IF ALL this talk of recession has you feeling as if you’d like to hide out in a cave for a while, we have just the place for you. Gamirasu Cave Hotel, in Cappodocia, Turkey, is a troglodyte’s delight. The region is famous for homes hewn from volcanic rock, some of which have been inhabited for 5,000 years.
The Gamirasu’s caves date from the 11th century and in former times held both a monastery and prison. Today they feature a 25-bedroom hotel surprisingly strong on mod cons for a cave dwelling.
It’s environmentally friendly too, with rock walls keeping temperatures at a snug 20 degrees year round. As well as wall frescoes dating from the eighth century, you get furniture carved from stone and your own stone balcony.
The hotel is actually a combination of seven old dwellings, each restored and decorated with ornate carpets and plush bedding. Some have fireplaces and terraces with views out over the hills, others have Jacuzzis and saunas.
Of course, you can just sit there, staring at the shadows Plato-style, but Cappadocia means “land of pretty horses”, and guests get to explore on horseback for free.
The hotel also runs courses in Turkish cuisine and encourages you to join with locals as they dry apricots, harvest almonds and bake bread in a traditional – you guessed it – stone oven. There is also yoga, massage therapy and, by night, enough whirling to make a dervish dizzy.
Doubles start at €75 a night, with suites rising to €350.
www.gamirasu.com
