For the past 30+ years, I’ve happily sat through countless presentations with visitor’s bureaus, hotels, tour companies, airlines, etc. who regularly schedule meetings with me and my team to exclaim the wonders of their destination over all the other choices on the planet.  As excited as I am in the moment, my enthusiasm for one destination often wanes when the next “new place” comes along.

Does that make me fickle?

In my defense, there are a LOT of extraordinary places!

There are, however, some places that “stick.”  Places that capture my imagination and won’t let go.  What does it take?  Some magical combination of culture, geography and undiscovered-ness – often combined with a degree of inaccessibility – creates a desire that gets lodged in the recesses of my mind and is only satisfied when I finally have an opportunity to see it for myself.

Waaaay back when, in my first job in the travel industry, when I had the important-sounding title of “International Travel Specialist” for the E.F. MacDonald Travel Company in Dayton, Ohio, I learned about one such destination that I never forgot about.

 (NOTE:  I had that highfalutin title without an equivalent salary – recalling those cold, winter days when I would go home to my dinky apartment on Irving Drive, flip on the space heater in my bathroom, pop a batch of popcorn for dinner and hibernate there for the entire evening since I couldn’t afford to turn on the furnace!)

But I digress . . .

I still remember the rep – John Buschman, a Michigan State alumni – who told me about a place in central Turkey that looked other-worldly.  He described centuries-old churches carved into the rock decorated with paintings and carvings.  Many ancient dwellings still housed local families and some had been converted to luxury hotels.  There were weird chimney-looking spires that were a naturally-occurring phenomena.  Some were phallic (hey! I know what you’re thinking, but that’s NOT part of my criteria!).  It was remote, without a lot of tourists.  Hot-air balloons ascended over this etherial landscape every morning at dawn.

That’s my kind of place!

It was 32 years later – in 2012 – when I finally got to experience Cappadocia.  I had traveled on Turkish Airlines (a great airline!) to Nairobi for an African safari for my WOW! Travel Club, and decided to stop over in Istanbul and Cappadocia on my return.

After all those years, it didn’t disappoint.

The landscapes were stunningly surreal.  The Goreme Valley was an open-air museum with hundreds of Christian chapels and churches carved into the soft stone and covered with ancient frescoes.  The early Christians escaped persecution by living and worshipping underground.  In the town of Avanos where they’ve been producing pottery since the days of the Hittites (2,000 B.C.), I tried my hand at pottery-making.  Up to my elbows in the distinctive red clay, my attempt to be a potter was a failure, but I had fun in the process!

I was absolutely captivated by my hotel – Argos in Cappadocia.  An attraction unto itself, it took 15 years to transform a tangled warren of caves and tunnels of a 2,000-year-old village into a luxury hotel.  As you can imagine, the challenges of such a project were formidable: installing modern ventilation through ancient stone chimneys, fitting luxury bathrooms into the curve of a rock cave and removing thousands of truckloads of soil and rubble.  I met the owner who described his vision to preserve the soul of the village – to add only what was essential to meet guests’ expectations for a 5-star experience.  “This place was a village, not a palace,” he explained.

I still have the welcome letter which described the property as, “an ancient village with a reception desk.”  It’s obvious that the old parts are old and the new parts are new but it all works in harmony.  The hotel is comprised of five different “mansions” located on a steep hillside.   My room was a monastic-feeling cave room – obviously one of the ancient cave dwellings.  For my two-night stay, I loved the coziness, carpets, candles and hand-carved wooden furniture – some of it antique.  Other rooms I saw during my inspection were newly-built of stone to harmonize, but featured windows with natural light for those who might be claustrophobic.  Each of the 40 rooms and suites was distinct in size and shape, but all shared an appropriately modest and comfortable design.  It was another “wow” – definitely one of my favorite hotel experiences ever!

After a long day of touring, I sat on my patio while the setting sun cast its magical glow over the undulating rock hills of the Pigeon Valley.  I watched colorful orange hoopoes, with their distinctive crown of feathers, perform cartwheels before settling down for the night.  The sense of history was palpable, but not in a creepy way.  I had a feeling that the inhabitants of centuries ago were pleased with the restoration.

I’ve been waiting all these years to take people to this extraordinary place.

It’s finally happening and I couldn’t be more excited!!  As an optional pre-trip in advance of the Aegean voyage I’m offering next June for my WOW! Travel Club, I’ve created a two-night package which includes a suite at the Argos Hotel.  Details are described on the website.  I hope you’ll join me for this experience to magical Cappadocia.

I promise – it will “wow” you as it did me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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And … since this is being published on “Black Friday” I feel compelled to make you an offer you can’t refuse!

Struggling with what to give that person who has everything?  How about an unforgettable trip of a lifetime?!

For anyone who books the WOW! Greek cruise package before December 12 (with or without the Cappadocia extension – although you’d be crazy not to include it … just saying’), I’ll send you a custom-crafted, beautifully gift-wrapped box filled with delectable goodies – like Howard’s Homemade Baklava (like nothing you’ve ever tasted!).  It makes a perfect presentation under your Christmas tree or Hanukkah bush.

(And for those who have already booked – you won’t be neglected when it comes to surprises!!)

 

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Always love your comments to my blog posts.

Have I suitably tempted you . . .?