Maçakizi

For nearly five decades, Maçakızı has defined the Bodrum summer. Unquestionably one of the most influential hotels on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, the original iteration was founded in 1977 by Ayla Emiroğlu, who was once nicknamed Maça Kızı, which is the Turkish name for Queen of Spades. The hotel was initially a bohemian retreat and hideaway for local writers, artists, and travelers. Ayla’s son, Sahir Erozan, later relocated Maçakızı to Göltürkbükü, as it outgrew its humble beginnings, but he stayed true to his mother’s signature rustic charm, with the design rooted in the Aegean landscape, featuring whitewashed architecture integrated into the hillside.

Maçakızı: Everlasting Summer by Assouline presents the chronology of the hotel’s evolution from hidden hideaway to holiday pilgrimage. Written by Melinda Stevens, former editor in chief of Condé Nast Traveller, with photography by renowned travel photographer Oliver Pilcher (alongside historical shots from Sahir and Ayla’s private archive), the title highlights Sahir Erozan himself and the people who run the property with him, as well as the hotel’s blend of natural charm and modern glamour. Showcased in the book are the property’s seventy-plus rooms, its separate private villa available for rent, and the several culinary options, including a Michelin-starred restaurant helmed by Chef Aret Sahakya.

“People come to Maçakızı because they want to feel alive,” Sahir writes in his foreword. “That hasn’t changed since the day my mother opened the doors.”

Reinforcing the sense that Maçakızı is a home first, a hotel second, Maçakızı: Everlasting Summer illustrates Erozan’s definition of Mediterranean hospitality: a soulful, food-centric, and artfully designed escape, a definition that shines through on every page.