Turkey's Highlights - Pamukkale, Ephesus, Cappadocia Trip & Balloon Ride Option

Posted By : Jonathan_T
Things to be done better:
Day 3 was a wasted day for us - we left at 0345 only to arrive in Cappadocia at midday with nothing else on our itinerary. Could have had another nice morning at our great hotel with a delightful breakfast, but instead felt rushed to leave and wasted a whole day of touring.

However, our hosts/guides Rose and Mert made this tour sensational (see below)!

Ephesus:
Our private tour was nothing short of amazing. It happened to only be the two of us and our tour guide Rose (Gül) for the two days.

On the first day, we were brought to Pamukkale, where Rose intricately described the history of the natural phenomenon while also showing us the best picture spots. We were also given plenty of time to explore on our own.

The local lunch spot she brought us to gave us a great taste of culture, and delicious traditional dessert. The hotel we stayed at was AMAZING. Great breakfasts with lovely staff, plus good facilities. Our room was huge and super comfortable.

On the second day, Epheus was sensational. Being a lover of ancient history, Roses knowledge on ancient history was impecable and was able to answer all our curious questions. Ephesus was Rose's favourite place in Turkey and her passion and love for her culture really showed in the tour

We also got to experience the craft of pottery from a true master (one of few in the world) and witness an astounding display of art work. They even let us get our hands dirty in clay, with his guidance ofcourse.

The leather factory was good; fashion is not my area, but if you are into high end clothing you'd be in love.
Just not my thing.

House of virgin mary was special, being catholics this was a very spirtual and surreal experience for us.

The lunch on this day was a buffet - the food was pretty average compared to the day before.

Overall wonderful and our tour guide Rose deserves all the praise in the world

Capaddocia:
10/10
It was great to have a tour by not only a local but someone obsessed and passionate about his own culture and history.
We got to see so many amazing places including
Balloon rides: once in a lifetime experience of viewing cappadocia and all its beauty from the sky.

Lovevalley: Now this wasnt part of the tour, but we wanted to go watch the sunrise with the baloons, Mert the tour guide went the extra mile to take us at 5am! I also got engaged here which was unforgetable and he helped us get amazing memories by capturing the whole thing! We were very grateful.

Under ground cities: If you ask me, the ancient people of this civilisation were more talented then people of today. This was unforgettable and so cool to see how they managed to build this liveable underground city! They thought of everything: water, heating, air circulation and even animals for an alarm system!

Illara valley: Beautiful hike next to a stream, extremely peaceful and serene. The rest point provided great traditional pancakes and resting by the river which waa great to rest our feet. St George's church was unique amongst the others in the valley, with the old artwork still preserved

Jewellery store: I personally love jewellery and it was great to see and learn about the natural stone of zultanite.

Imagination valley: a beautiful view where your imagination goes wild, sort of like watching the clouds but they are rocks.

Open air museum: This was very special to us being of the catholic faith, we got to see some amazing ancient churches out in the caves and see where the ancient christians had to hide.

Uchisar castle: a beautiful view with a taste of pistachio coffee, and also enjoyed a jam session with Mert who showed off his talented guitar skills while we sang along.

Food:
Both lunches were amazing with traditional flavours and cooking, was great to be served what the locals eat and all their great flavours.

Overall: Cappadocia from every angle is beautiful, so many different layers to its unique landscape, this was a view that I had never seen before or even imagined

Tour guide: Mert was sensational, he took his time to explain all the history, he answered all our questions, went the extra mile and made it such an enjoyable trip for us both. Speaks English very well, along with knowing Russian and hopefully Spanish by the end of this year

The driver was very nice and kept us safe, never felt like we were in danger. Super professional and looks like a football player - lets see if you can guess which one :p

Overall: Love love love, could not recomend this highly enough, BOOK THIS TOUR and these tour guides!
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Posted On : 2023-09-06 15:03:34

