Exploring Cappadocia - Travel Insights From An Avid Explorer

1. Intro [00:00 - 1:24]

Ananya: Hi, I’m Ananya. I’m a junior content manager with Trip101. Today we are meeting Emily, and she’s going to tell us all about her recent trip to Cappadocia in Turkey. So, welcome to the session with us today, and thank you so much for joining us. Please introduce yourself and tell us all about, uh, what kind of traveler you are first.

Emily: Well, thank you for having me. Yeah, I’m Emily. I have a small blog called “The Luxury Travelist,” but some of you may know me more from my socials, my Instagram reels, and things that I post. So in my free time, I’m a luxury travel blogger. I’m based in London. Obviously, a lot of my traveling stemmed from my early years.

Actually, at university, I studied law and German, and I ended up doing a year abroad in Austria, which obviously neighbors quite a few other countries, Switzerland, Germany. And because of that, I really sort of fell in love with traveling. I was able to easily get into Northern Italy, sort of a one-hour drive, and it really sort of opened my eyes up to the world and all the exciting opportunities that travel presents.

So that’s kind of where it all started from. And then since then, I’ve been able to sort of do more longer haul destinations. Most recently I’ve gone to Cappadocia, Black Forest around Christmas time. Yeah. So it’s been really nice.

2. Blog history [1:24 - 2:32]

Ananya: Oh wow, how old was your blog?

So yeah, I started my blog when I was doing my year abroad in Austria. It was a really nice opportunity to explore some more European countries. Then I graduated one year after and we had the pandemic. And that was, again, a nice opportunity. We were all staying at home to kind of home in on my blogging skills. Once we were out of the pandemic, obviously travel was suddenly permitted again. And it was like a really nice opportunity to, you know, so thankful that we could finally travel again and to kind of share some of those ideas or even some of the tips that people didn’t really know where they could travel to or like what they could do after the pandemic, a lot of those little hacks and stuff.

That’s when I kind of really fell in love with blogging.

Ananya: Oh wow, that’s so great that right after the pandemic, you were sharing your tips with people so that they can, you know, there was a lot of desire at that point to just go back into the world, see more of it because we’d all been so cooped up.

Emily: Yeah, absolutely.

3. Trip to Cappadocia [2:32 - 03:37]

Ananya: So you said you traveled to Cappadocia in December?

Emily: Oh yeah, no, that’s that. I went to the Black Forest around Christmas time, and then Cappadocia was actually in May, which was quite a nice time. So that was the sort of shoulder season just before you had the whole summer season where lots and lots of crowds in Cappadocia, so I was quite lucky there weren’t as many people there when I went.

Ananya: So May is a summertime in Turkey?

Emily: Yeah, it’s just the beginning of it. So I think June, July, August is when a lot of people go to Cappadocia. That’s when it’s the really hot weather, but May is when you’re still getting around sort of 25 degrees or something like that. But it’s actually a lot less crowded. And because it is one of those destinations that a lot of people now know about, going in May when there aren’t quite as many crowds is perfect. There are small, winding streets and things like that, so it was quite fortunate we went at that time. So May or even September and October, after the main season, are sort of the perfect times to go.

4. Trip highlights [03:37 - 5:01]

Ananya: So was this your first time in Turkey or have you been before?

Emily: Not my first time in Turkey. I went to Antalya before and from there, I took a drive to Pamukkale, which some of you may have heard of – it has those beautiful sort of salt springs. But this was my first time in Cappadocia. If you don’t know Cappadocia, you usually go through Istanbul to get there, so it’s a bit more of a trek; it’s not one of those direct flights. But it was so, so worth it. It feels like a hidden gem even though lots of people know about it. There aren’t lots of big attractions or popular stores – it’s more traditional carpet shops, small lesser-known places, so it really feels like a historical town.

Emily: Cappadocia is interesting geographically because it has all these natural turrets, and it’s one of the few places where you can actually book hotels in the caves. So that’s what we did; we stayed in a lot of authentic cave hotels. They build them right into the caves, and that was incredible. Some of them even have swimming pools built into the caves, so it’s a really lovely way to explore a different side of Turkey.

