The Ada hotel is billed as one of the best hotels in Bodrum, if not Turkey. It is a beautiful hotel and probably worth the claim. The grounds are well maintained, the rooms spacious and well appointed, and the staff are very helpful. It's a short walk to the hotel's waterside decks which serves as the beach during the day. As there isn't really any sand, the hotels and various restaurants have "beach clubs" on wooden decks. You can lay out, order food and drink, and take in the sun. The hotel's own private pool is small, but since there are so few guests relative to the size, it's fine. Ada's hamam is amazing. While a regular Turkish bath is complimentary, you can add a "bubble massage" for about $80. It's all very worth it. The experience is really something special. The only drawback to the place is a nearby neighbor's dog. The first night, it howled/barked about once an hour and kept us up. It was really disturbing. The hotel apologized and must have dealt with this before as they said they have spoken to the owner. They greed to move us to another room that didn't have as nice of a balcony, but was certainly more quiet. Overall, it's a great place to stay, but I would highly recommend asking for a room away from the neighbor's house if you are a light (or maybe not so much) sleeper.

If you’re considering a visit to the Turkish coast, the Ada Hotel in Gol Turkbuku should definitely be a part of your plans. My husband and I stayed there for three nights at the end of our two week Greece and Turkey honeymoon, and we both really loved the area but also were very pleased with our stay at the Ada. Gol Turkbuku is about a 40 minute drive from the Bodrum airport. We requested private transportation with the hotel to & from the airport so that we didn’t have to drive ourselves or rely on public transportation (though I’m not sure if there’s public transportation to Turkbuku). The town is really more of a village with the Ada Hotel up on the mountain off the “beach”. The hotel is a beautiful and serene structure, and we immediately felt very comfortable with our decision to stay there. The hotel has a main pool, which is very nice, a work out facility with a Jacuzzi pool and sauna and probably the best private hamam in the country. The hamam is free to hotel guests but others can book a time as well. My husband and I opted for a private session by ourselves, which we both recommend as a “must-do” while you are there. Given that the hotel is up away from the “beach”, the hotel will drive guests to their two decks, Suite and Seen. It’s only about a 5 minute drive. There are no beaches in Turkbuku – there are boardwalks with decks/docks and roped off swimming areas. We stayed in the Presidential Suite and shared a private pool with one other suite. It was a large infinity pool with a great view and we felt very spoiled having it all to ourselves, mostly. We also had a very nice terrace, which I think most do, where we would enjoy the hotel’s “special breakfast” of cheeses, honey-comb, jams, fresh bread, melon, tomatoes, cucumbers and eggs. While we there, we asked about the available boating opportunities. They usually organize lunch cruises, but we wanted to know if we could go on a dinner cruise. They called the captain and were able to arrange the trip if we were ok with grilled fish. So, we happily set sail in time for a beautiful sunset behind the mountains. We anchored at “paradise cove” and waited until the sunset had completely disappeared and then enjoyed a true feast. The following day, the hotel arranged a private driver to take us to see Ephesus and all the sights in between. Ephesus is 100 kilometers away, but is well worth the adventure. In addition to Ephesus, we visited Magnesia, The Virgin’s Mary’s house, the church and grave of John the Baptist, the ruined city of Priene, the stadium at Milet, Apollo’s Temple at Didyma, the mausoleum and castle in Bodrum. Two of these sites are wonders of the ancient world. We lunched in Selcek, near Ephesus. We covered a lot of ground in one day, which ended up being an 11 hour and 45 minute trip for us, but it was well worth spending a day to see. In all, we loved our trip to Turkbuku and highly recommend the Ada Hotel as a top hotel choice. We definitely plan to visit the Ada again.

The Ada Hotel is simply fabulous! We visited the Ada , located in Golturkbuku, for three nights in August.. Our family suite was two levels; on the botton floor there was a living room with a fireplace, a bedroom with twin beds, and a beautiful full bath. The top floor consisted of a master suite with a king bed, full marble bath, and sitting area with a minibar and flat sreen TV. The door of the sitting room opened to a truely amazing terrace with seating for probably 10 people! From the terrace, we had great views of the water. The public areas of the hotel are also incredible and include a beautiful infinity pool and spa. There is a complementary shuttle to the beach where you can spend time lounging on the piers. Although a bit pricey, we had a wonderful time at the Ada and would highly reccomend staying there.

We stayed at the ADA the week after the fashionable set deserted Turkbuku (with many fireworks!) and so had the place - private cinema, Ottoman hammam, indoor jacuzzi, pool , garden and terrace restaurant - almost to ourselves. That was, if we could drag ourselves away from the cushioned benches on our 40 metre terrace overlooking the Agean! Yes, the Ada - a recently built hotel hiding behind the architectural style of a mountain village (all stairs and courtyards; it gives up its secrets slowly) and with original Ottoman features and furnishings throughout - is a real dreamy refuge and we hardly left all week, though there's plenty to see within an hour or two's drive. All this comes at a price, though. It ain't cheap. Is it worth it? Well, their website ------ will tell you more about the basic facilities than I can, so let me focus on the intangibles and what the site doesn't say. The five good things: The location. Wonderful views of the village, the hills across, the mountain behind and the blue, blue sea. You could gaze for hours and we did. The staff. They don't all speak great English but they will do anything and everything to help you. We were with a two-year old - yes! a classy hotel that likes children! - and were shown every courtesy and concern. Anything that you ask to happen or change will happen or change. Customer service rules here. Not always true of top-end hotels. The food. While it's not traditional Turkish - more kind of Mediterranean/ Italian with a Turkish twist - it's extremely good. There's a good chef down there in the kitchen. (Even if breakfasting Americans will deplore cheese for breakfast, whine for strawberry jam instead of the home-made quince; declare themselves allergic to the freshest eggs I ever tasted and demand granola instead. Sigh. What can you do?) The hammam. A large, authentic Turkish hammam all to yourself. Fan-bl**dy-tastic. The private cinema and the CD library and the free internet access. Very civilised. Room service will bring your food to the cinema. CDs for all tastes for the player in your room. Nice. It's nice, too to be out-of-touch, but it's good that you can be in touch on the Net if you want to! Though the Turkish keyboard was a puzzle. The five less-good things. The location. It's not as secluded as they'd like you to think. It's in the village (and, by the way, the village ain't special & the waterfront is trashy), not up on the hill. There are small roads on two sides used by tractors and some lorries (there are farms around). There are a couple of cows in a neighbouring field. Dogs sometimes bark at night and farmyard roosters crow at/before dawn. That's life and not a deal-breaker but don't expect perfect peace. The drinks prices. This is a classy hotel so nothing is cheap; the food is pricy but fair for the surroundings and the quality. But the drinks prices are a joke. Beer is marked up 800% from a store price. Spirits are expensive. A glass of wine is $11. Oddly, the cocktails (alone) are good value. Go to "dry out" or go nuts on Long island Iced Tea! The piped music on the terrace restaurant. Not even Turkish -a real mix of rock, pop, folk and opera. Ask and it will be turned down. But next time you go, it will be turned back up! Not needed. The hosting of a party of libidinous and (later) drunk non-resident twenty-somethings for an evening's private hammam and dinner. Not in line with the Ada image. An aberration (I hope). The terrace furniture. The rooms are stacked on one another to some extent (that village effect). The floors are stone. Metal furniture moved above you cuts through your very soul. They should change for wood. So, there you are. Most of my good things are big things. Most of my less-good things are not. If you fancy it and can afford it, go. You won't regret it. It is quite the Mediterranean refuge you dreamed of.