Posted By : CarmenMarinVarela
Not traveling with El Corte Inglés or with a world tour deceived us. The trip was on August 5 and we had booked an Istanbul and Cappadocia circuit. The only excursion we booked from Spain because we were in danger of running out was the balloon for €1,280 for 4 people, the day before leaving on the trip. Surprise 24 hours later at the Istanbul airport they offer us the same excursion, with the same wholesaler, for €720 for the four of us and they also confirm that pre-booking makes no sense because they make pre-bookings for the entire group. Anyway, we asked the Corte Inglés de Pozuelo in Madrid for explanations and they told us that they will consult the wholesaler who in turn says that this is what it takes to reserve it precisely. A nonsense that we will complain about but with little hope. The meals on the circuits left a lot to be desired and some of the hotels too, tablecloths not changed for several days. We didn't even talk about the bus because they had us traveling for many hours with very low air and heat to die for. Anyway, and as a final conclusion, if you have to book a trip, do not do it with El Corte Inglés or a world tour. We are very used to traveling and with this agency we have made several trips in the past but we believe that the quality standards have dropped a lot and the clarity and support that English clients had are currently non-existent.
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Posted On : 2023-08-15 16:55:03

Posted By : S_Shah910
Went Eastwards. Solo trip from IST to Cappodocia > Antalya > Pamukkale > Selcuk > Bursa > IST

Cappadocia - did the balloon ride . It was OK . The view was spectacular but I think more fun than that was waiting in the dark and watching the balloons come to life! It was beautiful. Hot air balloon ride , ticked off my list

Pamukkale - Cotton Castle - really touristy even though was there in Nov. Hotel was walking distance to one of the entrances and thank god I used this. The moment you enter , you take off your shoes and walk on the walk travestines , upwards. It was really fun. Water was cold at first almost numbing my feet but got warmer the higher I went. Only a family of 3 besides me doing this. It seems everyone else , busloads of tourists and those coming by car use the other entrance. Great , had the travestines all to myself till I hit the top. Skipped swimming in the pools. 130TRY and so many people in the pool! had time so arranged to go paragliding. Was fun! Spent a good amount of time in the air .
Euphesus - Stayed in Selcuk and no regrets! Small , quiet town yet getting to Euphesus was breeze. Took a dolmus both ways. Euphesus was so worth it! Don't miss the terrace houses (extra 80TRY) but great way to get a glimpse into how people lived . managed to do Euphesus and Sirince on the same day.
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Posted On : 2022-12-01 00:55:29

Posted By : GillianT
Itinerary:
Day 1- Hotel pick-up to airport. Upon arrival, was picked up then straight to visit Pamukkale which was awesome. Afterwards, we were driven to our hotel
In Kusadasi.

Day 2- visited ancient city of Ephesus and Temple of Artemis.

Day 3- full day transfer to Cappadocia :(

Day 4- Cappadocia Green Tour

Day 5- Cappadocia Red Tour.

Good points:
-all the hotels book were really great. Clean, comfortable, and good locations
-the coordination with pick-up, drop-offs were arranged really well
-the emergency contact was very responsive and helpful
-Breakfast at the hotels were great. The breakfast in The Cappadocia Hotel was phenomenal.

Downside
-there was just too many downtime especially in Day 1–2. We started the tours at around 9-9:30 and would finish at 2pm-2:30pm. This was including looking at the sites and random visits to cultural stores (i.e. Turkish Delight, ceramics, etc) and a LOT of car ride.
-our first guide in Day 1-2 was informative but felt he was rushing the entire tour to finish early. We were given only 15-20mins to wander around, which was a shame because it wasn’t enough to take in the beauty of the sites. Also did not see the Necropolis. Hmm wish they added another site St. John’s Basilica which was right beside the Temple of Artemis.
-for Day 3, our flight was at noon. Wish that we were booked an earlier flight so we can arrive in Cappadocia earlier.
-Day 4-5 was really nice. Tour guide, Bush, paced it well. Only comment was probably not enough time to explore the Uchisar Castle. But this was understandable as I don’t think she expected my companion to want to hike up the steep slopes.

I think the quality and pace of the tour is really dependent on the Tour Guide.

