Best Cave Hotels

by Neil Woodburn on

I
couldn’t resist this article in The Independent when I came across its tantalizing headline, “Five Best: Cave hotels.”

I really enjoyed my first and only night I slept in a cave when visiting the Cappadocia region of Turkey.  The
air was a little musty and the accommodations sparse, but it was an awesome experience nonetheless.  I’d
heard of other cave hotels around the world but thought them all to be on par with my Turkish experience.  But
this is not the case.

Entrepreneurial troglodytes have converted a handful of caves into luxuriant, first class accommodations. 
Apparently there aren’t enough to warrant a top ten list, but the five The Independent came up with seem
rather impressive on their own.  

I was pleased to see Cappadocia on the list—albeit a
different place than where I stayed.  The other hotels mentioned are located in a mineshaft in Australia; a former monastery in Rochecorbon, France; the romantic cliff-side town of Oia on the Greek island
of Santorini; and the coast of Jamaica.   The Jamaican cave hotel seems particular opulent and at
$515 a night, it damn well should be.

 

Turkish Gulet Cruising

by Neil Woodburn on

A friend of
mine once dropped the line, “death before a cruise.”

I’ve always felt the same, but really wouldn’t mind so much if it was a private yacht, instead of some
Carnival Cruise ship.  The problem, however, is that people go on cruise ships because they can’t afford
their own private yacht (or equally as important, don’t have any friends who own one).

But, as Jill Hartley reports in the
Sunday Times (UK) there is an affordable option; rent out a traditional Turkish gulet and leisurely ply the
turquoise waters of the Turkish coast.

A gulet is a wooden boat, much like a small schooner that was once the main trading vessel of the
region.  Today, a variety of outfits charter out gulets (mostly modern replicas) and crew for relatively
inexpensive prices.  Indeed, Hartley and her eight friends found it affordable enough they chartered the Tersane II, a 37 meter beauty (see photo) that sleeps
16. 

Like a cruise ship, meals are prepared on board, and frequent dockings are made at interesting tourist ports (or
not at all, if you tell the captain).  Unlike a cruise ship, there is no shuttle board or senior citizen water
aerobics.  Or, Captain Stubing.

Given the option, I know which one I would choose.

 

Word for the Travel Wise (01/22/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Sixty-six days rest between today and the complete total solar eclipse scheduled to cross over Turkey at several points and various times. The exact date is March 29, 2006 and you can click here to see the projected path of this phenomenal event. But what would possibly be cooler than seeing an eclipse while in Turkey? Knowing how to speak a word of Turkish. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I stand alone when it comes to seeing the importance of basic exchange of communication and%uFFFD more so how incredibly divine, groovy, nifty and neat it all is, but I seriously doubt that. So follow me.

Today’s word is a Turkish word used in Turkey:

merhaba – hello

Though used throughout Turkey, this word is commonly used in several Arab countries to greet someone as well. Use it before asking about nature’s awe-inspiring spectacle and if you should be around during the time use it to say hello to the rare twilight that masks the sky for only a few minutes. After the sun, moon and planet Earth finish their fantasmo light show you might be struck in such a manner to learn every Turkish word under the sun. Prepare ahead of time by visiting this Turkish Class site. Membership is free and you’ll get a lot more than some of the basics they already have listed. Online Turkish is good too, but you’ll have to register and pay to get anything more than hello, how are you and I love you. Stick to the first site and check out this Turkish vocabulary list of body parts. This is only a hunch, but I have the feeling you’ll see several ‘isaret parmagi’ pointed toward the sky during the eclipse.