Ottoman Cave Suites

Though Ottoman Caves Suites has a rustic farm look on the surface, it's actually one of the more contemporary hotels in the area -- creating an overall feeling of Old World charm meets modern comfort. Inspired by Ottoman architecture, the hotel features local stone, classical arches, and gorgeous traditional tiled ceilings. The main building consists of two floors, built as layers, that open to the main courtyard garden. The pretty spot has huge, colorful paintings hung on the stone walls and cushioned wicker seating, though vending machines and a bright green bin detract a bit from the elegant area. The hotel's best feature, however, is its large terrace offering beautiful, panoramic views across the valley and over the city. The hotel is owned by a friendly family who have decorated the inside spaces with upscale furniture, paintings, traditional-style carpets, and handmade accent objects. Guests at Ottoman Cave Suites are largely couples who are willing to trade authentic cave rooms for a setting close to the center of town.

Ottoman Cave Suites has a convenient center-of-town location in Goreme, giving guests easy access to the nearby restaurants, souvenir shops, and starting points for tours. The town of Goreme is also in the middle of Goreme National Park -- a World Heritage park -- and surrounded by the region's famous "fairy chimney" formations. The hotel's elevated position gives spectacular, panoramic views of the town, Red and Rose Valley, and the village of Cavusin. Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport is a 40-minute drive from here, while Kayseri Airport can be reached in about an hour. There's free parking for travelers with cars.

There are 13 stone and cave-style rooms and suites, each individually decorated in a seamless blend of traditional Ottoman style with contemporary furnishings. The elegant design includes stone walls, wooden furnishings, traditional wool rugs, gold accents, and travertine bathrooms. Bathrooms are sleek, with stone basin sinks and glass walk-in rainfall showers that have the hotel's logo etched on them. All rooms come with high-speed internet thanks to individual routers in each room, plus 32-inch flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, tea- and coffee-making facilities, bathrobes and slippers, and free bottled water; suites also have minibars.The hotel's Standard Stone Rooms have a top floor location (and subsequently great views), air-conditioning units, and walls and bed platforms built from local stone. Though not actually built from natural caves, the Standard Cave Rooms are intricately cut into local rock, while the spacious Junior Suites feature striking ribbed rock walls, carved archways, hardwood floors, and canopy beds. The King Suite comes with a round bed, opulent velvet furniture, and a large bathroom with a two-person whirlpool tub and a walk-in rainfall shower. Note that while all rooms have heating, only some have air-conditioning -- though the hotel has plans to install AC in all rooms, including the caves.

The hotel offers limited features, but it has a lovely rooftop terrace and a sunny central courtyard. The only other public space is the hotel's beautiful breakfast room where guests are served a free Turkish breakfast buffet. While it retains a bit of a rustic vibe with its stone walls and exposed wood-beam ceiling, the room is the most modern-looking space on the property, featuring white travertine floors and a central wooden floor with decorative inlay work, as well as ample natural light. The buffet consists of local and seasonal produce, fresh bread, jam, cheese, eggs, and yogurt. Other freebies include parking, Wi-Fi, transfers to/from the Goreme bus station, and unlimited bottled water -- a rarity for this area. Guests wanting to explore the area or sign up for a tour can find information and tour-booking services at the front desk.