Overall, this tour package would be good for those who want a very relaxed trip and who can spend more time in Turkey. The 5 days could probably be condensed to maybe 3-4days but this would have been a hectic and exhausting schedule. Was still a good experience and all the sites were mind blowing.
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Posted On : 2022-11-04 00:22:32

Posted By : John_H
This was a 5 day trip broken into two very unequal parts. The first part was a 2 day trip in Kusadasi/Parmukkale and Ephesis with guide Ata. Ata was not good. He complained of being tired and yelled at me for asking to skip shopping to add another site--which was right next door to a site we were already visiting. We were upgraded to a private tour, without asking for it. In hindsight, this was a mistake, as Ata, or so the tour operator hypothesized, might have resented not having many people (fewer tips?). The Tour operator said he got good reviews from other clients; my search of travel sites don't show this. All in all--if you get Ata, make sure you stay on his good side, if you can find it. Specifics: the hieropolis buggies were "too expensive"; the Cleopatra Pool--waste of money; The far half of Hieropolis "a long walk" (ironically, not true on a buggy). All in all, he said--it is at our pace, suggested really short amounts of time and rushed us to the next place to sell us crafts. He even told us background information in the car for one attraction to save time, supposedly. He should seek employment in another field--9 years doing it with the last 4 a bit light (covid and some other reason unclear).

In the middle of our 5 days, we had a free day. This was due to a flight change. We filled that on our own. This also changed our hotels from 2 days at the Illada Avantguard to one and Hotel Cappadocia from 2 to 3. This change could not have made us happier! The Illada was a nice hotel, but the city view when we could have had a sea view was vexing. We heard from the tour operator that their clients usually do not get even a city view--it was a nice view, but certainly not a city view--which we would have paid extra for if the tour operator had given the option--we booked MONTHS in advance and easily did so before the hotel filled. Hotel Cappadocia was a bit hot and had no pool. However, they provided a fan and the views and experience more than made up for the lack of pool. The three people who run the place and their staff were so friendly and helpful. The Turkish Breakfasts each morning were very similar each day but different enough to get us through 3 mornings without a feeling of monotony. THE VIEW!! WOW!

The tours were led by Ozman. Very nice. Very helpful. Took photos. Had a dry and a bit warped sense of humor. It was clear that he knew he was going to try to get us to buy things in the arts and crafts places, but he did not insist on our participation and made sure we were hydrated from these places and brought water into the van (contrast this with ATA).

We enjoyed the balloon ride. The tour operator upped the price 90 dollars each or demanded we cancel and rebook (at a new price). He claimed it was the operators refusing to honor the agreed price. This would not work in US contracts. However, the economic hardship and inflation in Turkey made us suck it up and pay. It is expensive anyway. Worth it? maybe. If you have the opportunity, why not.

One last word on the arts and crafts places. While I am there for the history and sites, they do serve a purpose for the tourists in summer who need a break from the heat. The AC in the vans was meager. If anything, think of them as a safety precaution. DON'T BUY ANYTHING--way overpriced. We bought on ETSY for much less.
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Posted On : 2022-09-08 08:33:10

Posted By : Steve_A
So, first off, let me say that one of our days was spent entirely on moving from Cappadocia to Kusadasi. So, keep in mind that it is actually 4 days, not 5. Cappadocia is also a little boring and we had way too many car rides dropping off people we weren't with. However, for the price, I'd say it's pretty good. You can definitely do better if you get a private tour (not very pricey if contacting turkish travel agency directly), but for something available from Viator, it's not bad.

Not going to bore you with the details, just the highlights:

Cappadocia - a lot of landscapes and 4-hour per day tours or so. You will be dragged to many local stores, don't buy anything, it's horribly overpriced. Get the hot air balloon flight, it's the best. Underground city is also worth a visit, if you get the choice of underground city, ask for the biggest.

Kusadasi - no tours happen here, but you will be in a hotel in the city. It's a resort city and it's absolutely charming. Plenty of good food and good drink. There's a number of relaxed shisha bars nearby. I am huge fan of the Leila cafe a couple blocks away for shisha and sunset views. And across, there is a shopping mall, check out the brand Avva for men there, absolutely the best.

Ephesus - Wow! Just wow. If you're a history buff, especially. Blows Rome out of the water. Not even going to say more, just the best day.

Pamukkale - Wow! Again, it's an amazing site. Our tour guide was kind enough to arrange an optional parachute ride, which flies right over the ruins and the flats. The best part of the trip for me.

