Hilton Just Opened Its First Cave Hotel in Cappadocia

Hilton has been operating in Türkiye for 70 years, but it has never done anything quite like this. Elika Cave Suites Cappadocia, Curio Collection by Hilton opened its doors on 4 June, and it is the first cave hotel in the company’s global portfolio.

The property sits in Ortahisar, a Cittaslow-designated town in the heart of Cappadocia‘s UNESCO World Heritage landscape, directly beside the honeycombed volcanic outcrop of Ortahisar Castle. Rather than a single building, the hotel unfolds as a village: 36 individually designed rooms and suites restored from centuries-old cave dwellings, connected by open-air pathways and stone terraces that look out over the valleys.

The restoration left the rock doing the work. Arched ceilings and natural stone walls are the constant, with the variation coming in what’s been added – fireplaces in some rooms, traditional Turkish hammams in others, terrace hot tubs and private pools in select suites. At the top of the range, a private villa comes with a glass-fronted infinity pool.

Dining is at Colastre, where the kitchen works in contemporary Anatolian cuisine: seasonal, locally sourced, and built on regional recipes reinterpreted through modern technique. The spa runs to two treatment rooms, a hammam, steam room, sauna and rain shower, with an outdoor pool designed to echo the surrounding landscape. There’s also a cave-hewn event hall for meetings and private functions, which is a considerably more memorable proposition than a hotel ballroom.