Cave hotel in Cappadocia, Turkey
| country: | Turkey |
| location: | Cappadocia |
| price: | From €95 - €120 per room per night (sleeps up to 4) on B&B basis. Additional beds available at €20 per person |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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description
An exquisitely restored eighteen-room troglodyte cave house opened in 1999, in Ayvali Village near Urgup in the heart of Cappadocia, Turkey.
The hotel is located in a restored thousand-year-old Byzantine monastic retreat which offers modern conveniences without distracting from the spiritual feeling of the area which has been known to be inhabited for more than five thousand years.
The hotel is featured in major international travel guides as one of the best cave hotels of Cappadocia. It is also mentioned as a romantic escape for honeymoons in wedding magazines.
Part of the hotel was used by Christian monks until recently. Some of the rooms were actually monk cells. The quality of the cave rooms makes you feel cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Volcanic rock called "tufa" is perfect insulation material which keeps the temperature between 17 - 20 degrees celsius throughout the year.
Turkish Cuisine Courses: Cappadocia, keeping its old traditions of a rural life with its agricultural background and its climate, still gives you a chance to discover the taste of traditional cookery. In the hotel kitchen, our chef welcomes you to learn traditional Cappadocian and Turkish cuisine.
Agricultural Activities: You can be part of the local life and experience the process of drying apricots, harvesting apples, tomatoes, mulberries and grapes from the organic farm land. You will have a chance to learn home style wine making, cooking grape jam and baking bread in the stone oven.
Whirling Dervishes: Founded by Mevlana in 13th century in Konya, Sufism is practiced widely in Turkey. A branch of Dervishes practice their religion in an ancient Selcukide Caravansary. You may participate as a spectator to this mystical Sema "the meditational dance of Dervishes".
Yoga & Massage Therapy: The German partners are doctors of alternative medicine, qualified and experienced practitioners.
Weddings and Honeymoons: Ours is the only hotel with a historical cave church in the area. If you wish you can use it for your wedding ceremony or we can arrange Cappadocian style cultural wedding for you that includes even "Henna Night". We will take care of administrative formalities in front of Turkish law for you. For most memorable Cappadocian nights, the honeymoon rooms are prepared with special attention.
The hotel is located in a restored thousand-year-old Byzantine monastic retreat which offers modern conveniences without distracting from the spiritual feeling of the area which has been known to be inhabited for more than five thousand years.
The hotel is featured in major international travel guides as one of the best cave hotels of Cappadocia. It is also mentioned as a romantic escape for honeymoons in wedding magazines.
Part of the hotel was used by Christian monks until recently. Some of the rooms were actually monk cells. The quality of the cave rooms makes you feel cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Volcanic rock called "tufa" is perfect insulation material which keeps the temperature between 17 - 20 degrees celsius throughout the year.
special things to do and see here
We have organized activities at the hotel. Some of them are within the hotel complex itself and some in the surrounding area. They include:Turkish Cuisine Courses: Cappadocia, keeping its old traditions of a rural life with its agricultural background and its climate, still gives you a chance to discover the taste of traditional cookery. In the hotel kitchen, our chef welcomes you to learn traditional Cappadocian and Turkish cuisine.
Agricultural Activities: You can be part of the local life and experience the process of drying apricots, harvesting apples, tomatoes, mulberries and grapes from the organic farm land. You will have a chance to learn home style wine making, cooking grape jam and baking bread in the stone oven.
Whirling Dervishes: Founded by Mevlana in 13th century in Konya, Sufism is practiced widely in Turkey. A branch of Dervishes practice their religion in an ancient Selcukide Caravansary. You may participate as a spectator to this mystical Sema "the meditational dance of Dervishes".
Yoga & Massage Therapy: The German partners are doctors of alternative medicine, qualified and experienced practitioners.
