What most excited me about visiting Cappadocia, in central Turkey, other than hot air ballooning over fairy chimneys with a hundred other balloons littering the sky, was the prospect of staying in a cave hotel. Cappadocia’s landscape is covered in surreal volcanic rock towers, gorges, villages with rock castles perched above them, and thousands of caves, many of which have been converted into tourist accommodation ranging from hostels to luxury hotels.

In the hilltop village of Uchisar, a short drive away from the more touristy Goreme down in the valley, Taskonaklar Rocky Palace was an amazing introduction to the world of the boutique cave hotel. Perched on the edge of the hill, it has expansive views down to Pigeon Valley below (get up at dawn if you want to spot the hot air balloons going up from the terrace) peppered with fairy chimneys and with the snow-capped Mount Erciyes in the distance.

At Taskonaklar, rooms are cut into the rock with constructed facades made of natural stone. Our beautifully decorated, elegant room, made up of a cavernous (excuse the pun) bathroom, bedroom and lounge, managed to be both modern and traditional, with sleek bathroom fittings, a flat-screen tv and wifi, as well as a cosy fire place, kilm carpets, antiques and old wooden furniture. The thick cave walls meant that it was pretty warm and cosy on chilly nights. While we didn’t have a view (there are pricier rooms with valley views), we had our own little terrace area with table and chairs overlooking the terraced lawns and valley beyond.

Apart from the luxurious room, the view was really the highlight at Taskonaklar, and you get to take it in at breakfast in the dining room (which is a delicious feast of borek pastries, eggs, cheese, olives, fresh fruit, honeycomb, yoghurt and bread), or at afternoon tea (with complimentary cake) on one of the comfy umbrella-shaded couches on the terrace. One evening we ate dinner in the hotel instead of in the village, and feasted on piles of garlicky aubergines, yoghurt, dill cakes and roast vegetables washed down with a local red wine and were glued to the view, while dusk turned the rocks and caves below us from golden apricot to bruised purple and the evening call to prayer echoed across the valley.

Doubles from €120 including breakfast, www.taskonaklar.com