We had been warned about visiting Cappadocia during the hottest time of year, sweltering July, as the extreme heat all year around was already bad enough. How ironic that we should arrive in Kayseri in freezing winter-like condition! Locals told us that in 35 years they had never had temperatures this low in summer time.

Museum Hotel had sent a driver to pick us up from the airport at Kayseri. I had expected to fly into a rural area here in Eastern Anatolia - after all, Cappadocia is a series of villages. I was therefore shocked to discover how built-up and industrial Kayseri was. An hour later, as the urban sprawl fell away we got closer to the village of Uchisar, seeing the amazing desert plains dotted with so many unusual geological formations along the way. We passed small, surreal looking honeycombed towns, and could not wait to explore it all. As the road climbed up to the village of Uchisar we could see how most of the dwellings were formed by soft rock that look like they had been "liquefied then frozen", like a drip castle on the beach! This amazing series of triangular and minaret-like natural structures was made even more dramatic by the surrounding valleys and canyons. The cobblestone streets were lined with little shops selling almonds, dried apricots, dates and aniseed.


As we arrived at the leafy entrance of the Museum Hotel we were amused by the formal dress of the porters in black vests, bottle green jackets embellished with gold embroidery right down the centre! Even though the design of the hotel is all about the rawness and purity of the Capaddocia natural rock, subtle decorative elements have been added like beautiful carvings over the windows and architraves,  and large tubs full of daisies dotted everywhere you looked. 


We loved the way the hotel was centred around a sunken garden with lovely pale stone paving.There is the large pool (that played such a large part to making me choose this hotel to stay) and stone terraces with simple, wooden tables and chairs. We loved the fragrance of the herbs and lushness of the vines and flowering bushes - and these charming, old-fashioned wooden birdhouses with scalloped roofs. The hotel is tiered over the hill so each level has clear uninterrupted views of the amazing terrain around. You almost wouldn’t see Museum Hotel and the surrounding dwellings from a distance, it is so well blended.


The hotel is at the highest point in Cappadocia. You can see other little villages dotted all the way down the hillside, every building blending together in the same sandy colour. The natural and manmade carving makes each small town look like it simply sprung out of the landscape organically - which in many cases it almost has. Most buildings are created in the pre-existing caves; sometimes the cone houses are just helped along a little with carved out windows.


Museum Hotel's interior is a fascinating space: the architecture is really the star here. The hotel originates out of the original caves and rock. The whole ‘sculpted’ look is really organic and beautiful, like nothing we had ever seen before. As one moves through the cave dwellings we had to duck in certain places because doorways are so low! We loved the corridors being draped in exotic fabrics and  large tassels. The cave look is a great showcase for the décor, which was also out of the ordinary and really boosted the authentic, Turkish atmosphere. Nearly everything, from fabrics to oversized chests, boxes and furniture, is antique because the Museum Hotels owners are serious art collectors and display all sorts of unusual items from their own private collection here for all to see. 


There are terra cotta lamps, huge handwoven rugs, displays of military helmets, farm implements, and coins. There are 1000-year old caves below the hotel property that now see the light of day via tempered glass, so that guests can peer down into the ruins. It felt a privilege to stay in something truly so rare and authentic as Museum Hotel. 
 

Argos is another unique hotel in the village of Uchisar that I loved. For authentic cave dwellings the Museum Hotel is the answer, however cave dwellings are not for everyone, and as a great alternative I came across Argos, that has a much more contemporary take to their ancient dwellings. one morning I set out from Museum Hotel to find Argos. I was able to meet the lovely Yasmin, the lady I had spoken with when I had "almost booked" over the phone from Australia. She remembered me, and offered a tour of the property. I loved what I saw!!  

Argos has a more spread out villa-style feel to it, built from the same pale Anatolian stone, with thatched twig detailing, landscaped gardens and beautiful shutters. The bedrooms in the villas,  feature a wheat-coloured natural rock-wall-look. There are 4 villas that have their own small, circular internal pools which add a magical effect.

I liked the intimate, more casual manner of this hotel: where even the driver doubles up as the chef... and the staff a lot  more relaxed than at Museum Hotel. 


Having been able to experience both properties first hand, I was able to recommend friends to Argos a few months after our visit. They loved the relaxed manner of the hotel, surrounded by the beautiful terraces and lawns here. Argos is in the process of building an out door pool for their guests, to be completed in 2010, and this will round off 2 great hotel options here in Capadoccia.