BIJAL: A Revitalising, Much-Needed Escape on the Turkish Riviera

A soothing sense of balmy Mediterranean relief washed over me as I stepped beyond the doors of Antalya Airport and into the plush, window-tinted interior of BIJAL’s private transfer van. Not because the day of travelling was a particularly hard one. Nor was the relief entirely down to the luxurious vehicle here to collect us, though the weight of my luggage was quickly taken from my hands, and the thought of a resort-hopping coach squeezed full of tourists could have sent a shiver down the spine even in 25-degree (C) heat.

In actual fact, as I slouched into my chair, connected to the wifi and cracked open a can of Coke Zero from the van’s complimentary mini-bar, I was revelling in the anticipation of what felt like a genuinely well deserved break.

2024 had been draining on mind and body up until that point. No real hardships – I say, almost forgetting one distasteful encounter with a knife-wielding mugger early in the summer – but mostly a year of very grown-up decisions, circumstances and extra-curricular distractions that seemed to swallow up the calendar and spit out enough days only to flex my administrative and DIY muscles (muscles which until recently lay dormant).

It felt like an age since I’d been away, in a different country, excited to enjoy the bounties of faraway indulgence with my partner. Fortunately for the both of us, what awaited at BIJAL was a dose of luxury so potently intoxicating that the mundane pains of modern life were about to become a distant memory.

The hour journey from Antalya to the outskirts of Side flies by when accompanied by privacy, air-con and a steady pair of hands on the wheel. Before we knew it we were being greeted at the doors of BIJAL by our personal butler for the week. Yes, that’s right. A private butler. Can you understand the relief yet?

At BIJAL the service is done effortlessly, diffusing the uptight old-world image conjured up by that word, ‘butler’, by using a simple and universal tool – Whatsapp! Our man was always on-hand but never on top of us. Dinner reservations, room requests, local recommendations with a personal touch, just two blue ticks away. We showed significant restraint in our usage, but his daily greetings and reliable presence was soothing nonetheless.

Having gratefully gulped down our refreshing arrival drink – fizz with an infusion of delicious local oranges – we were soon whisked over via golf cart to our private villa. It was relief at touch-down in Turkey, but now it was giddiness to the point of fever pitch.

That’s because the design of BIJAL, at every nook and cranny, is astonishing in its sophistication. Our villa was on one floor but with a ceiling seemingly high enough for two. The open-plan layout had a touch of Scandi to it, but the warm hues of cream, beige and orange places you right back in the heart of the Turkish Riviera.

No expense has seemingly been spared to make this space a home and not a hotel. From the toasty embrace of the bathroom’s heated floor and the glamorous outdoor bathtub, to the Dyson hairstyling set, Nespresso machine and signature BIJAL kimonos. The entire villa can be tweaked to your own preference using a smart tablet – control the temperature, get microscopic with your mood lighting, open the ceiling skylight and even use bluetooth to play your own music on the surround-sound speakers.

That’s before you even step out into your own secluded garden. Spend the afternoon catching sun on the lounger with total privacy, watch birds flutter their way from tree to tree, and feel day become night on the cosy terrace daybed. The private heated pool, meanwhile, is there to be used 24-hours a day. Whether you’re more of a wake-up dipper, afternoon cooler, or a cheeky late-night splasher – and believe me we were all three – that pool never loses its allure.

While the villa had us dancing with joy – and a cut of beef at the Club House Restaurant had a similar effect on my tastebuds – it wasn’t until daylight returned that I began to fully appreciate the genius of the entire BIJAL complex.

Set amid a miniature forest, the site is extremely luscious, with natural green the dominant colour. The landscaping isn’t just easy on the eye, it also adds a freshness and a naturalism. The buildings feel as if they were bent to the will of nature, as opposed to the other way around. Pillars weave around ancient trees rather than trampling over them, and mother nature is allowed to reclaim rooftops and slink up the surrounding walls of your private garden.

Yet the most impactful result of this design reflects the most overwhelming feeling of spending time at BIJAL. Privacy. There are many facets to luxury; gimmicks and indulgences, fancy furniture and high-end services, but what struck me during my stay was that there is nothing more luxurious than the sense that you have it all to yourself.

