I didn't get a chance to visit Cappadocia at the best time it could offer for travelers, but luckily I got an opportunity to stay at one of the best budget-friendly cave hotels in the area despite the lousy weather when I was there. In this post, I'm going to review The Dorm Cave by Travellers, the cave hotel where I stayed the night for 3 (three) nights in Goreme.
For those who have read some other hotel reviews that I wrote in this blog, you may probably know that I didn't need much for accommodation. I'm a pretty price-sensitive customer, so budget-friendly is a must for me in choosing a place to say during my trip. Other than that, as long as the place is convenient to crash for a couple of nights and I can have enough privacy during my stay, I should be alright.
So, how was my stay at The Dorm Cave by Travellers in Goreme, Cappadocia?
The Dorm Cave by Travellers, a budget-friendly cave hotel in Cappadocia.
There are many reasons why I decided to stay in Goreme when I chose an area to stay in Cappadocia. I heard that Goreme is a more central location with plenty of things to do than any other area in the region. And I have to admit, it's true.
Goreme is not big per se, and it's easy to wander around the area and you'll be amazed by the scenery in the surroundings. I imagine the area would have looked astonishing with the hot air balloons, but since I went to Cappadocia with no hot air balloons, all I could see was all the caves and ancient fairy chimneys in the region. But hey, in my opinion, it was still worth visiting despite everything.
I booked the accommodation through Agoda. As much as I wanted to stay at some fancy cave hotel in Cappadocia, I figured that since I wasn't there for a honeymoon, I'd rather stay at a cave hotel that is affordable but has everything to offer around the region. The Dorm Cave by Travellers, in my opinion, has it all.
For the total stay of 3 (three) days, I paid 57 euro (around $62 USD) through Agoda for the standard single room.
And since my bus to Izmir with Nevsehir Seyahat was scheduled at 8 PM, I decided to extend my stay for half the day so that I could leave the hotel later than the original check-out time at 12 PM. I paid 10 euro (around $11 USD) for the latter.
I think, for the approximate night rate of 19 euro (around $20.9 USD) per night, the accommodation has everything that I need for a place to stay in Cappadocia. The cave hotel has a terrace to enjoy the hot air balloons at their best time. And on top of that, the rate includes a complimentary buffet breakfast too.
As The Dorm Cave by Travellers is located in the center of Goreme, it also has a spacious parking lot in case you're traveling to Cappadocia by car. Long story short, I couldn't recommend it more if you're looking for a nice place to place with a budget-friendly rate in Cappadocia!
Check-in Process and Customer Service
I arrived in Cappadocia at around 8 PM, and I had to admit that I struggled to find the hotel. Don't get me wrong, the location of the hotel is actually in the center because if you get a chance to take a look at Goreme with a bird's eye-view, chances are you will see the parking spot of the hotel exactly in the middle of Goreme.
But I'm not sure if I should blame Google Maps for this, but I circled around the location and I was quite frustrated when I couldn't seem to find the hotel on the first try when I walked to the hotel from Goreme otogar.
The Dorm Cave by Travellers is located in the center of Goreme, Cappadocia.
It got easier the next day, but I definitely didn't succeed on the first try. I ended up stopping at a restaurant nearby for dinner just so I could google the hotel's contact information to call them.
Luckily, the phone got picked up as soon as I called the number. It was the receptionist in charge for the night, and he speaks English very well that he tried to give me a direction to get to the hotel after I finished my dinner. Well, I didn't manage to find the location on my own, because he ended up having to pick me up at the spot where I got lost.
Honestly, my first impression of The Dorm Cave by Travellers was how helpful this receptionist was and how top-notch their customer service is!
To be fair, the location of the hotel isn't too far from where I circled around. But I guess the route was too confusing, or it was just me struggling with map illiteracy. LOL.
Once we reached the lobby, the check-in process was quite straightforward. The receptionist kinda expected me already, and since I already paid everything online through Agoda, he didn't ask me a deposit or anything.
He just told me that the breakfast would be ready at 7 o'clock in the morning, and he also offered me some tour options in case I wanted to join one. I ended up booking an ATV tour through the hotel as well.
If you happen to struggle to find the location of The Dorm Cave by Travellers just like I did, you can contact them at +90 384 271 2770. You're welcome!
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I'm not sure whether I had to categorize The Dorm Cave by Travellers as a hotel or a hostel, but apart from single and double rooms that they have for the guests, it seems like they also provide shared bunk beds too. In fact, when I reached the lobby, I also saw the shared bathroom area, although when I was there, it was written that the shared bathroom area couldn't be used due to COVID-19.
Since I booked for a standard single room, all the facilities are inclusive, including a private bedroom with an attached bathroom, and buffet breakfast every day during my stay. The room wasn't too spacious, but it was quite convenient to be my home base for 3 (three) days.
The wifi connection works really well too that I managed to have a discovery call with a potential client when I was there.
I went to Cappadocia in December, and the weather started to get cold at the time. One of the reasons why I thought staying at The Dorm Cave by Travellers was a good idea is that the room has good heating. It was so good that despite the fact that it was quite freezing outside (what can I say? I come from a tropical country!), it was actually hot when I entered the room!
