Arif Cave Hotel — Hotel in Göreme

(We stayed during October 13-16, 2022)

Pros: First of all, and first impression was the staffs are very friendly (and they response to your questions promptly through messages, even before you’ve arrived.) They’re very attentive and fix what your problems were almost immediately, so we won’t let the minor flaws to hold us back from our fun journey.

We think the location of Arif Cafe is one of the best in Goreme. It’s situated almost on the top of the hill, and a few minute walk to the sunset viewpoint.

Cons: We think they can make better options of food, like something simple and neutral for everyone to eat, like they have international customers from around the world, so, such as, they may try to have easy fried rice, fried noodles, standard soup or salad or for western food choices, maybe ABF or continental breakfast, even kebab is more interesting for new tourists to Turkey, than bland & not everyone’s favorite Kahvalti BF. (Sorry to say this!)

One thing we got a little bit upset was the balloon riding cost. We ask the hotel about booking it and felt they’ve charged us too overpriced, —OK, we’re the ones that accepted that overpriced price ourselves, how should we complain!!!

But since, we thought we’d flown a long long way to Kapadokya and maybe it’s only once in lifetime we may have never gone back there again, so we accepted it.

But in our mind, we couldn’t help thinking that it’s much overpriced. This maybe not the hotel’s mistake because they had to deal through agents, still we hope they could negotiate for us for more cordial and reasonable rate! (They said 1. It maybe our last chance, 2. We may couldn’t make it tomorrow- for the weather reason, and 3. We asked them in the last minute, we should tell them in advance) If we misunderstand anything about this issue, you can correct us here.

Thanks everyone at Arif 💗

Notes: Belows are not about the hotel, but what we want to share for tourists to Turkey 🇹🇷

For Kapadokya: 1.1 you better book for hot air balloon riding in advance with reliable company, and be sure you’ll get refund if they couldn’t fly the day you arrive. Because sometimes, the weather here you never know, but mostly, the town has been claimed could fly them throughout the year. You can check rates with many agent companies. Even you don’t book it in advance, there’re still many agents around Goreme that offer the reasonable riding costs, (and see for safety, too) just check them out.

1.2 At the moment (October 2022), the road around Goreme is under renovation, because they have gas and underground cable system done, and we think if you want to travel during this period of time you’ll face with dust (and Moonwalking experience).The local said the road should be all finished at the end of the year (or maybe until after the new year ‘s period)

In Istanbul ** Be careful about Taxis, they don’t use meter and they can cheat on you impenitently. If you want a taxi ride, ask the hotel to book for you and ask the rate first/ or ask the one that use meter. Even we use BiTaxi App, the driver still overcharged us from what the price the app had shown. What a freak and unreliable...

I usually get too lazy to write reviews, but keeping this amazing hotel all to myself felt almost like a crime—so here I am, doing a good deed for once.

We came from the airport by shuttle, and a staff member was already waiting at the taxi drop-off area to greet us and help with all our luggage. Every single staff member was incredibly kind and friendly, always checking in to make sure we had everything we needed. The hotel itself is absolutely lovely and cozy—coming back here each day genuinely lifted my mood.

The biggest highlight is definitely the location. The hotel sits just beneath one of the best sunrise/sunset and hot air balloon viewpoints. That means you can enjoy the same breathtaking views right from your room terrace or the hotel terrace without the hassle of climbing up to the viewpoint.

Most people book a hotel here dreaming of photos with the hot air balloons in the background. Since this hotel isn’t huge, it never feels crowded, and taking photos was so comfortable. Plus, because the viewpoint is so close, the balloons fly incredibly near—you can capture their vibrant colors beautifully in your pictures. Trust me, you won’t regret it!

We enjoyed a magical evening having dinner and shisha on the terrace while watching the sunset. After checkout, they even told us we could come back just for shisha anytime. Sadly, I wasn’t feeling well one night, so we missed the chance to return—but I have to say, the shisha is very affordable (cash only in Turkish lira, so make sure to bring some!).

Breakfast on the terrace was another highlight. They serve a generous spread of delicious food, and I recommend going early to grab your favorite spot. Their baklava was absolutely divine, especially with a cup of Turkish tea—it felt like a little piece of heaven. Also, cat lovers will be thrilled—there are so many adorable cats around, many of them super friendly and asking for cuddles.

The hotel also helps arrange tours, but there’s zero pressure. It actually made things easier for us since we didn’t need to compare tons of options, and the hotel arranged all the pickup details—super convenient.

On the practical side, the water pressure was great, hot water came instantly, and there were plenty of outlets, which made it easy to do my makeup and hair in front of the mirror.

I didn’t expect this review to get so long, but there are just too many good things to mention. Stay here—you’ll make...

Arif Cave Hotel, its prime location, and the kindness and humanity shown by their staff- namely Ahmet, Atem, and Umut, I left in tears when it was time to say goodbye. Truly felt like I was leaving family behind. I loved everything about my stay. My room #6 exceeded my expectations, especially staying in a cave room for the first time. My own private patio, the gorgeous 360 views, I intentionally chose this hotel for access to the hot air balloon views. Wow Wow Wow.. did not disappoint! Sunset views, check! The freshly made delicious breakfast every morning, attention to every detail, I don't know how they do it, but their care and customer service goes above and beyond!! Breakfast was so much variety, and did I say delicious before? Thank you Umut for the delicious menemen you made me every morning. I asked for you but your shift was over, as I was thinking to take you home with me so I could eat it every day. I loved everything about this hotel, I can't thank them enough for the memories you helped to make my milestone birthday even better. The people are who made this trip so meaningful. Ahmet, my first day he brought me freshly picked apricots from his grandfather's farm, sweet and juicy. Always checking on me...."my Angel" he would call me, leaving out the last 'A' in my name. Ahmet recognized my birthday though it was 3 days after, and I hadn't even checked in. Baklava with lit birthday candle, accompanied by a birthday song where he inserted my name to make it personal🩷. How do you forget people who make you feel so special!? Ahmet, you do what you do because you have such a big heart. One day home and I miss you so much already, and promise to stay in touch.|Sweet sweet Atem...what can I say, such a sweetheart, always making sure my needs were met, and happy to help with a smile. He works so hard, but makes it look easy. Umut cooked up the amazing morning breakfast, I can still taste his menemen!....thank you for feeding me so well. Arif Cave Hotel is a win win. If you are looking for a boutique hotel filled with charm, and rustic comfort, an attentive staff that basically knows your needs before you do, don't think...