Reisen

I looked at Caresse, but this will be an award stay, and while the cash rates are similar between Caresse and the Edition, the points rates for Caresse are 2.5x as much. Ie. I paid 40k spg points (120k Marriott points) for a 5 night stay at the Edition, but Caresses would be 100k SPG points (300k Marriott points). I have plenty of SPG points, and Caresse seems like it's priced about right (around 2.5 cents per point) on award stay, but the Bodrum Edition offers ridiculous value on award stays at the moment.

My main decision right now is 4 or 5 nights in Bodrum, and whether to split between the Edition and the Kempenski, or just stay at the Edition to avoid moving hotels. I can stay at the Kempenski for 2 nights completely free, so that's pretty tempting, but it does involve the hassle of switching hotels.

Reisen

FWIW, we opted to just stay all 5 night at the Edition. We're actually paying a decent amount extra to do so (versus switching to the Kempenski), but the Edition looks great, and we'll already be staying at two different hotels in Istanbul (the Four Seasons Sultanahmet for 2 nights on the front end, and a 1 night stay at the very end somewhere else).

If anyone has any suggestions of things to do in/near Bodrum (we'll have a rental car), I welcome them. We did Park Hyatt Mallorca for 7 nights in 2016, and I'm hoping Bodrum will be something like that. We also spent a lot of time in the Greek Islands as teenagers, but that was literally 20 years ago. This will be our first time in Turkey, but we are very experienced global travelers (50+ countries each).

UADFW

Reisen

I'll try to get a full review up tomorrow. We returned last week, but I had to turn around and fly for business travel 12 hours later, so am still getting caught up.

In short, we had a blast and the hotel is fabulous, but it's not perfect. UADFW, definitely try for an upgrade, as there is a drastic difference in views amongst the rooms. My main complaint was that we got a 2nd floor room at the top of the hotel (away from the beach, pool, gym, restaurants, and other amenities) and had a mostly blocked view and lots of stairs. That said, they came through in spades in other ways.

Last thing, we got quad-S'd (SSSSd) coming back, and it's been following me around on my domestic travel since our return. Not much you can do about it, but it is a major hassle.

Anyone going should try to make a reservation for Limon in Gemusluk NOW. We were lucky to get in, and their next opening was 4 weeks away.

Reisen

Sorry guys, I did a truly stupid thing. I wrote a massive review that I spent several hours on, then got distracted, came back, hit post, and got the "token expired" message, and lost the whole thing. I got irritated at myself for being so stupid (and not saving all the text in a word document), and then got busy at work. I've tried to recreate as much as I could and will add pictures if possible.

Overall, the hotel was great. We've traveled to a lot of very nice hotels, and the Bodrum Edition most reminded me of the Park Hyatt Mallorca (more on that later). Here are my thoughts, bulleted by category:

Location - This hotel is NOT in Bodrum. It's like 75-90 minutes away, and over the course of the 6 nights we spent there, we never went anywhere close to Bodrum. The hotel is right outside Yalikavak and not in a major population center. You have a couple of other smallish villages within a 30 minute drive, but you are mainly surrounded by other resorts and private houses. It feels very Mediterranean.

Yalikavak - This town is odd in that half of the town is the Marina, which is hyper-upscale and filled with Yachts, expensive shopping, and expensive clothing. It reminded me of Waikiki Beach, or Singapore. They have metal detectors and armed guards, which is typical in touristy areas of Turkey right now (I saw lots of this in Istanbul). We ate dinner there one night and did some shopping, but spent little time at the Marina otherwise. The other half of the town is a typical Turkish beach town, with a moderate sized Bazaar, cute restaurants, lots of B&Bs, etc. Yalikavak is VERY close to the Edition, maybe 1.5 miles to the edge, and like 2 or 2.5 miles to the Marina. It is very easy to get a taxi, uber, or have the hotel drop you off. We actually ran to Yalikavak Marina and back every morning (like 4ish miles round trip).

