Turkey Reviews
Review 1
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
enjoying and taking part in the night show, one of the optional extras, whilst enjoying a very enjoyable dinner
What did you think of your tour leader?
Great tour leader, very knowlageable with the histry of the country. good interaction with the group, resourceful and helpful, one of the best leaders i have had to date
What advice would you give to other travellers?
go for the extras, they're well worth it and enjoyabe, if you don't, wou'll wish you had!
Reviewed by Daniel Sellers who travelled in September 2004 on the Treasures of Turkey trip
Review 2
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Cappadocia and Baloon ride Really unique landscape
What did you think of your tour leader?
Name: Memis Buyukata We had wonderful tour leader and guide, amazing driver too (Asim). Memis was very experienced and knowledgable. Thus although it was a tourist season, he had great planning that enable us to get to places at ease and never having to beat with the crowd. Give us more positive understanding of Turkey at end of the trip.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Just go & enjoy! Well developed and very convenient country in everyway. So pack light, since plenty of shopping opportunities too.
Reviewed by Siri-On Jaruratanaporn who travelled in August 2012 on the Treasures of Turkey trip
Review 3
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Cappadocia
What did you think of your tour leader?
Enthusiastic, funny guy
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Travel with minimum luggage and bring comfortable hiking shoes
Reviewed by Robert Te Brake who travelled in June 2012 on the Whirling Turkey trip
Review 4
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
There were a lot of really exciting and memerorable parts of the holiday for me but the four that stand out were Ephysus, Troy, Pamaukale and the Goreme Open Air Museum.
What did you think of your tour leader?
Sellen was absolutel brilliant, she realy made the trip for me. She was friendly, funny and informative with out ever being overbaring. She was just a joy.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Be prepared for bad coffee! The Turkish coffee is lovely but generally the coffee that you order will be Nescafe!
Reviewed by Lara Nelemans who travelled in October 2011 on the Whirling Turkey trip
Review 5
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Ephesus, specially the size of the old city. Archaeological museum in Ankara. Cappadokia and the ballon-trip Kas and the whole day at the boat. Istanbul of course
What did you think of your tour leader?
He had lots of knowledge about the whole country, sights etc. But sometimes he spoke to much and often repeated the topic. Specially in Cappodokia he gave us many good experiences, dinner in private home, the hamman (bath), walking in the mountains. Too little time to be social in the group in the evening.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Take this tour. You learn so much about the start of Europes people and the beginning of life. Take some extra days in Istanbul. If you buy carpets, buy in small private shops in the small towns, not in the big factories.
Reviewed by Nina Sissel Klaeboe who travelled in April 2011 on the Treasures of Turkey trip
Review 6
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Cappadoccia
What did you think of your tour leader?
Very knowledgeable. Good organisational ability. Friendly and approachable.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Yes, as well as possible in the time available.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Travel light. Book this trip - very comprehensive, but with sufficient free time.
Reviewed by Rodney Buttle who travelled in September 2010 on the Treasures of Turkey trip
Review 7
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Sleeping under the stars in the desert at Wadi Rum and sunset at the ruins in Palmyra
What did you think of your tour leader?
Bashar was excellent - very enthusiastic, organised and personable. I particularly enjoyed his cultural talks in the evenings. Faisal was less so - he gave confusing instructions and was not as approachable as Bashar. He had excellent historical knowledge though.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
More so in Syria where tourism was less obvious than in Jordan.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
More so in Syria as Bashar was very good at answering questions and explaining the culture of his country. I felt less in touch with local life in Jordan.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Research the appropriate clothing to wear and don't let little mishaps bother you!
Reviewed by Helen Babington who travelled in September 2010 on the The Road to Damascus / Desert Kingdoms trip
Review 8
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Ephesos, Capadocia, Istanbul, ...
What did you think of your tour leader?
Bayram, is a very good tour leader. As native, he has given us a lots of information about Turkish life. He's very skilled.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Yes, certainly with a local tour leader.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Just book the trip!
Reviewed by Willy Foblets who travelled in July 2010 on the Treasures of Turkey trip
Review 9
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The historical sites were impressive, simply because they are still there after so many years. Turkey as the cradle of civilisation has so much to offer in its rich and diverse culture. I loved it all. What worked particularly well for me was the well balanced itinerary. The boat ride, beaches and gulet were a welcome break from the overwhelming facts, and figures of history. The opportunity to meet people from different nationalities and share their knowledge not just Turkey but of other places reminded me that this is a very big world and there is so much more to see. I was also thrilled that I paid for the hot air balloon over Cappodocia - truly an experience of a lifetime.
What did you think of your tour leader?
