Sleeping in a Cave in Cappadocia

Alex's (and my) favorite place we've stayed so far.  Best night's sleep of my life.  Seriously.  Can't wait to get back!

The Divan Cave House

“You go to dinner, and then you come back here.  I will cook potatoes in the fire, and we sit and have wine.  Together.”  Meet Ali, the face of the Divan Cave House in Goreme, Turkey, and probably the most hospitable hotel proprietor I have ever met.  That night, after Casey and I spent a long day exploring the cave city on ATVs, we did just that.  

We pushed the small wooden tables together, and the hotel guests, Casey and I along with four guys from New York, sat together with Ali and shared a few bottles of red and white Cappadocian wines along with salted baked potatoes, fresh out of the wood-burning stove that keeps the kitchen warm and cozy even when snow is falling outside, which it did that night.

 The town of Goreme in the Cappadocia region is filled to the rafters with cave hotels at various price points and degrees of luxury.  Booking online from thousands of miles away, Divan seemed like the best combination of price, novelty, and cushiness, and I think we hit it just about right.  The front of the hotel is light colored sandstone that matches the landscape, and each of the individual suites is carved back into the rock, just as the people carved their homes into the huge protruding rocks over a thousand years ago.  

These are modern rooms built into the rock.  The suite’s living room is simple but perfect for what it is – oriental rug, fridge, TV (useless if you don’t speak Turkish) and bench seating around the walls.  

More importantly once you get past the fact that even the caves with radiators installed are cold in the winter, you will never sleep better than you do in a cave room.  The bedroom is silent and dark, and if you are jet lagged…. See you in 12 hours.  

 On top of all that, Divan is in a perfect location, perched near the top of a side-hill and overlooks the village.  The view from above of the still sleeping town at 5:30 am is one of those things that just make you thankful for where you are.  The whole point of visiting Cappadocia is the crazy landscape, so obviously you want to make sure you have a good view.

 I can’t tell you how Divan stacks up to other hotels in the area, having only visited one.  I do know this though, I have stayed in plenty of more expensive and corporate hotels, and I think I prefer this.  Note to Hilton – warm up the potatoes!

Taking To The Skies In Cappadocia, Turkey

Nigel began flying balloons at 16 and has continued to fly for the duration of his life. His experience coupled with his English accent and sense of humor made me trust him.  “Alright guys, this is my first time up so hold on.”  I think I was the only one with white knuckles.  As we left the ground and floated up above the fairy chimneys and into sun streaked sky, I relaxed my hands and realized…hey, that wasn’t scary at all.  In one elegant motion, we had lifted off into the sky and were floating away into the experience of a lifetime.  

Cappadocia from the ground makes you giddy.  You begin walking and think to yourself “this really can’t get much better.”  And then it does.   What seemed incredible five minutes before has somehow paled in comparison to what is before your eyes now, and you just cannot wrap your mind around it.  From the air, the experience is magnified x1000.  Adjectives escape you as your eyes try to take in the landscape below. 

Fairy chimneys and pigeon holes defy imagination.  As the balloon floated down towards the rock formations, I was thankful for the deft hand of Nigel who expertly lead us as close as possible to these beautiful places below. 

 Cappadocia was formed by a volcanic eruption between 3 and 9 million years ago.  Earthquakes and erosion have continued to create the fascinating landscape seen in the area today.  Because the rock below the top layer of basalt was incredibly soft, groups of people took advantage and created entire cities in the caves or “fairy chimneys” as they are known today. Beginning in the fourth century AD, an urbanized cultural landscape was created here.  As we fly over Goreme’s Open Air Museum, I see the honeycombed residences, churches, and storage areas that once housed – and hid – Christians fleeing from Rome’s persecution.

 As we ascended, I became lost behind my lens in an attempt to capture the beauty all around me.  The sky was dotted with the reds, yellows, greens, purples, and blues of over fifty balloons that seemed to have been painted onto the skyline.  The Rose Valley below was striped with pinks, whites, grays, and light browns.  Finally, I put down the camera and just stood quietly in the basket of the balloon and tried to memorize the lines and colors in front of me. 

 I am often in search of those happy places - the places you can retreat to when you close your eyes after too many hours in front of a laptop or behind a textbook.  The warm bursts of air from the gas flame, the cold crisp air in that cloudy Turkish sky, and the colors of the rocks and balloons all around will forever be etched in my mind as a place to retreat to. 

Somehow, an entire hour had passed and the balloon began drifting towards Love Valley.  The landing was as delicate as the Cappadocian bubbly we enjoyed afterwards.  After being awarded our Royal Balloon medallions to commemorate our successful flight, I walked towards the edge of the Love Valley to stare at the alien landscape below.  “You know, Love Valley goes by another name here too.”  “Yea, what’s that?” I asked Suat who had just rejoined our group.  “Clinton Valley.  I thought you would appreciate this since you’re from Arkansas.” “You know, he probably doesn’t hate you guys for naming these rocks after him.  They are pretty impressive.” And just like that I’m snapped back into real life while Suat and I laugh at the ridiculously large and phallic rocks in front of us. 

 Penis rocks and all, Cappadocia is a place to be marveled at.  It’s a place to see from below and above whether it’s on foot or by hot air balloon.  If you do choose to visit the towns in the region, you would be remiss not to give Suat a call.  My flight with Royal Balloon was absolutely the highlight of my time in Turkey, one that I hope I can repeat again in my lifetime. 

*While my journey with Royal Balloon was complimentary, my thoughts and opinions, including my belief that Royal Balloon offers the best hot air balloon tours in Cappadocia, are entirely my own.