Beyevi Hotel, Alaçatı
Beyevi Hotel
Yeni Mecidiye Mahallesi Kemalpaşa Caddesi, No:126
Alaçatı, Turkey 35950
I’ll be honest: When I find a place so magical and still unknown to most American travelers, it’s hard to spill the beans. I kind of want to keep the secret all to myself! But I love traveling and sharing too much to keep my favorite city, hotel, and restaurant discoveries under lock and key. So today I’m taking you inside the Beyevi Hotel–a hidden gem tucked within the unspoiled, coastal Turkish town of Alaçatı, which itself is just becoming more internationally known.
First, just a bit about how I found the Beyevi, and for that matter Alaçatı. It all started with photos of the hotel on Jetsetter, then an article in Conde Nast Traveler which completely sold me on the town. I was looking for chic places to stay along the Turkish coast, in the more widely known town of Bodrum further south. Finding a cool place wasn’t a problem, but transportation from Greece was going to take far more time than I wanted to lose in transit. I immediately fell in love with images of the Beyevi’s charming Provencal-courtyard, then started researching the town of Alaçatı. That’s when I decided it had the more casual, off-the-beaten track vibe I was wanting than Bodrum. And when I realized it was only an hour drive from the Izmir airport, that sealed our trip!
Much like Alaçatı (more photos of town to come), the Beyevi evokes a calm, romantic vibe. Set in an old, whitewashed stone house with pale-blue shutters, the bedrooms are grand but comfortable, the decor French in style, and the central garden and pool a quiet oasis. On mornings we nibbled on a daily breakfast spread layered across our table–fresh cheeses, figs and grapes, cucumbers and olives, honey and cream, and freshly baked breads. In the evenings the grapevine-covered courtyard restaurant served up freshly baked pizzas. And one evening, the Beyevi’s lovely owner, Celal Bayraktaroğlu, sat with us for an hour to talk about Alaçatı, share (the short version of) his journey from international marketing to opening a boutique hotel, and make reservations for us at his favorite restaurants in town, all over a glass of wine. It was hard not to spend all our time within the Beyevi’s serene walls, but the town was equally as charming and so we came and went, but enjoyed every moment of our stay. It’s one of the very most “home away from home” like places we’ve every stayed, the kind you linger at for as long as possible, look back through the window at as you drive away, and hope you’ll get the chance to visit again someday…