Transportation - We rented a car through Hertz at Milas Bodrum, which was very easy. I used CSP's car rental insurance, and had no issue. I think I paid like $150ish for 6 days for some tiny Renault. It's about an hour from the airport to the hotel, and parking at the hotel is free. We didn't use the car much once we arrived, for two reasons. #1 , Turkish police are very strict on drunk driving, and you can be jailed for having ANY alcohol in your system. In the limited amount of driving / ubering we did, we went through a half dozen police checkpoints. They are everywhere, and will stop you at night, and shine a flashlight in your face to check if you've been drinking. I suspect Turkish prison could ruin a holiday fast. So we opted to uber or take taxis instead. #2 , the resort has one of the best beaches in the area, and it's the kind of place you go to chill and hang out. Unlike Park Hyatt Mallorca, where the beaches were much better an hour or more away from the resort, we didn't find any beaches we liked better than the one right in front of the hotel.

Property - The property is beautiful. It's new, of course, so everything is in great shape. Generally, the construction seemed high quality. We did not have some of the issues we have had at other new hotel openings (including the PH Mallorca, Andaz Mayakoba, etc) where things were broken, wired incorrectly, or unfinished. I really like the design (as I did at PH Mallorca), and there are wonderful common spaces all over. Plants are fully grown in and lush, again very different from PH Mallorca and Andaz Mayakoba where stuff had obviously been planted last minute at it felt scraggly. All water features worked. There are tons of hammocks, couches, etc to spend time in, and you'll rarely be competing for space with other guests, or feeling like you're on top of them.

On the flip side, the hotel is shoehorned into a small space in a densely populated area, and on a very steep slope (similar to PH Mallorca, but worse). That means great views, but pretty much anywhere you go you are going up or down stairs. As I mentioned in my earlier post, low building numbers are at the top of the property, and away from the beach, gym, spa, pool, and restaurants. You want to be down by the action. They have golf carts, but most people wind up walking stairs a lot. Hey, if you're young and fit (as we are, and most of the guests were), it can be a good thing.

The rooms are accessed by interior hallways in each building (unlike PH Mallorca and Andaz Mayakoba), and doors are all automatic (you wave your key). Lighting is very futuristic, and the whole thing feels like the lair from that movie where the android girl kills her creator (spoiler alert!).

Room - The room was ok. I give the bathroom a 10/10 (beautiful, and large), the balcony a 5/10 (it was smallish with only one lounger and 2 chairs), and the room itself a 6/10. The room was large, white, but a little boring in its minimalism. It needs some color, some art, etc. It's your typical modern room with a glass bathroom with drapes, so I hope you know the person you're staying with well. The biggest issue with the room is the view. While the hotel is beachfront, they sacrificed the views for many of the rooms so that 75% of the view is blocked by the building in front of you. There will be massive differences in views between the rooms, so if that's important to you, plan accordingly. On the flip side, the hotel has so many great common areas, that you can get a flawless view and comfortable seating in a variety of spots. This is what we, and other guests, did.

Service - Very mixed. There were two "ringers" that were brought from Romanos at Costa Navarinno. Both are great; a British guy and a Greek woman with short blonde hair. They are basically running everything from a F&B standpoint. You can tell they are stressed, as the locals are very nice, and mean well, but are still getting the hang of things. We constantly had little service errors, from no salt on the margaritas (when specifically ordered with salt), to the wrong drinks or food being delivered. The local staff try hard, but don't understand what to look for, and aren't particularly attentive. We often had to ask for drink / food menus 3 or 4 times to get them. People would say "absolutely", disappear, and never return (15 minutes+ would go by before I would ask again). I suspect this will get better fast, as we visited in early August. Wait staff at Brava is generally better than beach service, and breakfast staff is somewhere in between (it's probably many of the same people). One day at breakfast, we waited 8 minutes for anyone to come to our table to bring menus / take drink orders. They weren't busy at all, and while 8 minutes doesn't sound like a long time, it is when you're sitting at a breakfast table without any water or coffee.

Our main service failure for the trip came when I coordinated a private dinner on the dock for my anniversary. It was a surprise for my wife, and I set it up with the Greek ringer. She did a fabulous job, but when I arrived at Brava at the allotted time, the hostess had no knowledge of it, and kept trying to seat me in one of the cabanas near the pool "because the dock is too far for the servers to walk to". I finally got tired of arguing with her, and basically just ignored her, walked out to the dock, where the greek woman was waiting with a set table, candles, music, and a private server for the evening.

They are certainly pouring a lot of resources into the Edition for the small size of the hotel. There are people everywhere. For a hotel that was like 101 rooms, they had a very high staff to guest ratio. I want to say it was 3 staff for every guest.

