Last Updated on February 9, 2023 by Maggie McKneely

Are you wondering where to stay in Cappadocia, Turkey’s magical land of caves and hot air balloons? Tulip Caves Suites is a charming and budget-friendly option!

*This post contains affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you if you click on one of the product links, I may earn a commission. 

Where to Stay in Cappadocia: Tulip Cave Suites

Cappadocia is famous for two things: the hundreds of hot air balloons that float over the otherworldly region every morning, and the fact that almost every restaurant, shop, and hotel is in a cave. So I knew that one of the things we absolutely had to do when visiting Cappadocia was to stay in a cave hotel. But to be honest, I had no idea what that meant, exactly. Were these caves primitive, stick-figure-paintings-on-the-wall, only-source-of-light-is-a-fire type of caves? How exactly do electricity, heating, and AC work when all the walls are made of stone? I didn’t know, but I was definitely up for finding out.

Sure, there are hotels in Cappadocia that aren’t in caves. But I can find regular hotels everywhere else in the world! Visiting Cappadocia provides the rare opportunity to stay somewhere unique! And because the majority of hotels in Cappadocia are in caves, I found that you don’t have to pay a premium for the experience.

There are cave hotels for every budget, from the very basic to the uber-luxurious. I’m a mid-range traveler who values authenticity on a budget (like my favorite night in a casa in Portugal), so when looking for the right cave hotel, I had a few required qualifications: it had to offer a good view of the balloons, be family-run, provide breakfast, and be reasonably priced. Tulip Cave Suites checked all of those boxes and provided an amazing base for our stay in Cappadocia (minus the stick-figure paintings).

Location, location, location

When looking for where to stay in Cappadocia, the first thing to know is that Cappadocia is the name of the entire region, not one particular town. The towns where you’ll find the balloons and the caves are Göreme, Ürgüp, and Uçhisar. Of the three, Göreme is the most centrally located and has the widest variety of hotels and restaurants. Most of the national parks and historic sites are here as well.

Tulip Cave Suites is located in the heart of Goreme and is just a short walk from the main downtown street.

Arrival

When I made our reservation with Tulip Cave Suites, they offered to arrange a pickup from the Cappadocia airport for only $10 (160TL). As I didn’t plan on renting a car during our stay, and the airport is an hour away from Göreme, I took them up on their offer. The driver was waiting for us when we landed and when we arrived at the hotel around 10 PM, the guy on nighttime office duty greeted us and brought our bags up the steps to our room for us (Cappadocia has many steps, so this was much appreciated!)

In fact, from the moment of booking, Tulip Cave Suites made everything easy, not just the airport transfer. They also offered to book tours of Cappadocia, a whirling dervish dinner, ATV rides, horseback riding, basically, anything we could have wanted to do in the area, they were happy to make the arrangements. I had already made my own itinerary for our time in Cappadocia, so the only booking I took them up on was the hot air balloon ride, but it was good to know they were willing and able to be so helpful.

The Room

Tulip Cave Suites is built in an old cave house that includes a 5th-century Christian chapel (you can still see some of the original church paintings!). The hotel only has 7 rooms, so they are able to provide personalized service to every guest.

As it was just me and my mom, we stayed in the plain Cave Room, which has a queen bed, an ensuite bathroom, and is on the mid-level of the hotel. It was small but perfect for us, and we didn’t have to climb all of the stairs to the top of the hotel every single time (which my mom was definitely a fan of 😉 ). Tulip Cave Suites has larger rooms with balconies if you’re looking for something more than just the basics.

Despite its size, the room was incredibly charming. There was a couch and a wooden wardrobe for hanging clothes. The decor was all handmade and authentically Turkish. My mom loved the bed covering so much that she asked to buy it if they had an extra!

Despite being in a cave, each room is equipped with wi-fi and AC/heat (this is important when looking for where to stay in Cappadocia as the region can get both very hot and very cold!).

Most hotels in Turkey provide instant coffee with a hot water kettle, rather than a coffee maker, and this was no exception. But I don’t hate Nescafe if it’s my only option, so that didn’t bother me. Plus they offer real breakfast with real coffee for anyone who doesn’t want the coffee in their room.

The Extras

Speaking of breakfast…Tulip Cave Suites offers a complimentary full Turkish breakfast from 8-10AM every morning. We’re talking the works – multiple kinds of cheese, olives, meats, yogurts, dried fruits, and eggs and tea made to order. It all tasted delicious and we definitely didn’t leave hungry!

The day we checked out, we had to catch a flight before breakfast started, so the staff packed some classic Turkish cheese-stuffed bread and juice for us to take on the road.

When looking for where to stay in Cappadocia, perhaps the most important thing about any hotel is the view they offer, and Tulip Cave Suites has a pretty grand one. They have two covered terraces on the middle level where you can eat breakfast, read a book, or just hang out and look over the town below.

Nightime from the terrace

But the top level is the spot to watch the sunrise and those hundred balloons as they float over Göreme.

Overall, Tulip Cave Suites provided a wonderful experience in Turkey’s land of caves and hot air balloons. If you are looking for where to stay in Cappadocia that offers charm, hospitality, and that classic view without breaking the bank, check them out!

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*Tulip Cave Suites provided me with a discounted stay, but the opinions in this review are entirely my own.

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