Maçakizi: Everlasting Summer

For nearly five decades, Maçakızı has defined the Bodrum summer. Unquestionably one of the most influential hotels on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, the original iteration was founded in 1977 by Ayla Emiroğlu, who was once nicknamed Maça Kızı, which is the Turkish name for Queen of Spades. The hotel was initially a bohemian retreat and hideaway for local writers, artists, and travelers. Ayla’s son, Sahir Erozan, later relocated Maçakızı to Göltürkbükü, as it outgrew its humble beginnings, but he stayed true to his mother’s signature rustic charm, with the design rooted in the Aegean landscape, featuring whitewashed architecture integrated into the hillside.Maçakızı: Everlasting Summer by Assouline presents the chronology of the hotel’s evolution from hidden hideaway to holiday pilgrimage. Written by Melinda Stevens, former editor in chief of Condé Nast Traveller, with photography by renowned travel photographer Oliver Pilcher (alongside historical shots from Sahir and Ayla’s private archive