M40間諜米格魯的秘密日誌

I must admit I am not fond of backpacker hostels or pensions geared towards international backpackers in Goreme. Thus whenever I visit Cappadocia, I choose to stay at one of the hotels in Urgup instead. There are several reasons why I prefer Urgup to Goreme:

1. I feel more 'normal' walking around in Urgup because until now, nobody tries to persuade me to buy something from them.

2. The kind of shops and restaurants available in Urgup are more 'normal' - i.e. they are those kind of shops that ordinary Turks do their daily shoppings, unlike those in Goreme, which cater only to foreign tourists and international backpackers.

3. In spite of the fact that hotels in Urgup are more expensive and more up-market than those in Goreme, prices for  dinner, grocery etc. are cheaper than in Goreme.

4. People working in the tourism sector in Urgup are, according to my experience, less pushy and less aggressive than those in Goreme.

Since Urgup is a far bigger town than Goreme, bus services to and from neighbouring Kayseri, Nevsehir as well as other towns and villages in Cappadocia are much more frequent and convenient than those available from Goreme. This means :the chance of foreign tourists being conned by taxi drivers or bus companies becomes less likely.

During my most recent visit, I stayed at Akuzun Hotel, in the centre of Urgup. The hotel is about 100m from Urgup bus station, 50m from the local hamam and shops. Price for single room (en suite with breakfast, balcony and free WiFi internet connection) costs 25 euro. The service is good, and they do not coerce you to buy any excursions from them. I did not book any tours with them yet they are still friendly and polite.

Comfortable and elegant sitting room with fireplace and traditional furnitures.

Front view of the hotel and the hotel car park.

The view from my hotel room balcony.

Hotel's Garden and Courtyard. In the summer, open-air BBQ buffet breakfast and dinner are served in the garden.

In the summer, it would be lovely to have a cool drink relaxing on the balcony; however I was there in winter and it was really too cold to be outside, thus I had to forfeit the luxury of sitting outdoor doing nothing....

Copyrights 2009. All photos and text by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.