CAJA resort highlights scenic beach in turkey with arrangement of white-washed cubic villas

CAJA resort by Maxx Royal settles within idyllic beach in turkey

Nestled in one of the most picturesque beaches in Bodrum, Turkey, CAJA by Maxx Royal is a resort comprising 22 white-washed villas surrounded by lush hillsides and crystal clear waters. Designed by Turkish design firm GeoMIM and partner studio Geo_ID, the complex is built around the appreciation of the area and its vernacular characteristics.

One of the project’s primary goals was to design a hotel that not only highlights the beauty of the bay but also helps guests feel connected to it. Drawing cues from the residential architecture that was popular in Bodrum in the 80s, the design stays in line with the scales and the monolithic expression of the urban identity, resulting in a set of buildings infused with nature and semi-open relations.

all images by Emre Dorter

a landscape of small white-washed villas

The design process inevitably started with an appreciation of the location. The design follows the typical aegean architecture of the region, weaving a landscape of white cubic units into the green setting. Outdoor living is supported for every unit on the ground, and the first floors are shaded with wooden canopies. The teams at GeoMIM and Geo_ID set the villa settlements approximately thirty meters behind the building approach limit, leaving wide open spaces for the pool and beach use. Establishing a warm atmosphere for all guests, CAJA by Maxx Royal gathers all spaces —the lounge, pool and beach, restaurant, fitness, and spa— around the entrance or by the seaside, leaving the villas zone intimate and tranquil.

‘CAJA Living is an effort to establish the relationship between past, present, and future in terms of hospitality experience. We continued the Aegean spirit of summer living; the design codes in scales, textures, and integration with nature are all rooted in the region’s vernacular traditions. You can feel the Bodrum spirit. And yet the spatial program is innovative in the way that these Bodrum Houses are directly but invisibly connected to a complex hotel system that provides every service a visitor might require in a five-star resort.’ shares Ali Çaliskan, Founding Partner of GeoMIM (see more here).

neutral colors create a calm abience

At first look, the project appears to be made up of separate blocks. Nonetheless, each villa is linked to the central basement with technical rooms, parking spaces, staff rooms, and service connections, allowing the hotel to operate efficiently. Villa units are located above and around this invisible basis, connecting closely to the service networks. The service flow, however, never overlaps the living spaces, ensuring maximum privacy for the visitors.

The interiors are designed to provide a calm ambiance by utilizing sustainable and low-maintenance materials and eliminating bold elements that might overwhelm guests over time. The rooms have ‘calm atmosphere’ thanks to a minimalist palette of black, white, and beige. Meanwhile, the white stucco cladding extends into the internal areas, blurring the line between the indoor and outdoor spaces, which is ideal for summer living routines.

Much of the furniture is black, which contrasts with the white walls and ceilings, while beige ceramic surfaces balance the environment and offer warmth. The textile surfaces are dominated by a light beige palette, which brightens up the interiors. Custom-designed frames adorn the walls and are a fun abstraction of the project’s geometrical language. The black lines enclosing the rooms contribute to the opulent atmosphere.

‘Bodrum Houses are commonly remembered with the blue windows on white walls. One of the significant aspects that distinguishes this project in Bodrum is our decision to replace blue with black. This seemingly strong contrast helped us achieve the luxury feel indoors and outdoors while keeping the design minimal in the Villa interiors.’ notes Tuğçe Rizeli, Founding Partner at GEO_ID (see more here).