Cappadocia Cave Hotel & Resort, Cappadocia, Turkey - A Review

Not sure why I didn't post this when I wrote in back in June....

I have to say it, but I was disappointed with the Cappadocia Cave Hotel & Resort. I wanted so much to be really impressed, but I would suggest trying your luck elsewhere. I feel like an ingrate saying it, but that is the case... The view is beautiful, but the same view can be had at other hotels. (Click here to find the review on TripAdvisor... TripAdvisor claims it to be #70 out of 160 hotels in Cappadocia... or #12 of 22 in Uchisar, so right in the middle of the pack... which means others might be better.)

We bought some local sparkling wine at a vineyard just outside of town and for ice and 2 glasses to enjoy the wine, they charged us 10 Euros. And it wasn't an ice bucket for wine, it was a few cubes. I tipped the young lady 7.50 Euros as she seemed to understand the problem, but she never came back with a real ice bucket...

There was no stopper for the sink - which you would not think about normally, but I had a few of my delicates to wash as we have been traveling for 35 days... I asked for a stopper, which didn't quite work. So, rather than a soak, they got a rinse... Also, the first thing we had to have the hotel do was to fix the faucet which I couldn't turn off after washing my hands upon arrival. They came quickly, 'tis true... but I wouldn't say they fixed it... solved the problem, but not a fix.

Also, more small things... like broken hardware... miss-matched furniture.... exposed cut-off wires. It just wasn't there. They claim to be a 7 star - and I don't know what that means - but I'd say it just doesn't quite measure up.

I had to laugh because we were told we had a superior room.... aaaahhhh, superior room is their lowest room. Now, the room is plenty big, no complaint there. But no dresser and no desk - so as I write this I have a very hot laptop singing my thighs.

Service - eh, though they did ask us several times if we were enjoying our stay, just that the follow through wasn't there
Ambiance - very cool concept, but similar at other hotels in and around town....
Cleanliness - no issue
View/Balcony - small balcony, but fabulous view
Room Number - 260

Toiletries - yes, had everything we might need
Coffee & Tea in the room - yes
Robes & slippers - yes
Hairdryer - yes
mini frig - yes
wi fi - free
space - plenty
restaurant - a few options... and `a la carte, which is great
breakfast - was included in the room rate
Pool - yes, though I didn't see it
Fitness Center - not sure
Spa - I think they are well regarded for it, though I haven't seen it; I was here for the landscape

Hallway from the room

Looking towards the balcony and the beds

Very large space - no tub, though

Looking back towards the entrance

Partial View from balcony

Britain and France commit troops to operation in Salonika, Greece

Ok, so this is from 1915 - much earlier than Herb's letters. The reason I am including it is because I just finished a book titled The Thread by Victoria Hislop. I didn't love the book, but it does tie together many of my interests... The heroine is a seamstress and she is one of the people 'exchanged' from Turkey to Salonika, Greece in roughly 1924. So, I am again tying my trip to Turkey and Greece with World War 1. The story tell of Greek history between the two wars.



The following is from the History Channel's 'This Day in History' for the 5th of October, 1915.

At the request of the Greek prime minister, Eleutherios Venizelos, Britain and France agree on October 5, 1915, to land troops at the city of Salonika (now Thessaloniki), in northern Greece, during World War I.

Earlier in the war, David Lloyd George, Britain’s minister of munitions, had argued for sending Allied troops to Salonika instead of the Gallipoli Peninsula; the idea was shelved when the ill-fated invasion of Gallipoli went ahead in the late spring of 1915. In early October of that year, however, Britain and France each agreed to contribute 75,000 troops to establish a base of operations in Salonika, from which they would attempt to aid their battered ally in the Balkans, Serbia, in its struggle against the Central Powers.

