What a great job they’ve done. The place does not feel like it’s 20+ years old. Extremely well maintained. I might give them a try if I come back to the area (+ FS Bodrum per Scented’s comment above).

We are wrapping up our stay at Amanruya now so just wanted to share a few thoughts and compare it to the Edition. I echo most of the comments here that the service is definitely not Aman-level, but the hardware and overall ambiance are spectacular. If I come back to Bodrum I will be happy to stay here again (would also try FS)

Positives:
- Absolutely wonderful hardware. Very well maintained room and common area. No significant wear and tear observed (vs Edition which has visible repairs needed). Rooms are very private as well.
- Pools are adequately heated, even the private pool in the pavilion is heated to a pleasant temperature
- Food is very good. Breakfast is a step up vs Edition and dinner ranged from good to great. Food pricing is also reasonable for a luxury resort (appetizers $10-15, mains $20-30)
- Very good spa treatments (though spa facility is lacking)
- Not really a resort positive but I did not see anyone smoke on property (vs Edition where many guests seem to be smoking a pack every hour)

Negatives:
- No beach. There is no sand and the beach club has lots of steps and various seating areas. It’s hard to get service if you’re seated faraway from the main area. But you get more privacy and better views from those secluded chairs...
- Seaview is obscured from most parts of the resort. Honestly didn’t bother me much as we had great views at the Edition and the landscaping here is pretty good but something to note
- Service is quite poor. I don’t get any of the “do whatever you’d like” Aman vibe here and most staff were quite reserved and lacked personality. It is also difficult to get service at the pool and parts of the beach club. The high occupancy could be to blame as the service improved notably today after many groups checked out. There were also a couple of mix-ups with pre arrival arrangements. My birthday cake was also delivered 1 hour after we finished dinner...

Btw - sharing a couple pics of the under construction four seasons. We chartered a boat and the captain pointed it out to us. Feels like a pretty good location. Not far from Bodrum itself but the immediate area seems relatively quiet. The sea floor right in front of the hotel has sand so they’ll just need to bring in sand onshore to build out a beach club. The villas look a bit too close together and the hotel itself looks quite big, but I don’t know how many rooms are actually being planned here.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b6ad61f63.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...82a250562.jpeg

Any recent Bodrum experiences, in particular the MO? The service seems to be hit or miss based on previous posts. Would it be a huge disappointment when compared with FS Astir Palace?

I haven't stayed at either MO Bodrum or FS Astir Palace but I will say a couple of things. Firstly, MO Bodrum was mentioned a number of times a few years back in one of those "best hotels in the world" type of threads (which surprised me and left me quite intrigued) and FS Astir Palace I don't believe is well regarded in this forum (or even overall).

I'm recently back from a Med cruise on Silversea and a couple of fellow passengers had a tote bag from the FS Astir Palace. I asked them how it was. "Packed with screaming kids," they said. Maybe enough said.

MO Bodrum was highly regarded on this forum for a year or so after it opened but service seems to have deteriorated since then. On the other hand, FS Astir has been getting some glowing reviews, most notably by vuittons who posted that it’s in a different league altogether. That being said, no one disagrees that it’s highly overpriced.

Well , know some who have been this year and one who worked there briefly , and all have said service is a disaster .. the trainee there was even called back to take care of royalty as the staff there could not cope as not up to par .. yes , & those screaming kids , not in their own pool too with parents no where in sight

Hopefully , these will not discover Amanruya

Any updates on FS Bodrum, dear scented ? I am confused since the owners have listed the property on their website, but FS hasn't released any press.

Not sure when or if at all this property will happen. The show villas were completed many years ago and most of the shell buildings are complete. I honestly don't know where this is headed, sorry. Maybe the owners decided to pour their money into their new standalone Private Residences Istanbul, which deliver an immediate return. Even former FS GM Tarek Mourad jokingly said "if one day Bodrum happens [...] inshallah". On another note, he is now at a St Regis. I think FS is not making anything public until they get the green light and are certain this will go ahead.

One of the biggest challenges of FS Bodrum is that it is located in a notable seismic region, which means all buildings have to be of a certain standard, the same goes for the entire infrastructure. Mind you, this land has no infrastructure, they have to start from scratch.

FS Bosphorus is embarrassingly dated now and there are still no renovations announced yet. At least the hard product cannot compare to newer kids on the block.

I would love to see Bodrum materialize and think it would be one of the finest resorts in the Mediterranean, but I guess we will have to wait. I suspect Muscat will open before Bodrum... Increasingly more and more top talents are leaving Turkey for Qatar and other GCC countries, which poses a challenge for hotels operating in Turkey.

I'll update this here, should I hear anything. :)