Ananya: That’s such a cool experience to have – actually living in a cave.

5. Time spent in Cappadocia [5:01 - 6:08]

Ananya: So, how many days did you spend in Cappadocia?

Emily: We spent just under two weeks, which was actually the perfect time. I think if you really wanted to squeeze it in, you could probably do it in about four days. But for us, it was nice to have that extra week to relax. I would say don’t go for less than four days, especially if you want to do the hot air balloon ride, which is super popular. It’s so weather-dependent, though, so it’s best to book it at the beginning of your trip in case it gets postponed due to wind.

Emily: So, for us, especially going in May, the weather was mostly nice, but there was a bit of wind, and we ended up trying to book the hot air balloon twice and couldn’t go at all because the weather wasn’t right. So I would always pencil in at least four days to have a maximum opportunity to do a hot air balloon ride if you’re set on it.

Ananya: That’s a really good tip—the weather really has to be factored in.

6. Trip itinerary [6:08 - 9:38]

Ananya: So, I think it’s time to dive into all you did during those two weeks. Can you take us through your itinerary?

Emily: Of course, yeah. First off, the hotels themselves are kind of attractions in their own right. We stayed in boutique cave hotels like Aza Cave Hotel, Koza, and Sultan. They all have these amazing rooftops, and one of the biggest attractions there is seeing the hot air balloons rise up. They only take off at sunrise, so you want a hotel with a terrace overlooking Rose Valley or Love Valley to see the balloons.

Many hotels do breakfast around that time, so all the guests come out onto these beautiful carpeted terraces to watch the sunrise together. It’s a really lovely experience and free since it’s included with the hotel stay. And, while we missed the hot air balloon ride, we ended up doing horseback riding through Rose Valley, which was super popular and a really authentic way to experience Cappadocia and all its natural formations and turrets.

You really don’t need a car – everything is walkable. From the cave hotels, it’s just a 10-minute walk into the center with all the boutique carpet shops, which are also attractions in their own right. A lot of people do little photo shoots there because they’ve designed everything so beautifully. They have authentic Turkish coffee spots too, so definitely check out Sultan Carpets or Gallery Ikman, which even has photographers if you want to capture memories without worrying about taking your own photos.

Another highlight was Pasabag Valley, known as Monks Valley. It’s a beautiful photo spot with amazing caves and turrets that really capture Cappadocia’s essence. It’s about a 10-15 minute drive, and we just took a cheap taxi, which was the only real transport we needed.

Getting to Cappadocia typically involves a flight through Istanbul, and we landed in Nevşehir. Interestingly, the hotels there work together to provide shared shuttles, so you don’t have to pay for a private taxi. All the hotels we stayed at offered this option – for about 10 euros, you can join a group shuttle with other guests, which is really convenient.

Ananya: That’s so convenient and nice of the hotels to coordinate.

7. Food & marketplaces [9:38 - 11:22]

Ananya: And for food, did you eat mostly at the hotels or explore local cafes?

Emily: A mix of both. Some of the best restaurants are actually at the cave hotels. Aza Cave Hotel had a new sushi restaurant, and Sultan Restaurant with its rooftop bar is famous for the view. They have live music, a seated terrace, and it’s a lovely spot to relax.

If you walk into town, there are some slightly cheaper options too, almost like a mini Chinatown with some Turkish restaurants and Western options like pizza and pasta. But if you’re after authentic five-star service, I’d recommend the boutique hotels. Also, even if you only book one of the hotels, it’s a nice idea to check out others in the area for rooftop views at sunset. They’re all kind of clustered together, so it’s easy to explore them.

8. Rose Valley [11:22 - 12:04]

Ananya: Maybe you get different views from different properties, like of Rose Valley or Love Valley?

Emily: Yeah, exactly. Sultan Restaurant had one of the best views. Another hotel we stayed at, Mithra Cave, had about three or four terraces, and they even have an option to book a terrace just for yourself to watch the sunrise. So, if you’re celebrating a special occasion like an engagement or honeymoon, it’s a really nice private option.

