Susona Bodrum LXR = Good Resort but no Beach

Last year I had lunch at Susona Bodrum LXR and thought I should book a stay at some point.  This was the first time I stayed in any LXR brand hotel, I can say I liked the room and it’s good to now have a Hilton luxury option in Bodrum; I will be interested in trying other LXR properties elsewhere in the world.  In this price range in Bodrum I would rank Susona ahead of Caresse (Luxury Collection, Marriott) but behind EDITION.

Susona is located just a bit outside the Bodrum peninsula but is actually closer to the Bodrum old town than EDITION which is on the other side of the peninsula.  So Susona’s location is not bad and guests can easily go to the city by taxi in less than 30 minutes with traffic.  A DoubleTree resort from the same owner as Susona is located next door so some variety in restaurants and menus is possible just a short walk away.  The biggest issue about the location of Susona is that there is no beach to speak of so this can be a deal killer for beach lovers.  They have what they call the “family beach” but it’s just some sand on a platform with a handful of chairs as the entire area around the hotel is rocky.  

On the other side of the hotel there are lounging chairs on a jetty over water with ladders going in the sea for swimming.  

I booked the entry level room for 95k points which is a good deal in the summer when daily rates can be upwards of 1000 EUR per night and I was upgraded as Diamond to a Premium room with balcony and sea view, which is one category below the junior suites.  This is exactly what I was told last year when I spoke to a couple of managers who came to introduce themselves during our lunch so there was no surprise about the lack of suite upgrade.  Both Caresse and EDITION upgrade to suites upon availability, but in fairness at Susona the junior suites have a private pool which is not the case at Caresse and EDITION.

The room was residential style with light colors and had nice views - I loved the hardware.  From my side of the resort we could see an independent hotel in the background which had a beach, unlike Susona.  The bathroom was spacious with a walk-in shower and also included a window to enjoy the views from the bathtub or draw the horizontal blinds down for privacy.  They brought a bottle of rosé sparkling wine and some desserts as the welcome amenity which was appreciated.

Like most luxury resorts in Bodrum, Susona is only open half the year and they close during the winter.  In peak season it makes sense to book with points but the drawback is that the room upgrade will not result in a room type with a pool.  If staying off peak for example in April or October, room rates are much cheaper (can be as low as 250 EUR for the entry level room) and the price differential between the basic room and the room types with a private pool is quite modest compared to other hotels so in that case I would pay cash and book a higher room type rather than the cheapest room.  The only problem is that weather would not be as suitable for swimming than in July-August.  I also noted from walking around the resort that many of those rooms with pools are not the most private and are sometimes visually exposed to people walking around the resort so expectations should be tempered and not expect Maldives level of privacy.

The hotel has a few restaurants and breakfast was on top of the resort with panorama views of the bay and some seating near one of the pools as well.  The breakfast menu had the traditional Turkish breakfast like most local hotels and a few additional dishes but not as extensive as the special menu items offered at EDITION.  

It’s obvious the roots of this hotel are the former Nikki Beach Resort: Susona is more focused on the “club” aspect and therefore it caters best to guests who like live music and partying, more so than a quiet beach resort.  Frankies’ Beach Club had live music during lunch and in the afternoon near a different pool than the one at the breakfast restaurant, and also had lots of chairs available.  In addition there was live music again in the evening.  Because my room was overlooking Frankies I could hear some music from my room a bit late.   I would note that Susona is less suitable for people who want to go to sleep early, but if desiring to do so it would be best to have a room on the other side of the resort.  

Wifi worked well with speeds of 20-25 Mbps.

Overall I thought Susona had clear strengths and weaknesses.  The hardware looks great and is by far Hilton’s top option compared to the two DoubleTrees and it is possibly one of the best luxury resorts in Bodrum for people who want a private pool at a moderate cost.  The best fit would be for people who are looking for a lively atmosphere with music and who don’t mind the lack of beach.