It’s nearing midnight at The Maine Ibiza, an upscale Mediterranean restaurant hidden among the atmospheric salt pans of Salinas, but the tables of quietly glamorous guests are only just getting started. In many ways, this moment encapsulates Ibiza’s long-held place in the international travel scene: the crowd is a stone’s throw from super club DC10, yet the vibe is chilled; the menu features bougie hallmarks like red prawn carpaccio, but it’s freshly caught off neighbouring island Formentera and served simply with a sprinkling of the salt from this UNESCO world heritage wetland. This is authentic, low-key luxury at its finest, with more Celine sunglasses and a sip of Hierbas Ibicencas than rave goggles and tequila shots.
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But the most interesting observation of all comes from one of the charming waiters at this White Isle hotspot: The Maine’s next opening (following Dubai, London and, last year, Ibiza) will be in Turkey. To be precise, it will be in Bodrum, within the newest outpost of Maxx Royal Bodrum, the sleek, sprawling hotel that has just opened on the north coast of the Bodrum Peninsula. “We have live music in Ibiza twice a week, but as we’re in a natural reserve, we have to be respectful,” says Joey Ghazal, founder of The Maine. “But in Bodrum, we can dial it up as much as we want, putting live music and entertainment at the centre of the concept. To be honest I jumped at the chance to open here because our clients very much move between these four destinations – London, Ibiza, Dubai, Bodrum – so it makes sense for us.”
A scenic cove away from Maxx Royal is another of Bodrum’s buzziest new arrivals: Scorpios, the Soho House-owned, Mykonos-born beach club that has crossed the Aegean to set up very chic shop on the Turkish Riviera. This brings sunset DJ sets, Eastern Mediterranean dishes and a contemporary temple known as ‘The Ritual Space’ to Bodrum. It also marks the brand’s first foray into overnight accommodation, courtesy of 12 bungalows with private pools and impeccable vibes. “I’ve been going to Scorpios in Mykonos for years,” says Ghazal of The Maine’s neighbour. “For them to choose Bodrum as their second international destination says a lot about what’s going on over here.”
Witness the most recent signs of the ‘Bodrum boom’, a jet-set renaissance that’s filling social media feeds (with more than 26M posts on TikTok), as well as flights from London (British Airways now flies Heathrow to Bodrum directly three times a week). Of course, this vibrant destination on the Turquoise Coast, where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean at the end of sweeping evergreen peninsulas, has drawn travellers since antiquity. Legend has it that Antony built an island off the coast here as a gift for Cleopatra. Since then, rockstars and royalty have continued to drop in, from Mick Jagger and Princess Margaret partying at the infamous Halikarnas Discotheque nightclub in the 1970s to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle taking a trip to Bodrum before their wedding in 2017. That was the year the glamorous Yalikavak Marina reopened, a magnet for the great and the good of Turkish society, who have long decamped to this ‘Istanbul-on-sea’ when schools close to spend summers in glossy villas dotted along the coast.
