Caresse Bodrum review: epic scenery on a grand scale

The Caresse, a Luxury Collection resort and spa which is part of the Marriott group, sits on Bodrum’s southern coast, a ten-minute ride from the main town itself and about 45 minutes from Milas International Airport.

As with many of the hotels in the area, it’s a combination of rooms, suites and residences – on arrival, your car will wind down a snaking road, lined with blooming flowers, through the properties until you get to the reception area with its broad, shady awning.

The main body of Caresse is a slender slice, open to the elements on both sides. Polished stone abounds, furnishings are all deep shades of wood and tables are almost organic – quirky mushroom shaped capped by striking slices of petrified wood. Huge banqueting tables and mirrors are covered in hundreds of concave shapes studded with mother of pearl.

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Why stay here

Most of the seaward side of the hotel is glassed, looking out onto the sparkling sea; the view is magnificent and virtually boundless. Traditional wooden yachts and modern, zippy speedboats dot the water, fading to become tiny dots in the distance where the islands and looming hills begin. It’s epic scenery on a grand scale.

Looking out from the hotel from either the Glass Lounge, the Glass restaurants, or indeed your room, you’ll see Caresse’s famous Buddha Bar Beach and the sweeping arch of decking which juts over the sea. Next to it is a little crescent of sand with sun loungers; the deck-based loungers are double beds with adjustable backrests that also swivel – great for sun or shade all day.

There’s a rather fun floating pontoon for aquaphiles to swim out to with a ladder to clamber up and catch a few rays. The sundeck, as opposed to many of the other resorts in the area, gets sun all day, perfect for the sun chasers among us and for working on that Mediterranean tan. It’s a great place too for a bit of boat-spotting – plenty of luxe yachts come to stop in for lunch or an early evening drink and the hotel has various skippered options for hire to suit most budgets.

Eating and drinking

The Buddha Bar has a bit of a party vibe at the weekend (and indeed probably during the height of summer) where the scenesters come to see and be seen. It’s the sushi and rosé crowd and a DJ comes on to spin the tunes towards late afternoon; chill out tracks play through the speakers throughout the day. This is one of those that some people love and some hate – it’s a sort of always-on place – music is piped out from dawn (when you’re having breakfast from the hotel’s terrace with its fab view) till dusk (you will hear a bit of the bass from your room). So if you want to listen to the lapping waves, this might not be the spot for you.

The resort is family-friendly – there were plenty around on our visit and the staff at the hotel were patient and accommodating. The hotel also has a sizeable swimming pool with plenty of funky pods around the edge for lounging. The swaying palms built into the edges of the pool coupled with the turquoise tiles and orange, yellow and white loungers give it a bit of a Miami Vice feel.

The rooms

Caresse is set across four floors, two with accommodation. There are only a few rooms across either side of the hotel which means things are pretty quiet. On the landward side, there are “living balconies” – the corridors are open to the elements and filled with all kinds of fabulous flora. It provides a calm and cool atmosphere to the hotel when coming to or from your room.

The rooms are well-sized and appointed and have balconies out onto the sea. Floor-to-ceiling windows mean that they are a great place to get the most of that ocean view; they flood with stunning light in the mornings if that’s your thing. Otherwise, a solid black-out blind really does the job of turning day to night. Rooms are decorated with latte-colour carpets, aquamarine and silver fittings and decor and white desks; beds are big and comfy with subtle white linens. There are unusual squishy chairs on balconies, looking like someone wrapped them in thick rubber thread.

Service is a little hit and miss – not replacing water bottles and towels in the rooms, for example – which is the case throughout the hotel. Some of the staff were really on the ball, but there were some things that weren’t great – breakfast each day was punctuated by someone vacuuming the adjacent terrace, rather ruining a chilled out start to the day. That said, the concierge team couldn’t do enough to help – arranging a reservation for us at a restaurant (I tried to learn a few words of Turkish and failed, miserably) and organising the collection of some heavy antique items we’d purchased in town.

The verdict

Ultimately this is corporate casual – it’s a reliable chain where you know what you’re getting. It’s comfortable and clean and the beach is brill and those views are *chef’s kiss*. The breakfast is buffet style and has some great local options – piles of vegetables, cheeses and breads like simit (moebius-style twists of dough completely covered with sesame seeds) as well as halva, honeycomb and olives.

Caresse, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Adnan Menderes Caddesi No: 89, Asarlik Mevkii Pk 225, Bodrum, Turkey. Rooms from £313.50 (€364), room only. Re-opening April 2023; marriott.com