the town of Urgup
The region of Cappadocia is basically spread between the three little towns of Urgup, Goreme, and Urchilar. Each town has something different to offer as a home base, yet all are within 10-15 minutes by car from each other. Urchilar is located up on the hill with fancy, boutique hotels (my favorite: http://www.cozynomad.com/cappadocia-turkey-museum-hotel/), fantastic views of the valley, and the least amount of tourism. Goreme has plenty of places to stay and eat and is surrounded by spectacular rock formations and the tremendous Open Air Museum. While Urgup also has lovely places to stay and restaurants to dine in, it is a bit more mellow than Goreme with a lovely town square. It can be tricky to decide where to base yourself. If you decide to stay in the town of Urgup, there is a special, gorgeous 250 year old restored Greek mansion turned boutique hotel called Sacred House. Each room offers it’s own individual, old world charm and theme, like the Fairies’ Nest or Old Chapel. The owner has filled the place with beautiful antiques and rich tapestries. The rooms vary in size depending upon your needs and budget, but all of the bathrooms are huge and magnificent with giant bathtubs and separate sitting areas. I assure you that whatever you pick, you will feel like you have stepped back into time every time you walk into your room. When you have had your fill of lounging around your room, you can venture outside to one of the many cozy, beautiful outdoor spaces. Not to forget the wonderful, large terrace that you can visit for any occasion. Of course, my favorite occasion was always for the delicious, special, Turkish breakfast feast that is included in the nightly rate. The thing that really stands out with Sacred House is the impeccable and sweet service. The small team lead by Deniz and Bekit really work hard to fulfill all of your desires. They go the extra mile making you feel very well taken care of and special. For us, somehow they accomplished the almost impossible task of locating the very rare (in Turkey) soy milk for my little girl’s morning breakfast.
ROOM CHECK
1. midnight munchies:
It’s not very common to get 24hr. room service in these smaller boutique hotels in Turkey, but the service is so incredible at Sacred House, I wouldn’t be surprised if Bekit whipped together a little snackie or two if you really wanted one. He made us a plate of yummy, customized, fancy grilled cheese sandwiches with a tomato/cucumber salad, well after the restaurant had closed.
2. roomy:
They definitely have a variety of room sizes. The suites are enough to make your jaw drop (especially the newest one). But even with the smaller room (we stayed in one of the deluxe rooms), somehow with the lush design, the separate entrance from outside, the balcony terrace, and the giant bathroom, the four of us were very comfortable.
3. extra fluff:
The linens and bedding are super soft and plush, but on the other hand, the mattress needed an upgrade.
4. plushities:
daily yummy snack bowl (i.e. fresh fruit, dried fruits, Turkish delights), all the lights have dimmers, Turkish hammam fixings (olive oil soap & fancy, scrub mitt), free wifi, fireplace
5. snaggables:
L’Occtaine toiletries
6. super secret sexy time:
All I can say is, even with one of the smaller rooms, all of the bathrooms are so giant and lush, they each offer plenty of opportunity and privacy.
7. the dockya’s:
You may have to negotiate the whopping 70 euros for an extra bed, but the breakfast if gratis for all.
to visit their website click: http://www.sacred-house.com/
