No trip to Turkey is complete without a special mention of Cappadocia and rightly so. Cappadocia, the UNESCO region of Turkey is mostly on every travelers bucket list.
Staying in Fairy chimney cave suite, soaring through the skies in a hot air balloon ride, exploring the underground caves are things you dont want to miss on. Cappadocia seems right out of a fairy-tale book. Thus when Naved and I were planning our Turkey trip we knew that it would be incomplete without a trip to Cappadocia.
Where is Goreme?
Cappadocia is located in central Turkey and Goreme is a small town in Cappadocia. The rock formations of Goreme were formed due to volcanic eruptions and erosion over time lead to the making of the beautiful chimneys and other formations. These caves are now converted into Churches, monasteries but most of them are converted into hotels for tourism.
Choosing a hotel
There is no dearth of hotels in cappadocia what with it being a major tourist spot. Going by the 5 star reviews on tripadvisor and also recommendations from a few friends, we knew we had to book Kelebek Special Cave Hotel.
First views of Goreme
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We took an overnight bus from Fethiye to Cappadocia. The early morning sightings of Goreme left me speechless. Warm yellow rays of the sun cascading upon hundreds of hot air balloons floating in the sky made up a majestic view. Upon arriving at the bus station in Goreme, we called our hotel and requested a pick up. Kelebek is situated just 10 mins from the city centre and our shuttle van ride arrived in no time.
Also read : Ultimate Guide to spending 9 days in Turkey
About Kelebek Special Cave Hotel
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Kelebek means ” BUTTERFLY ” in Turkish. Our first view of Kelebek was like a butterfly perched on a flower showcasing magnificent views of Goreme.
Kelebek offers a wide range of 35 specially crafted rooms with each room designed uniquely. The rooms are of 3 categories namely Cave, Stone and Arch. Thus no two rooms are the same. Its also not unlikely for tourists to switch between different rooms during their stay to get a different experience each time! (we did that too)
Built in 1993 and owned by Ali Yavuz, the hotel has skin in the game and the staff spares no effort in making you feel at home. The rooms range from luxurious to simple and affordable, making it perfect for every sort of traveler.
As soon as we stepped out of the shuttle van, we saw a stretching view of Goreme with its different size rock formations. Its not something you see everyday. We were greeted by Tuna, the hotel staff who gave us a tour of this spectacular hotel. We were quickly shown to our room to freshen up and store away our luggage.
The Room
We had initially made the booking for the Fairy chimney room. However upon seeing the room in person, we decided that it would be tad bit small for our taste (hey its a cave after all and you cannot change the structure per se). The hotel was gracious and accommodated our request to choose a different room. We then decided to go for a “Junior Suite cave room”
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The room came with air-conditioning, fireplace, shower, wifi, tv and such other amenities. The feeling of staying in cave for the first time is not one I will forget. With small details around the room like an ancient looking jar of water, a warm rug covering the floor, a perched corner of the room covered with a carpet and fluffed up pillow making for a cozy sit in to read a book, the comfortable French bed, walls adorned with beautiful décor were some of the things that added to the whole charm of the room.
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Did someone say breakfast?
Now people who know me, know that I love a good meal. The breakfast was situated right next to the Terrace overlooking Goreme town.
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The spread at Kelebek was one I wont forget. Feast fit for the Kings was laid out in front of my eyes. Assortment of cheese (Yes, I tried most of them), jams, apricots (local to Turkey), buns and breads, fresh fruits and juices, unlimited coffee and tea. You can imagine this was heaven for me and I stuffed myself to the core.
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What caught my attention most was the “Raw honeycomb”. You read that right.. Strung between steel lines was a raw honeycomb. This was my first time eating something so unique.
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One also has the option of going for Kelebeks Hidden Kings Valley breakfast tour (I understand that this is seasonal). Here guests get to go on an adventure ride to Kings valley in a tractor and later on get to experience an organic breakfast. We unfortunately gave this a skip but hey theres always a next time 🙂
Things to do at Kelebek
- Turkish Hamam : Turkish Spa is not your regular spa. Dont believe me, try it out the next time you are in Turkey, If you are up for some pampering then Kelebek offers variety of spa treatments.
- Pool : Kelebek has a huge pool overlooking the beautiful stone formations and mountains. Since we went in the month of October, where the temperature dropped to 5 degrees, it seemed unlikely that we take a dip!
- Terrace views: One can sit for hours on the sprawling terrace giving magical views of the hot air balloons floating in the air in the morning or watching the dim yellow glowing lights emanating from the various hotels & giving a mystical view of Goreme at night. Cherry on the cake is you ask for unlimited tea or coffee while you soak in the views. How awesome is that!
- Organizing local tours & bookings: The hotel put us in touch with “Butterfly hot air balloon tour “. More on the hot air balloon ride in another blog article. Best part is since you are a guest at Kelebek, you also get some discount on the balloon ride. Also if you are up for the red or green tour (tour of fairy chimney and famous churches of Cappadocia) then the hotel will put you through the right people. More so, speaking with the staff, they gave us some great suggestions of restaurants to try out in Goreme (Check out my blog here)
- Dine in: Seten Anatolian restaurant in Sultan Cave Suites (sister concern of the hotel) is connected with Kelebek and is only a 2-3 min walk from Kelebek. Tastefully decorated and offering a mix of culinary treats, the hotel oozes of royalty.
- Activities: One can also opt for activities such as cooking local Turkish cuisine, grape harvesting class etc organized by the hotel in partnership with Goreme Kelebek travel.
Important Information about Kelebek
You can make the reservations directly through the hotel by clicking on their website here
My experience
I cannot thank the staff at Kelebek Special Cave Hotel for their generosity and making our stay so memorable. If there is one place that I would like to return to than Kelebek with its stunning views of Goreme is definitely it!