The expedition had three major drawbacks, however: First, it would conflict with the demands of Gallipoli operation, which was ongoing but locked in a virtual stalemate. Second, such a large Allied force could not be fully established in Salonika until the following January, which would undoubtedly be too late to aid the Serbs. Finally, such an operation would violate the neutrality of Greece. Though many in that country, including Venizelos, favored intervention in the war on the side of the Allies, King Constantine remained steadfastly neutral; married to a relative of Kaiser Wilhelm II, his natural sympathies lay with Germany. Lloyd George, for one, dismissed the idea of a violation of Greek neutrality, arguing disingenuously that “there was no comparison between going through Greece and the German passage through Belgium.” In fact, a goal of the Salonika expedition, expressed by Lord H.H. Kitchener, the British secretary of war, was to provoke Greece into intervening and aiding Serbia against the Central Powers.

Another objective of the operation in October 1915 was to defend Greece against invaders from Bulgaria, which entered the war that same month on the side of the Central Powers. In the end, however, the Anglo-French force began arriving too late to aid the Serbs—the Serbian capital, Belgrade, was evacuated and occupied by the enemy on October 9—and was not strong enough for an aggressive offensive against the Bulgarian invaders. Against the objections of Constantine and his supporters, the Allies remained in Salonika, as yet another front in World War I became bogged down in stalemate over the course of the next year.

Harem Pants

So, who would have known that there is at least one web site dedicated to the sale of Harem Pants - of all sorts! Not that I know anything about this web site, but here it is.

What I wanted to talk about was the place I found in Istanbul where I bought some very fun pants. Two pair, actually. Los Banditos right near the Galata Tower in the Beyoğlu neighborhood.

Galata Tower

When one wanders around Istanbul - and much of southwestern Turkey, one will see tons of harem pants for sale. The fabrics are really pretty. But why I bought my pants here was because they told me they designed and manufactured their own line. I certainly didn't want something that every other tourist to Turkey bought....

I took this quote off the tag on one of the pairs of pants:

We've been partying at night running around all over the place during the day in Istanbul, so that we could design and manufacture these clothes. We wanted to keep everything natural, and make everybody happy.

I took this picture from their web site. I saw this fabric and liked it a lot, but, alas, they did not have something in my size. I ended up with a very bright multicolored pant and a standard black pant. I have been complimented on both. Their fabrics are unique, if not the idea of harem pants.



If in Istanbul and you seek original clothing, check out Los Banditos.



They claim to ship for free to Europe, the Middle East, Russia and North Africa....

Key Hotel, Izmir, Turkey - a Review

Loving this little hotel.

It is a former bank building right on the harbor. The inside is all grays & blacks, hard surfaces and reflective materials. Perhaps you would think it unwelcoming, by the colors, but in fact the atmosphere feels great.

Room 308 is lovely with all the amenities - huge, harbor view, coffee, minibar, desk space, couch, huge bed, motorized black-out blinds, strong wifi.... all the good things.

The service is very attentive and kind. Top notch.

The breakfast was quite an elegant looking spread of both European and Turkish breakfast foods. Dinner was excellent with exceptional service. I had a wonderful conversation with the bartender about the local wines and he even exposed me to some new grape varietals.

The one downside I can see so far is the lack of a driveway and obvious entrance. Very strange - we drove around the hotel several times looking for the entrance. We finally had to ask for directions and cross our fingers.

Room 308

So many windows!

On to the nitty gritty -

Toiletries - everything and displayed beautifully in a box
Coffee & Tea - nescafe and powdered creamer
Robes & slippers - yes
Hairdryer - yes

I would highly recommend the Key Hotel in Izmir.

The Marmara, Antalya, Turkey - A Review

Though a bit crazy looking, we thought The Marmara Antalya was quite nice. You can see from the rooms that it is decorated like nothing you might have seen before....  Green and blue strips on some walls, pink sponge treatment on another wall, beach furniture in the room... hot pink and orange paper thin shower curtain...

Looking from the entrance - no balcony at a seaside hotel....

