Six Senses Kaplankaya hotel review: eco-luxe in Turkey
Eco-luxe brand Six Senses has a substantial fan club thanks to its mix of spa, design savvy and sustainable ethos — and this rugged stretch of coast an hour north of Bodrum’s airport is a perfect match for its style of hospitality. Opened in spring 2018, the property still feels fresh: modernist main buildings and unflashy villas are peppered around a thickly forested swathe of Turkish hillside, where prettily untamed gardens of gnarled olive trees, overflowing borders of rosemary and bright flowers weave down to two cream-coloured, sandy private beaches. One is reserved for families, the other has an Ibiza-feel beach club with ample space for guests to find peace and seclusion.
Overall score 9/10
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Rooms and suites
Score 8/10
This resort feels firmly focused on the outdoors, but rooms are as plush and soothing as you’d hope. Tall wooden sliding panels divide double rooms from bathrooms and walk-in wardrobes, while comfy seating areas and sea-view balconies beckon for sundowners. Egg-shaped bathtubs by the window, soft cotton robes with hoods, the softest, most cloud-like beds (mattresses from cult Turkish brand Yatsan and 100 per cent cotton bedlinen) and a palette of cream, pine and grey — plus mood lighting auto-settings on your techy control panel — mean the spa vibes start here. Once you master the blinds, reading lamps and bathroom panel, the tech-led controls are pretty user-friendly; a hotel iPad can also summon a buggy, tray collection and housekeeping in one tap.
There’s attention to detail too: should you tell your massage therapist you’ve been suffering from insomnia, a little note might appear at bedtime prescribing an evening foot soak and a sleep-inducing herbal tea. Master suites with pools are a great honeymoon choice, with 12 sq m private pools on a generous terrace; ridge terrace rooms also have pool options and feel like your own home within a resort.
Food and drink
Score 9/10
A relaxed yet glamorous selection of eating venues means you won’t get bored over a week here (a good thing, since it’s nearly 4km to the nearest bay with an alternative restaurant). The main building Sage & Sea restaurant is your base for a five-star buffet breakfast, including plentiful Turkish options from a full olive bar to local honeycomb to drizzle over yoghurt and a traditional oven station for freshly kneaded flatbreads with cheese, herbs and meat. The Orta Koy beach bar is the obvious choice for lunch: wood-fired pizzas and pide, huge salads and salmon skewers with a vibrant turquoise sea view. By evening Sea & Sage does glam bistro food and authentic Turkish (manti dumplings, lobster tagliatelle), while the more glam Wild Thyme is a pan-Asian riot of immaculate sushi rolls, zingy chicken and sea bass stir fries, gyoza and Thai curries. Meze by the Sea is even more romantic with its sunset view, grilled fish platters and garden terrace surrounded by unspoiled olive groves. Wine lists are ample, cocktails are beautifully executed and plastic-free bottled water is brought to you at every turn.
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What else is there?
Score 8/10
Should you get a bit of rogue drizzle, the 10,000 sq m indoor spa is a great place to kill an afternoon; it’s one of Europe’s largest. Male and female thermal areas are mostly divided, with a couple of mixed areas: dip into large whirlpools, Himalayan salt and crystal steam rooms, Finnish saunas, ice rooms and sensory showers. On the treatment menu, Balinese, Thai and deep tissue massages sit alongside ayurvedic methods and expert hammam scrubs (treatments from £112). You can also join wind-down sessions in the dedicated meditation dome, yoga sessions in the high-ceilinged fitness studio, or work out in a fully kitted-out gym.
Sustainability centre the Earth Lab hosts recycling and craft-focused workshops: candle-making, mixing your own natural mosquito repellent. Look out for the screens around the main building for session timings. The kids’ club (ages 4-12) has both indoor playrooms and a dedicated outdoor base down by the family beach, with classes for everything from cooking to sustainable crafts.
Where is it?
Score 7/10
Slightly up the coast from Bodrum’s main peninsula, reached by a rather winding and bumpy road, the Six Senses is 90 minutes from Bodrum port and an hour’s drive from the airport. You’ll feel pleasantly isolated, with everything you need in-resort, but neighbouring Anhinga Beach, with its own sunset-view restaurant, can be reached by a 50-minute coast walk or short drive.
Price room-only doubles from £290
Restaurant mains from £16
Family-friendly Y
Accessible Y
Lucy Thackray was a guest of Six Senses Kaplankaya
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