Apart from the heater, the room also has an air conditioner too. While I think that would be a good choice if you happen to stay there in the summer, I'm not sure how it works since there was no remote for the air conditioner when I was there. But hey, at least the heater worked in December and compared to my apartment in Izmir that didn't have one, staying at The Dorm Cave by Travellers felt like a blessing! 🙂
Apart from that, I am also impressed by the amenities since they provide slippers, towels, and proper shampoo and shower gel in the room. I'm not exactly the guest who would use the latter since I usually bring my own, but I think it's quite nice given the idea that the night rate is only around $20 USD.
I personally think that their slippers are the best though, at least the best slippers that I got from accommodation during my last trip. The material of the slippers was quite thick, it wasn't just some canvas you turn into slippers. I literally had to bring them home just because! 😛
Review: Standard Single Room at The Dorm Cave by Travellers
Based on my experience, I didn't regret my choice to stay at The Dorm Cave by Travellers in Cappadocia. Not only is the accommodation affordable, but the facilities they offer are also great!
For $20 USD per night, I think The Dorm Cave by Travellers exceeds my expectation from a budget-friendly hotel/hostel in Cappadocia. Here's why!
First of all, the room wasn't big, but it has everything we need to crash. From nice bed and pillows, warm heating and blanket, and it even has a small closet to organize your clothes and belonging. As a digital nomad, the wifi connection worked well too. Not the fastest in the world, but as long as there was no glitch during important calls with clients, I didn't have anything to complain about it!
Bedroom & Bathroom
Truth be told, since it was my first time staying at a cave hotel, I gotta say that my first night in Cappadocia felt a bit spooky. I don't know, I was just anxious that I would see some kind of Turkish ghost in the room or something. But I suppose I could overcome the thoughts, because I stayed in the room longer than I went out around the region. LOL.
The room was comfortable to stay for a short-term, but I don't think I'd recommend it if you're planning to stay for longer than a week there. I'm not sure if The Dorm Cave by Travellers has an option for a bigger room, but I don't think the standard single room where I stayed then was a good choice to stay longer.
I never really watch TV, but in case you're the kind of person who can't live without TV, the room comes with a 14 inch TV too. But since the room itself is so small, you can only watch TV from your bed, which I don't think would be convenient.
Other than that, everything worked properly in the room. Even the bathroom has a hairdryer that works. The water heater in the shower works too. I have nothing to complain, but I suppose the stay would have been more pleasant if the room was more spacious. But hey, what did you expect with $20 per night, right?! 😛
Breakfast
Although I knew that the stay came with a complimentary breakfast, I really thought it was just some standard toast with maybe egg or something. I didn't expect it would be a whole lot of buffet breakfast with options from traditional Mediterranean breakfast to even cereals like Coco Pops!
$20 USD per night, but the breakfast comes with the option to choose some assorted cheese and all that? Yes, please! 😀
The buffet breakfast at The Dorm Cave by Travellers.
Apart from the terrace, there's also an indoor place for you to have breakfast. They sell drinks from standard beverages like Ayran or Coke to even wine, but I'm not sure if they also serve as a restaurant outside the breakfast hours.
My breakfast on the first day, I chose to have it at the terrace because I thought it would be a pleasant view to be surrounded by the cave in Cappadocia and all that. The joke's on me, because that's when my face mask flew with the wind. Literally. LOL.
From all the things that I got from my experience of staying at The Dorm Cave by Travellers, I think the best thing was the breakfast. Hands down the best, even compared to a 3-star hotel where I stayed in some other place in Turkey!
The breakfast also comes with free-flow water as well as coffee and tea, and their indoor breakfast area is even cuter than the terrace! Honestly, it was super comfortable and in December, it was warmer to have breakfast inside too!
Final Verdict: Staying at The Dorm Cave by Travellers in Goreme, Cappadocia
If you're looking for budget-friendly accommodation in Cappadocia where you can get your own privacy without breaking the bank, this is it! I couldn't recommend The Dorm Cave by Travellers more because not only it's affordable, they literally served the guests above and beyond with what they offer in the accommodation!
Even if you haven't booked the tour in Cappadocia, they also offer all the tours available in the region, including the famous Red and Green tour. I had the ATV tour through them, and what I could say is that I'm glad that I booked through the hotel, because I checked the online booking for the same type of tour, the price was more expensive than what I paid then.
In short, here are some plus and minus of staying at The Dorm Cave by Travellers!
(+)
Affordable night rate for only $20 USD per night.
The staff was super helpful and friendly, and they also offer many tours around Cappadocia that you can book there for relatively cheap.
The breakfast menu is top-notch!
If you're looking for a place to stay that is instagrammable, this is it!
An excellent place to stay if you're traveling there by car since the hotel is located exactly in the largest parking spot around Goreme.
You can also use your card in case you don't have cash when you need to proceed with payment at the hotel.
(-)
I wouldn't recommend you to find the location at night. I'm not sure if it has something to do with Google Maps either, since when my friend Vika came to Goreme, she couldn't find the hotel using the map either.
If it's your first time staying at a cave hotel, the vibes in the room could be somewhat spooky. Especially when you travel alone.
So, that's my take on staying at The Dorm Cave by Travellers in Goreme. Do you have any cave hotel recommendations in Cappadocia? Share in the comment below, and cheerio! 🙂
Marya The BeauTraveler
I am the founder and main editor at The BeauTraveler. I spent 4 years working in the aviation industry but ironically got to travel more right after quitting the industry in 2015. Born and raised in Indonesia, I started working remotely in 2017, and while I stay at home most of the time, I also regularly spend 2-3 months living a semi-digital nomad life elsewhere every year.
