I expected many things from Bijal, Turkey’s newest, most exclusive luxury resort, but not one of them was choral singing late into the evening.
And yet, on my first night, as I walked back from the palm-fringed terrace of the quiet Beach House restaurant, a cacophony of squeals, chirps and twitters rose from the narrow waterway that runs parallel to the path.
Tree frogs and cicadas, night birds chattering to each other, a flood of natural chatter that made me feel like I was somewhere much more tropical than Turkey.
The feeling continued the next morning, as we walked to breakfast past neatly trimmed flowerbeds of scarlet hibiscus, hot pink bottlebrush and large tendrils of bougainvillea, with three pine trees rising like sentinels above the low-rise Art Deco ClubHouse that forms the centrepiece of the resort.
On the ClubHouse terrace, wide wicker sofas and high-sided wicker chairs sat next to tables covered in white linens; beyond the soft hum of jazz and the occasional low whir of a golf cart ferrying guests here and there, all was quiet. A blissful, all-encompassing silence, as if I were squirreled away in an island hideaway rather than in a large Turkish resort.
The atmosphere that Bijal’s designers aimed for is exactly that of an island paradise; a recreation of the effortless, barefoot luxury that defines its Indian Ocean siblings Joali Maldives and Joali Being – without the exorbitant prices (a stay at Joali starts from around £1,300, almost double the nightly rate at Bijal).
Comprising just 19 villas, with three restaurants, two bars and a team of quiet, charming butlers on hand 24/7 to cater to your every whim, this resort is a world away from Side’s famous 500-room resorts, and rivals Bodrum’s big names such as Aman, Six Senses and Mandarin Oriental in terms of service (and price).
Bijal is not the first hotel in Turkey to have a Maldivian atmosphere; however, until now, this atmosphere was considered more as a resort type accommodation or beach rather than a general sense.
Bodrum’s Lujo resort has sand brought from the Indian Ocean and a magnificent “Lotus Pier” with overwater huts on either side and a bar and lounge on top of the flower head.
In golf-focused Belek, Granada Luxury Resort has a collection of overwater Maldivian-style villas – although in this case the water is a swimming pool rather than the sea. And I’ve always liked Perdue in Faralya, with its thatched-roof suites and private feel, but it doesn’t have a proper beach.
Above all, what sets Bijal apart is its size, setting a new bar for boutique luxury. Many guests spend their entire holidays in their villas, meaning the peace that enveloped me on my first morning continued unabated throughout my stay.
Whether napping in the private beach hut or in the villa with its sparkling blue-green pool, outdoor bathroom and private walled garden, there was hardly a whisper to disturb me.
The hotel’s signature color, butter yellow, is used on everything from room keys to bikes, beach bags and robes, and even the sheets (it makes climbing into bed seem like disappearing into an inflated, super-fluffy egg). I attended a ceramics workshop, competed in a super-competitive table tennis championship, and, of course, spent plenty of time on the beach, enjoying the feeling of being truly isolated from the outside world.
I ventured beyond the rarified atmosphere of Bijal and opted for a two-hour guided tour of Side, part ancient city, part coastal tourist attraction, just a few minutes’ drive from Bijal (which you won’t find in the Maldives).
Surprisingly, there was no entrance fee to the ruins; the triumphal arches, colonnaded streets and vast amphitheatre were free to explore; scattered among the restored Ottoman houses were the ruins of thousands of years old residences, and above all rose the magnificent Temple of Apollo.
The town is now focused entirely on tourism; shop windows are decked with jewel-coloured handbags, restaurant tables are full, the main street is full of holidaymakers arriving by bus or taxi from surrounding resorts.
Bijal was close enough for me to walk back; I took a half-hour walk across the sand as the sun began to set, backlit by the Temple’s four white marble columns in polished gold light.
I had promised myself I would go down for dinner again, but the evenings at Bijal were too tempting to miss; ice-cold beers at the ClubHouse, Turkish meze with olive oil and yogurt, and fresh-caught sea bass at the BeachHouse, watching the sky turn from blue to lavender and then a deep mauve filled with stars, palm trees silhouetted in the semi-darkness.
Perhaps surprisingly, the most memorable dish was an extraordinary sushi platter, with slices of salmon, eel, shrimp and crab arranged like a still-life portrait, layered with the lightest rice imaginable. But perhaps it shouldn’t have been surprising; I was in the new Maldives, after all, just a lot closer to home.
Bijal It offers one-bedroom villas from £767. Easyjet Fly from Gatwick to Antalya from £74.