Pricing / Fees - Pricing on points was great. I think I paid 120k Marriott points for 5 night, and there are no resort fees, no taxes, no parking, nothing. I was there as the currency was plummeting, so a massage that I expected to spend $100 on wound up only being $60. We got 4 spa treatments between the two of us.

Breakfast - Breakfast is the high point. Turkish breakfast, which is enormous and has a zillion things for free, was included with the room, along with non-alcoholic beverages at breakfast. They have a full coffee bar, so can make espresso drinks like flat whites, iced mochas, etc. you can also get the smoothies off the breakfast menu (which would ordinarily be like $8 each) for free. The only thing that wasn't free was alcoholic breakfast drinks (I had a bloody mary, and it wasn't good) and breakfast items other than the Turkish breakfast. I thought that was a little chintzy (just make all the food free), but the Turkish breakfast was so good we were more than happy to have that every day. It is not a buffet; everything is brought to your table. Free breakfast goes until noon, which we really appreciated.

Lunch - We generally ate by the beach or off-premises. Some of the salads were good, but not cheap. The cheapest items, like in most places, were the local items (Turkish Pizza). I wasn't paying $22 for a hamburger and fries.

Dinner - Brava was the only option. It is completely outdoors, but the weather was beautiful, and part of it is covered. We loved the food, although the menu is not huge (especially if you don't like seafood). Most dishes are large enough to share, so get one entree, maybe a couple of apps, and maybe a dessert. Brava was one of the best hotel restaurants we've eaten at, and we stay in 4S/Ritz/St Regis - level properties probably 6x per year. I could not have been happier with the food quality at Brava.

The one oddity at Brava was they kept pushing us to make reservations as the hotel was full, but I can tell you the restaurant is massive and there were never more than 50% of the tables occupied. We'd show up each night and the hostess would ask if we had a reservation, and we'd reply "no". Then she would call over 2 or 3 other people, they'd all get very worried and stressed looks on their faces, and huddle up. Meanwhile, you'd look around, and there would be maybe a dozen tables with people sitting at them, and a good 4 dozen tables completely empty (at 8:00 at night). After 30 seconds, they would come back and say they found you a table. It cracked us up each night. I think the only reason to make a reservation is if you want a water view while you dine, of which limited tables have it.

Bar - There is a large, outdoor covered bar right next to Brava. It is a great setting, with music, but was never very full. This can be a good thing because it's easy to get service and there is all kind of lounge seating right next to it, but if you like a packed bar scene, there will be maybe 6-12 other people there at any given time.

Discetto - This is the Edition's biggest issue right now. They have a club / lounge that they are advertising, and is quite large, but was empty every night. There's music coming from it, a spinning disco ball, the young girl in the LBD with a clipboard at the door, but no guests. I think on weekends they're trying to get locals and people from other hotels, but at least on Friday night, it was crickets. Literally just bored staff slowly pacing around. Right outside Discetto there is a large outdoor terrace with a ton of seating, and occasionally there would be a few tables of people there, but inside was empty.

Drinks - The Bodrum Edition fell short here. Prices are high (the exchange rate fell, but prices started at $15 for a glass of wine or a cocktail), and the drink quality wasn't great. I tried almost everything on their menu, and wasn't a fan of most. A few were ok. We wound up ordering on-the-rocks margaritas, which was probably the best thing they made, and they were cheaper than the menu drinks (by 15 lira) as well. Our last day there, I remarked to the British ringer at the beach (when he inquired) that I hadn't loved the drinks, and he brought out the head bartender. He asked what we like, and went away and came back 20 minutes later with two wonderful custom cocktails. Seriously, these were WAY better than anything on the menu. We wound up drinking those that afternoon and at dinner that night. When I asked why he didn't just put these on the menu, he explained that Marriott corporate dictates the F&B menu for an opening like this, and that the local staff had little power to change it. This is an example of corporate hurting the property rather than helping it, IMO.

Pro tip - Bottled water is free by the pool and beach during the day, but Brava charges for it at night (and I think the bar probably does too). Just grab cold bottles from the gym (mere steps away). Why spend $8 on a bottle of water when you can get it for free?

Weather - The weather was beyond beautiful. Low 80's and bright sun every day. I think twice in 6 days I saw a single cloud. Once, it blocked the sun for maybe 30 seconds, and everyone was like "... is this?". There were minimal insects given how dry it was. Felt kind of like San Diego.

