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Maçakızı
Türkbükü, Turkey · Independent · Grand Luxury
In 1977 Ayla Emiroğlu opened a 16-room pension on a then-unpaved track in Türkbükü, the first private beach club in Turkey, attracting Istanbul's writers and artists while cows grazed the back of the property. Her son Sahir Erozan rebuilt and renamed it Maçakızı ('queen of spades') in her honour in 2000; now 71 rooms terraced over four levels from waterfront to hillside, it ranked 96th on the World's 50 Best Hotels extended list in 2025.
- 74 rooms
- Opened 1977
- Neighborhood: Türkbükü, Bodrum Peninsula
- Architect: Ahmet Alatas & Tabanlioglu
- Interiors: Sahir Erozan & Barbara Pensoy
About Maçakızı
- Founder Ayla Emiroğlu's 1977 beach pension was the first private beach club in Turkey; roads were unpaved and cows still grazed behind the property when Istanbul's intelligentsia began making it their summer retreat.
- The hotel's name, 'Maçakızı', is the Turkish term for the queen of spades — chosen by Sahir Erozan to honour his mother's original bohemian artist community, founded 23 years before the present property opened in 2000.
- No televisions are installed in any of the 71 rooms — a deliberate policy maintained since the hotel's founding philosophy of conversation and disconnection.
- A standalone 10-room Villa Maçakızı can be rented as a fully private residence for up to 20 guests, with its own pool and dedicated butler service.
- The property reached #96 on the World's 50 Best Hotels extended list in 2025 and holds multiple Condé Nast Traveler Gold List citations.
History
Maçakızı traces its origins to 1977 when Ayla Emiroğlu, a visionary Bodrum native, established a 16-room pension with a shared bathroom and a private beach in Bodrum — the first such beach club in Turkey — attracting Istanbul's intelligentsia, writers, and artists at a time when cows roamed the back of the property and roads were unpaved. Her son Sahir Erozan, who had spent nearly two decades working in Washington, D.C., returned in the late 1990s and partnered with his mother to build a second beach club and, in 2000, to relocate and transform the concept into the boutique hotel it is today in Türkbükü. Erozan named the hotel 'Maçakızı' — meaning 'queen of spades' — in honor of his mother's original artist retreat. Now a five-star property of 71 rooms and suites set over four terraced tiers from the waterfront to the hillside, Maçakızı blends bohemian spirit with sophisticated luxury in a way that elicits fierce loyalty from a global following of returning guests.
The hotel's name, 'Maçakızı', is the Turkish term for the queen of spades — chosen by Sahir Erozan to honour his mother's original bohemian artist community, founded 23 years before the present property opened in 2000.
The setting
Maçakızı occupies a sheltered cove on Narçiçeği Sokak in Göltürkbükü, a bay village on the north shore of the Bodrum peninsula that founder Ayla Emiroğlu helped transform from a fishing hamlet in the 1960s into Turkey's most celebrated bohemian retreat. Backed by pine-clad hills and fronting turquoise Aegean water, the site was chosen for its ideal sun angle and protected aspect. Guests arrive by private water taxi from Bodrum harbor, and this northern shoreline draws Istanbul's cultural elite and international A-list visitors; a neighboring landmark luxury resort 2.8 kilometers along the same shore confirms the bay as a proven five-star enclave. The Greek island of Kos is visible across the channel on clear days. 20 km from dibeklih Culture.
Restaurants and bars
- Maçakızı Restaurant — Poolside · Modern and traditional Turkish · Aret Sahakyan · One MICHELIN Star
- Ayla — Restaurant · Refined Turkish, three-act tasting menu · Chef Aret Sahakyan
- Café Med — Café
- Mediterraneo Pavilion — Restaurant
Experiences
- Maçakızı Reconnects wellness weekend — Weekend retreat with sunrise meditation, yoga, Pilates, massage, tarot, sound bath, breath workshop and a shamanic ritual.
- Beach club and wooden jetty — Swimming, lounging and backgammon from the sun-dappled wooden jetty and sundeck, with a ladder into the sea.
- Ayla restaurant tasting menu — Menu unfolds in three acts with four choices each over a two-and-a-half-hour sitting.
- Boat excursions — The hotel has its own boat for excursions or drop-offs elsewhere along the coast.
- Yacht charter — Guests can charter the hotel's yacht and explore Göltürkbükü Bay from the water.
- Land Rover Defender transfers — Five Land Rover Defenders, each marked with a spade, transport guests around.
Amenities
- 71 rooms and suites (25 garden-view, 26 sea-facing, 22 suites including 6 Villa Suites)
- Private beach and beach club
- Pool
- Spa
- Private jetty
- Terraced gardens with bougainvillea
- No televisions in rooms
- Fitness center
Awards
- Condé Nast Traveler Gold List (2026)
- World's 50 Best Hotels 51-100 (2025)
- Forbes Travel Guide recognition
Open Maçakızı in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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