SimplyAbuDhabi X

2 3 0 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Vedat Aşci - Chairman, Astaş Holdings Upon arrival in Turkey we were warmly greeted by Laura from Toh PR and taken by chauffeur to the stylish Marmara Hotel in Bodrum city centre. Here we were joined by our fantastic host, Sedef Baran from Astaş Holding. After a delicious supper by the open fire in the Marmara’s restaurant and another few hours of talking with Arnie, it was finally time to retire. The next day we visited the stunning castle and the charming port area of the city. A range of restaurants and cafés line the harbour and it’s a moment of pleasure to sit and sip a coffee watching the bobbing of the traditional Turkish wooden boats known as ‘gulets’. After passing through the winding alleyways of the outdoor market we set off for the enticingly titled Paradise Bay, the location for the new Mandarin Oriental Bodrum, hotel and residences – the Hotel Group’s first-ever resort project in Europe. The name of the setting for this exciting new development in Turkish is Cennet Koyu, and it has had this highly complimentary name for centuries. It’s easy to see why it was named Paradise Bay when we pull up to the reception area – the stunning landscape here is comprised of beautiful pine forests and ancient olive groves alongside idyllic turquoise bays, with an always prevailing warm and breezy climate. Bodrum has been frequently referred to as the “Monte Carlo of the