Pamukale Hotel

i didn't rent car in turkey simply because the buses are plenty and easy to ride, plus, road condition can be challenging. but if do rent and drive, i'd suggest you spend 2 nights in pamukkale, so you have a full day to explore - 1 night as you said is not enough. there are many little place in pamukkale all about the same, if you drive you can find plenty. just be sure to stay in the pamukkale town area (not up the hill), just cross street from the lower entrance, there is only one main street. you don't really need a car in selcuk - it's very close to efes and some times the hotel help with transportation. I stayed at this place called wallabies. it's in downtown area between the bus station and train station (2 min walk each way, very small downtown area), i'd stay there again, good value, good family run place. i did't use guide for efes. it can give you additional info but will try to walk through the site pretty quickly. if you do your homework ahead, you can explore on your own - it's actually a pretty big site with many undiscovered area. you can find plenty guides at the entrance, and you can negotiate price.

Your itinerary sounds fine. On your way to Pamukkale, you might think about taking a quick detour to Afrodisias, where the Roman ruins are striking but relatively untouristed. (It will be about fifiteen miles out of your way.) Pamukkale is a tough place for hotel recommendations. A lot of hotels were torn down because they were interfering with the circulation of the waters and thus degrading the travertines. The Pamuksu Boutique Hotel is okay, but it hosts a lot of tour busses and frankly, the place is a bit tired and worn. I've heard good things about the Venus Hotel, a smaller place that some travelers seem to like, though there was some suspicion that they were planting reviews on Trip Advisor, since many of their glowing reviews were from first time reviewers who had apparently never stayed anywhere worth reviewing before. (!) You don't need a guide at either Pamukkale or adjacent Hieropolis; there are plenty of official toruist guides at Ephesus. You can hire one by the hour once you are at the main gate. Licensed guides wear a badge around their necks listing which languages they are certified in, but I recommend chatting with a few to make sure that your idea of English speaking ability matches the Turkish tourist agency's idea.

Thanks for the great info. Very helpful. Since you both have helped so much, I have another question. The next part of our trip is flying to Kayseri to explore Cappadocia for 3 days. Again, should we do a rental car? tour guide?
We are interested in driving the Silk Road to Konya to see the Whirling Dervishes but I don't know if we can do this in a day or would we need to stay in Konya for one night. Is Cappadocia area worth staying 3 nights?

I don't think there is a place in Konya to see a Dervish performance, although you should not miss the Mevlana mausoleum there. Very impressive and moving. There is a dervish sema open to the public at the Sarihan caravanserai near to Cappadocia. Your hotel can probably arrange taxi transportation to it. Along the route between Konya and Cappadocia are several caravanserais of varying states of preservation, well worth a stop on the road. Cappadocia is easily worth three days. The underground cities are fascinating, the hiking is stunning, and touring the ancient churches and caves are also quite interesting. And a hot air balloon trip over the area is unforgettable! I would suggest hiring a car and driver or taking van trips over driving yourself. The Cappadocia area is quite extensive and the roads not well sign posted. Also, it's hard to find really detailed maps that tell you where you need to go for the sights. We've driven the area and we've taken day tours, and honestly, we've seen and done more through day tours than when we traveled on our own.

Thank you JER, your posts have been very helpful! I think we will skip renting a car for Cappadocia. And I am going to assume we can make all these arrangements from whatever hotel we find? By the way, did you stay somewhere you would recommend?

I'm not sure what place you are looking for a hotel recommendation for. If Konya, I recommend the Hotel Balikcilar; it's directly across the street fromt he Mevlana Mausoleum. Can't get much more convenient than that! For Istanbul, thre are lots of good places in Sultanahmet, the old quarter. I am partial to the Hotel Apricot because of the terrific staff, and when I want to spend a bit more, I like the Hotel Dersaadet. But there are quite a few nice, small hotels in the area to pick from, so no need to obsess if your first choice turns out to be full or too pricey. Most hotels will pick you up at the airport for a reduced rate if your are staying for a couple of days, which is worth it if you don't want to navigate the public transit system while jetlagged! (Though if you do, it's pretty inexpensive and not too much of a hassle.) When you check Istanbul hotels, I would try to get one with a rooftop breakfast area. Many of the hotels have them, and overlooking the Bosphorus while eating breakfast or having a drink is unforgettable.

Actually, I was looking for a hotel recommendation in Cappadocia area, but thanks for the other names :-)

Once again JER, thank you very much for the information!

Most tourists in Cappadocia stay in either Goreme or Urgup, where you can find lots of "cave hotels" with rooms carved into the soft tufa rock of the area. Goreme tends to be more "backpacker" in its accommodations and atmosphere and Urgup a bit more upscale in its hotels and quiet in its ambiance. In Urgup is one of my favorite hotels in the world, the Esbelli Evi, a cave hotel that is over the top. Great breakfast (in a country wherethe standard for hotel breakfasts is high), free laundry facilities, high quality furnishings and linens in the rooms, a great jazz collection in the common lounge, etc. It's not dirt cheap by any means but it is worth the splurge. But there are lots of other cave hotels in both places; staff trained in one place tend to aspire to starting their own hotels over time. If you end up in Urgup, don't miss the Somine restaurant in the town center. They serve delicious stews cooked in individual clay pots in their wood buring oven that your waiter will whack open with a cleaver right at your table. Another great option is Hotel Karballa in Guzelyurt. Guzelyurt is a bit farther away from the main sights, but it's a real village, not a town catering to tourists, and it's very convenient to hiking in the Ilhara Valley. Hotel Karballa is an old Greek monastery; charming and romantic.

You're very welcome. As you can probably guess, I think Turkey is one of the best tourist destinations in the world.

Last April, I drove from Bodrum to Pamukkale, then to Selçuk. It was easy and a pleasant drive, albeit slow in spots. One night in Pamukkale will be sufficient, but I would recommend two in Selçuk. One half day for visiting Pamukkale is enough and do go into the warm springs on the site of Hierapolis; it's a little like bathing in Perrier. See the travertine terraces both from the bottom and from the top. As for Selçuk, you need more than a day to catch it all in: Mary's house, Ephesus, the great little museum in town, the Tomb of St John & Basilica, the Isa Bey Mosque, and the very pleasant town of Sirince nearby (where we had a great lazy lunch and a very pleasant afternoon - very good shopping!). Selçuk was one of my favorites stops in Turkey - we added a night to our original two. Also a good place to try a real Turkish bath, with a women-only day. Good place to see storks nests & storks too. We stayed at two great, reasonably-priced guesthouses, with easy parking: House Venus - in Pamukkale (The nearby Melrose House Allgau would have been a good 2nd choice too - we checked it out) Homeros Pension - in Selçuk
Had good dinners in both.

As for Cappadocia, here's one of the rare instances that dealing with a little mom & pop local travel agency can come in really handy. Atacan and his wife Nalan run Rock Valley Travel, e-mail them and get a quote for both your hotel and car & driver for a day or two. I have received tremendous service from them and the price was more than reasonable.
ODA Cave House is a real treat, but usually solidly booked (4 rooms only...).

Diane, thanks for your recommendations! You must also follow Tom's TTP website. Sometimes, I don't know if the travel websites are the best to follow, so I prefer to hear from travelers themselves!