Ürgüp, Mustafapaşa and Ortahisar: a district guide and the 15 hotels in our catalogue

The catalogue lists 15 hotels in Ürgüp, Mustafapaşa and Ortahisar: 9 in Ürgüp, 4 in Mustafapaşa and 2 in Ortahisar. Ten are cave hotels, four are small hotels and one is suite-style; all 15 list parking. It is a smaller-scale picture than Göreme’s 43 hotels: the median of the 9 hotels with a recorded room count is 10 (14 recorded Göreme hotels have a median of 13), and the largest has 23 rooms. Ürgüp is the district centre, Mustafapaşa is the former Sinasos, and Ortahisar is known for its castle; Mustafapaşa and Ortahisar both belong to Ürgüp district.

Three towns, 15 hotels in the catalogue

Town	Hotels	Cave / small hotel / suites	Room count recorded	Parking	Breakfast included	Airport transfer	Family rooms	24-hour reception	Restaurant
Ürgüp	9	6 / 2 / 1	5 (5–12 rooms)	9	7	3	3	5	4
Mustafapaşa	4	2 / 2 / 0	3 (10–23 rooms)	4	3	3	1	2	2
Ortahisar	2	2 / 0 / 0	1 (14 rooms)	2	2	0	1	0	0
Total	15	10 / 4 / 1	9	15	12	6	5	7	6

The figures rest on the amenity lists on each hotel page; a feature that is not ticked does not mean the hotel lacks it. A room count is recorded for only 9 hotels; the other 6 pages do not give one.

Ürgüp: district centre, Temenni Hill and Esbelli

Ürgüp is the district centre of the region and has a bus station. Among the sights are Temenni Hill, which looks over the town, and the rock houses in Esbelli. The area around Ürgüp is also known for winemaking: the only hotel in the catalogue listing a “Winery on site” amenity is 4 Oda Cave House, and Ürgüp Evi has a winery right next door.

Of the 9 hotels, 6 are cave hotels, 2 small hotels and 1 suite-style. By neighbourhood, Temenni (4 Oda Cave House, Kayata Cave Suites, Taru Cave Suites) and Duayeri (Chakra Special Caves) are recorded; the other 5 hotels have none. Five list a 24-hour reception, against only 4 of 43 hotels in Göreme. The five hotels with a recorded room count have 5, 7, 9, 10 and 12 rooms. Among the 32 catalogue hotels with a room count, 7 have 9 rooms or fewer; 3 of them are in Ürgüp (Eka Cave Maison 5, The Calypso Cave 7, Kayata Cave Suites 9), and the smallest hotel in the catalogue is the 5-room Eka Cave Maison.

• Kayata Cave Suites: 9 rooms; its highlights name indoor private hot tubs and heated floors; airport transfer, 24-hour reception and family rooms are listed.
• Ürgüp Evi: 12 rooms; restaurant and bar, a winery and bicycle rental next door; airport transfer and 24-hour reception are listed.
• Aja Cappadocia Hotel: ten themed rooms in a restored historic mansion; restaurant, room service, family rooms and a honeymoon concept.

The list also includes 4 Oda Cave House, Asuwari Suites Cappadocia, Chakra Special Caves, Eka Cave Maison, Taru Cave Suites and The Calypso Cave; all can be reached from the hotel list.

Mustafapaşa: the former Sinasos

Mustafapaşa was formerly called Sinasos. The Greek Orthodox community lived here until the 1924 population exchange, and today the village is known for Greek (Rum) mansions with fine stonework, and for its churches. The Nujel’m Cappadocia page says the Eleni Church and the Cappadocia Museum of Art and History can be reached on foot.

The catalogue has 4 hotels: 2 cave and 2 small hotels. Three (Cave Art, Nujel’m and Yılkı) list an airport transfer; in Ürgüp it is 3 of 9 and in Ortahisar 0 of 2. The three hotels with a recorded room count have 10, 18 and 23 rooms. Cave Art and Nujel’m have “Yukarı” as their neighbourhood.

• Cave Art Cappadocia: ten rooms in restored cave, arched and stone spaces; a panoramic valley-view terrace, restaurant, family rooms and airport transfer.
• Nujel’m Cappadocia: an 18-room rural hotel; heated floors, 24-hour reception, concierge / tour help, laundry and airport transfer.
• Yılkı Cave Suites: a spa, hot tub and restaurant; the only hotel in the catalogue listing an “Indoor pool”. No room count is recorded.

The fourth hotel, Konak Bezirhane Cave Otel, is the largest of the three towns (23 rooms); it has a jacuzzi in every room and is the only hotel in the catalogue listing “Luggage storage”.

Ortahisar: the castle and the cold stores

Ortahisar is known for its rock-carved castle and its rock-cut cold-storage rooms, which are known in the region for keeping produce such as fruit. The catalogue has two hotels, both cave hotels. Neither lists an airport transfer, restaurant or 24-hour reception among its amenities; ask the hotel if these matter. Only 2 of the 80 hotels are in Ortahisar, so choice is limited, and the first question is whether you want a short stop at the castle or to sleep here. The 3-day itinerary treats Ortahisar as a lunch stop.

• Vita Cave Suites: 14 rooms with heated floors; concierge / tour help, shared lounge, minibar and daily housekeeping are listed.
• Fosil Cave Hotel: garden, terrace, air conditioning, family rooms and a honeymoon concept; its page stresses closeness to Ortahisar Castle.

How it differs from Göreme

In catalogue data, the profile of the two groups is:

	Göreme	Ürgüp, Mustafapaşa, Ortahisar
Hotels	43	15
Cave / small hotel / suites	34 / 9 / 0	10 / 4 / 1
Hotels with room count	14	9
Median / largest room count	13 / 36	10 / 23
Hotels with 30+ rooms	4	0
Balloon view	27	0
Swimming pool	11	0 (1 indoor pool)
Spa / hamam	8 / 4	1 / 0
Parking	30	15
24-hour reception	4	7
Restaurant	16	6
Airport transfer	17	6

Three differences stand out. Scale: all four hotels with 30 or more recorded rooms are in Göreme; the largest hotel in these three towns has 23. Amenities: pools, spas and hamams are listed more often in Göreme; in Ürgüp and Mustafapaşa what appears instead are in-room features: an in-room hot tub at Kayata, a jacuzzi in every room at Konak Bezirhane, jetted tubs at The Calypso Cave, heated black-water pools in the rooms at Eka Cave Maison. Buildings: the Aja, Eka and Cave Art pages stress a restored historic mansion, stone house or stone buildings.

No hotel lists a balloon view; Cave Art mentions it in its highlights. The balloon launch fields are around Göreme, so if the balloon morning is your focus, choose where to stay accordingly; see the balloon flight days article. For Göreme’s neighbourhoods, read Where to stay in Göreme.

What to ask before booking

• If you arrive by car: all 15 hotels list parking. Without a car you may need a taxi or a tour for Ürgüp and Mustafapaşa; the 3-day itinerary puts this line on day 3.
• Late arrival: 7 hotels list a 24-hour reception: 5 in Ürgüp and 2 in Mustafapaşa.
• Transfer: 6 hotels list an airport transfer. Is it paid, from which airport, for how many people? For arrival planning see How to get to Cappadocia.
• Size: 6 pages give no room count; ask the hotel whether you will be in a small hotel or a larger property.
• Walking distance: this guide gives none; for a walk to the market, a church or a museum, ask the hotel and check its page.

The booking button on a hotel page opens the hotel’s page on gocappadocia.com, a booking platform created through the combined efforts of 175 hoteliers in the region. This guide takes no commission.