Tour guides change between destinations, but if you meet a Kusadasi native named Mehmet, please treat him well. He's the best!
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Posted On : 2022-08-26 08:59:18

Posted By : Elmer_P
We had a blast on this 5 day tour and found the extra day in Cappadocia worth paying for. Three days out of 5 had early pick up times (Day 1 airport transfer 4:20, Day 3 airport transfer 03:00, Day 4 Hot Air Balloon, 04:20). Hassan was our tour guide for the first two days in Pamukkale and Ephesus and was very hands on, walking with us throughout the tour whilst giving us interesting information on the sites we passed through. Usman took us around for the last two days and he gave us plenty of free time to explore the sites in Cappadocia by ourselves.

There were 6 of us in the tour group and 4 stayed in Ilayda Avantgarde whilst we stayed in Hotel Derici in Kusadasi. Our Hotel (Derici) was super old and definitely not the same value as Ilayda Avantgarde which was right next door. The sound proofing was also extremely poor and we couldn't sleep on the 2nd night until 12am as there was a live outdoor concert right outside the hotel (wakeup call set at 2:30am for airport transfer). Also, both hotels do not provide duvets and only a small blanket (towel like material) was provided on the bed. We found a wool blanket in the cupboard but it looked like it hadn't been laundered so we left it.

Lunches at the restaurants were average, and always remember to check the prices of the drinks before ordering as the price list isn't always readily available at the table. Remember to ask the tour guides where the free toilets are as some of the historical sites will charge 2-3TL for entry per person.
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Posted On : 2022-07-24 11:37:58

Posted By : Shahreen_R
Poor Trip Planning by Tour Operator - Last minute changes to itinerary; long layovers for connecting domestic flights; we wasted one whole day just flying from Izmir to Cappadocia because they waited till the last minute to book flights and direct flights were not available or tired to cut cost. We were expected to begin tours straight from the airport at 9am after being up since 3am to catch the 7am flight from Istanbul to Cardak airport to go Pammukale and Hierapolis and then straight to Kusadasi where we stayed one night. I would rate the hotel in Kusadasi a three start hotel at best.

Next morning we drove to Ephesus and at the end of the full day tour, we were driven to the airport at Izmir for our connecting flight to Cappadocia which was about 10hours and we were dropped off at midnight at the wrong hotel. We finally arrived at the correct hotel, a two start hotel, at 1:30am in the morning and got to bed at 2am. And we had to do all this with two kids.

Free day - We were provided a free day on the first day at Cappadocia, a place we had just arrived and did not know anything about. No tour options or suggestions were provided by the tour company on what we should do that day. We were completely left unattended.

Tour buses - It was a small group tour for us with only 8 people but the cars had little or no air-conditioning and the trip was hot and uncomfortable. No cold water bottles were provided during our tour.

Included Lunch - These were the worst. Large buffets with poor quality food to feed the masses and flies buzzing around. Little to no air-conditioning in the restaurants and no drinks, not even water was included with the meal. We hardly ate anything.

Free breakfast at the hotels/room service - Again, very poor quality. The two star hotel in Cappadocia where we stayed three nights did not provide any room service (taking out trash, changing linens, providing fresh towels, etc,) during our stay. The rooms/bathrooms were dilapidated.

Airport transfers - Skeezy cars with poor air-conditioning infested with moths. We got back to our hotel in Istanbul around 2am. Just bad planning overall.

Private tour and guide - After complaining to the tour company about the above, they were not able to change our accommodation but did provide us with an excellent private tour guide and properly air-conditioned car for the next two days.
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Posted On : 2022-07-13 16:19:26

Posted By : Sushma_K
The tour guides… they were fantastic. Guide Furkan in Kusadasi and Al in Cappadocia made our trip very memorable. Disappointed with our tour operator in Cappadocia as they were not able to get a spot for the balloon ride the next day when it was cancelled the previous day due to bad weather. Luckily for us our hotel arranged for the same and had a fantastic ride.
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Posted On : 2022-07-04 10:08:42

Posted By : leslyelounsberry
We were 3 generations with the youngest an 11 year old male. We all loved the experience. The sights we were taken to were the best in each area. The guides were top notch. We loved the fact that our guide in Cappadocia had actually grown up in a cave house and the experiences he was able to add. All connections to guides were and transportation were on time and easy to connect with.
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Posted On : 2022-06-30 11:32:23