That extends beyond the walls of the villa, which you actually do have to yourself (for a painfully short amount of time, of course). There are only 19 villas onsite, ranging from one to four-bed, and only a handful of those seemed to be populated during our stay. This means that even the spoils of poolside breakfast at the Club House only have to be shared with a few fellow lucky-folk. The same goes for the handful of loungers spread across BIJAL’s private stretch of sandy beach.

Oh, that’s right! I forgot to mention the private beach. The short walk between BIJAL’s two communal buildings, the Club House and the Beach House, takes you on a journey from enveloping green forestry to the shimmering blue of the Mediterranean. The endless horizon suddenly reveals itself in spectacular fashion, and is perhaps best enjoyed with a glass of white wine, a delicious catch-of-the-day, or a superb seafood pasta from the excellent Beach House Restaurant.

It’s a good thing the beach was so accessible, and again so private, as we’d have barely been dragged away from our villa were it not for the soft sands and spectacular sunsets of the Turkish coast.

If privacy is the most urgent sensation pulsating around this place, then it’s another two P words that do their own bit of perambulating around BIJAL: play and personalisation.

The personal side of things is obvious – the smart-tablet tweakable rooms, the 24-hour butler service, the open-book nature of a resort holiday – means that each guest can create their own BIJAL experience. For me that involved a fabulous hour-long massage on day one, followed by lots of sunbathing, reading beside the pool, dips in the ocean and extreme indulgence at meal time. Is a bread basket at breakfast, lunch and dinner too much? I don’t think so.

Relaxation is exactly what I needed after an exhausting eight months, but BIJAL’s enviable location does leave you well placed to explore the many wonders of southwestern Turkey. The striking turquoise of Köprüçay River carving through Köprülü Canyon, the towering stones of Alanya Castle and the cascading Düden Waterfalls are all within gentle day-tripping distance. All can be arranged via a simple Whatsapp exchange, remember.

Our only venture beyond the magnetic field of BIJAL was to the Old Town of Side. Quite delightfully this required no taxis. Instead, all you have to do is stroll down to the beach and keep strolling along the sands until you reach Side. Toes suitably salted by the final dregs of lapping waves, we spent a lovely few hours exploring a truly ancient city that dates back thousands of years, as is evidenced by a seemingly endless supply of ruins, temples and, most spectacularly of all, a beautiful Greco-Roman amphitheatre.

The other P was play, and it’s hard to deny the charm of BIJAL’s most playful touches. In the more literal sense of the word there’s beachside ping-pong, an adorable art workshop for painting and ceramics (our feeble attempts at mug-making were not worth keeping as souvenirs) and a Kids House to keep the little ones entertained.

But to me the playful side of BIJAL came out best in the little touches, the way in which the resort and its employees – of which there was a very small rotation, which creates a lovely sense of familiarity – seemed to get joy from unveiling those little unexpected treats. The gorgeous BIJAL beach bag that we carried with us everywhere, the unexpected evening snacks delivered by seemingly invisible housekeepers or, during our stay, the impromptu Halloween tasting menu, featuring a form of pumpkin on every dish.

This spontaneity is taken to the next level all over BIJAL, but the best representation of that endearing sense of fun can be found on the table of every villa at the resort, with what was perhaps the most brilliant idea I’ve come across at any hotel. Each villa comes with its own Instax Instant Camera, with each guest gifted 10 squares of film and a personalised BIJAL miniature photo album.

Our giddy little photo ideas, an array of unavoidably silly poses, capturing moments in time. We curated our own little gallery of memories, which I have now within arms reach as I write this, on-hand to transport me back to BIJAL at any given moment.

It’s a tiny, simple, borderline obvious touch, but one which could only come from the playful, personalised environment of BIJAL, and without the magical sense of privacy that this place cultivates, it simply wouldn’t work.

So, while we did eventually have to break that weightless magic trick that is escapism, rest assured that I returned to Antalya Airport a looser, lighter (not literally, thanks to those bread baskets) and happier person than I arrived. What more could you ask for?

Visit the BIJAL website to discover more and book your luxurious stay on the Turkish coast.