Perhaps the defining expression of luxury hospitality in this storied corner of Anatolia, Argos in Cappadocia blends into the town of Uçhisar in a way that leaves little doubt as to how guests are meant to feel during their stay: always with one foot in the destination. And thanks to impeccable curation and a culture of creating ‘moments’, this one-of-a-kind cave hotel delivers on the promise.
When Argos in Cappadocia opened in 2010, the new splendour in which it shone had only taken some 14 years of planning and renovation works – oh, and some 2,000 years for the monastery, into the remains of which the hotel had been built. You’d think that a property with such rich heritage would announce itself with a golden sign, or perhaps even a wrought-iron gate. But as our driver pulled up to the roadside building housing Argos’ reception, we barely realised that we’d arrived. That’s because the dozens of structures that make up the hotel are scattered along a public cobblestone road running through its very grounds. And as such, this unique place to stay isn’t so much set ‘within’ its destination, but a living, breathing part of it.
The dust from the aforementioned renovations had long settled (thankfully – our epidermis hates the stuff) when we sat down to be checked in, and a member of the team handed us a glass of blueberry tea with hibiscus and lemon. To our left, a lounge that the staff pointed out had recently been refurbished exerted a pull on our inner interior design aficionado, with its wall-spanning black shelving against a concrete wall, a terraced seating area, and a flock of slender, golden birds hanging from the ceiling. Meanwhile, behind us, large windows offered a view over the tiered property hanging onto the side of the hill Uçhisar calls home, with an outdoor pool behind which the landscape tumbled into the Pigeon Valley, illuminated at night to breathtaking effect.
Argos in Cappadocia offers daily tours of the property, which we can’t recommend enough. It’s one thing making use of the hotel’s buggy service (preferably en route to the spa, clad in a bathrobe and clutching something iced), but it’s another to get under its skin – and we mean that quite literally. Beneath the pavement lies an intricate network of caves, stunningly restored and repurposed to house everything from the hotel’s fermentation lab, stocked to the brim with traditional, Turkish pickles, to an ancient chapel turned wine tastings venue, and an adjoining wine cellar home to some 25,000 bottles spanning Argos’ own production alongside favourites oenophiles will recognise from tables in Mayfair and Manhattan.
Elsewhere, the subterranean world carved into the rock reveals a cathedral-like space used for private dinners or cultural performances, as well as a 1.5-km-long tunnel stretching below the adjacent valley and all the way to a nearby mountain. Not ones to get blisters in a brand-new pair of Loubis, we followed the team’s recommendation in only covering the first 100 metres, where an exit led us, somewhat conveniently, straight back to the wine cellar.
Aboveground, exploring the property is equally exciting. Each time we walked down the cobbled artery running through the hotel, we found ourselves charmed by another beautiful sight: a picnic set up in the gardens, fiery red leaves crushed into tiny pieces and stuck in the cracks of the pavement, or the Tiraz Castle, an original, hollowed out rock formation once the home of a local family, which is immediately adjacent to the hotel grounds (a large aperture within the ‘castle’ offers an impossibly scenic, framed view of the hundred or so hot air balloons rising above the valley each morning at sunrise).
Of the 71 accommodations at Argos in Cappadocia, no two are alike. We stayed in a duplex suite in the Kavak ‘Konak’ (Mansion), which featured an open layout and combined an original cave with a light-flooded but stylistically sensitive annex at the front. The space was a masterclass in immersive design, with so many authentic features and little touches that we spotted new ones each day: a leaf-motif frieze meandering along the bedroom wall, brass stars above the bathroom mirrors, rosettes carved into building bricks, a ceiling made entirely from wooden beams. Between all the earthy splendour on the upper floor sat a king-size bed, a lounger and a desk alongside a cleverly laid out bathroom featuring a walk-in wet area all set with a solid stone bench beneath a rainfall shower.
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Sophisticate | NAV / ASR | GMT +3 |
| While you’re Out There |
| Stylish e-bikes by MATE are readily available at the reception, and it’s a joy taking them out for a ride. That said, we spent most of our time hiking instead: The Pigeon Valley, visible from the hotel, is an obvious option, although we preferred the epic Love Valley, also within walking distance, with its fairy chimneys that reach heights of 100 metres and more, and look positively, ahem, phallic. Also around the corner from Argos in Cappadocia is one of the region’s most style-forward cave boutiques, Perveran, where you’ll find the best souvenirs and accessories. |
Past a private balcony offering valley views and down the stairs in our atrium-like entrance awaited the cave section of our suite, home to a seating area fit for hosting our circle of friends, had we travelled in a larger group, and facing an all-black fireplace that provided a sleek contrast against the rugged cave walls. We loved this downstairs space, and spent many an hour there reading up on local history, with vases in spotlit alcoves all around us, and even an original, small space within the cave that we could only walk into bent over, to discover a dried shrub strategically placed and illuminated from behind like a work of art: Many a beautiful hotel room has excited us over the years, but rarely have we stayed in one quite so narrative-driven, focusing perhaps more on telling a story, peu à peu, than merely on wowing us with the – albeit considerable – conveniences it offered.