Pool - The pool was an infinity pool, and sort of medium sized, but appropriate for the small size of the property. Not as nice as Andaz Mayakoba, GH Playa del Carmen, etc, but not as undersized as PH Mallorca. It was generally where the kids hung out, but I never felt bothered by that, and adults will sometimes hang out at the edge overlooking the ocean. Fairly few people sat in the loungers poolside; the beach is definitely the focal point of this resort, not the pool.

Beach - The beach was great. Not huge, but they have imported sand from Egypt, so it is very white. There is a large dock with 4 cabanas and various small boats. There are plenty of chairs and umbrellas at both the beach and the pool. Even arriving at noon or 1pm, we never had an issue. No seaweed in the water, and actually a fair amount of fish the one time we snorkeled. You're in a protected cove, so the water is very calm. Basically, everyone lies out on the beach eating, drinking, smoking, looking hot, and taking selfies. Occasionally people will strut into the water to cool off, but it feels like what the Edition is going for (kind of the South Beach scene). There is music, but it is not pounding like at GH Playa del Carmen. I really enjoyed the beach scene. My only niggle is that I would have preferred if the water sports (SUP rental, jet ski rental, small boat rental, etc) were free for guests. They are at a lot of other hotels this class (I remember they were in Four Seasons Penninsula Papagayo and hotels in Bali & Phuket), and it felt like being nickled and dimed to be charged by the half hour.

Smoking - If you're not used to it, this can be an issue. Because so much of the resort is outdoors, guests can smoke most places. You'll often be breathing in second hand smoke in the restaurants, at the beach, etc. Hey, it's Turkey, what did you expect? But this is a downside versus other resorts.

Other Guests - Pretty much what you'd expect. Lots of beautiful people, but also some older couples, and some families. If you like eye candy, both men and women, this is a good place. There was one guy with two Russian models that got a lot of attention. They obviously loved it. Lots of Russians. It is a late group; we woke up early every morning to go for a run, and were like the only ones up before 10am. That said, while everyone parties at the Edition during the day, it was surprisingly quiet at night. By midnight, every night, the place was down to just a half dozen groups / couples quietly hanging out.

Gym - Great gym, with lots of equipment, including I think a reformer Pilates set up, and a dedicated personal trainer that is always there. He was a super nice guy, looked bored, and we struck up a conversation each day while I worked out. They also have a climbing wall. Never full, but never empty either.

Spa - Very impressive. Facility is a 10/10. Great relaxation areas, indoor and outdoor. We got two treatments each; a swedish massage and a Turkish Hammam. The massages were 5/10. Nothing wrong, really, but too firm for a Swedish, and nothing special otherwise. The female masseuses are Balinese, the front desk attendants Russian and Serbian. The Turkish Hammam, however, was great. 10/10 and a really cool experience. The treatment room where they do it is the most impressive, it's the most unique, and other than the rough scrubbing, it felt great. Basically, it's 50% someone giving you a bath like you were a toddler again (including washing your hair), and 50% massage. Think the scalp massage you get while getting your hair washed at the salon, only for an hour, and all over your body. At one point, they cover you in like 2 feet of bubbles (while lying on a giant marble slab, with towels made into a pillow) and then massage you for 15 minutes underneath the bubbles. I was worried the room was going to be too hot (like a sauna), but it was perfectly comfortable. Definitely the thing to do at the spa, in my opinion, and well worth it.

Things to do - Definitely talk to one of the ringers about doing a private dinner at one of the cabanas on the dock one night. We did this for our anniversary, and it was fabulous. Very romantic, great views, and a high point of the trip. Gemusluk is a cool little beach town, not too touristy, and has underwater ancient ruins. By far the best place to eat off-property is Limon in Gemusluk. It is very Bohemian, all outdoors, and women will adore the atmosphere and vibe. Great views of the sunset, and very romantic. Try to get there around 7:30/7:45ish. You will either need a reservation several weeks in advance, or have the hotel keep calling them to try to get a cancellation. Drinks there (unlike the Edition) were fabulous, and reasonably priced. The mezze platter was one of the best things I've ever had. Mains and deserts were good but not great, but the mezze, the drinks, and the atmosphere made it easily worth it.

