Middle East - Anthony Ham [498]
Operators offer different packages (and safety standards), so shop around. The following have good credentials:
Kapadokya Balloons ( 271 2442; www.kapadokyaballoons.com; Adnan Menderes Caddesi, Göreme)
Sultan Balloons ( 353 5249; www.sultanballoons.com; Sarıgüvercinlik Mevkii, Mustafapaşa Kasabası, Ürgüp)
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Sleeping
With about 100 hostels, pensions and hotels in Göreme, competition keeps prices low. If you’re visiting between October and May, pack warm clothes as it gets very cold at night.
Kaya Camping Caravaning ( 343 3100; kayacamping@www.com; campsites per adult/child TL13/8.50; ) This impressive camping ground is 2.5km from the centre of town, uphill from the Göreme Open-Air Museum. Set among fields of vines and a good sprinkling of trees, it has magnificent views and top-notch facilities.
Köse Pension ( 271 2294; www.kosepension.com; Ragıp Üner Caddesi; dm TL12, s without bathroom TL20, tw hut TL40, d/tw with bathroom TL60/60, tr with/without bathroom TL75/60; ) Köse Pension has some rough edges, but unlike most hostels, it has a swimming pool in the garden and a terrace where communal meals are served. Run by Edinburgh-born Dawn Köse and family, the backpacker institution is cheerily painted with grinning spiders and winding creepers. On the roof are wooden huts and a 20-bed dorm.
Flintstones Cave ( 271 2555; www.theflintstonescavehotel.com; dm with/without breakfast TL15/10, s/d TL20/40, with Jacuzzi TL40/60; ) Among fields on the edge of the village, this lively hostel has hosted a pool-side barbecue for every fairy chimney in Cappadocia. Manager Fatih, who claims to be Fred Flintstone’s nephew, advertises heaps of activities in the bar-restaurant, a cavernous hangout with a pool table. Ask to see a few rooms because there is a range of choices.
Kookaburra Pension ( 271 2549; kookagoreme@hotmail.com; Konak Sokak 10; dm without breakfast TL10, s/d TL20/40; ) This small pension, with agricultural tools and pot plants decorating its stone passages, has tidy, spacious rooms with private bathrooms. The roof terrace is a knockout and there’s internet access in the bar-restaurant up top.
Kemal’s Guest House ( 271 2234; www.kemalsguesthouse.com; Karşıbucak Sokak; dm with/without breakfast €9/6, s/d/tr/q €24/30/42/52) Entered via a flowery garden and reception with big bookshelves and battered sofas, popular Kemal’s is run by a genial Turkish-Dutch couple. Barbara offers guided hikes and her eponymous beau, a cookery teacher, rustles up Turkish feasts. There are cave, Ottoman and modern rooms, and single-sex cave dorms with private bathrooms.
Kelebek Hotel & Cave Pension ( 271 2531; www.kelebekhotel.com; Yavuz Sokak 31; s/d standard €28/35, s/d deluxe €36/45, ste €65-220; ) Pioneering Ali Yavuz converted his family home into Göreme’s first boutique hotel, which boasts the village’s best terrace for surveying the Cappadocian dreamscape. Divided into the modestly named Kelebek Pension and the newer Kelebek Suites, the 32-room complex ranges across stone houses and two fairy chimneys. More than the hamam, garden and small swimming pool, it’s the helpful staff and Yavuz’ passion for village life that make this a magical spot.
Fairy Chimney Inn ( 271 2655; www.fairychimney.com; Güvercinlik Sokak 5/7; s/d/tr from €44/55/66, students €22; ) This fairy chimney high on Aydınlı Hill has been wonderfully converted by its owner, a German anthropologist. Rooms are beautifully decorated, with simple furniture, cushions and carpets, and a refreshing lack of TVs and Jacuzzis. Other treats include the cave hamam, communal lounge, home-cooked meals and glorious garden terrace.
Kismet Cave House ( 271 2416; www.kismetcavehouse.com; Kağnı Yolu 9; d standard/deluxe €60/80) Opened in 2007, this eight-room guesthouse has quickly built a strong reputation. The arched rooms up top have the edge on the chimney