9. A day in Cappadocia [12:04 - 12:36]

Ananya: So a day in Cappadocia would start pretty early, right? Watching the sunrise must mean being up around 6am?

Emily: Actually, even earlier. From around 4 or 5am, people are already heading out. It’s surprising because you’d think if you went out that early, no one else would be around, but it’s actually one of the busiest times. Everyone’s either in a hot air balloon or watching the balloons take off. It’s really beautiful, and the hotels make it feel very special.

10. Hot air balloons [12:36 - 13:44]

Ananya: That sounds amazing! So even though you weren’t able to take a hot air balloon ride, you could still see them up in the air. Were there some balloons without passengers?

Emily: No, they were all passenger balloons. I think we were just unlucky with the timing. On our first day, we saw them and thought we’d wait until we’d settled in. We booked it for the second day, but that day, no balloons flew. We tried again two days later – and again, they didn’t fly. It’s quite rare for that to happen, especially in the summer. They have a universal app that all the pilots monitor, and if one balloon doesn’t fly due to weather, none of them will.

11. Other activities [13:44 - 14:57]

Ananya: Cappadocia must want you to come back for a balloon ride someday! Besides that, was there anything else you wanted to do but couldn’t?

Emily: I’m just trying to think. One of the other options, but again, it sort of depends how you want to prioritize because they have a lot of amazing things on offer that are slightly higher price. So like a lot of people going there for like a honeymoon might rent out retro cars. That’s something that we saw quite a lot of.

And then quite a lot of photo shoots as well. So if you walk into the town, they have a lot of these sort of travel agents. That’s where you book your hot air balloon ride. Or if you’ve got postponed, you’d go over there and they would schedule a new one for you. But then they have a lot of these options to do like a photo shoot with a professional photographer. If a couple wants to get a nice little photo shoot. They’ll take you through the caves. They’ll take you on like a retro car, all that kind of stuff. So that’s a really special thing, especially if you’re going, it feels very much like a romantic place to go for couples.

Ananya: Yeah. And especially if like someone’s curated it for you, a nice romantic package where you declare everything.

12. Agents at Cappadocia [14:57 - 16:30]

Ananya: So when you were booking the balloon rides, did you book before you went or did you land up in Cappadocia and then sort of contact the agents?

Emily: So we, the first time we booked it, because we didn’t quite know whether If we didn’t book something and we arrived there, whether they’d all be full. So we were like, “oh, no, we don’t want that to happen.” I’m trying to remember where we went on. It must’ve been looking on TripAdvisor and then Get Your Guide was where we booked and yeah, so we booked a package on there and then we got a notification saying that it had been canceled, but it didn’t actually give us an option to rebook it and this is why it’s actually quite nice to do it there. Because we then walked down the road and there were lots of these travel agents, like I said, and we said, “Oh, you know, our hot air balloon’s been canceled. Can we sort of rearrange anything else?” And then they were able to book us a separate one. And then it was sort of much better communication because you can just kind of go there. If it doesn’t happen, they have your phone number and you can check up with them and they have all of the live updates right there and then, which is quite useful. Yeah. That’s kind of how it all worked out.

Ananya: Okay, that’s great that you can actually just arrive and then there are many options.

13. Cave hotels [16:30 - 18:37]

Ananya: Let’s go discuss more about the hotels that you stayed at, the cave hotel. So for all the properties that you stayed at cave hotels, or were you at a regular accommodation as

Emily: We actually only stayed at cave hotels, we stayed at three. And I think that was partly because I couldn’t decide between them. I think part of it is their own unique character, yeah.

Ananya: So you wanted to take complete advantage of the exotic location that you were in.

Emily: Yeah, exactly. So we stayed at Aza Cave Hotel first and that one’s really distinct because it has like its own turret and in front of the turret then it has a sort of private pool and not many of the cave hotels have pools so that was quite nice. And then we stayed at Mithra Cave Hotel, so that was the one that had lots of really nice terraces on it. Again, there, there are lots of cave hotels to choose from. And then we moved on to somewhere called local cave house, and that was the only other hotel that had a pool. So that was quite a nice option.

