-party provider for many other hotels in Turkey. You can find the menu here. The prices were much more expensive here than in Istanbul, but so were everything else in Bodrum.

Refuel:

The Bodrum Edition probably had the world’s best hotel breakfast. No, it’s not a Southeast Asian breakfast buffet, but it was so good in its own way. Breakfast was served at the Kitchen from 8am to 12pm, so you really had no reason to get up early. The restaurant was tropical, and they played bossa nova to amplify the vibe just a notch more.

Every breakfast started with a smorgasbord of cheeses, spreads, bread, appetizers, fruits and veggies. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

The veggies, in particular the cucumbers, green peppers and tomatoes, were the freshest I’d ever had. The tomatoes had such a concentrated and pure tomato flavor, which you simply cannot get from a greenhouse tomato. The cucumbers were so crunchy and not watery at all. Ugh, I’d pay Eataly prices if I can buy these in NYC.

As if that’s not a feast already, there was also a menu where you could order dishes à la carte, as well as a whole variety of drinks. You can find the menu below:

The coffee here was to die for, especially the Turkish coffee and the Turkish iced latte. At this point I’d eat and drink anything that’s Turkish. There were numerous juices and vitality shots, which were excellent too.

Throughout our stay, we sampled every single item. Honestly everything was delicious, but the menemen with sucuk took the crown.

Like I said, breakfast at the Edition was an event. The service was spectacular. There was an army of roughly 20+ wait staff who were all incredibly genuine, competent and friendly. I cannot stress enough how kind and sincere these people at the Edition, and in Turkey at large, were.

I overheard this conversation by the pool one day, which I think accurately sums up the breakfast experience:

The daughter: “Can we order something?”

The mom: “When did we finish breakfast?”.

The daughter: “12?”.

The mom: “You’re hungry again? Why do I feel like I just had a cow?”.

Pool menu was the same as the Morena restaurant. You can find the menu here:

I didn’t drink as much on this trip as my partner still had some work to do during the week. From the ones I tried, I liked the golden fever.

I believe on Thursday we decided to get a little irresponsible and ordered a fiesta of the pink glitter, which came in a larger format. I’d never order this if it weren’t for this blog 😉.

This ginormous thing lasted the two of us from pretty much noon to sunset.

One evening we got too lazy drinking wine on our terrace, so we just ordered room service. The menu reads as follows:

The food came in 30 minutes. We shared a cobb salad, manti and seafood pasta. Everything was well made and delicious. The quality of the food was on par with restaurants like Hillstone, which says a lot given it’s just room service.

All the prices on property included VAT and service charge, so even for room service there’s no additional line to tip on the bill.

Depart:

We spent a wonderful week at the Bodrum Edition. I’d been planning to come here for a few years and had very high expectations. The Bodrum Edition exceeded all of them and then some. There were so many great moments during our stay, that I feel obligated to make a list of all the attention-to-detail the hotel had managed to achieve:

- upon check-in, there were 8 bottles of water in the room. Y’all know I hate hotels being stingy with water.

- the front office team was extremely responsive with the chat function on the Marriott app and responded within minutes. This is something I increasingly value more, as you can carry on with your day without having to sit by the phone waiting for a callback.

- there was a hotel staff member at the beach offering sunglasses polishing.

- once in a while the beach and pool staff would come around with a tray of fruits on a skewer. The server would pour out the excess water from melted ice before serving the guests.

- when we ordered the fiesta cocktail, the pool staff would constantly replenish our ice bucket without us asking.

- the hotel prepared a keepsake LeLabo for us with our names on the label.

- the hotel provided a house car that could take you to nearby areas.

- when you depart from the hotel, whether in a house car or taxi, the porters would offer water for the ride.

Lastly, I want to talk about Bodrum. As a destination, Bodrum has enjoyed its fame for many years. This little enclave hosts quite a few luxury hotels, from Amanruya to Mandarin Oriental to Six Senses. I was told a Janu was under development as well. Russian and Arabic wealth is ubiquitous here, especially at Yalikavak Marina, with high end shops and the same restaurants you’d find in Miami, London and Dubai. Don’t get me wrong, I love the foie gras stuffed Pecking duck at Novikov as much as Sveta loves her Cartier bracelets, but there’s also all the local Bodrum people who are exceptionally gracious and hardworking.

We had dinner one day at this little kebab place outside the marina area, and the waiters there were some of the most meticulous service industry professionals I’ve met. One waiter brought over water and put it on the table by my left hand, and the lead waiter immediately came over and placed it by my right hand. As mentioned earlier, it was gusty for a few days. The lead waiter would constantly come over to wipe anything blown away by the wind to make sure the table was tidy. We sat by the water next to a road, his team would run in front of traffic to pick up napkins or plastics that flew onto the road. Keep in mind that this was just a small roadside shack, and I doubt the guy went to a hotel school and learned about serving the dominant hand. It’s the honest effort to make sure that they’re offering a good experience to whomever sets foot at that restaurant.

Color me impressed by the Bodrum Edition, and Bodrum as a whole. It’s one of those places that you can be assured a great time regardless of where you stay.