Where did the Cave Hotel come from?

There are more than 40,000 caves in Turkey, mainly due to the changes in the terrain. Centuries ago, people began to live in these caves and used them for different purposes, including sleeping, raising animals, storing things, etc. During the Roman Empire, Christians were persecuted and fled to the caves. Later, during the Roman Empire, Christians were persecuted and fled to live in the caves, which is why you can see many cave paintings in the Graeme Open Air Museum, as well as cave life in the dungeons. With the development of tourism, merchants began to build hotels in caves, and cave hotels became one of Cappadocia’s unique travel experiences.

▼ Cappadocia’s many caves, large and small, were inhabited long ago (Source: cloudsbase)

Number of cave hotels in existence

Due to the fact that caves take centuries to form, and because of structural problems, Turkey has banned the development of new cave hotels and residences in recent years, and as a result, cave hotels are few and far between. There are about 80 cave hotels in Cappadocia, with the most famous one in the Göreme region accounting for about 30 hotels, and the others scattered in Uchisar and other regions.

Are there real or fake cave hotels?

Since real cave hotels are very expensive to maintain and the government prohibits the development of new caves, some businessmen will build imitation cave hotels to attract tourists at a cheaper cost. Now let me show you how to distinguish between real and fake cave hotels!

Real Cave Hotel
➤ Because of the high maintenance cost, the price is usually higher (even in low season, it costs over HK$1000).
➤ Built on the side of a mountain or rocky outcrop, check if it is built on the side of a mountain before booking.
➤ Rooms are dimly lit and some do not even have windows.
➤ Room temperature is always between 15-20 degrees Celsius, no need for air-conditioning.

Fake cave hotels
➤ The interior of the hotel is very well constructed through the use of decorations.
➤ The walls may be lined with marble
➤ Less expensive

Cave Hotel Accommodation Prices

During the peak season (May-October), hotel prices are higher, ranging from HK$2,000 to HK$5,000 per night for a 4-star+ cave hotel, and HK$1,000 per night for an average 2-3 star hotel. During the low season (November-April), hotel prices can be more than half of the price, about HK$1,000 to HK$3,000 per night for 4-star hotels and above, and HK$500 to HK$700 per night for 2-3-star hotels, etc. Nowadays, you can book most of the cave hotels through many online reservation platforms, such as Klook, KKday, Agoda, etc., while some small hotels may need to book through official websites and emails. Some of the smaller hotels may need to be booked through official websites and emails.

Recommended Cave Hotels

Don’t know how to choose a good cave hotel? I’ve searched for 5 cave hotels in Göreme, if you don’t want to go through the hassle, you can book them directly!

Sultan Cave Suites

This cave hotel, claiming to have the best view in all of Cappadocia, is almost the pinnacle of Göreme cave hotels, and is a very popular internet sensation, filling up almost every day during the peak travel season! But the price is also very high! But the view is really first-class, and the hotel also prepares a Turkish breakfast for guests on the rooftop every morning, so that they can take beautiful photos of the Internet, which is very thoughtful.

▼ [High Season – from HK$3500 per night | Low Season – from HK$1700 per night] The rooms at the Sultan Cave Hotel are very spacious and have superb views of Cappadocia! No wonder it’s been a popular choice for years (Source: Sultan Cave Suites)