Bodrum, Turkey

08:00 AM - 08:00 PM, local time

Beautiful beaches with crystalline waters. Chalk-white houses with bright-blue trim. Bodrum boasts Aegean character from its narrow streets with ancient ruins to its glitzy marina, flower-filled cafes, and world-class cuisine.

A remixed melody of traditional echoes

Some words don’t translate well from one language to another – a perfect example of this is the Turkish word keyif. Pronounced “kayfe,” roughly translated it means “the pursuit of idyllic pleasure” or “to do nothing happily” but – as Bodrum locals will tell you, the best way to translate keyif is simply just – vibes. 

Bodrum is the ideal location to live out all your keyif fantasies. Spend the day at one of its idyllic top-rated beach resorts or gaze out the window on the short drive to the nomadic village of Etrim – where notoriously warm locals are eager to share their homemade wine and carpet weaving abilities. 

Geographically part of Asia Minor, or Anatolia, most of Turkey is surrounded by seas that border Europe, Africa and the Middle East – creating the perfect fusion of colliding cultures, tastes and an aesthetic unfathomable to those who’ve yet to have the privilege of wandering through its famed outdoor bazaars. 

However, Bodrum has so much more to offer than perfectly designed cuisine and instagram-worthy beauty. Dripping with a history richer than one of its homemade baklavas, Bodrum has something to offer everyone – especially the forever adventurer at heart. 

Originally built as a gothic style fortress, the legendary Bodrum Castle came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire until after WWI when it was vacated and left vacant for nearly 40 years. Now serving as one of the world’s premier archaeological museums it houses a (literal) treasure trove of artifacts pulled from sunken ships and wreckage sites dating back to the Bronze age. Continue your adventure and make your way to Bodrum Castle’s neighbor, The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus – one of the seven wonders of the world. 

Whether in search of a history lesson unlike any other, an over the top underwater adventure, phenomenal cuisine or to simply lay out on one of the best beaches the world has to offer, in Bodrum the only thing you have to worry about – is keyif.