Cappadocia and Istanbul using Velocity Points

Cappadocia was chosen by our readers, and it is easy to see why. The central Anatolian region is best known for the scene that fills camera rolls every sunrise: scores of hot air balloons rising over a landscape of volcanic rock pillars, with the stone village of Göreme below. We flew there using Velocity Points, with a few days in Istanbul on the way, and came home convinced the journey deserves as much planning as the destination.

Getting there with Etihad

The outbound routing was Melbourne to Abu Dhabi, then Abu Dhabi to Istanbul, both with Etihad Airways in business class. The first leg is the long one at around fourteen hours, operated on some Melbourne and Sydney services by Etihad's older Boeing 777. It is a straightforward overnight: dinner, pyjamas, a flat bed and a solid sleep that takes most of the sting out of the sector.

The connection in Abu Dhabi is where the trip stops feeling like a slog. Etihad's flagship business class lounge in Terminal A runs across three levels, which means it is possible to find a quiet corner and a shower even when the terminal is busy.

The shorter second leg was the highlight of the entire journey. On selected Abu Dhabi to Istanbul services, Etihad operates the Boeing 787 Dreamliner with its business class suite. There is no sliding door, but the walls are high enough to give real privacy, and the footwell is deep enough to be comically oversized for a shorter traveller. Recline, footrest, massage function, espresso and Champagne at nine in the morning — for a four-hour hop, it is a remarkable piece of aircraft to chase.

The booking mechanics that matter

Etihad flights can be booked with Velocity Points through the Virgin Australia website, and the process itself is simple. The catch is timing: Etihad releases business and first class reward seats to partner programmes such as Velocity only from 30 days before departure. That single rule reshapes how you plan. There is no point searching a year out and concluding the trip is impossible — the seats do not exist yet. Set a reminder for the 30-day mark instead, and have your points already sitting in Velocity.

The internal flights to Cappadocia were bought with cash on Turkish Airlines, Istanbul to Nevşehir and back. Not everything has to be a redemption, and short domestic sectors in Türkiye are rarely worth points.

Istanbul

Istanbul rewards a base in the right place. Staying in Fatih put the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, Topkapı Palace and the bazaars within walking distance, with the tram network — cheap and genuinely convenient — covering everything else.

The headline sights live up to themselves. Hagia Sophia has been a Greek Orthodox church, a Catholic church and a museum, and today functions as a mosque. Topkapı Palace served as the administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire for nearly four centuries and holds an extraordinary relics collection. The Basilica Cistern, an underground reservoir dating to the sixth century, is the most atmospheric thing in the city on a hot afternoon. Galata Tower, one of the oldest towers anywhere, gives a 360-degree view over the Bosphorus, the strait that splits the city between Europe and Asia.

Beyond the monuments, the neighbourhoods are the point. Fener has the colourful houses, vintage shops and cafés that most visitors never reach. Taksim Square and Istiklal Street are where the city's contemporary life happens, reached by the historic red tram.

Eat first, sightsee later

Turkish food in Istanbul is not what most Australians expect it to be. A full-day food tour crossing from the European to the Asian side makes the point efficiently: a traditional Turkish breakfast of cheeses, bread, olives, spreads and tea on one side of the water; on the other, kokoreç, stuffed mussels from a street stall in Kadıköy, and İskender kebab at the establishment that claims to have invented it.

The dessert culture deserves its own itinerary. Pistachio baklava and Turkish delight are the obvious entries, but künefe — crisp pastry, cheese and pistachio — is the one worth travelling for. Istanbul has also enthusiastically adopted the San Sebastián cheesecake. At the other end of the scale, the city has several Michelin-starred restaurants, including the one-star Mikla, whose rooftop terrace pairs three courses of Mediterranean cooking with a sunset over the skyline.

Cappadocia

Cappadocia is not a single place but a collection of provinces in central Türkiye, shaped over millions of years of volcanic activity. Göreme is the usual base, and a cave hotel room with a private terrace is the single best decision you can make there — it means watching the balloons without joining the crowds at a viewpoint.

The balloon flights go up at sunrise, and on favourable mornings more than a hundred launch together. If the forecast is windy they do not fly at all, which is worth knowing before you build a whole trip around one morning. Two mornings gives you a second chance, and the two experiences are different enough to justify both: watching the launch from the ground, surrounded by inflating envelopes, and then going up yourself for the panorama, where there is nothing but silence and the periodic roar of the burner.

The region rewards at least two full days beyond the balloons. Underground, the ancient city of Derinkuyu housed as many as 6,000 people at a time, carved down through the rock. Above ground, Imagination Valley invites the same game every visitor plays — deciding whether a rock formation is a camel or a bear on its back — and Uçhisar Castle, unkindly nicknamed the ugly castle, is less a castle than an enormous inhabited rock. Selime Monastery shows what else the caves were used for, and Göreme National Park puts you among the formations at ground level.

Two smaller experiences stood out. A sunset horse ride through the fairy chimneys outside Göreme, on a placid horse that required very little input, turned out to be the best way to see the valley at dusk. And a Turkish coffee workshop — grinding the beans by hand, heating the cezve over sand — comes with a fortune reading from the grounds left in the cup, which is as good a reason as any to plan a return trip.

Flying home in economy, deliberately

The return was economy for both sectors, with an overnight stop in Abu Dhabi. This was a choice, not a compromise: getting from Europe to Australia during the northern summer peak costs a great deal more in points at the front of the aircraft, and spending the points on the outbound direction — when you most want to arrive rested — returns more value.

Elite status softens the downgrade considerably. Velocity Gold and Platinum members receive a substantial additional checked baggage allowance when flying Etihad, on top of the standard economy allowance, which matters after a fortnight of shopping. Gold status also opens Etihad's business class lounge in Abu Dhabi on an economy ticket, and Platinum members can use the Etihad first class lounge.

The other lever is paying for extra legroom seats. On a long overnight sector that modest outlay buys a meaningful amount of space, and it costs far less than the points difference between cabins.

Would we do it again

The structure is what makes this trip work: business class where the flying is hardest, economy where it is merely long, cash for the short internal hops, and status benefits filling the gaps. Add a region that looks like nowhere else on earth and a city that straddles two continents, and the points are doing exactly what they should.

Frequently asked questions

When can I book Etihad business class with Velocity Points? Etihad releases business and first class reward seats to partner programmes, including Velocity, only from 30 days before departure. Searching earlier will show nothing, so plan around that window.

How do I book Etihad flights with Velocity Points? Through the Virgin Australia website. The process itself is straightforward once the seats have been released.

Is it worth flying business class in only one direction? Often, yes. Using points on the outbound sector, when arriving rested matters most, and flying economy home stretches a points balance considerably further.

What does Velocity status add on an Etihad economy ticket? Gold and Platinum members receive a significant extra checked baggage allowance, and lounge access in Abu Dhabi — the business class lounge for Gold, the first class lounge for Platinum.

What happens if the weather is bad in Cappadocia? Hot air balloons do not fly on windy mornings. Allowing at least two mornings in Göreme gives you a second chance, and the view over the village at dawn is worth the early alarm regardless.

Do I need points for the flights to Cappadocia? No. The short Istanbul to Nevşehir sectors are inexpensive enough to buy with cash, and are generally not a good use of points.

This information is general in nature. It does not take your personal circumstances into account.