Ada Hotel

( 4 stars , Bodrum , Turkey )

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.

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.

Great boutique hotel. The hammam was great, the service great,the private cinema great,the library wonderful,the style and decoration of the rooms classy. A diamond!

As noted by another reviewer, neighborhood dogs barking and howling kept us up all night. The rooms have very little window covering so the sunlight shines brightly first thing in the morning and there is no way to block it out. The proximity to the town roads also made it easy to hear cars and mopeds driving by all night. A buzzing mosquito inside and a person singing outside our room at 4am were also unpleasant surprises. The rooms are on the smaller side and oddly/modestly decorated. Considering this was the most expensive hotel in Bodrum, we were sadly disappointed and moved hotels after only one night. Definitely not recommended as there are other better choices around town.

I have a problme with many hotels. I am a coeliac and that means I can't eat gluten. This means no bread, beer or pasta. The Ada was a hotel that looked after us and especially my diet properly. Everything was as it should be and it was just a short walk to the beach. Or rather the decks, where you laid out in the sun. What sums them up, was that I left a pair of trousers in the previous hotel and they contacted them and got them couriered to Bodrum. It was a lot cheaper than posting them home. The only drawback was the dog, but as a previous guest has remarked we were moved to a quieter room. Some have complained about being in the village and going past cows to the beach, but as country folk we found this interesting and everything was as it should be.

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.

We stayed at the Hotel Ada in Turkbuku in early September to celebrate my birthday. The Ada is a very special, memorable place, you will become spoiled. I have not had such a perfect experience since Bali -- the Ada is is truly a 5-star boutique hotel, their website does not do justice. When we arrived, we were greeted with lemonade garnished with sprigs of mint and given a tour of the hotel and a brief description of the area. The hotel is very intimate and romantic, with lots of fresh air and open windows. When the sun sets, candles are placed everywhere -- even along the outdoor walkways. In the main house, there was a room for taking tea, a dining terrace overlooking the sea, a library, a huge wine cellar, a movie theater with about 200 selections (you could opt to watch any of them in your villa, as well), fitness center, and several other beautiful living areas. The Turkish bath was stunning, as was the jacuzzi room. The pool intimately overlooks the sea, surrounded by manicured gardens full of flowers and fruit-bearing trees, and at least one villa has its own private pool. The "rooms" were really set up as villas overlooking the ocean from their perch on the side of the mountain (each had an outdoor entrance, very private by design so that you could not see other villas from yours.) Our "room" (one of the least expensive, as they were sold out when we booked) was huge, with a living room, bedroom, huge bath and outdoor patio with sunning couches. The floors were stone and the decor impeccable, comprised of interesting and tasteful local artifacts. On the evening of my birthday, I arrived in my villa to find a bottle of champagne, the bedroom filled with flowers, and the bed covered in orchid petals -- none of which was requested or included in our bill. We chose to dine in Gol-Turkbuku, but the hotel menu looked fabulous -- they allow you to dine either in in the restaurant, or privately, anywhere you wish on the grounds (and there are some beautiful spots). The breakfasts were delightful. The service at the hotel was the best I have experienced, and I have stayed in luxury hotels on 5 continents (it surpasses the Ritz Carlton and is on par with the Banyan Tree, except more personalized, as they listen to what you say and make offers based on your tastes). The staff is fluent in English and several other languages. Clearly the local staff had been extensively trained as they had a sophisticated understanding of all requests, and they were surprisingly fit and efficient, moving quickly up and down stairs and across the grounds to fulfull requests. After reading prior reviews, we were worried that the hotel would be too far from the bars and restaurants, and debated staying directly on the beach (after comparing the Ada to the other hotels, we were very happy with our choice, especially given how loud and late the music was - at some point you will want to leave the party and sleep). The short distance up the hill is of no concern because the hotel provides a car service to its beach club (located 2 minutes away from the hotel, on the boardwalk near ShipAhoy and the other hot spots) and will take you anywhere else in town, and if you don't feel like waiting 3 minutes for a pick-up, you can hail any taxi and they bill the hotel directly, so you pay nothing. If you wish to go across the peninsula into Bodrum town, you can either take a minibus (for about $3 USD) which takes 30 minutes, or a taxi (for about $20 USD) which takes 20 minutes. I would suggest one day in Bodrum town, they have a wonderful bazaar (much more upscale than the grand bazaar in Istanbul), several lovely restaurants and bars with live Fasil music and jazz, and some upscale seafood restaurants with tables in the sand directly beach. (For the younger crowd, there are 2 large outdoor Ibiza-style nightclubs.) I would strongly recommend the Ada for couples or anyone wishing to have an unforgettable experience in Bodrum.

I chose this hotel for a 2 night stay, because I was thrilled by the description of it's fabled hamam. We rented a car in Istanbul and drove to Bodrum, so this was our finale, and I looked forward to it very much. The woman who met us on arrival to the hotel, informed me that the hamam was not working, but that it was being worked on. We did not look for another hamam in case they "fixed" it. I tried to not show my disappointment to the greeter and spent much authentic goodwill energy engaging her in conversation. I found out later, that the hamam is OFF at this time of year and there was no "fixing" going on. I'm not sure if it was the no hamam or the greeter's falseness that made me shed a tear. The hotel has an obligation to post it's policy regarding times of operation, respecting it's visitors. I would rather honesty than someone cleaning my room every time I walk out the door.

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.