Two sinks - which was nice, and a crazy door which closed two spaces at once, the toilet and the bathroom

Turquoise day bed.... that was my dresser, as no dresser in the room, though tons of hooks

Service - at night it was attentive in the dining room
Ambiance - crazy, unlike anything I have seen r expected
Cleanliness - no issue
View/Balcony - no balcony, but nice view of the pool and the sea
Room Number - 1907

Toiletries - yes
Coffee & Tea - yes
Robes & slippers - can't recall
Hairdryer - pretty sure there was one....
mini frig - yes
wi fi - yes, free
space - plenty of space
restaurant - just the one, and 'international' buffet for dinner
Pool - large, but without personality
Fitness Center - yes... in those floors between 6 (the dining room) and 1 (sea access)
Spa - yes, though didn't see it

We had a nice conversation with a waiter on our last night and he steered us towards a nice wine and told us a little about his life and his time in the US. Some people might not appreciate hearing about his life, but we welcomed it. We thought it was interesting to hear a young person's perspective on things - and current events.

Great desk space to share - a nice feature, so that I don't have to wrestle for space with my honey

No drawers in those bedside tables....

View of the pool and the sea... the round building was supposed to rotate, but I wasn't aware of that happening

Dining room, game room, reading room, bar

Two story dining room

Bar area

Access to the sea

Spa Hotel Colossae Thermal Pumakkale, Turkey - A Review

Our friend indicated that this was the best hotel in Pumakkale.... Perhaps one could go to Pumakkale and then head to another site and stay near there...

The reason why we found ourselves at this hotel

It was fine.... It is huge. There was no real choice for where to go for dinner other than at the 'International Buffet', which, of course is a cattle call. We all know that tourists from other countries are inherently like ourselves - curious and have money to spend on this kind of adventure, but we still do not necessarily understand their ways and their manners, so it can make us a little cross.... Dinning in such a manner is not really conducive to good digestion....

After the tour buses had left in the morning - but look at the size of the place, it goes on forever 

The room - #260 - was a haul away, up several flights and no elevators... the poor bell men! It was certainly large, though no balcony. Thank goodness, though, our windows did not look out to an interior courtyard. We had had a long day, so we really just went to bed, but had we wanted to open the curtains, it would have been fine.

The internet did not work - though the hotel claimed to give it to us for free - but imagine our surprise when the buses of tourists pulled out early in the morning the internet worked.

The Colassae Hotel does have a spa, though we did not use it. We tried to make reservations ahead of time via email, but they were never very responsive. Our friend also indicated that we might be happier at the spa at some other hotels... We were glad to have dodged that bullet.

I did have an opportunity to soak in some mineral pools behind the main pool. I was by myself and the tiny pools looked like they could have used some attention, so it didn't feel really luxurious.... Which is a shame given what they have. One would think the hotel ownership could really profit from the location and the mineral springs.

I guess I was not impressed by their pool, as I did not take any photographs of it.

They did offer a belly-dancing show at the pool bar... The idea of belly dancing is always fun, if you can manage to see around your fellow guests who are angling to get a photo and don't mind elbowing you in the process.... It's kinda weird when you focus all your attention on someone's body between their boobs and their crotch... But, man, those artists can move their bodies in ways one can't even contemplate - as illustrated by the volunteers who try to do it with the dancers.

Looking towards the bed

Coffee stand - though please call management at extension 124  if you want any coffee or tea....

Toiletries - yes
Coffee & Tea - not quite
Robes & slippers - don't remember seeing them
Hairdryer - probably
mini frig - don't recall
wi fi - ahh, mentioned above
space - it was a very reasonable sized room
restaurant - international cattle call
Pool - pretty big
Fitness Center - I believe they do
Spa - yes

Eresin Crown Hotel, Istanbul, Turkey - a Review

One couldn't beat the location of the Eresin Crown Hotel for the major Ottoman sites in Istanbul - just a short walk away.

