Highlights of Turkey - 12 Days

Posted By : UtskushiTraveller
The plan for throughly enjoyable and the coordination by the operator was superb. The interaction with everyone involved was also good, except with the 12 Island Cruise crew. They were quite rude, even asking for a spare plate wasn't without an attitude, they could care less of customer satisfaction.
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Posted On : 2023-05-28 14:57:38

Posted By : bend0u
We did the 14 day turkey budget friendly tour , and it was wonderful from beginning to end . Kerem handled all our booking , plane tickets , and optional excursions , and he answers all my questions quickly , since at first I was apprehensive to get a tour company form Turkey . When we got to Turkey , Seda was my go to person . She will what’s app me the day before a tour or trip to another city to remind me the pick up and to send us plane tickets / bus tickets . It was very systematic , and organized . During tours , we met people from different countries and it was what make it interesting .The tour guides we’re all great - Hattice, Sukran in Cappadocia , Matie in Pamukkale and Ephesus were the best . They all make the tour informal , fun , and easy going .
The hotels were all excellent - the best is the Fresco cave in Cappadocia , excellent service , excellent place . All the hotels were centrally located and lots of restaurants to eat and short walking distance to old town . The least hotel I did not like was the Best Western Plus Khan Hotel - receptionist are not that welcoming and friendly , and if you ask for assistance they are not that receptive .
The problem I encounter with the tour , the picked up van from Antalya Airport was very hot inside , so the 25 minute trip was like we were inside the oven . Our pick up person we’re very busy talking on the phone that she did not notice at all that it was so hot . We all got a headache after that transfer . I did told Seda about it and she act on it right away .
The public bus ride were okay . We like the Pamukkale bus better , the Kamikloc bus was dirty ( Bodrum to Pamukkale ) .
Hotels - Celal Sultan ( Istanbul) old charming hotel , good customer service , good breakfast , small cramped rooms
Woyn Point Hotel ( Fethiye ) - new hotel , close to wharf , good customer service , have Netflix 👍
El Vino Hotel ( Bodrum ) - charming hotel , on the hill , overlooking the sea . Pretty . We nicknamed it Bougainvilla hotel
Colossal Thermal Hotel ( Pamukkale ) - only stayed overnight since we got here late and left early the next day . It is a big resort hotel full of young families with young kids .
Efe Boutique ( Kusadasi ) - average boutique hotel with coffee shop and restaurant downstairs , but it is across the sea and balcony is to die for ….. just do people watching and watching the sunset , and walked to the town. We love Kusadasi . Love the atmosphere and the people .
Overall - excellent tour company . We felt like we were on a guided tour but at the same time we were also on our own since there were enough time at night that you can still go around the old town because your pick up the next day is still at 0900 , unlike bus tours you have to leave by 0700.
We would definitely use them again coming back to Turkey . It is a safe country to visit , too many things to see , and very friendly people.
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Posted On : 2022-08-09 17:51:50

Posted By : ramlahf
Amazing organisation, communication, service and flexibility. Only communication via WhatsApp but don't be deterred, they are excellent company. Highly recommended..
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Posted On : 2022-06-18 04:11:06

Posted By : drjess2019
Overall the Trip was carefully planned with all details ( greeters, drivers, domestic flights, etc). Turkey was amazing and we really did enjoy visiting many places. My strongest recommendation is that Trip Ways allows for days of rest and for customers/travelers to have time in-between tour days to either relax and enjoy themselves. The schedule was so packed that it can be very overwhelming when everything is non-stop. Also, at the end of some of the tours we visited some of the same places such as carpet stores, leather stores, etc. I would recommend adding a variety of places to visit at the end of tour or letting customers explore on their own. Overall, it was organized well and moving forward add time to do off-site tour activities.
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Posted On : 2021-10-05 19:58:57

Posted By : Roxxy89990
This will be a pretty comprehensive review. Context: I’m a 24 year old solo female traveler from the US that has never done a tour before. I have been to many countries, but always as a backpacker. Consider this while reading my opinion.

Guides:
Some guides are really excellent. It’s like with everything, hit or miss. Because this is a small group tour, I was with a different group and guide for every location I visited. Due to the pandemic and it being low season, sometimes I was by myself and sometimes I was with 2-4 other people. I would say half of the guides were excellent - giving me great advice, being flexible, and were clearly happy to be working. Other guides were on their phones, clearly not engaged, and even skipped or rushed through part of the itinerary.

Food:
All the meals you have on your tour days will be mediocre or worse. The tour guides always take you to these horrible, buffet style halls that only serve tourist buses. I know there are reasons for this, but why can’t they pick a more local restaurant in each one? Luckily, I don’t prioritize food too much and I was happy with the food when I went on my own to find local restaurants. The hotel breakfasts are nearly always really good and enough to get you going! Hotel breakfast is one of the perks.

Itinerary:
Coming to Turkey for the first time, there are the typical sites and famous historical places that you almost HAVE to see, so the itinerary is good and to be expected to hit the major points. I was quite happy with the amount of time allocated in each place. The only thing I did not like - and everyone on the tour will agree - is that each tour day includes a visit to a local shop. It is interesting to see the craft, but it’s really awkward because you’re expected to buy something. I would have been happy visiting 1-2 of these, but I ended up repeating experiences and going to 2 ceramic shops and 2 rug shops. Unnecessary.

Tour agency:
The absolute best part of this tour was working with Kerem. He is fantastic. He was so communicative always, no matter when I texted him or what I needed. He was available to make changes and to answer questions. He is really wonderful.

Overall:
I really enjoyed this tour, but it all depends on your attitude. I’m a happy person and I’m low maintenance, so I chose to have a good time and I did. But I would have preferred a more authentic experience. I know that is hard to find, but that would set a tour agency apart. If a tour company could actually offer a homestay, or local restaurants, or staying in a village and not in the major huge city - that would completely change the experience and they would receive SO MUCH business.

My major recommendation:
This is a fantastic agency, but take control of your experience! I added 2 days to this tour to visit places I wanted to see. I added activities like scuba diving and even picked a different hotel at one point. I didn’t take full advantage of this at the time, but you can totally make suggestions and ask for changes. Kerem makes it easy and is so willing to work with you to make your trip a great experience.

**travel, whether backpacking or in a tour will ALWAYS come with inconveniences, delays, unexpected annoyances, but this is part of what it is to travel. They cannot be blamed on the agency or the guide.

Thank you for making my first experience of Turkey a fun one!
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Posted On : 2021-03-22 11:02:05