On the edge of the Aegean Sea, Bodrum is very close to the Dodecanese, the archipelago of Greek islands including Kos. Its proximity to the clear turquoise sea brings a lot of happiness to holidaymakers, who will also love its cuisine.
Bodrum : Grand breakfast
One of the great advantages of staying in Turkey is certainly having the opportunity to have a Turkish breakfast every day, even if it is mostly served on Sundays in local families.
Like mezes, it includes several small dishes based on vegetables, local cheeses, fresh herbs, olives, stuffed or unstuffed flatbreads, honey and jams. It’s designed to be shared for hours. Every morning, at the Ezi restaurant of the Susona LXR Hotels & Resorts, it is a pleasure to take your time to savor each bite before going to discover this wonderful corner of the country.
Heritage weaving
In addition to the culinary culture rich in history and flavors, the culture of hand-woven wool and silk carpet is very important in Turkey. So we go to the village of Etrim to discover this precious know-how.
Engin Başol takes us to see the house where his grandparents spent most of their lives. It was in the same small room that the family cooked, ate and slept.
Nearby, we meet his grandmother, Gülsüm Uyar, in her new home. From the height of her 88 years, bent at 90 degrees, she has been weaving carpets since the age of 6 and wants to show us her loom, installed in her living room. On the stone floor, a few carpets are superimposed. Each of them marks an era, some of which date from his early childhood.
On site, the Etrim Hali shop offers 12,000 works of art designed by the women of the surrounding villages, who also preserve the tradition of hand-weaving carpets with care.
Passion for fish
Between the artisan and historical visits, eating is an activity in itself in Turkey. Even an entire day at Susona LXR Hotels & Resorts is punctuated with memorable meals. After the excellent breakfast at the Ezi restaurant, we see ourselves reading well all morning in one of the many comfortable deckchairs on the large quay of the hotel.
For lunch, go to the Frankie Beach Club, near the wharf. What about these slices of sashimi rolled up on a whole fish and these mussels stuffed with slightly spicy rice!
After this delicious meal, the Aegean Sea calls us. On the dock, the water is so clear that we can see the bottom of the water. At the time of our visit, it is still fresh. But we can’t help but fuss. Nothing like a good swim before taking a nap!
Then, at the Malva restaurant for the evening meal, chef Gökhan Sinmaz dazzles us with his particularly thoughtful local cuisine. He notably puts on the menu the lionfish, often called lionfish under the influence of the English lionfish, an invasive species in several regions, especially in the Caribbean Sea and the Mediterranean, very close to Bodrum. In his opinion, this reduces the harmful effects of the species on marine biodiversity, while providing an additional source of income for local fishermen.
Feasts follow one another every day in Turkey. Like that evening, near Gümüşlük, a charming little fishing village, where we spent a magical evening at the Melengeç restaurant. It’s like dreaming, it’s so romantic.
It is also the ideal place to admire the extraordinary sunset and fully enjoy the Aegean cuisine, focused on fish and seafood of unequaled freshness, and always abundant in local vegetables. It really is a dream here!
GOOD TO KNOW
Turkish Airlines offers three direct flights per week between Montreal and Istanbul.
From there, the carrier connects 334 destinations — 60 of which are less than 3 hours away — in 128 countries on five continents.
Turkish Airlines Istanbul Stopover program allows Business Class passengers to stay for free for two nights in a five-star hotel and one night in a four-star hotel for Economy Class passengers. | turkishhairlines.com
