Hotel Kismet was a lovely place to stay !! Close to the centre of Kusadasi but seperated on its own little peninsula. It is relatively small and has a few years under its belt...but the rooms are spacious and they have a couple of private beach/swimming areas. A great place to relax ! Sitting in their garden in the evening watching the sun set over the Aegean was a wonderful way to spend an hour ech day ! The restaurant that faces Kusadasi ( forget the name) had some tasty Turkish cuisine as well as a few international favourites. I can recommend it AND you are close enough to Ephesus to truly do it justice with some time. If you feel the urge you can wander down to the harbour area and do the "party" thing but at the Kismet you are nicely seperated from the rabble ;)

Kismet hotel is the BEST hotel in Kusadasi. Kusadasi my another hometown I live in Kusadasi 3 months and rest of the year live in NYC so I love both city. Yes kusadasi is crowded town but if you reserve your room with Kismet you are not seeing tourist or crowded yes you are going to see Kusadasi but far away especially when you order your EFES BEER (Hi mark I an really thirsty now but I do not have efes here) and see the light of kusadasi is so beatiful. If you are in Kusadasi between july-september I invite you to my home we can drink EFES BEER or SIRINCE WINE. Why not?

Anyhow cecenat I am also helping people in TTP BUT I never recommend any tour like this because you are going to foreign country for your holiday not for struggling.

I alway here to help

Have a nice holiday in Turkey

Sinan Akdeniz

PS: My invitation is available for everyone who will be in kusadasi between july to september.

I've been to both and would definitely say to go to Cappadocia. Ephesus is fascinating but Cappadocia has sp many things going for it and is probably the most unique place I've been in all of my travels. I went with my sister and we hired a fabulous local guide. Wd'd go back in a heartbeat.

Definitely Cappadocia. It is not only unlike anyplace I've ever been to, but the people that I met to were warm, down-to-earth people. I would hire a local guide; that way, you'l get a chance to meet a few people as well as get to the sights. If you're staying on the coast, you'll be able to visit a few of the ruins if you want. Frankly, I much preferred ths smaller ruins, anyway; Ephesus is certainly interesting, but it's also overrun with tourists. I much preferred some of the spots that were smaller and less busy; I got a much better feel for what I was visiting.
Paule

We felt the same way - we wanted to relax on the beach and see something unique. We chose Cappadocia, and it was really great. It was truly unique. But I do think you can get the gist in 2 days. We hired a private guide and saw nearly everything recommended in the travel books. We skipped Ephesus since we had already been to Pompei, and we had read that Ephesus was second to Pompei in terms of ruins to visit in the mediterranean. Plus it was really hot when we were in turkey and we weren't thrilled about walking around the ruins all day.
We also spent 2-3 days in Bodrum and loved it, then 2 days in Fethiye (mainly to go to Oludeniz), 1 day in Dalyan. Yes, getting around is kind of a pain, but we didn't feel rushed or stressed out. I'm glad I saw so much, then I learned where I would want to go back. One thing I've noticed over the years on this message boards is that most people are insistent that you can't see and do that many things in a short period of time, yet we always have. So follow your own instincts. Only you can decide that the right pace is.