Ambrosia Hotel

Housed in four contemporary, two-story buildings with clean lines and white facades, the Ambrosia offers a quiet retreat on a sandy beach known for its great surfing. The hotel’s open design, with the four structures built at a right angle to the beach and a large pool in the middle, allows for spacious outdoor areas offering plenty of space for relaxation. The big grass lawn located between the pool and the beach is dotted with dark rattan chairs with red cushions and umbrellas under which guests can be seen chilling drink in hand during the day. Hammocks and lounge furniture by the beach bar offer additional seating, while the pool deck remains mostly quiet during the day. Decor is beachy and contemporary throughout, with lots of aquamarine accents, big woven plastic couches with white pillows, and teak loungers around the pool. The lobby, however, feels like it belongs in a more luxurious property, with a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the high vaulted ceilings, beige tile floors, and a traditional red embroidered rug by the front desk. Arched doorways and brown concrete walls lend the reception area an exotic cave-like feel, while a spacious seating area with contemporary turquoise sofas is a more casual touch.

Ambrosia Hotel is located right on a sandy beach known among surfers for its good waves. While the main reason visitors come to the area is the sea, there are a few restaurants and bars within a short walk of the hotel, and a number of small shops and supermarkets can be found just a couple of blocks away. Gumbet, known for its young party scene, can be reached in less than 10 minutes by car. The center of Bodrum, which offers a wider array of dining and drinking options, dozens of shops for all budgets, and several major tourist sights -- including the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Bodrum Antique Theater, and St Peter’s Castle -- is a 15-minute drive from the hotel. For a fee, the Ambrosia offers transfers to Milas-Bodrum Airport, located about 40 minutes away.

The Ambrosia offers 99 sunny, spacious rooms designed in a brown and aquamarine palette, with laminate or tile floors, and simple wooden furniture. All units have large windows, most with small balconies with two chairs and a small wooden table, and all but Standard Rooms have at least partial sea views. Simple wooden nightstands and desks with clean lines are a tad generic, but aquamarine tufted headboards, chairs, and round pillows on beds add style. Even Standard Rooms are large enough to fit a small seating area with a couch and a coffee table, and Family Rooms and Junior Suites have larger living rooms and space for an extra bed. All units feature flat-screen TVs, minibars stocked with beer, sodas and water, safes, and air-conditioning. Wi-Fi is free throughout, but there have been complaints of spotty service in some areas. Bathrooms are spacious and appealing, with off-white tiles, large walk-in showers or shower/tub combos, an array of toiletries, and wall-mounted hairdryers. 

The Ambrosia has a solid list of amenities for couples and groups of friends, as well as some for families. Along with a lovely stretch of sand dotted with loungers and umbrellas, the hotel has a large, quiet pool ringed with comfortable teak chairs. Both the pool and the beach offer direct access to two bars serving drinks, coffee, and snacks. Main meals are offered at the hotel’s buffet, which in the winter is served in the indoor dining room, and outdoors when the weather is nice. Additionally, the hotel has a great beachside steakhouse open year round, and a 24-hour lobby bar with a fireplace. The spa offers the usual facial and body treatments, plus a pleasant Turkish bath, a sauna, and aromatherapy. Sports activities are offered daily at the pool and the beach, and a decent array of cardio and strength-training machines are available at the hotel’s spacious fitness center. The kids’ club has a full daily program of indoor and outdoor activities and a playground. The hotel also features three meeting rooms, free outdoor parking, and live music in the evening.