A night in vineyard
In our hectic lives, we need a short break. A weekend escape is ideal for that. But sometimes even spending a weekday elsewhere is refreshing. Last week was one of the hardest weeks of my life, and I had the opportunity to escape from all the hassles of life just for a magical night away from suffocating times. Being in nature helps; good food and wine definitely elevate one’s mood for the better. Just half an hour from İzmir airport, so close to the city, I was in the middle of a 2,000,000 sq meter Lucien Arkas vineyard, feeling in the middle of nowhere, so close yet so remote from the frenzy of city life. Lying on an ultra-comfortable bed facing a huge wall-to-wall window and watching aimlessly as acres of vineyard stretched like an endless green sea is like a meditative experience. Then, in the background, you notice an occasional İzmir suburbia railway passing by, as if reminding you of all the struggles of city life; you just ignore your problems and continue to stare at the endless greenery, falling into a nap from time to time. To be honest, there is not much to do, no distraction whatsoever; the room has no TV, a deliberate choice. This is the very first opening of Les Bungalows, a group of individual rooms perched on a hilly quarter of Lucien Arkas vineyard.
Slowing time
In the past few decades, we have talked more about diversifying tourism. People need new experiences. Sea-sand-sun might be good for a lazy vacation, but it does not suffice when your mind still keeps running. Experiencing new things opens new windows in life and brings out the creativity within oneself. Learning about new cultures, engaging in activity sports, enjoying food & wine, and connecting with the earth are all means of escaping from the routine of regular life. Even for a short time, if you are in an immersive experience, you feel renewed and relaxed. In that context, we see more and more models of facilities that connect people with the earth.
The Slow Food movement has been a pioneer of this concept for the past 25 years or more. The movement, which was initiated in 1984 when the first McDonald's opened near the Spanish Steps in Rome, saw a group of activists protest against distributing spaghetti just in front of the global hamburger chain. This sparked the idea of preserving local food and artisanal products, and eventually, the whole movement took the Slow Food title as a manifesto against Fast Food. From that point on, the concept of slowing down life became almost like a trend. One way to slow down is to connect with nature and the earth. Connecting with the earth also imparts an awareness of biodiversity and safeguarding the environment. Awareness of environmental issues also includes knowing where your food and drink come from, knowing the producers, and connecting with them. All these lead to the birth of the Agriturismo concept, now quite established in Italy and taken as a model across the globe. People can stay on farms, contributing to or witnessing harvests, learning about how local food is produced, and savoring the artisanal tastes. Of course, vineyards are also in the same line; everywhere in the world, vineyard-focused tourism is on the rise. Wine routes are among the most popular tourism routes, where people explore the taste of the terroir, do wine tastings, and experience the exquisite cuisine of the region.
Big concert in the biggest vineyard
There is something particular about the LA Lucien Arkas vineyard in Torbalı, a location very close to İzmir. It is the biggest single parcel estate in Türkiye, about 2,000,000 square meters. There has been a tasting facility, a wine shop, and the restaurant La Mahzen at the entrance of the vineyard, but now there will be more. Les Bungalows is the new venture of the Monreve group, the initiative of Lucien Arkas and his wife, Merve Arkas. The bungalows, designed by architect Funda Arkas, offer an alternative escape from the city in a totally tranquil setting, so close yet so mentally remote from the city. The property brings nature, architecture, and gastronomy together, aiming to start an agriturismo model close to İzmir. Its new restaurant, Montiano, aims to be totally self-sufficient; they already produce 100 percent of their own power with solar panels. Merve Arkas claims: “When we dreamed of Les Bungalows, we wanted to design not just an accommodation area, but an agro-tourism living space where life is reconstructed in harmony with nature. We bring together agriculture, gastronomy, culture, and sustainable living. We believe that this living culture we have built in the middle of the vineyards suits the Aegean geography very well. For us, Les Bungalows represents a philosophy of life that will evolve and be shaped not only by the present but also by the sensitivity of future generations.”
The opening also hinted at something that can be easily guessed by anyone who knows Lucien Arkas well. There will definitely be art events involved in this new place of Arkas creations. A pioneer in the İzmir area with numerous museums in and outside the city, he is a true patron of the arts. The opening highlight was the unforgettable concert by the İzmir Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by our leading orchestra conductor Gürer Aykal. It was the perfect touch to a night in the vineyard. It added to the magic of the night, a first experience for the lucky guests; it was the first-ever symphony orchestra concert held in a vineyard in Türkiye. It all starts with a dream, and Arkas has a legacy of making dreams happen!