And the view from the roof top restaurant/bar is fabulous. Unfortunately while we stayed there, they claimed it was too cold to be open - in late May - so we took a beer up there and enjoyed the sun-set on our own.

The Blue Mosque - right behind our hotel

We were still getting our bearings in the city after flying so many hours, but the service was attentive. It seems I did not take any photos of the room, which is a shame. We had a suite on an upper floor. Though jet-lagged, we slept well and I was not aware of any street noise.

I thought the room and restaurant were clean and I did not see any required maintenance issues.

No balcony at our room.

We also got a nice fruit basket in our room.

Toiletries - yes
Coffee & Tea - yes
Robes & slippers - yes
Hairdryer - yes
mini frig - yes
wi fi - yes
space - it wasa suite we were in, though I don't recall our room number
restaurant - not fabulous, but fine and very nice
Pool - nope
Fitness Center - if there was, I didn't look for it
Spa - again, didn't look for it

I would stay there again if I wanted to see the major sites... though the next time I stayed in Istanbul I stayed on the Taksim Square side of the city.

Korumar Hotel, Kusadasi, Turkey - A Review

What does All-Inclusive say to you?

Budget conscious, perhaps? Families? Past its prime? I'm trying to figure it out.

The concept here is wonderful. The location is fabulous. The infrastructure is spectacular. The hotel is built on the steep side of a cliff down to the ocean. The water is blue and clear. The pool huge and a fun shape with a lovely protection from the evil eye mosaic.



There seems to be plenty of chairs - though one always finds people saving chairs at both the pool and the seaside. I believe the hotel has tried to manage that process by handing out towel cards at check-in. The cards are taken from you when you get a towel - one each - and then returned to you when you return the towel. That way one can not leave a towel on many chairs. BUT, I noticed that there are many additional towels drying on balconies and thrown over chairs without any other beach detritus to indicate current occupancy.

Though not mentioned to us during booking, our dinner was also included. We expected breakfast, but not a dinner buffet. And they offered an incredible variety of foods - which makes for a lot of choice, but not a very wonderful combination of flavors on the plate. The first night I piled my plate with sushi, shrimp chips, tzatziki, salad, Peking/roast duck, Böreği and feta cheese. I think I would have preferred choosing from a menu to have had a regional uniformity of flavors on my plate. I have read that Turkish food ranks up with French and Chinese as a leading developed and varied cuisine within its own borders. I believe it, but I assume that the guests at this establishment would prefer their own cuisine and this is satisfied by the linear footage of chafing dishes.

So far, my experience has been a delight on my Turkish travels - this is the first hotel where I have experienced snarky staff. Within less than 24 hours and only a few interactions, I have had two snarky staff members. Not everyone, of course. Our beverage waiter last night was very cute and eager to please, but incredibly inexperienced. The poor guy was baffled by a bottle of sparkling wine and the supervisor who was educating him also managed to send wine shooting out when opening the bottle and overflowing both glasses when he poured it for us. I guess they don't sell many bottles of sparkling wine.... What does that say about the clientele?

The Korumar Hotel is rated as 5 stars.... I'd say it is definitely showing it's age, - splattered paint, mold, chips in the stone and porcelain - though, it does have:

robes
slippers
coffee & tea in the room
toiletries - in this case it is gym soap on the wall, so, soap which can be used for both hair and body
safe
mini frig, with one bottle of free water

Sunset over the pool

Looking up at the hotel from the pool area

Swimming Pier

Protected swimming area with snack bar in the background

Protected swimming area

Beach area with scuba shop 

Kempinski Hotel, Bodrum, Turkey - a Review

I thought the hotel/resort was great, but I am writing this review after I have left and spent several weeks on a 42' sailboat.

We were in room 3608, I believe. We had a lovely large balcony, though it did overlook some roofs before one could see the sea, so perhaps ask for something on a lower floor... we were on the 6th floor. I was able to look beyond the roofs of lower floors....

