Last month I turned another year older and to celebrate switching a digit in my age I travelled to a destination that has been at the top of my bucket list for years, Cappadocia.
Cappadocia
The famously unique region of Goreme is located in central Turkey and to travel form the UK we first took a flight from London to Istanbul and then a second onwards to Nevsehir which was a thirty-minute taxi ride to the town itself.
Cappadocia has become increasingly popular as a destination in the past few years due to the awe-inspiring pictures of the multiple hot air balloons that take to the sky daily over the region’s dramatic moon-like landscape. Having personally spent the past few years double tapping in admiration on Instagram at the surreal photos of the balloon spectacle I hadn’t ever really taken the time to appreciate the rest of the destination.
Having now visited I can best describe Goreme as an enchanted and extraordinary fairy town. Not a fairy tale, but a fairy town, a pixie perfect location featuring the most uniquely fascinating scenery I’ve ever seen.
The natural landscapes vary from chimney style cave houses to vast expanses of hidden valleys, underground villages and cone shaped rock formations. There really is no place quite like it! Goreme captured my heart from the moment we arrived!
We opted to stay in one of the traditional style cave houses that naturally formed in the region over hundreds of years and our hotel had one of the best views in town. We spent three nights at the Kelebek Cave hotel and the team there were outstanding. The boutique hotel featured a swimming pool, authentic and delicious food choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner and a wonderfully traditional Hamman spa. The architecture of each room was historically intact and the décor reflected this, we loved being fully immersed in the destination’s culture.
As with most dreamy destinations though, we chose to spend the majority of our time exploring, fitting in as much as we could in the few days we had in town. From quad biking through the valleys to exploring the underground villages we covered the intriguing ancient times of the area as best we could but the two most special things we did during our stay in Cappadocia were without a doubt, going up in a hot air balloon at sunrise and horse riding in the terracotta valleys at sunset
The experience of slowly raising into a sky filled with dusky pink and purple hues, as well as hundreds of other colourful hot air balloons was an experience of a lifetime. One that I will never forget and one that I’ll treasure as one of my all-time favourite moments. The spectacle of being one of hundreds in the air is one thing but the ride itself over the remarkable landscape below was beyond my imagination.
I had to pinch myself regularly during our trip to Cappadocia, it was a true escape from reality and a trip that I will be recommending freely and often. Nothing will prepare you for the beauty of the land and the warmth of the culture, I’ll be heading back in my lifetime and I hope my return is not limited to once!
Written by Sabrina Chakici, TV Host & Travel Writer. Follow her travels on instagram @sabrina_chakici
Tagged in Turkey Sabrina Chakici