In the heart of Uçhisar, one of the loveliest villages in Cappadocia, the Taşkonaklar hotel is an exceptional establishment, far from noise and bustle.

The hotel provides luxurious, welcoming accommodation. Here, the power of nature and the hand of man have combined to create sublime architecture that goes beyond the limits of imagination. The modern layout of the hotel’s bedrooms and reception rooms are the end-point of meticulous restoration of the historic ruins on which the building is constructed. Every stone, every wall, every vaulted ceiling has been conserved in such a way as to combine a very contemporary comfort with the historical charm of the place. The bedrooms in particular represent a perfect, subtle balance between modernity and the traditions of the region. The kilims or tapestry rugs, the ceilings of wood or rough stone, and the decor combined to immerse us into a warm ambiance, which was even nicer when the first cold weather found a real fire murmuring in the fireplace.

The suites open onto private terraces with grandiose views over Pigeon Valley – so called because of the dovecotes carved out over centuries by the villagers – and a hypnotic landscape fashioned through the centuries by volcanic eruptions.

Here you can drift away on a comfortable sofa, soothed by the sight of the hot-air balloons that pass beneath your eyes early in the morning, and gaze out over the sublime vision of a lunar landscape. It was on the terrace that I had a delicious and gargantuan breakfast. The vegan friend who accompanied me had no difficulty finding something to please her amongst the fresh and dried fruits and vegetables.

I remember with great pleasure the taste of the local specialities served in the restaurant, a place which is both convivial and intimate, and where the quality of the welcome is a pledge of peace and tranquillity.

The hotel, the village, the setting; everything here is different, everything is astonishing, everything is made for dreaming, resting and living for a while out of time, accompanied by the ever-constant Turkish hospitality which, to my mind, adds greatly to the magic of travel.

Nu