Six Senses Kaplankaya

Tourism isn’t new to the spectacular Bodrum Peninsula, but Kaplankaya, an hour and a half’s drive up the Aegean coast, was hardly on the map before this monumental purpose-built broke ground on a hillside overlooking the Gulf of Gokova. If you know the Six Senses brand you know you’re in for something lavish, but even by the standards of its siblings the Six Senses Kaplankaya is special.

The designers responsible for the equally stylish Six Senses Douro Valley were again employed here, and the result blends stately modernist architecture with plenty of authentically Turkish design. The low-slung buildings contain 141 rooms and suites, with an additional 66 villas standing on the ridge for optimal views. At all levels they’re spacious, luxe, and combine clean, uncluttered layouts with warm, organic colors and textures.

And where there’s a Six Senses hotel there’s a suitably over-the-top spa. This one comes with an astounding 38 treatment rooms, as well as hammams, a Finnish sauna, a crystal steam room, and “experiential rains.” (When it’s Six Senses, you don’t ask questions.) Add a few restaurants that can handle everything from decadent grilled meats to raw and vegan diets, and you’ve got the makings of an impossibly luxurious seaside escape.