And they’re again, they’re very unique because they’re quite small. Like you feel like you’re part of someone’s house almost. It’s really nice. And there aren’t, it’s not like one of those places where you have big Hiltons and Marriotts, they’re literally none of those. They’re all in sort of independent hotels, which is really nice, unless you went much further out, but then you wouldn’t have the beauty of being able to just walk into the town. So that’s the real, really nice option of having like a sort of boutiquey hotel. And I believe that a lot of them, so Cosa, Azza Cave, They’re all partnered together like sister hotels. So quite often, if you stay at one of them, you can visit the other one or you can have dinner at one and then try out the pool at another one. So it’s quite nice going to one of those partnered-up ones.

Ananya: That’s pretty great. Yeah. That you can stay at one and then pop over to another one as well. But I think from what you’ve told me, it seems like there’s a very friendly business vibe among the properties in Cappadocia. So that’s, yeah, I think it must be that the people are also quite friendly.

14. Hotel preferences [18:37 - 19:46]

Ananya: Among the three hotels, did you have a preference for which one you enjoyed the most?

Emily: Probably Aza Cave Hotel. I might be biased because we got randomly upgraded to a honeymoon suite. I don’t know why, but that was a lovely bonus. The rooms were beautiful – they’d just been renovated – and it had a new sushi restaurant. They were clearly working hard to boost their presence, and it showed. Mithra was also beautiful, but it was busier, so the service, while nice, didn’t feel as personalized.

Local Cave House felt very cozy and homey. They gave us breakfast on the terrace, which was such a nice touch. It’s those little details you don’t get at bigger hotels.

Ananya: That’s true. Boutique properties often add that personal touch.

15. Other accommodation [19:46 - 20:33]

Ananya: What’s it like staying in a cave hotel? How is it different from other properties you’ve stayed at?

Emily: It’s very different. You don’t have a lot of natural light or views, as such. You’re in a cozy little cave with cave walls, and the shower is incorporated into the cave. But it feels so authentically Turkish, with unique rugs, lanterns, and Turkish tea sets. It’s very charming.

16. Cave hotel highlights [20:33 - 21:04]

Ananya: Was there something unexpected for you during your stay at a cave hotel or something you found unique?

Emily: I think for me, it must have just been waking up at sunrise and seeing all of those balloons come up. It’s not even something that you pay for – it just happens in Cappadocia every morning.

Ananya: Yeah, that’s so cool.

17. Other hotels [21:04 - 22:08]

Ananya: So, apart from the first property where you got an upgrade to a honeymoon suite, what about the rooms at the other two hotels that you stayed at?

Emily: Yeah, so I think Mithra was probably the one I was slightly less interested in, in the sense that, while the property itself was really beautiful with terraces and all, the room itself was quite small. With cave hotels, it becomes very obvious when a room is small because you don’t have lots of windows and things like that.

I think if it didn’t have the terraces and the beautiful complex, I would have been a little disappointed. The Local Cave House was really nice because the pool was heated. Obviously, with us going in May, there were a couple of days when it rained and stuff like that. It wasn’t the height of summer where you’d be happy to dive into a freezing cold pool, so having it heated was such a bonus.

18. View of Mithra [22:08 - 23:05]

Ananya: What about the terraces? Which one had the best view?

Emily: I think Mithra had the best view. It’s the highest hotel of the three, so you can sort of see the whole of Cappadocia. The place where a lot of the balloons take off from is Love Valley, so you can see that really nicely. You can see a little bit of Rose Valley as well, but it’s slightly further in the distance.

Interestingly, with Aza Cave Hotel, the balloons literally came right over the pool. It was so close to you, and it was amazing. So it was quite a different experience between the two.

19. Panoramic view of hot air balloons [23:05 - 23:54]

Ananya: Yeah, I think it makes so much sense that you were saying earlier that even the hotels are attractions in themselves. With such a panoramic view and those hot air balloons just gliding by, it must make for quite a scene.