'Green roof' looking left

Intentionally looking down to illustrate the roofs in front of the balcony

'Green roof' looking right

We dined both nights in their Asian-themed restaurant and were pleased both nights. Our service was excellent and we had a lovely local wine.

I'm afraid I didn't take photographs of the room and I don't recall if we had the toiletries, hairdryer, coffee & tea, etc. I believe they gave us a large bottle of water, though. And I remember it being clean.

Too many elevators - no straight shot from the sea to the rooms... it was labyrinthine; we needed to be escorted to find the restaurant - both nights. The restaurant by the beach was wonderful and the waiters there very good, though one needs to take a shuttle or walk to the beach.

I wish I had a picture of their spa, because that was wonderful. They have a gym, personal trainer, indoor pool and wonderful Hammam facilities.

Pool

Stretched out aspect of the hotel

Decked area at the sea

Part of the pool

I would recommend the Kempinski Barbaros Bay in Bodrum.

Marge Luttrell Encaustic

I am sorry I didn't get to speak to the artist at the Central Pennsylvania Art Festival because Ms. Luttrell's works looked great. I noticed that she incorporated old photographs in her work. He art made me think of another artist from Tennessee, Beverly Hayden, who we met here.

I overheard Ms. Luttrell talking with another admirer about her process - encaustic - and the fact that she teaches the process - this August in Peter's Valley School of Crafts in New Jersey. I found this definition of encaustic at the Encaustic Art Institute.

Encaustic is a Greek word meaning “to heat or burn in” (enkaustikos). Heat is used throughout the process, from melting the beeswax and varnish to fusing the layers of wax. Encaustic consists of natural bees wax and dammar resin (crystallized tree sap). The medium can be used alone for its transparency or adhesive qualities or used pigmented. Pigments may be added to the medium, or purchased colored with traditional artist pigments. The medium is melted and applied with a brush or any tool the artist wishes to create from. Each layer is then reheated to fuse it to the previous layer.

Ms. Luttrell explains her process as such:

Featuring torn letters, maps, bits of script and old ephemera from bygones past, Margie Luttrell’s encaustic collages tease the viewer by awakening a desire for the rest of the story. Fascinated by language, symbols and the textures of all things aged, Luttrell builds levels of meaning and information into each piece.
The goal is to take images from one time period in order to construct another, then exploring how the mind jumps back and forth between the two and transcends interpretation.
Marge Luttrell hails from Tennessee by way of New Jersey. A collage artist for over forty years she discovered the inherent joys of wax painting (encaustic) seven years ago.
She is the recipient of a Fulbright, a National Endowment for the Arts Grant and A National Endowment for the Humanities Grant. Last year she lived and worked as an artist/teacher in Switzerland.

I took this image from her web site:


It turns out Ms. Luttrell was at Jazz Fest in NOLA this year with another artist we talked about earlier. I am sorry I didn't get the chance to see her work when I was there. Also, interestingly, she was in Turkey earlier this year as well, according to her promotional card.

Hanimeli Kapadokya Restaurant, Mustafapaşa, Turkey - A Review

What a fun experience to be in someone's home and have someone personally teach you to make the indigenous cuisine. Even my husband was delighted with the experience - and he does not cook. (He does enjoy eating well, though!)



Perhaps we helped make tomorrow's dolmas for the restaurant... if they were well made, at least. (Perhaps the ones I made went to the family's dinner....)

On a genealogical note, my friend indicated I was a natural at rolling the grape leaves.... we decided it was because I have a great, great grandfather on the Kirkpatrick side who was a cigar maker in the 1800s. I somehow acquired the skill. :)

After learning we enjoyed a wonderful lunch on the terrace. I would recommend this restaurant/home to other visitors if they feel comfortable.

BTW, we learned that the owners were a family effected by the 'population exchange' in the 1920s. You can learn more about this event in Turkish and Greek history here. The upheaval is pretty incredible to contemplate, and I don't think I had ever heard about it until this trip.

Our delightful hostess