I’m stranded on a beach near Fethiye, but it’s no hardship. I’m fortified by local rosé, freshly caught turbot, ceviche, and bowls of salad tossed with local strawberries and olive oil. This is life at Yazz Collective, a 16-room boutique hotel in a private cove on the Turkish Riviera, where the only way in and out is on a glossily tanned wooden speedboat. Once you arrive, you’re stuck — in the best possible way.
Yazz Collective (yaz means summer in Turkish) is the epitome of discretion. Much of the hotel — the rooms, restaurant and spa — is hidden under a canopy of trees. From the sea, all that’s visible is a jetty and a neat row of white sunbeds. We are collected by a skipper called Memo from Buyuk Boncuklu Bay, an hour’s drive from Dalaman airport. He makes the ten-minute trip every day, picking up guests coming to stay or those who have booked to dine at Yazz’s restaurant. It’s a beautiful ride; we pass huddles of white houses scattered among the trees before we turn a corner and see Yazz ahead of us.
Arriving is like starring in the opening scenes of a James Bond film. I’m travelling with an old university friend. Over the 12 years we’ve known each other, holidays have included chaotic trips to Ibiza where we barely made it home, backpacking adventures in Mexico, and sleep-deprived trips to Mykonos. We’re greeted off the boat by two glasses of champagne and two members of the concierge team. This, it seems, is our luxury holiday era.
Yazz is built in what feels like a jungle. A huge lawn stretches back from the beach, shaded by a canopy of bird of paradise plants, olive and acacia trees, palms and ferns. Bamboo-lined corridors snake away, leading to the single-storey guest rooms. No trees were cut down or removed to make way for the hotel, I’m told, and as if to prove the point, there’s one growing behind a massive boulder in the courtyard behind our bedroom. We’re staying in a junior suite, which has a veranda, a huge walk-in wardrobe, living area and an outdoor shower — something that never fails to excite me. The vibe is bohemian and soothing.
The resort is wrapped by two enormous limestone cliffs that are covered in forest pines. “It reminds me of Hawaii,” my friend says as we walk down to the beach. I think it feels Jurassic. And it’s completely silent, except for the hum of Turkish voices floating over from the restaurant, the waves, and the occasional cocktail being shaken. It’s holiday ASMR.
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The emphasis is on recharging and switching off. “The only thing to do here is relax,” explains Mehmet Uzun, who co-owns Yazz with Timur Savci, a Turkish television producer. Unlike its flashy neighbours in Bodrum, where everything is all about loud luxury, things here are more laid-back.
Spend the day dozing on one of the loungers on the beach or book one of Yazz’s five chic, sandstone plunge pools, completely hidden by bamboo trees (£172, including a drink and fruit platter). In the evenings you can reserve one of these for a private poolside movie night, where a giant projector is put up for private screenings (£86, including a wine and cheese platter).
Other than that, it’s a rolling schedule of sunbathing on the beach, paddleboarding (£34 for 30 minutes) and swimming. Along with an art gallery displaying regularly revolving collections by local artists, there is a well-equipped gym with running and rowing machines inside and an outdoor set up of squat racks and free weights. Every morning at 8am there is a free yoga class for guests (except Monday).
There is the option of day trips to Fethiye, for the Lycian tombs of Amyntas, which date from the Achaemenid empire, or the hike from the village of Kayakoy (a 40-minute taxi ride from Fethiye) to the 11th-century monastery of Af Kule, with its views to the Greek island of Rhodes.
But we find that people-watching from our sunloungers — accompanied by chilli margaritas, the restaurant’s spicy cocktail topped with a passion fruit foam — is ample entertainment. “That man looks like Jeff Bezos,” my friend remarks as a bald man in swimming trunks travels from a vast yacht to the restaurant on a tender. It wasn’t, but it could’ve been. The cove is a popular spot for billionaires yacht owners to moor up. Rumour has it both Bezos and Bill Gates have anchored along this stretch. It’s that sort of place; the day before our arrival a Russian family had booked out the whole hotel for an intimate wedding.
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The rest of the crowd is made up of honeymooners, couples and pairs of friends. While it’s not strictly adults-only, children aren’t really catered for, though there is a separate cove that doubles up as a beach club for day guests.
“I don’t think I’ve spoken to a single other guest yet,” I tell my friend on day two. Yazz is fully booked but it doesn’t feel as if there is anyone else here.
One afternoon, in a post-lunch haze, we wander into the hotel’s boutique shop, which sells bikinis, swimming costumes and kaftans by local Turkish designers such as the acclaimed Ezgi Apa. I very nearly spend £450 on a turquoise beach dress before I remember that I have a massage booked at the spa — the risks of a few hours of sun and an ice cooler, a signature Yazz cocktail made with tequila, lime and mint.
