Cappadocia, Turkey
Early morning in Cappadocia, the amazing vista from our hot air balloon
Stunning Cappadocia in the center of Turkey is an otherworldly landscape of unique geological rock formations. It almost feels like you’re in a sci-fi movie. It was, and remains, one of the most unique destinations we’ve been to — and on top of that, we had one of our favorite travel experiences: a ride in a hot air balloon.
As you may know by now, heights are not The Gimlet Traveler’s favorite thing. Nor is flying. So, when my husband challenged me to a sunrise hot air ballon ride over Cappadocia, I had to give it a lot of thought. I ultimately agreed — and I’m so glad I did. Who knew that floating over the canyons and rock formations of this alien landscape could be so relaxing? I never expected it to be so quiet and peaceful, all while giving you a sunrise view of a world rarely seen.
There’s lots of information for how the earth eroded, leaving behind dramatic canyons, valleys and “Fairy Chimney” towers, but I’ll leave that for others to explain. All I know, is that it’s gorgeous. Besides the oddly named (and admittedly phallic-shaped) Fairy Chimneys, there are multitudes of ancient cave dwellings to explore (and some cave hotels you can stay in). Also, a drive through the quiet countryside makes for a lovely afternoon. All in all, it’s a fascinating place with plenty to do on (and under) the ground, as well as up in the air…even if you don’t like heights!
*This was part of a 14-night trip to Turkey. To see our complete Turkey trip itinerary click here.
The Gimlet Traveler Rundown:
All ratings are based on our experience and are on a 5-star rating system (see Site Info for more details). For mapped locations and links to the places listed here (and more) visit Google Map at bottom of page.
Gimlets: **
There’s plenty of wine, but not a lot of cocktails to be found here in the center of Turkey. Though a few of our listed alternative hotels do have full bars on premises, ours (which was lovely) did not. While the amiable bartender at Ziggy’s Cafe (see restaurants below) struggled to make a proper gimlet (they only had lemons), it was pretty okay! Otherwise, we stuck to wine.Restaurants: ***
The aforementioned Ziggy’s Cafe is a pleasant local restaurant with a peaceful outdoor rooftop dining room and reasonably good food. Make sure to bring a sweater, as evenings in Cappadocia can get chilly (even on a warm day). Though just in case, they do have an indoor dining room as well. We also had a sun-dappled lunch while on a drive through the countryside at Soganli Cappadocia Restaurant. It’s a pretty garden setting under mature trees with food from the outdoor grill, and AMAZING freshly-baked warm bread. They do have an issue with bees — there were a lot of them (the local solution: burning coffee grounds only did so much) — but otherwise, the place was relaxing and lovely. Other places we didn’t get to, but which seem interesting: Lil’a Restaurant (in the Relais & Chateaux Museum Hotel) which has killer views (especially at breakfast when all the hot air balloons set sail), and the Seten Restaurant and rooftop barSights: *****
Cappadocia is famous for its geographical formations and prehistoric natural beauty — specifically the oddly named Fairy Chimneys, but also for its Ancient Cave Dwellings (which, at the time, housed clandestine churches and monasteries), peaceful countryside and the beautiful sunrises/sunsets, specifically over the Rose and Red Valleys, (see map). It’s all beautiful and otherworldly, but the definitive high point for us (and possibly the entire trip) was our Hot Air Balloon Ride. It took a long time for my husband to convince me to do this — as I typically hate both flying and heights — but once we were up in the air, watching the sunrise and the dozens of other balloons ascending into the sky…it was magical. Seriously, magical! We were up for 90 minutes and it went by way too quickly. Your hotel should be able to arrange all the details for you and depending on your package, the balloon company will pick you up there before sunrise. Highly recommended. We also found it helpful (and informative) to hire a guide for a day to tour many of the Fairy Chimneys and cave dwellings in the centralized area, but rented a car to self-tour some of the cave dwellings out in the countryside.Shopping: *
There isn’t much to buy here (that we found anyway) aside from the usual tourist trinkets (glass evil eyes, lanterns, etc.) and some other local crafts. But then you don’t come here for the shopping!
Review of Serinn House Rating: *****
We had a great stay at Serinn House, a boutique “cave house” hotel with modern decor in Urgup, Cappadocia. Owner Erin was extremely helpful in planning our stay, including arranging a spectacular balloon ride (amazing!), setting up a guide for a day and scheduling a local car rental (including delivery and pick up from the hotel) for our planned day of a self-drive tour in the countryside. She even provided us with a bottle of wine, 2 glasses and a cooler to watch the sunset from Rose Valley.
We stayed in Room 1, which has its own separate entrance from the courtyard, barrel-vaulted ceilings, a modern four-poster bed and a full bath with step-in shower. The hotel is made up of a handful of rooms built around this courtyard — some cave dwellings and some not — but all tastefully decorated with contemporary and minimalist decor.
The courtyard (specifically the balcony dining area) is lovely for Serinn’s expansive breakfast, or for a glass of wine at twilight, with pretty and open views. And a short walk (downhill) to the main town will get you to some nice restaurants. The way back up to the hotel is probably best by taxi.
We had a great stay at Serinn House and heartily recommend it for a few days stay in Cappadocia.
Date of stay: September 2011.
Room Tip: We stayed in Room 1— separate entrance, barrel-vaulted ceilings, modern furnishings, fourposter bed, full bath.
Other Hotel Choices:
•Kayapaki Premium Caves has a pool!
•Hezen Cave Hotel
•Argos in Cappadocia
•Museum Hotel Cappadocia (a Relais & Chateaux property)
Below is a map of hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping and sights found during our research. We didn’t have time to visit all of them during our trip, but all were of interest. Click on the icon at top left of the map to view the legend. Or you can click on the full-screen icon at top right to expand, which will also bring up the legend. The map is best viewed on a computer.
