Choosing a cave hotel: a 12-point checklist before you book

Before you book a cave hotel, settle twelve things: which rooms are really carved, windows and light, steps, heating, cooling, damp, breakfast, the airport transfer, parking, the terrace and balloon view, check-in and luggage, and the wake-up service. The catalogue helps with nine of them only in part and with three, windows, damp and steps, not at all: none of the 80 records mentions them. So this checklist pairs each point with what the records do state and the question to put to the hotel. It gives no prices or room sizes, because the records hold none.

The room itself

1. Which rooms are carved? 54 of the 80 hotels are in the cave category, but a hotel’s rooms are not always built alike. Ten records describe a mix of cave and stone rooms: Arcus Cappadocia, Artemis Cave Suites & Spa (Adults Only), Aydınlı Cave Hotel, Cave Art Cappadocia, Chelebi Cave House, Doors of Cappadocia, Hidden Cave Hotel, Karlık Cave Suite, Roma Cave Suite Hotel and Taşkonak Cave House. Ask which room type is carved and which is built. Room size is not recorded anywhere (no square metres); a room count is given for 32 of the 80 hotels, from 5 to 36. For more on the building type see what is a cave hotel.

2. Windows and light. Carved rooms often open to the outside through the facade only, and daylight can vary from room to room. The catalogue records nothing on windows. Ask how many windows your room has, which way they face and whether the room opens onto a terrace, and look for photos taken inside the room.

3. Steps and floor level. Rock buildings stand on slopes, and rooms at different levels are common. No record mentions stairs, steps or a lift. Ask which floor the room is on, how many steps lead to it, who carries the luggage and whether stairs and terraces have railings.

Comfort

4. Heating. Only 10 of the 80 records name a heating feature: 5 hotels state heated floors, 4 state fireplaces and 1 says its rooms are heated. The other 70 say nothing. In January the Nevşehir average low is −3.6 °C, so if you travel in winter ask how your room is heated and whether it is on when you arrive. The names are in Cappadocia in winter.

5. Cooling. 48 hotels tick air conditioning: 35 of the 54 cave hotels and 13 of the other 26. None of the 4 hotels in Mustafapaşa ticks it. In July the average high is 28.5 °C and the record 39.5 °C, so for a summer stay confirm it, and ask whether the unit cools every room type.

6. Damp and ventilation. Carved rooms with limited ventilation can feel damp, and the catalogue is silent on it. Ask whether the room has a ventilation or dehumidifying system and whether any room types are known to feel damp. A direct question gets a more useful answer than a general one.

Meals and arrival

7. Breakfast. 66 records tick breakfast included and one, Heybe Hotel & Spa, lists it as a paid extra. 13 do not tick it. In five of those the text still mentions a breakfast without saying whether it is included: Caftan Cave Suites, Divan Cave House, Dream of Cappadocia, Panoramic Cave Hotel and Yılkı Cave Suites. Check the rate details.

8. Airport transfer. 29 hotels tick an airport transfer, and three more mention transfers in their text. Price and airport are rarely stated; one record says its shuttle is paid. Ask which airport it serves, what it costs and what happens if your flight is late. Details are in hotels that list an airport transfer.

9. Parking and car access. 60 hotels tick parking, among them 42 of the 54 cave hotels. Every hotel in Ürgüp, Mustafapaşa, Çavuşin and Ortahisar ticks it (18 of 18), while 20 of the 62 hotels in Göreme and Uçhisar do not. Streets near rock buildings can be narrow. Ask how far the parking is from your room. See hotels with parking.

Views and mornings

10. Terrace and balloon view. 38 hotels tick a balloon view, and 14 more mention balloons in their highlights without the tick. A tick does not say whether the view is from the room, the terrace or only the property. Only two ticked records, Azure Cave Suites and Karlık Evi Cappadocia, name the rooms. Ask which rooms face the balloons; the full list is in hotels with balloon views.

11. Check-in and luggage. Check-in is from 14:00 at 75 of the 80 hotels; two start at 13:00, two at 15:00 and one at 14:30. Check-out is at 12:00 at 51 and at 11:00 at 29. Only one record, Konak Bezirhane Cave Otel, lists luggage storage. If your flight lands in the morning, ask whether you can leave bags.

12. Wake-up service and reception hours. 26 hotels list a wake-up service, 13 of them with a balloon view, and 15 list a 24-hour reception. For a pre-dawn balloon pick-up or a late arrival, ask who opens the door and at what time.

The checklist at a glance

Point	Records that state it (of 80)
Carved or built rooms	54 cave category; 10 mixed
Windows, damp, steps	0
Heating feature named	10
Air conditioning	48
Breakfast included	66
Airport transfer	29
Parking	60
Balloon view (ticked)	38
Luggage storage	1
Wake-up service / 24-hour reception	26 / 15

Silence in a record is not absence; it is a question for the hotel. Ask in writing and keep the reply with your booking. All records are on the hotel list.

Where to stay

Secret Hill Cave Suites, pictured above, lists cave rooms with modern comforts, air conditioning, parking, a seasonal pool, a hamam and a terrace and garden with sunrise views. The Calypso Cave states heated floors in all seven rooms, a 24-hour reception, parking and an airport transfer. Konak Bezirhane Cave Otel is the only record that lists luggage storage. Local Cave House lists heated and air-conditioned rooms. After choosing, you can book through gocappadocia.com, the regional booking platform created through the combined efforts of 175 Cappadocia hoteliers, with a best-price guarantee; this guide takes no commission.