It’s almost midnight in Maine Ibiza, an elegant Mediterranean restaurant hidden among the white expanses of Salinasbut diners exuding a relaxed glamour have just sat down at the table. In many ways, this moment encapsulates the fame Ibiza has long cultivated on the international travel scene: the place is just a stone’s throw from the DC10 Super Clubbut the atmosphere is relaxed; the menu offers sophisticated dishes such as red shrimp carpacciobut this one has been caught in neighbouring Formentera and is served with just a pinch of salt from this UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is true luxury, relaxed and subtle.more Celine sunglasses and shots of Ibizan herbs than rave glasses and tequila.
Bodrum has long been a meeting point for the jet set and their yachts.
Getty Images
But the most interesting observation comes from one of the charming waiters at this trendy spot: The Maine’s next opening (after its locations in Dubai, London and, last year, Ibiza) will be in Bodrum, Türkiyewithin the new complex of Maxx Royal Bodrumthe elegant and enormous hotel that has just opened on the northern coast of the peninsula“In Ibiza we have live music twice a week, but, as it is a nature reserve, we have to be respectful,” he explains. Joey Ghazal, founder of The Maine. “But in Bodrum we can turn up the volume as much as we want, and live music and entertainment is the backbone of the whole concept. To be honest, I jumped headlong into opening here because Our clients usually move between these four destinations (London, Ibiza, Dubai and Bodrum)“So for us it was a logical step.”
Just a scenic cove away from Maxx Royal we find another of Bodrum’s most talked about newcomers: Scorpios, the beach club Born in Mykonos and owned by Soho House, which has just crossed the Aegean to plant its chic flag on the Turkish Riviera. This involves sunset DJ sets, Eastern Mediterranean dishes and a contemporary temple known as The Ritual Space, and also marks the brand’s first foray into overnight accommodationsby means of twelve bungalows with private pool and an immaculate air. “I have been going to Scorpios in Mykonos for many years,” says Ghazal about his restaurant’s neighbour. “The fact that they have chosen Bodrum and Turkey as their second international destination says a lot about everything that is happening here.”
This is just a sample of the call Bodrum booma jet-set revival that fills social media (there are more than 26 million posts on TikTok) and planes (British Airways now flies from Heathrow direct to Bodrum three times a week). Of course, this vibrant destination on the Turquoise Coast, where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean at the tip of evergreen peninsulas, has been attracting travellers since time immemorial: legend has it that Mark Antony built an island on this coast as a gift to Cleopatra. People have been stopping by ever since. nobles and rock starsof Mick Jagger and Princess Margaret partying for the famous Halikarnas Discotheque club in the 70s to the journey of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle before their wedding in 2017. That year the glamorous marina reopened its doors Yalikavak Marinaa real magnet for Turkish high society, which has long since moved to this beachside Istanbul at the end of the school year to spend the summer in the dream villas scattered along the coast.