Weddings and Honeymoons: Ours is the only hotel with a historical cave church in the area. If you wish you can use it for your wedding ceremony or we can arrange Cappadocian style cultural wedding for you that includes even "Henna Night". We will take care of administrative formalities in front of Turkish law for you. For most memorable Cappadocian nights, the honeymoon rooms are prepared with special attention.
travellers' tales
Everything was memorable...Ramsi & Mustafa so interesting & knowledgeable and what amazing trips, then of course the absolutely amazing balloon ride and not forgetting Semi who drove us everywhere so safely (more)
rooms, food and facilities
The hotel has a total of twenty rooms: standard double, deluxe rooms, cave suites, family suites and superior suites. Wireless internet connection Restaurant: in the hotel kitchen, organically produced food is used. The chef presents the typical Cappadocian style of dinner with six Turkish dishes All rooms have: private shower & w.c. telephone, hair dryer and central heating
Family friendly: Family suites and additional beds are available.
By air: There are some direct flights between Istanbul and Cappadocia. There are two airports. One is in Kayseri and the other, the new Cappadocia airport, in Nevsehir. Kayseri airport is one hour and fifteen minutes away from major accommodation centres in the area. If you let us know your flight details in advance, we can come and meet you at Kayseri airport (60 km) free of charge. You will be met at the arrivals gate with a sign bearing your name. There is a charge for a private transfer.
By bus: From all of the major cities in Turkey, you may find a bus for Cappadocia. The busses are non-smoking, comfortable A/C 45 seat coaches. From the hotel, we can provide a free pickup from any bus station in Cappadocia. We also provide a free service from/to Urgup city center requested
By car: After Nevsehir, drive to Urgup, and then continue towards Mustafapasa town (Urgup - Mustafapasa 7 km). On the halfway after leaving Urgup, after the first bridge, turn right following the yellow sign pointing to Mazikoy Roman Tombs, and Ayvali village (misspelled as Ayvalik). Continue driving 5 more km. We are in Ayvali.
Family friendly: Family suites and additional beds are available.
how to find us
By air: There are some direct flights between Istanbul and Cappadocia. There are two airports. One is in Kayseri and the other, the new Cappadocia airport, in Nevsehir. Kayseri airport is one hour and fifteen minutes away from major accommodation centres in the area. If you let us know your flight details in advance, we can come and meet you at Kayseri airport (60 km) free of charge. You will be met at the arrivals gate with a sign bearing your name. There is a charge for a private transfer.
By bus: From all of the major cities in Turkey, you may find a bus for Cappadocia. The busses are non-smoking, comfortable A/C 45 seat coaches. From the hotel, we can provide a free pickup from any bus station in Cappadocia. We also provide a free service from/to Urgup city center requested
By car: After Nevsehir, drive to Urgup, and then continue towards Mustafapasa town (Urgup - Mustafapasa 7 km). On the halfway after leaving Urgup, after the first bridge, turn right following the yellow sign pointing to Mazikoy Roman Tombs, and Ayvali village (misspelled as Ayvalik). Continue driving 5 more km. We are in Ayvali.
how this holiday makes a difference
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The hotel has changed the destiny of people in a village with 1000 inhabitants; stopped migration, become a hope for the future and created jobs. It has saved the historical and a natural beauty which is considered a part of world heritage sites by Unesco.
We support the farmers in the village where the hotel is located and encourage them to farm organically. We use solar panels for heating and river water is used for watering the garden. We have used only the local material for construction and renovation. We use energy efficient light bulbs. Our electricity is from hydro electric sources but we are planning to use wind tribunes as well. We have received an offer to plant one system which will produce electricity which will produce enough energy to save about 80% of our usage. We employ local people in the hotel and use locally grown products in our kitchen. We have saved a thousand year old cave church from Byzantine times with the aid of local men from the village aiding in the construction of the hotel. We use products locally grown, mostly from our village. In the hotel kitchen, organically produced food is used. The food is produced with the technical assistance of Rapunzel Bio-Farming company. As for fertilizer, we use the cow dung and pigeon droppings from cave pigeon houses. |
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