At Yalikavak marina there are several fancy restaurants, including one of Salt Bae's outposts (if you don't know who Salt Bae is now, you'll know by the time you return from Turkey), an Asian-Latin fusion place, and several high end seafood places. The fusion place is the hardest to get in; you'll need reservations and it was packed on a Thursday night. That said, you can get that anywhere, so we opted for stuff more local.

If you need supplies, there is a Carrefour like a 5 minute drive away that has decent European wine for cheap (less for a bottle than you'll pay for a glass at the resort), sunscreen, sandals, etc.

I'll answer any questions and may add to this, but that's pretty comprehensive. We are very glad we visited, and would go back in a heartbeat.

escape4

SkiAdcock

Was breakfast included w/ the rate? EDITIONs don't normally provide breakfast. Thanks for the reviews & pictures both of you. Much appreciated.

Cheers.

escape4

Cash rates seem to include the turkish traditional breakfast. From marriott.com:
Such language is not shown for points redemptions, but traditional breakfast was included anyway, at least for me.

@Reisen: sounds like you did not have a room upgrade. What was your Marriott elite status at time of check-in?

Reisen

I wrote about the upgrade situation in my original review (that was lost), and forgot to cover it when I tried to recreate it.

For the first time in many years ( 7 or 8?) I was downgraded to Gold this year. Effectively, I split qualifying stays last year between Marriott and SPG, and lost Plat status over it.

I was not expecting an upgrade to a suite, but hoped for either a room with a view, or a room with a good location (closer to the beach). Unfortunately, I got neither (I was in building 3, on the second floor). I asked several times, but since I was there in early August, they were (or claimed to be) 100% full for most of my stay.

The lack of a view didn't wind up being as big of a deal due to the great common spaces.

A couple of remarks and question for you, escape4:

- I, too, had the issue with water temperature. I figured it was just me. Not a huge deal, but noticeable.

- I liked the electric controls for the blinds, but they really needed a 1-touch open / close feature. They are painfully slow, and sitting there holding the button for 25 seconds is tedious.

- Our breakfast was free, and they said it was because I was gold. Not sure if they are giving free breakfast to non-elites on award stays.

- Did you visit Discetto? Was it empty? How about the bar by Brava? While the scene was great during the day, I was pretty surprised at how empty and quiet the resort felt at night. If it was that way in early August at 100% capacity, I assume it was even more so in early September at 50% capacity.

- I paid the 30k pts/night rate (with the 5th night free), but agree that even at 35k points, it is just outstanding value. The lack of resort fees, parking fees, and the free breakfast benefit were very nice. If the Lira stays weak, and the hotel doesn't raise prices on F&B / Spa to compensate, I'd be tempted to return (maybe with another couple) next summer.

escape4

@Reisen:

In our room, one of the two sun roof blinds was "1-touch" as you describe, if I held it long enough. Just slight touch would move the blinds a bit, and hold it for like 3-4 seconds and release, then the entire blinds would continue to open or close. However the other one was not working well. Not only I had to hold the button, but several times the blinds would stop anyway. Then I have to release the button, and click again.

They did not specifically say our breakfast was free because of being Plat, but you are right possibly non-elites on award stays might not get free breakfast.

They did not even mention Discetto when we checked in so it might not have been open when we stayed earlier this month. We did not spend much down there close to the beach at night except for one dinner so I would not know for sure, but I do not think there was anything or I might have noticed.

Reisen

I had the same problem with the blinds. I would hold down the button for a few seconds, and it would randomly stop sometimes. Really annoying. I've used plenty of electric blinds in other hotels that worked flawlessly. I would have preferred they were just manual.

That's interesting about Discetto. I'll be curious to see if anyone else comes back with TRs commenting on it. I feel bad for the hotel that it was kind of a mess. Maybe they just decided to close the space for now, as they were wasting money staffing it with literally no one in there. It's the space directly under where you eat breakfast, which is next to the Bocci Ball court.

escape4

If it's the area below breakfast, then I can confirm it was empty earlier this month. When walking back to our room after dinner around 9pm, we saw that empty area and wondered what it was for.

brokenwindow

Any recent experiences? Struggling between this one and Caresse.

LifetimeUpgrade

What did you decide? I am debating the same thing

cycyc

Anybody have any recent experiences or trip reports? Trying to decide between the Edition and Caresse for a stay in September