There is no place on earth like Cappadocia: the strange, spectacular landscape and the rural nature of the region combine in an experience that is scenic and very intimate, especially if you spend time in one of the smaller towns. <BR><BR>We stayed 5 nights in the Gamirasu Hotel in Ayvali on the recommendation of our guide, Suleyman. Its hard to even begin to describe being here without mentioning that this town is truly one of the smallest towns Ive ever been in and there is only the one hotel in town. But its as far away from urban life as many of us have ever been, and if you really want to experience Turkey and have a less-traditional tourist experience, I truly recommend the place. <BR>The hotel is a charming cave hotel, and they include homecooked dinners as well as wonderful breakfasts, which are served on the outside terrace. There is also a beautiful rose garden, which is nurtured lovingly. The small staff are warm and welcoming, and try very hard to make everyone comfortable. I am truly fond of the place and the people I met there. A small stream opposite the hotel flows in a valley made up of the amazing cave dwellings like the ones seen throughout Cappadocia; however, there are no tourist crowds here. But its the town and its people that make staying here even more special. You walk through the town, and all the kids come running up, saying Hello, hello! The men at the cafe invite you to tea-- and the women make you sit down and talk to them, right there in the street where they sit. Without any doubt, staying in this town and visiting Cappadocia was the highlight of our trip. <BR><BR>We spent 2 full days with Suleyman, who was a wonderful guide, a real pleasure to be with. Hes warm and intelligent, and was very intuitive about what we would be interested in. He took us to the main sights and many lesser known places, and we would stop and speak to people at times along the way. <BR>Sights: We started in the local Gomeda Valley; in small scale, it has everything that Cappadocia has to offer-- but no tourists! It has the rock caves, the fairy castles, and a sweet Byzantine cave church. We visited the Goreme Open Air Museum, the world site of Byzantine cave churches; many tourists, but wonderful to see. And we saw Avanos, the pottery town; and Pasabagi, the Fairy Castles-- again, awesome sights. We stopped at several amazing overlooks, and ended the day at Uchisar, a Byzantine castle carved out of rock that sits on top of a hill. From there, the views were spectactular. <BR>On our second day, we headed toward Kaymakli, one of the ancient underground cities that are sprinkled throughout the region. On the way, we saw 2 women baking something in an outside oven or kiln-- something that wouldve been seen a long time ago, too. Our next main destination was the Soganli Valley, another less touristed valley but with a good walk through a now-declared park with some painted rock churches and rock formations. <BR>We also had many small stops along the way (the ruins of a caravanseray, more painted churches, a Seljuk facade). <BR>HIGHLY RECOMMENDED GUIDE FOR CAPPADOCIA <BR>Suleyman Cakir <BR>[email protected]<BR>www.cappadociatour s.com<BR>

Suleyman was originally with Argeus Tours, which had gotten a lot of good recommendations on the boards (this one and others) but has started his own agency (Cappadocia Tours, I think). <BR>Working with him is a great plus; although I've done a lot of the work, choosing hotels and working out my own itinerary, I wanted to have someone to take care of my internal flights and car rentals. Then I decided it sure would be easier to have someone make the reservations for the hotels and give me feedback on my itinerary. <BR><BR>He is very helpful, quick to respond, and (as much as e-mail can give a feeling of someone) very warm as well as helpful. His advice is excellent, and he doesn't have an agenda, except to help you have the trip you want. I had corresponded with someone else, who was nowhere near as responsive or as helpful and gave me advice that wasn't appropriate to my plan. So when I began a correspondence with Suleyman, I was especialy happy. I have also found that in at least one case, he was able to get me a better rate at a hotel than I would've gotten on my own-- which gives one even more reason to sometimes use an agent! <BR>

First of all I think it is a great idea to visit Turkey although I am Greek...... <BR>I visited Istanbul and Cappadokia on April. It was great. I cant give you many informations about hotels in Istanbul but I can say that 5 days are enough to see the best of this beautiful city. The hotel we stayed wasn' t very good so it is better to do what Suleyman suggests. <BR>About Gamirasu I have no words. Everything was great. People, services, food, the village, sightseeing. Suleyman is for sure a great guide. You have to trust him in every thing he says and recommend. But I think that it is better to stay 2 or 3 more days, because you have a lot of thins to see there. Ask Suleyman to make you a programme for the days you are going to stay there.... <BR>You have to try Turkish smoke and coffee, turkish bath in Istanbul and not in Cappadokia because they have small baths there, see the Mevlana dancers, buy silk carpets in Cappadocia but bargain and make them give you a better price. Only the price of Gamirasu Cave Hotel cant change because what you give is what you take. And believe me you take more than you give. <BR>I wish you a nice trip <BR>Haroula. <BR>

We just got back from Turkey and had a fantastic time. We loved Cappadocia and Suleyman was really wonderful. His english is perfect and he's very knowledgeable about the area & its' history, and he's very nice. We all loved him (there were 9 of us!). <BR>We also loved the Gamirasu - we couldn't believe our good fortune. I assume you'll be taking one of the late evening flights from Istanbul. I don't want to give away anything, but don't be worried on the way there - it's a jewel. <BR>We were there for 3 nights (only 2 full days). 4 days is good. If you don't mind getting up at 3:30 in the morning the hot air balloon ride was a lot of fun. <BR>I think you have plenty of time in Istanbul for the Sultanahmet section. I recommend Sunday brunch at the Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel and a drink at the Pera Palas Hotel. Dinner at Beyti's in Florya (a section of Istanbul, close to the airport) was really good. <BR>Re. Blue House Hotel, we only had dinner there (for the view from the terrace), it looks like a nice place. We stayed at the Dersaadet and it was O.K. (we'll try a different one next time). We've also stayed at the Alzer (across from the Hippodrome) and that was also O.K. I think they were both a lot cheaper than the Blue House.<BR>Just some advice: always ask a cab driver how much before you get in. <BR>I hope you have a great time, and feel free to contact me again (also let me know how your trip was). Today is my second day back at work, yuk. Gotta go,

Well as far as service and being wonderful ,Suleyman is the greatest. We can't give you any recommendations about hotels or what it was like to be there because we haven't made the trip yet. Sorry about that piece, but he really is the best person I have met that is willing to do all the leg work. I would definitely take any recommendation he makes.<BR><BR>Find him at www.cappadociatours.com and e-mail at: [email protected]

We travelled independently to Turkey in May, 2001...We would like to particularly recommend to Fodor's readers two stops <BR>along the way. The first was at the Gamirasu Cave Hotel in a small town<BR>not far from Urgup. Gamirasu is the only hotel in this otherwise very<BR>quiet and typical Turkish town. The cave rooms were fun and because of<BR>the non-commercial nature of the town, both breakfast and dinner were<BR>included in the very reasonable price. The food, by the way, was<BR>excellent - very fresh and much of it, like eggs from local farmers'<BR>hens, a special treat. The staff was extremely nice as well as helpful<BR>in tour planning. <BR><BR>We had our own car and did our sightseeing ourselves.<BR>However, for those without transportation, sightseeing excursions were arranged by Suleyman (www.cappadociatours.com and e-mail [email protected]) and airport transportation was provided. <BR><BR>Gamirasu more than deserved the star it received in travel guide books as an outstanding choice!!!

is there a wine festival in cappadocia? and when?