Come evening, energy levels lift. Every Wednesday at 5pm guests can take part in a complimentary cocktail masterclass at a huge square bar that sits beneath a bitter orange tree, and at the weekends Turkish DJs play in the evenings and into the night. Guests are encouraged to dance on the tables.
One evening, we kick off proceedings with a boat trip. Yazz is surrounded by 12 small islands and hidden coves that you can visit during the day, but we opt for a sunset cruise with a picnic on one of the hotel’s fleet of sexy boats (£301).
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• 15 of the best hotels in Turkey for your next break
• Turkey travel guide
We wouldn’t dream of skipping dinner, though. The restaurant is central to the resort’s appeal. Vegetables are either grown in a plot at the back of the restaurant or locally sourced. During our stay the garden salad and breakfast salad (a mix of fennel, parsley and lettuce, dressed with olive oil that I’d happily begin each day with) are tossed with strawberries from a nearby farm.
The knockout dish is the turbot, grilled over fire. Mustafa Otar, the executive chef, recently imported a pair of metal fish clamps which had been crafted by Fire Made, a Somerset company that’s a favourite among chefs at award-winning restaurants such as Mountain and Brat in London. “When they arrived it was more exciting than the day I got my new motorbike,” he says.
The rest of the veg-forward menu is a hit list of Turkish dishes, fish and salads, from almond tzatziki to roasted beetroots and Turkish woodfired lahmacun flatbread topped with lamb. “People come all the way to Yazz for this one,” our waitress Gizem explains proudly.
I usually leave a holiday where I have spent most of my time horizontal feeling sluggish, but I feel happy and well nourished. It’s only been a three-night stay, but by the time we leave, I am so relaxed it’s as if I’ve been here for a fortnight.
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Hannah Evans was a guest of Yazz Collective, which has B&B doubles from £425 (yazzcollective.com). The return airport transfer is £200. Fly to Dalaman
Four more great stays on the Turkish coast
1. The Bodrum Edition
The new wave of partygoers who visit Bodrum stay at the Edition, the hotel group that specialises in events and attracts famous guests — the actress Lindsay Lohan is a recent visitor. Every week at the hotel’s beach club — a short walk away from the main hotel — events are hosted by world-famous DJs, such as the American Behrouz. The 108-room hotel is also known for its serene spa and striking infinity pool, surrounded by elegant cabanas and sunloungers.
Details B&B doubles from £360 (editionhotels.com). Fly to Bodrum
2. Macakizi, Bodrum
In Bodrum, bohemian, laid-back luxury starts and ends at Macakizi, a family-run hotel that opened in the 1970s in Turkbuku, a private bay a 30-minute drive from the city centre. On a hillside amid purple bougainvillea and pines broken up by leafy paths, the vibe at this 51-room hotel is boho-chic — everyone from Kate Moss to Mick Jagger and Aretha Franklin has stayed. The beating heart of Macakizi is its beach club, with its pine deck and neat lines of white daybeds, but the hotel’s restaurant, which last year was awarded its first Michelin star, is also popular.
Details B&B doubles from £850, including return airport transfers (macakizi.com). Fly to Bodrum
3. Nautical and Perdue hotels, Faralya
New to southwest Turkey from NLG collective (Naturally Luxurious Getaway) are two boutique hotels overlooking the Aegean Sea. Perdue is adults-only and guests stay in luxury safari-style tents, each with a private hot tub amid olive groves and orange trees along the shoreline. Nautical — five minutes along the coast — welcomes children over the age of 14 and offers luxury adventures from scenic hikes along the Lycian Way to a Jeep safari tour or even paragliding from the nearby Babadag slope. Guests at both hotels can also book a boat trip or extend their stay on one of NLG’s fleet of luxury boats, including a yacht that sleeps eight guests and has a hot tub on board.
Details B&B doubles at Perdue from £284; B&B doubles at Nautical from £315 (naturallyluxuriousgetaway.com). Fly to Dalaman
4. D Maris Bay, Datca
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The pine-forested peninsula of Datca is so isolated that visitors feel properly cast away. Even more so if they’re staying at D Maris Bay. This secluded hideaway stretches into the Aegean Sea, and attracts starry guests who arrive by boat, seaplane or helicopter (though you can get a taxi from Marmaris). Wellness is a big focus: the Mytha spa is known for its hammams; the London gym Bodyism has a residency here and runs Clean and Lean fitness programmes. There is also a Silence beach, which has a no-children, no-chatting, no-music policy. Bliss.
Details B&B doubles from £460 (dmarisbay.com). Fly to Rhodes and take the ferry to Marmaris
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