Bodrum: Introduction: Overview

The history of Bodrum, known in ancient times as Halicarnassus, began with its founding in 1,000 B.C., and its modern-day streets are spotted with ruins, like the Mausoleum (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), an amphitheater from the Hellenistic age and the 15th-century Castle of St. Peter, which commands the harbor.

But Bodrum’s past isn’t what draws fashionable Turks and, increasingly, well-heeled travelers from abroad. The area, which the New York Times dubbed the “next St.-Tropez” in 2006, is quickly becoming a hip seaside resort complete with luxury hotels, stylish shops and beach clubs. Even celebs have caught wind of Bodrum’s reawakening; hotelier André Balazs and then-girlfriend Uma Thurman have dropped in to GölTürkbükü for a drink. All this attention is guaranteed to change the laid-back vibe of this still relatively relaxed area, though, so book now, before the St.-Tropez madness catches up with its more desirable assets—the sun, the sea and the sense of discovering a place the rest of the jet set hasn’t invaded just yet.