After 6 days in Crete,we will arrive in Istanbul and will have 10 days to divide between Istanbul,Ephesus and Cappadocia.No arrangements have been planned yet and the trip is for late September. We prefer better hotels and were told not to drive. Does anyone have a guide to recommend?
Is it better to book with a Turkish travel agent and if yes, any recommendation?

I do not understand WHY you can not drive? If you do not want to drive there is a travel agency in Turkey you may contact. They are reliable travel agency in 20 years

www.parasolholidays.com

If you want to stay in Cappadocia CAVE hotel here are some of them:
http://www.yunakevleri.com/ (I prefer this)
http://www.elkepevi.com/
http://www.esbelli.com/
http://www.museum-hotel.com/

I am sure that they will help you

Have a nice trip in Turkey

Sinan Akdeniz

I'm unclear also why you were told not to drive. I wouldn't drive in Istanbul (and there's no reason to) or Ankara (no reason to even go there), but driving from Cappadocia to the southern coast and all the way up to Ephesus for more than a week was a real highlight. I can't think of a single reason not to drive those parts. Roads were well marked, in great condition, and had minimal traffic. The only concern might be keeping an eye out for the odd donkey cart passing along on a road. Driving was nicer and easier than any European country I can think of we have driven in previously.

And by the way, we LOVED Esbelli Evi, a very nice cave hotel in Ugrup.

Neopolitan,

You did almost exactly what we are attempting to do for our trip!!! I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on our itinerary.

My screen name is "asa4." I don't know if you can find my post or not. The header is "3 Friends in Turkey-Istanbul, Cappadocia, Fethiye, Ephesus."

We are flying from Istanbul to Kayseri (for Cappadocia), then want to get down to the coastal areas (Fethiye OR Antalya and THEN Fethiye), then up to Ephesus and Pergamon, then back to Istanbul.

Like "sashab," above, we haven't decided how to get from A to B, apart from flying from Istanbul to the Cappadocia area. We have approx. 12 days total. We don't want to rush, but we also want to be efficient, if that makes sense. Also, we don't want super-long rides in the car. We're city folk, not used to that!

We're considering all forms of transport, including sailboat--well, for the coastal areas anyway! Anyone out there done that?

Thanks so much. Sounds like you had an awesome trip.

I would highly recommend the Gamirsu Cave Hotel, http://www.gamirasu.com , in a small village next to Urgup. This is a truly unique place. The dining rooms are in a renovated cave that has been used for human habitation for the last 1000 years. The room that we stayed in was extremely luxurious,
complete with a jacuzzi, and was part of the "newer"section, an old stone house that was about 100 years old.

Virtually everyone will be fascinated by the unusual rock formations, incredible porcelain factories, and carpet weaving cooperatives of Cappadocia.

However, this team would be particularly good for women traveling alone who might hestitate to travel beyond Istanbul. I can recommend them without reservation.

Louise Silverstein

asa4, after spending a few days in Istanbul, we flew to Keyseri where we rented a car. We spent several days in Ugrup at Esbelli Evi, which was wonderful.
Then we drove to Konya for a night after stopping for a nice walk in the Ihlara Valley, then to Lake Egridir for a night. This last stop was a mistake as it wasn't anything special and the drives were far shorter and quicker than we anticipate. If we had it to do over, we would have driven from Konya direct to Antalya, which still wouldn't have been all that much for a day's drive. That's where we stayed a couple nights before driving up the coast with stops at Dalyan, Marmaris, and Bodrum, before driving to Kusadasi where we stayed three nights.

Thanks, Neopolitan!

I am guessing that the "Urgup-Konya-Antalya" leg of the trip was less scenic than the coastal drive?

Sounds like the overnight in Konya is one way to break it up. I'm not into the whirling dervish ceremony, it's just not my thing. Is there anything else to see or do along that route?

Also, any Cappadoccia highlights would be much appreciated. Btw, do you have a "trip report" on this site? Would love to hear more.

I feel kind of badly abt hijacking "sashab's" space. I'm on here too in a separate post entitled "3 friends in Turkey" if you want to reply there.

Thanks so much. Your info is really helpful!

I am very happy to have anyone join in as we are obviously not set on our plan or itinerary and everybody's input proves to be very helpful It was a Turkish business associate who rejected the drive inter country. The question I think is, is it more effective to drive between stops or fly? Does it take too much time?

Neopolitan and Asa4:

And this for the benefit of the Poster, also.

