My vacation to Cappadocia, a magical region in the heart of Turkey, was without any doubts one of my favorite and most impressive trips ever. YOU HAVE TO GO THERE. The food, the accommodation, the people, the landscape - everything was mind-blowing.

One of my good friends, whom I met during my time as a flight attendant, asked me if I’d like to come with her - I hadn’t heard anything about the place until then and I’m so thankful that she took me with, since I would have probably not gone there otherwise. We traveled in March, so the climate was perfect - mild, not too hot and not too cold. Also, probably because it was off-season, we didn’t feel like we were in a touristic place at all. Sometimes we would go for a walk outside the hotel without seeing a single person on the street.

People were unbelievably warm, helpful and hospitable. I’ve been to Turkey a couple of times before, however, this time was very different. Even though Cappadocia is one of the most famous places to visit in Turkey, it felt like we discovered a well kept secret area that looked like nothing we’ve ever seen before.

Where to stay

We flew in via Istanbul to Kayseri Erkilet Airport and took a rental car from there to our beautiful hotel Terra Cave Suits in Göreme. I can’t even begin to describe how perfect it was. I have rarely experienced such friendly staff - the lady at the reception went out of her way to help us with whatever we needed. Set in an ancient rock dwelling from the 19th century, Terra Cave truly makes you feel like you’re in a whole different era. The rooms are carved into rock and the interior combines rustic style with baroque design. The location is perfect as it’s surrounded by many other hotels that have accessible rooftops as well as restaurants and the city center is just in walking distance. To be honest, there isn’t that much to do or see in the city center of Göreme itself, it’s really all about the surroundings.

Where to hang Out

My favorite place to enjoy an authentic, Turkish coffee was the rooftop of Mithra Cave Hotel, just a few meters up the hill. I’m happy I took pictures as I would absolutely fail to describe the breathtaking beauty of this place. I felt like I was part of a fairy tale, sitting on the oriental cushions on the floor, sipping my coffee and enjoying the stunning views. Looking back I still get goosebumps, wishing I was there right now. The rooftop terrace of Mithra cave is, hands down, the most beautiful rooftop I’ve ever seen. It’s equipped with so much attention to detail, I could easily spend hours up there without getting enough of the views and the surrounding.

Where to have dinner

The most memorable dinner we had was at the restaurant of Sultan Cave Suits, which would most probably be just as good for an over night stay (maybe next time). The food was so fresh and delicious and everything was nicely arranged and presented in the most appealing way. Even the Hummus tasted great! Don’t forget, I’m Israeli after all, so saying this means a lot. Of course the views from the rooftop contributed to the great and romantic atmosphere. I definitely need to come back here with my boyfriend - this place is perfect for couples. However, I did enjoy the girls trip, too ;)

What to do

When staying in Cappadocia, the one thing you can’t abstain from, is to go on a hot balloon ride over cappadocian sunrise. It’s a must, so please do not even think twice. We booked with Göreme Balloons via our hotel, who arranged everything for us. We got picked up at the accommodation around 3 o’clock in the morning, which was veeery tough for me, but so worth it. We got taken to the middle of nowhere, from where the balloon departed, just before sunrise - again, I can not even describe the beauty of this experience. Watching the sunrise above the rocks of Cappadocia while being up in the air with a hot air balloon was truly surreal and I would totally do it again.

On the second day we took a car, also arranged by the hotel, and drove to a place called Güzelyurt, where we spent hours driving through the most incredible landscapes, getting out of the car every once in a while to stroll around and explore the area where the famous fairy chimneys are located. The nature seems completely untouched - we spent hours roaming around without seeing anyone, no tourists and barely any locals except for one who told us that a Star Wars scene was filmed in Cappadocia - researching it, I read that it never actually got featured.

Our final destination that day was Kaymakli Underground City. We didn’t book a guided tour, so I guess I could say that I just didn’t know enough about the history in order to get too excited. However, it was a nice experience and a change of surrounding. It’s hard though to get impressed by anything after spending hours gazing upon the UNESCO World Heritage site.

To finish up this blog post, before I start getting too nostalgic, I can only encourage everyone to actually go visit this incredible place. Having been a flight attendant, the question I probably got asked the most is “what’s your favorite destination?” Truth be told, it’s not any of the destinations I flew to for work, it’s exactly this one, the magical Cappadocia.