Dubbed the “new Saint-Tropez,” yachting favorite Bodrum is booming on the Turkish Riviera thanks to splashy hotels like village-inspired Amanruya and the new Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort, which sprawls along its own private peninsula. Last summer, adults-only sanctuary OKU Bodrum opened its doors on the northern shores with a pool built into the cliffside and swim-up suites, while The Bodrum EDITION kicked off the season in style with a star-studded party.

While this stretch of the South Aegean may share some of the same names you’ll find in Saint-Tropez, it’s still steeped in Turkish tradition. Double- and triple-masted wooden sailing boats, or gulets, glide between Bodrum and neighboring Greek islands like Kos and Leros while nearby villages like Mumcular and Etrim have kept Ottoman Empire-era crafts alive through artisanal red-clay pottery and carpet weaving. “Bodrum has always been a much-loved resort destination, and it’s increasingly growing in popularity as the hospitality offerings continue to expand, elevate and evolve,” says Shavinraj "Sha" Gopinath, beverage manager at Maxx Royal Bodrum. “Its turquoise waters and amazing summer weather are far different from anywhere in the world, and, surrounding Bodrum, there are wineries and olive farms that make this city uniquely inviting.”

In between sips of local rosé sprawled seaside at a beach club, here is your cheat sheet to the best of the best in Bodrum.

Spilling out along a private beach in Türkbükü on the northern side of the Bodrum Peninsula, what started as a modest bed and breakfast in the 1970s, Maçakizi Hotel is now considered one of the most luxurious in the area. Namesake Maçakizi Restaurant, which has long reigned as Bodrum’s grande dame of Turkish fine dining, has finally earned the Michelin star it deserves for chef Aret Sahakyan’s sustainably-driven farm-to-table cuisine like seabass with saffron and nettle greens and lamb loin with eggplant and sumac. At hilltop, 10-room Villa Maçakizi, indulge in Venice-born chef Carlo Bernardini’s custom-crafted dishes prepped in the wood-burning oven or barbecue grill and garnished with the garden’s own herbs. Stays here—which include 24/7 butler service—are all about personalization, from the tailormade spa treatments (the villa also features two Turkish baths) to the custom cocktails served poolside or on the wooden deck hovering over the sea. If you’re arriving via yacht, two pontoons are available in the bay, so you can seamlessly step off and settle into your villa stay in style.

The caviar kingpins behind century-old Parisian institution Caviar Kaspia have transported their concept cliffside to Maxx Royal Bodrum, where the elegant, open-air dining room mimics the same cerulean and jade shades of the sea below. Designed to feel like a villa that’s practically floating above the water, the sophisticated space with its Art Deco-style table lamps and fringed teal awning is one worth reserving at sunset to catch the view over the horseshoe-shaped bay. The signature caviar twice-baked potato is a must-order and pairs beautifully with the house Kaspia Premier Cru Champagne crafted in collaboration with Champagne Duval-Leroy. Equally as impressive are the caviar-dolloped gamberoni carpaccio and butterflied prawns filled with a generous scoop of caviar in the center.

Turkey's winemaking culture dates back thousands of years, making it one of the world's oldest. Its craft cocktail scene, however, is a mere decade in the making, with each region adding twists through local fruits, herbs or national drink raki. Bodrum's scene is quickly on the rise thanks to pioneers like beachside bar Casa Sol at Maxx Royal Bodrum, where industry legend Shavinraj "Sha" Gopinath is experimenting at the onsite molecular gastronomy lab. “Since we are adamant about trying to be sustainable and adopting a minimal waste program across the resort, we cut the carbon footprint to go directly to producers,” he says. “What this means is I get to meet farmers directly and find some of the region’s most amazing flavours.”

In addition to crafting tomato vermouth and house green Chartreuse, Sha has collaborated with Istanbul-based specialty tea company Melez, whose co-founder and tea sommelier Liliana Aslanoba takes influence from the country's spice markets and local ingredients like citrus from Antalya. Expect playful spins like Little India, masala chai tea-infused rum mixed with papaya milk, lemon juice, and vanilla and black pepper syrup, and C.O.T.U., a blend of whiskey, umami and wakeup tea-infused vermouth, and watermelon brine.

You may recognize Bünyamin Aydin’s Istanbul-based luxury streetwear label Les Benjamins from his major collabs with Nike or HUGO (the younger BOSS brand). While you can find his signature printed tees and patch-adorned cargos at the likes of Harvey Nichols and Saks Fifth Avenue, there’s something sweeter about shopping directly at the source. The line takes on a resortwear spin at the dedicated pop-up boutique at Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum’s Lucca Beach, where you can snag printed button-downs perfect for lunch at the resort’s seaside restaurant Gigi, the summer outpost of the swish Italian eatery. You’ll also find another fashion favorite of the fitness variety, Alo, whose first resort boutique popped up this season at the Alo Beach Club, where you can sport your new fitness gear during Alo instructor-led sunrise yoga and sound bath sessions.

Bodrum’s beaches and coastline are often the draws to this stretch of the Turkish Riviera, but the peninsula is a living museum dotted with UNESCO sites and landmarks like the grandiose Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that was built as a burial place for a king around 350 BC. The 55-mile Leleg Way traces the path of Bodrum’s earliest known residents, the Leleges, on pine-encased trails visiting these monumental tombs and ancient cities like mountaintop Pedasa, whose thick fortified stone walls still stand after 2,500 years. While the full trek takes around five days, you can cover a lot of ground simply in one of the route’s seven stages, setting off on a day trip hiking through the hillside to watchtowers where you’ll have some of the best—and highest—views over the Bodrum Peninsula.

At the sister spot of iconic Mykonos beach club, Scorpios’s programming goes far beyond sundowner DJ sets (although you can still expect some of the world’s top names on the roster). The temple-inspired Ritual Space is designed with biohacking rooms and partners with experts like REVIV to offer hydration treatments like lymphatic boot and infrared therapy, as well as health scans working with electromagnetic fields to analyze and compare stress levels. Blue Zones provide inspiration for longevity-focused practices, while guest healers and psychedelic breathwork coaches guide sound ceremonies that blend elements from contemporary neuroscience with ancient spiritual tradition. A reset can also be something as simple as reclining seaside at the Beach House in a cabana perched over the water, where you’ll be serenaded by Scorpios’s resident DJs.