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Last updated: 20 July, 2023

Our ancestors did it, and something evolutionary in us begs us to try – but then the prospect a night sleeping on cold stone, exposed to the elements, kills the urge. But you can ‘cave sleep’ in style too, from luxury cave hotels to exclusive homes built into natural caverns.

Here’s our round-up of the best caves you can sleep in, without sacrificing your creature comforts (too much).

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Argos Cave Hotel

Uchisar, Central Anatolia, Turkey

Cappadocia is a fantasy land where the soft rock has weathered into a striking landscape of arches, caverns and eye-popping protuberances. For centuries, locals have carved into the rock for homes, churches, even underground cities – and now hotels.

Argos is once such hotel, offering luxury cave rooms, and arguably the best views in Cappadocia.

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Beckham Creek Cave Lodge

Parthenon, Arkansas, United States of America (USA)

This extraordinary 4-bedroom, 4-bathroom cave house has been carved into an eye-popping natural cavern in the Ozark mountains, on a private 256-acre estate.

This is the real deal, with rooms, fittings and furnishings complementing exposed, natural craggy rock and the occasional stalactite. Step outside for hiking, canoeing, fishing, and horseback riding.

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Cuevas Helena [private cave house]

Granada, Andalusia, Spain

This unique cave house, also set into the soft clay bedrock outside of Granada, is a private, secluded complex, hidden in the Andalusian countryside, that cleverly integrates into the topography.

It comes with three bedrooms, a fully-equipped kitchen, a living room and a pool. Perfect for families and groups.

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Cuevas La Granja [cave house hotel]

Granada, Andalusia, Spain

Granada has a long history of cave communities, notably in the soft-rocked suburb of Sacromonte, formed by those expelled as undesirable by the city: gypsies, Jews and Muslims.

So it’s perhaps not surprising to find this complex of unusual, man-made 18 cave ‘houses’ in nearby Benalua. Each is uniquely designed, with a cave-like interior.

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Eureka Springs Resort [hobbit burrows]

Eureka Springs, Arkansas, United States of America (USA)

Anyone who has seen the films would have envied Bilbo, and later Frodo, their cosy underground hobbit home. The Eureka Springs Resort has thus created a series of underground suites, mirroring those famous hobbit burrows.

They come with the famous large round windows, and a jacuzzi bath (that Bilbo didn’t have).

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Kagga Karma Nature Reserve [cave rooms]

Cederberg, Western Cape, South Africa

This spectacular nature reserve, three hours from Cape Town, is home to ten unusual (man-made) ‘cave suites’. The suites are integrated into the surrounding topography with cave-like interiors.

Or you can opt for one of their two ‘open-air suites’, situated away from the main lodge for more privacy and utter tranquillity. Guests sleep out under a carpet of stars, and wake to sunrise and uninterrupted views of the bushveld.

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Les Hautes Roches [troglodyte hotel]

Rochecorbon, Centre-Val de Loire, France

The Loire Valley was, for centuries, famously home to ‘troglodytes’, local residents who lived in caves dug into the soft bedrock. Today, you’ll still find troglodyte homes, restaurants, zoos – and hotels.

This cosy four-star is one of the best, with calming, luxurious ‘troglodyte’ rooms carved into the neighbouring cliff.

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Perivolas [cave hotel]

Santorini, Greek Islands, Greece

Before it became a romance Mecca, Santorini’s residents carved homes into the rock faces, creating a unique style of traditional architecture. ‘Cave’ houses offered insulation in winter and cooling in the heat of summer.

Nowadays, luxury hotels, like Perivolas, have employed the same techniques to create uber-romantic suites, some with private jacuzzis, all with dazzling caldera views.

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The Enchanted Cave

Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales, Australia

Set into hills in the Blue Mountains, surrounded by acres of wild bushland, you’ll find this one-bedroom, self-contained cave, cleverly carved into the natural contours of the local rock.

There’s a modern kitchenette, fireplace and views out onto a forested valley. A true wild cave sleep experience, without sacrificing on home comforts, just 45 minutes from Sydney.

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The Rockhouse Retreat [woodland cave house]

Kidderminster, Worcestershire, United Kingdom (UK)

This unique retreat, hidden within 3 acres of woodland near The Cotswolds, took thousands of man-hours to sculpt, and required the excavation of over seventy tonnes of rock.

A site occupied for nearly 800 years, today it’s a one-bed, self-contained accommodation and an uber-romantic, get-back-to-nature getaway for couples.

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