Spektr Boutique Hotel Yalikavak

Guests love the varied breakfast, friendly staff, and beautiful location with easy access to amenities. The accommodation's four pools and spotless, spacious rooms offer a comfortable and enjoyable stay.

We stayed here for 7 nights for our honeymoon and it was wonderful. The location is good for proximity to restaurants, bars and nightlife - we would recommend a rental car though if you ever want to get out of Yalikavak or do day trips. The hotel has an amazing view because it’s up a steep hill, so it’s not really walkable. It’s a 5-10 min taxi for about 100TL to get to the seaside/out for the evening. There are lots of shops nearby which are good for stocking up on snacks and drinks for your room. You’ll see these on the way over from the airport. Our sea view room was better than it looks in photos. Amazing view, pool on our doorstep (we mostly had it to ourselves, and you can also use any of the other 3 pools in the hotel. We were in Villa A, where the pool ends up in shade for most of the day. The other 3 pools were warmer so we often used those), massive bed, walk-in wardrobe and lovely toiletries. Bottled water and ice is provided for free, which is a nice touch. The staff are super attentive. Breakfast is served on the terrace. You get a spread of starters, and can choose two mains per person. Eggs, French toast, etc all delicious. Reception staff were also helpful, and offer lifts to places where possible. The restaurant is also good for lunch. The prices are similar to what we’d pay in London, but food is tasty and convenient (pastas, pizzas, salads and good cocktails). Happy hour is 4-6pm, with 50% off cold starters, sides and cocktails. The only downside, which isn’t the hotel’s fault, is the loud music from a nearby club which can be heard in the rooms until 2am. I suspect this starts around June and ends by the end of Sep? Not sure. If you are a very light sleeper (like me), it’s worth bringing some ear plugs. If not, then you’ve got nothing to worry about, as everything else is perfect. Things I wish I knew before I visited Yalikavak (we didn’t do much research before we went): - there are two marinas. The new one, with Zuma, Bagatelle, Nusret etc. this is fun and we visited a couple times. Feels a bit like Dubai, and everything is £££. Then the old marina, which is lovely and feels like ‘proper’ Turkey. We had better (and better value) meals here, staff were friendlier and more genuine, and the shops were authentic. We found it more difficult than we expected to to find a good local meal until we discovered the old marina - paşa döner was a nice quick lunch, and Arka Ristorante a good Italian dinner. - September really is considered the end of the season. We didn’t mind, but if you want a lively holiday in Bodrum where the beach clubs and restaurants are buzzing, go in July or august (probably June too, from what the locals told us). I think everything pretty much shuts down by the end of Sep. Thank you to everyone at the hotel - it was a memorable holiday for us :)