Hilton has opened a new 433-room luxury resort on the Bodrum peninsula of Turkey, as development outside of the region’s busy capital continues to accelerate.

The Hilton Bodrum Turkbuku Resort & Spa is situated in the Paradise Bay area of the region, a quieter area north of Bodrum which boasts a crystal-clear bay and comparatively little development.

Hilton’s property features five restaurants and five bars, offering everything from traditional Turkish cuisine to Italian food, local seafood and a traditional pub.

If you’re beginning to think about booking a summer sun getaway in Europe, Cyprus offers some of the best beach destinations, according to TripAdvisor users.

The island nabbed two of the top three beach destinations in Europe, with Ayia Napa, the party capital which made its name as a notorious party paradise, in top place.

Protaras, another Cypriote tourist resort, took third place, just below the Greek island of Skiathos, a small island famous for its white sand beaches.

The brand new luxury lifestyle Edition Hotel is scheduled to operate and make its European debut in Istanbul in April 2011.

With the extraordinary, 20,000 square foot, three-floor ESPA spa, Istanbul Edition Hotel offers its guests an incomparable spa experience integrating beauty, health, and wellness in a setting of fine design and luxury.

Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) envisioned the luxury state-of-the-art spa design to draw inspiration largely from local Turkish traditions and customs.

A favourite of royals seeking luxury, writers looking for the muse and undercover spies, Pera Palace — Istanbul’s hotel of mysteries and pomp — has reopened after a major facelift to revive its past grandeur.

Built in the late 19th century for the passengers of the legendary Orient Express, the 115-room hotel has hosted generations of illustrious guests, from King Edward VIII and Queen Elizabeth II of Britain or the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I, to the likes of Alfred Hitchcock or Greta Garbo.

It was the place where crime writer Agatha Christie crafted “Murder on the Orient Express”, and where Ernest Hemingway is said to have sipped at a whisky, watching the sunlight play on the waters of the Golden Horn.

One of the most luxurious hotels on earth, The Mardan Palace, was unveiled last night at a spectacular opening party in Antalya, Turkey.

A glittering audience of 600 dined on top of the Mediterranean’s largest swimming pool, enjoying performances from Mariah Carey, Seal and Tom Jones.

As they feasted on 45kg Beluga Caviar from the Caspian Sea, 950 Atlantic lobsters and 5kg of Black diamonds – Italian black truffles – they watched a laser light show and fireworks light up the hotel and surrounding Taurus mountains.

Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz of the Saudi royal family has a new toy: the 65-meter (213-foot) Nourah of Riyadh, the largest motoryacht built to date in Turkey.

Delivered last Friday, Nourah of Riyadh was built at Yachtley, a shipyard located in the Kocaeli Free Zone, which runs along both the Black Sea and Sea of Marmara.

Nourah of Riyadh reportedly has six guest staterooms, accommodations for 21 crew, a private cinema, two elevators, and of course a helipad. The interior design is by Donald Starkey.