We spent five fantastic days exploring the Cappadocia region. Our home base was the Hazen Cave Hotel which was one of the best decisions we made! The hotel was in the village of Ortahisar, a charming Turkish village with a large cave like mountain that serves as the town’s centerpiece, so typical of the landscape that makes Cappadocia so fascinating. The Hezen Cave Hotel offers comfortable rooms, a fantastic breakfast buffet, outstanding views and exceptional customer service.
You can’t visit Cappadocia without taking a hot air balloon flight over this extraordinary landscape. We’ve all seen the images of hundreds of balloons hovering above the fairy chimneys, and this was one thing on our bucket list we wanted to experience.
Just one word invokes visions of lunar landscapes, fairy chimneys, and hot air balloons. Cappadocia. Our travels led us to this amazing part of Turkey, and all our expectations were finally fulfilled. This place is amazing, offering something completely different than anywhere on the planet. A quick one hour flight from Istanbul and we were transported to another world.
We didn’t think twice when deciding on a hotel in Istanbul. Actually, we did have to make a decision, Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet or Four Seasons at the Bosphorus. Since it was our first time in Istanbul, we chose The Four Seasons Hotel at Sultanahmet due to its proximity to many of the historic sights within the old section of the city. The location of the hotel is fantastic, just footsteps away form Sultanahmet Square, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace to name of few.
After a long but enjoyable flight from the United States via London we finally arrived in Istanbul, Turkey. Crowded and chaotic, the taxi line was our first glimpse at how things might function in Turkey. It took forever to get a taxi, but once inside, our glimpse of craziness turned into one of beauty. The bustling city is a museum in itself, full of history and architectural design created over the course of many civilizations, old and modern, that holds on to it’s heritage while comfortably adapting to western influences.