Excellent. Bayram was very attentive. He went above and beyond his duties to make the tour interesting, varied and comfortable. He shared a lot of personal information to provide insight into contemporary cultural experience and was knowledgeable in historical facts and context of all the sites we visited.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
We were taken to several factory shops to be shown local goods. Some of these were very expensive and the assistants were very pushy. We were 'encouraged' to buy here but were rushed past local stalls selling cheaper goods. I would have preferred to have had more time engaging with local -cheaper traders rather than the formal stores. These smaller traders welcomed us and were more humble and fun in the way they conducted business. As tourists we can share our money with local people in return for diverse goods such as foodstuffs, produce and services. It would be nice to meet more people in different settings such as children in a school, the elderly or teenagers. We could perhaps share our knowledge of English, or engage in some way with people so long as they did not feel like it was patronising.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Our guide organised a lunch at his relatives home which was not only delicious but was a welcome break from the tourist trail and gave us the opportunity to gain insight into the way real people live. Bayram was very honest in his opinion of the way the country had developed and the problems within. I did not feel I was getting a standard issue Government set-piece but his true life experience. In only 2 weeks it is not possible to really get under the skin of the country but I very pleased I saw so much of it, from cities to countryside seeing the range of crops in the field and ever-changing landscape. Tourists who spend 2 weeks at a resort don't know what they are missing. This country has so much to offer.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
It is a difficult language. Even learning to say 'thankyou' was difficult for most of us and it can make you feel impolite when you cannot attempt to respond in the language. On my first day in and around Sultanahmet I was surprised to see so many women in full Muslim dress. I was worried that I was dressed improperly and they would take offence. But overall most of the women in Turkey dress in modern clothes and apart from in Konya the attitude was more relaxed. I brought my heavy walking shoes with me but I didn't wear them. The weather was hot and the walks were short and not very difficult so strong sandals were suitable enough to wear. In some hotel rooms the air con didn't work very well so it was very hot at night. In others in worked too well and it can affect your throat and eyes. On our trip 4 singles were put together in 2 rooms but unfortunately they had difficulty with their room mates. Unless you are sharing with someone you know a single person supplement should be considered.
Reviewed by Nuala Rooney who travelled in July 2010 on the Treasures of Turkey trip
Review 10
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Ephesus and Cappadocia
What did you think of your tour leader?
Seref was very carefull with the whole group and had a good knowlege of most sites
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
in some aspects, yes, but could not see it in general
What advice would you give to other travellers?
If you have time, stay at least one week in Istanbul!!!!
Reviewed by Antonio Faria Neto who travelled in May 2010 on the Treasures of Turkey trip
Review 11
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Istanbul Capodocia -it was all memorable
What did you think of your tour leader?
Very good
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
I hope so
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Go to Turkey you will have a great time
Reviewed by Sally Wade who travelled in October 2008 on the Jewels of Turkey trip
Review 12
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Istanbul Capodocia -it was all memorable
What did you think of your tour leader?
Very good
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
I hope so
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Go to Turkey you will have a great time
Reviewed by Sally Wade who travelled in October 2008 on the Jewels of Turkey - Dep 16 May, 2009 trip
Turkey Forum Feedback
Turkey Land&Sea... Aug 29th Departure
Hi there, I am wondering how many people need to book before a trip is guaranteed to run? I would like to book for Aug 29th Turkey Land&Sea. Thanks,
Jewels of Turkey - Dep 16 May, 2009
Hi there, Just wondering if anyone else is booked in for the Jewels of Turkey trip departing on May 16? Also, if anyone is arriving in Istanbul early. Cassie
The Road to Damascus / Desert Kingdoms
Whenever I click on the The Road to Damascus link http://www.imaginative-traveller.com/trips/TARD I get sent to the home page, is this trip still running? I'm interested in the Desert Kingdoms trip to Syria & Jordan. I notice none of the Desert Kingdoms trips are listed as guaranteed to depart even though some show limited availability, is there a reason for this? There is a trip leaving on May 16th which has 7 places left which fits in with my plans, this suggests that 11 places have been filled so I would have thought it was guaranteed to depart. Thanks
Jewels of Turkey no longer Offered?
Is the Jewels of Turkey tour no longer offered? I was hoping to book it but when I entered a date range (large or small) it gave me nothing available. At first I thought it was just a problem with the website's new format but other tours have dates available.
Long bus rides? Turkey Land and Sea
We are looking at the "Turkey Land and Sea" trip as it includes places we want to go, plus 2 days on a gulet. However we are worried about all the long bus rides. Out of the 15 day trip, there are 6 days with bus rides of between 5 and 8 hours! And a couple more days with shorter rides. Seems like a big chunk of the trip is spent on the bus. We like active trips (with some comforts) but we're afraid we might not enjoy being stuck on a bus. Unfortunately it's a big country so dont believe there are any alternatives. Has anyone done this trip recently, or any similar to it that can comment on the bus rides? Thanks!
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