Emily: I felt like I was in a Disney movie. You find a lot of people dress up for the occasion – I saw a lot of young girls in long ball gowns at sunrise, taking beautiful pictures. Everyone’s there sort of for the same reason.

Ananya: Yeah, it would be quite a sight early in the morning. And sunrise and sunset are something that humans never seem to get tired of capturing. Definitely.

20. Tips & advice to first-time travellers [23:54 - 27:25]

Ananya: Let’s move on to the next segment, which is about your tips and advice for travelers planning to visit Cappadocia. Would you like to share some tips?

Emily: I think the first one would be about the balloons – deciding whether to ride in one or not. In terms of when to go, I didn’t visit during the height of summer, but I’ve read a lot about visiting during the shoulder seasons. So, I’d suggest going in May or maybe a little later than when I went, around late May, just before schools break up. That’s probably ideal.

I’d also recommend staying a minimum of four days because the hot air balloons can be slightly unpredictable. If you want to ride one, it’s best to book it for your first or second day, so if it gets postponed, you still have a chance to do it.

Another tip would be to stay in a cave hotel. They’re surprisingly well-priced, around 100 to 150 pounds per night, which is really good compared to four-star hotels elsewhere. Cave hotels are also such an authentic experience. Just check the room size, as some can feel a bit compact, and make sure that’s something you’re okay with.

For food, I’d recommend looking into hotels with new restaurants. They often put in extra effort to provide excellent service, and it really shows.

Ananya: Those are great tips. You also mentioned earlier that cave hotels are closest to the town, right?

Emily: Yes, definitely. It depends on your thoughts about transport, but I’d say there’s no need to rent a car. The roads where the cave hotels are located are steep and narrow. Even shuttle buses can struggle if another vehicle is coming down.

You don’t need a car because the hotels are so close to town. Two of the hotels we stayed at were a three-minute walk from each other, and the third was about a 15-minute walk. For that one, we mentioned to the staff at Mithra that we were moving to another hotel. Even though I thought they might not want to hear that, they offered to drive us there for free. That personal touch was really nice.

Ananya: That’s such a kind gesture.

21. Best part of the trip [27:25 - 28:20]

Ananya: What would you say was the best part of your trip to Cappadocia?

Emily: Definitely seeing the hot air balloons, though I kind of expected that. But the biggest surprise for me was the horse riding. I’m usually someone who pre-plans everything with a written itinerary, but this was something we decided to do on the spot. It turned out to be one of the best experiences of the trip.

Ananya: That does sound special.

22. Horse ride [28:20 - 30:56]

Ananya: Can you tell us more about the horse ride?

Emily: We booked it through a site like GetYourGuide. They pick you up from your hotel, take you to the stables, and provide helmets. You don’t need to be an experienced rider because they have local guides who walk alongside the horses.

The ride takes you through the valleys, over the turrets, and into areas you wouldn’t normally explore on foot. There are no shops or facilities, so it’s one of the few ways to really get into the valleys. It was just us and about five others on the tour, so it didn’t feel crowded.

The guides also explain the history while you’re riding, and they take photos and videos for you, so you’re not trying to take selfies on horseback. We went at sunset, which was beautiful, and after the ride, they served us a drink and a little bite to eat before dropping us back at the hotel.

Ananya: That sounds amazing – a mix of culture and adventure. Any final thoughts about Cappadocia?

Emily: Definitely go! I’d give it a 10/10 as a destination.

Ananya: Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Your tips will be very helpful for travelers, especially with how to plan, where to stay, and other activities like horse riding or just enjoying the hot air balloons.

Emily: Thank you for having me!

23. Next trip [30:56 - 31:42]

Ananya: One last question – where’s your next trip?

Emily: I’m brainstorming with my fiancé about going to South Africa around Christmas. It’s a long-haul trip, so we’ll see, but that’s a great time to visit.

Ananya: That sounds fantastic. Best of luck with your next adventure, and thank you again for joining this call.

Emily: Thank you so much!