Gaia by the Sea

Worth getting out of bed for

Gaia sits on a raised pinky of leafy-beachy land stretching out into the Aegean from the Izmir Province. Set by the glossy blue sea and a short drive from the lively resort town of Çeşme, it’s in prime swimwear and sun-cream territory. The hotel has its own private wharf secluded behind banks of rushes, just across the road from the entrance. It was once a rocky cove, but the owners have landscaped it elegantly, creating sunlounging decks and safe swimming areas. But if you want some sand underfoot, the region is lousy with beaches (there are 279 throughout). Just along the road is the slightly busier Nayman Beach, Quente Beach with its cellophane-clear waters, Şifne with its Maldivian air, and lemon-tree-studded Aya Yorgi. The hotel has a stash of paddleboards that are free to borrow too. The closest town is Alaçati, which charms with its cobbled streets, painted shutters and clouds of bougainvillaea. Gaia has a sister hotel here, but it’s best known for its historic windmills and wine-making tradition – Urla Winery has been lauded for their bottles, and you can tour and taste their modern vineyard and picturesque grounds. Further west is resort town Çeşme, where you can climb to the crenellated turrets of a 16th-century Ottoman castle and dive into the area’s history in a Genoese fort turned museum. And for a day trip, go even further back in time, wandering the Grecian ruins of Ephesus, around a 90-minute drive away, but worth the stretch for remarkably well-preserved façades and colonnaded walkways.

Local restaurants

Turkish tradition of dangerously overloading tabletops with brimming dishes, stuffing tasty things with more tasty things, and making salads as colourful as they are flavourful holds fast across the region. In Alaçati, Asma Yaprağı has an immensely pretty courtyard by a greenhouse where guests will be presented with mountains of mezze; veggies and grains; stuffed tomatoes, courgette flowers and vine leaves; flatbread pizzas; and tartlets with fruit and yoghurt – all on darling vintage crockery. Roka Bahçe has the same idea but with more experimental execution; say, goat with chard and thistles, stuffed cherry leaves, saganaki cheese baked with cinnamon, and tomato ice-cream for dessert. Over in Çeşme find a just-like-home meal at Çeşka Anne Mutfağı, which is run by a women’s cooperative. Food (green beans with almond and fennel, purslane salad, meatballs of various regional styles and syrup-drenched cakes) is served in huge tin serving trays with little ceremony but plenty of warming comfort.

Local cafés

Kebabs are kind of a big deal here, especially at Çeşme’s Tokmak Hasan'ın Yeri, whose döner comes in generous proportions. And for coffee that’ll wake you up like a punch in the face, try Alaçati’s Köşe Kahve, which looks like something out of a children’s story book with its greenery, flowers, pastel hues and decorative flourishes.

Local bars

Zoho Cocktail Bar in Alaçati has a laidback feel and lively terrace – meet here for whiskey and coffee sours and other tempting concoctions till late.