Europe's Coolest Cave Hotels

Despite having been scared silly by The Descent on more than one occasion (a convincing British horror films with a feminist slant? Yes please), I get really quite excited about caves, especially ones that you can spend the night in. Here are Europe's coolest cave hotels. I've checked for Crawlers, promise.

That cave pictured above is the Mine Suite at Sala Silvermine in Sweden. At 155 metres underground, it is the world's deepest hotel room where you're left alone for the night an the only contact you have with anyone is by radio.

Given its worldwide fame £380 a night seems pretty reasonable but I think I'd be scared witless. Seriously if I hear creeping against the walls, I'm leaving.



Brrrr. That film still gives me the heebie jeebies. But here are some in Italy that probably have no monsters at all.

Almost certainly monster free.

Sassi de Matera in south Italy is the best part of the country to get your troglodyte fix. Sant'Angelo has 23 cave rooms historical dwellings that all come with colour TVs. Just like the caves of yore. In all seriousness, this is a pretty swish resort in beautiful historical surroundings. Living in a cave had a makeover and for some reason they're only charging €105 a night. You can also stay in the slightly cheaper but no less impressive Hotel Sassi, but their new website is horrible to navigate.

Grotta Giusti in Tuscany is only 50% cave. The hotel itself is actually above ground (nil cave points, Giusti) but, BUT! The spa is in a cave underneath the hotel and it looks all sorts of awesome. Added bonus: the hooded robes make everyone look like very wise men up to creepy cave business.

Katikies in Santorini (urgh, website music warning) certainly isn't what you'd call 'rustic'. It might well be a cave but it's the very opposite of rustic. It's so white and clean that I'd be scared of crumbs and red wine and basically everything that I tend to get all over the place. But my goodness it's beautiful. In peak season even smallest rooms are €485 a night. This is definitely a hotel for people who don't spill. I am not one of those people.

Lots of trees. Monster potential: high

If you like the idea of a cave but not the reality, then Le Prince Noir in France is ideal. It's a small B&B that's built into the rock in les Baux-de-Provence - it's nestled into that little village you can see in the left half the photo. The website is terrible but the landscape more than makes up for it and a stay here costs from just €105 a night.

Rather than hotel facilities, Cuevas Pedro Antonio in Spain offers self catering accommodation. Guadix is one of the oldest cities in Spain, discovered and conquered by Julius Caesar. The caves were dug when the Arabs were expelled from the city. It's a beautiful city and prices for the cave dwellings are around €50 per person per night.

Turkey has some brilliant caves and a huge array of hotels to choose from. The Cappadocia caves date back to the Byzantine era and mean 'land of horses' in Persian. They're a UNESCO world heritage site and utterly beautiful. I really like the look of Cappadocia Cave Suites, which has a great mix of traditional decor and luxury. They're about €100 a night with breakfast included.

Want something fancier? This incredible suite at Gamirasu should tick your boxes. The hotel used to be a Byzantine monastery and was actually the first hotel in the region. Prices for one of the 35 rooms start at €190 for a night and if you want to stay in the luxury Byzantine suite that will set you back €1200 per night with breakfast included. Damn right it is. You could also stay at the MDC Hotel for €85 a night, you'll get the same brilliant view.

The award for the coolest hotel in Cappadocia is has to go to The Museum Hotel (also pictured at the top of the feature, looking blimmin' fabulous). Yeah, I'd probably be alright having lunch with that view.

Well. This pool looks rubbish.

Oh look, there's a wine tap in my bedroom. No big deal. I'M NEVER LEAVING. Prices start at €300 a night and frankly I'm strongly considering selling all of my worldly possessions and jumping on a plane to live in a cave.