There was also another full bathroom downstairs, the inclusion of which we found particularly generous. Other accommodations boast jacuzzis and indoor cave pools, while all rooms benefit from added-value perks like artisanal teas by Turkish brand Melez, toiletries courtesy of Grown Alchemist, and daily-changing surprises left on guests’ beds at turn-down. That said, even without any of these, simply waking up in our suite to light pouring through the curtains and an early morning call to prayer from the small mosque just off the hotel’s grounds was enough to feel wrapped in subtle but meaningful luxuries throughout our stay.
Adding an additional layer of immersion at Argos in Cappadocia is the hotel’s gastronomy, based around a duo of distinctive dining concepts. Seki serves up Turkish flavours with a global twist, and we had some extraordinary meals here: artichoke salad with sour cherries, green apples, pomegranate, edamame, dill and lime, followed by a local clay pot ‘testi’ kebab with oyster mushrooms, kavilca pilaf and pickles, and for dessert, crispy pumpkin dripping in tahini and walnuts. To our delight, the menu featured a number of dedicated, plant-based options that suited our vegan diet and didn’t feel like a compromise. And though we had a few repeat meals towards the end of our stay, and some dishes required removing (but not replacing) an ingredient or two, we felt that, on the whole, Seki’s menu had been designed with culinary inclusion in mind.
The same was true for the hotel’s other restaurant, Nahika, with its Anatolian classics served within a jewel box of traditional decor. Herbivore-friendly foods were available across all menu sections bar the dessert one, and even a list of cocktails (try the Apple Breeze) featured vegan-friendly markers that were, well, mostly correct. When we weren’t burying our nose in pan-fried chickpeas and sour baked okra with almonds and pistachios, we admired the ancient structures beneath a glass floor spanning part of the space, or chatted to waiters about Nahika’s produce policy: As with Seki, all ingredients are sourced from within a 60 km radius, and many – like the grapes grown in volcanically fertilised soil that go into the Nahita Dokya wine – come straight from the hotel’s own production sites and gardens. Finally, we also welcomed the fragrant, warm towels handed out at Nahika post dinner, which reminded us of the wonderfully flamboyant ritual of scenting sultans with rose water and ambergris after eating, and the paraphernalia used for the purpose during much more glamorous times, now on permanent display at Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace.
Breakfast, too, is served at Nahika and comprises both menu items and an elaborate buffet with countless local options. It was here that we struggled a little, with nothing vegan on the menu and no dedicated options on the buffet, aside from naturally plant-based salads and fruits. After quite a bit of back and forth, the kitchen offered Turkish flatbreads stuffed with potatoes (tasty enough, in all fairness), and promised to whip up some vegan-friendly pancakes the next day, which, we were enlightened the following morning, “weren’t possible” after all.
Moments like these pointed to the one real grievance we had at Argos in Cappadocia, the somewhat unpolished service standards, which, albeit not uncommon locally, were a little frustrating each time we found a member of the team not pouring us a glass of water for a full five minutes of us sitting down for a meal, making assumptions on our behalf (we’re vegan, not gluten-intolerant) or explaining directions across the somewhat labyrinthian grounds without offering to show us the way instead. Don’t get us wrong: The staff are warm and welcoming without exception, but with the hotel arguably ranking among Türkiye’s finest, you wouldn’t want to feel like you’re asking for ‘favours’.
Thankfully, the little woes of the world can be sweated out and massaged away in the Argos Spa, where seven treatment rooms, a well-equipped gym, a glass sauna and steam landscape, a highly Instagrammable cave pool and a Turkish hammam seduce guests with their siren-like call (except, of course, it’s a sweet whisper… shh). Treatments use natural ingredients like Anatolian herbs that are worked into shrubs, and we can attest to their efficacy – our massage was the stuff of wellness dreams, with persistent pressure and beautiful oils that restored the well-documented softness of our muscles and skin, after a strenuous hike under the Turkish sun had threatened to cause irreversible damage (take that, celestial bodies!). Believe us when we say that it’s easy to underestimate just how much there is to do in Cappadocia, and you’re likely to find yourself wishing you’d booked another night for the spa alone.
With so much going for the hotel, Argos in Cappadocia is a bit of a no-brainer on an itinerary across the country. History buffs will get their money’s worth by simply exploring the grounds, and those in search of adventure can look forward to delicious meals, a relaxing spa and a literal cave to retreat to after a day of discoveries. It’s hard to imagine anyone not being able to appreciate all the love and labour that have gone into creating what’s a ‘destination hotel’ in every sense of the word. And to think that it’s only taken some 2,000 years… We take our hats off.
Photography courtesy of Argos in Cappadocia