A few years ago, we did almost the exact trip. Spent a glorious week in Istanbul, flew to Kayseri (one-hour flight, Turkish Airlines), Suha from the Esbelli had sent a driver to get us at the airport...and we rented a car right in Urgup for the rest of the trip.
Used the Esbelli as a base for our five days in the region...then drove to Konya, Lake Egridir,(the apple and pear trees were blooming!) down to Antlya , up the Turquoise Coast and shot up to Pamukkale (quite an incredible site), Aphrodisia (no crowds and very interesting ruins), Ephesus, Kusadasi, Bodrum, Marmaris..dropped car and took ferry to Rhodes...then did Santorini, Mykonos and Athens..great trip..highly recommend that the Poster considers a car..I agree totally with Neopolitan, that driving Turkey is very comfortable..gas stations everywhere (even free wash jobs with a fill up!)Scenery in the central part of the country is magnificent, people very friendly...try it, Poster, the best way to get the feel of Turkey! Enjoy!

Stu T.

I have been to Gamirasu Cave Hotel . It’s lovely, unpretentious - the surroundings are so charming. Ayvali (excuse me for not finding the dot less i on my keyboard) is enchanting, precious, in perfect blend with the caves. The hotel is located in paradise, above a small river, at the base of a lovely canyon with ducks, frog pools in between the cave houses. Nighttime is magic as they actually - and if you haven’t seen it I'm sure it’s hard to imagine - turn the canyon blue. Wow. Did I mention the dinner? A great four course traditional Turkish meal in a nicely decorated cave (if the blue valley is too much for you). They offer tours in the area as well. We have arranged it through Suleyman at Cappadocia Tours (http://www.cappadociatours.com ). Have a nice stay there, you will love Cappadocia.

Dear Sashab and Asa4;

You can perfectly drive in Turkey, just avoid Istanbul and night driving in general.
September is good month to travel all those places you mention. Your budget is important for better hotels, 100 Usd and plus will give you very good options.

Asa if you plan sailing, consider fethiye onwards to west to Marmaris & Bodrum area, much more fun.

As many hotels are suggested here www.goremehouse.com could be also considered, charming small place in Goreme.
Anyway as I said budget is the question. In Cappadocia to nutch suite can be hired 160 to 190 Usd. B&B for a double.

Have a great time and happy travelling,
Murat

Thanks Marat.

Re. sailing, yes, I hear that is the best direction to go. The only problem is that we may not have time to do more than a day or two on the boat! We may not get far!

I have checked some of the mini- and day cruises (those that have websites) out of Fethiye. It's very hard to compare some of these outfits. My concern is that the day cruises could be more like booze cruises. Also, I have heard that the gulets don't really "sail" much. They often just rev up the motor and cruise. Is that true?

Has anyone taken a gulet trip from Fethiye? Any recommendations?

Also, can anyone recommend accommodations in Fethiye? Note that our style is more Esbelli Evi than big resort. Anything charming, more intimate, more personalized, and traditional would suit our interests.

Thanks.

Ps. Sorry, I've shifted the post from caves to gulets! I guess we're all looking for that quintessentially Turkish experience!

We went on a 4 day/3 night gulet from Antalya to Kas. It was so much fun. Really the highlight of our trip, and it seems there were many highlights! We stayed at the Dedeman resort in Cappadocia and although it was nice, I said when I go back I HAVE to stay in a cave hotel. I think I'm going back in September. We're looking at Gamirasu and Esbelli. Are they comparable in style?

A few details on the gulet trip: Do you remember the outfit you went with? How was the boat? Did you sail a lot or just motor it? Also, how were the other passengers? We want something mellow and relaxing. Thanks.

Gulets usually do not sail. But its still fun. If you hire a sailing boat for a day or two depending on availability you pay at least 3 days hire otherwise as they break the week they loose.... Around Fethiye you will not find anything near Esbelli Evi.

Comparing Esbelli and Gamirasu is almost impossible, only common thing is they are both in Cappadocia and they have cave rooms ;-) They both have different styles in different locations.

Happy Travelling,
Murat

Wow, someone finally responded to the "Turkey" forum! It's been a while! Thank you!!!!

Murat, I know you said it is difficult to compare Esbelli and Gamirasu, but can you describe each for us anyway, tell us what the differences are?

That would be very helpful. Many of us are going by websites, and it's hard to get the true flavor of a place that way.

Thanks!

Hi Asa4;
Just in brief:
Gamirasu out of town away from the civilisations, close to a nice valley though. They serve half board. Some rooms I like, some I dont. Its my taste though. You will need a car or have to ask hotel owners for help if you need to go to urgup or such.
I have not been there since a while. I hear good things about them as well.
Esbelli is the pioneer of the cave hotels, location is good, it has different charm ofcourse.
Wanna know more pls. write me in private.
Happy travelling,
Murat

Just returned from Cappadocia with my family of 5. We booked the deluxe family suite at the Museum Hotel with Matiana travel and had to admit that it was the highlight of our trip. The room was unique and luxurious. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Anne from Matiana travel also arranged a guide and driver which I think is a better way to do it then on your own. Have fun. We did.