Cenan,

Kelly and I had an incredible visit to Turkey. Your accommodations were spectacular, the tours terrific, and the transportation great. We were extremely impressed with everything you and your company did for us. Please relay to Rosie and all the tour operators in the cities we visited what a wonderful experience we had. We will be back.

Thank You,

Tim Cannon

We had a wonderful time in Turkey. The logistics went very well, and we were picked up at all of the airports and at the hotels on time, except for the trip to \parmakale, when the tour bus was late. However, the young man who met us at the hotel that day was extremely knowledgeable and shared lots of good information with us, in addition to ironing out all of the arrangements. He was excellent. . We enjoyed all of the tours. The tour guide we had for Epheuses and Pergamon was outstanding. The guide for Parmakale was less informative; and the bus driver that day had an instance of road rage, which we thought was very irresponsible, given that he had about 20 people on the tour bus. The tour guide for the second day of Cappodochia (the underground city) was also outstanding.

The three hotels worked very well for us. The air flights also worked very well.

Thank you for making this such a wonderful vacation for us.

Miriam V. Gold

Dear Cenan -
I am glad to be able to provide my comments. The first thing I would do differently is to eliminate the travel agent as intermediary and I would deal directly with MyTurkeyTours. The travel agent was not needed and, in fact, turned out to be a problem.
My husband and I began our time in Turkey on July 1 with a visit to our new in-laws in Turunc. Before we left the United States, our travel agent told us nothing about contacting you before our brief tour was to begin on July 9. We were told we'd be picked up at our designated hotel, The Kybele, at 5:30am on the morning of July 9. We weren't very smart to leave the US with only that directive and, as July 9 drew closer, we thought we should try to make contact with MyTurkeyTours. Our hotel helped us track down your number (not easy, actually) and we talked with you, Cenan. I believe my husband said you were in Canada at the time. You said you had been trying to reach us, a small party of 5, staying at The Kybele, and that our travel agent had been instructed to tell us to check in with you several days prior to our tour. We received neither message. So, you were a little frantic and we were a little frantic. But once we made contact with you, everything fell into place. Within half an hour, Gulay (Rosie) appeared at our hotel with tickets and instructions. She was completely competent, efficient, helpful and reassuring. We were picked up at our hotel at 5am on July 9 and taken to the airport where we flew to Izmir. There, we were met by Yeliz Gedik and our driver. Yeliz became our "face of Turkey". All five of us fell in love with her. She was warm, funny, an infinite store of knowledge. On our mini-van ride to the site, she prepared us for what we were to see in Ephesus that day. And, once there, she guided us skillfully through the extensive site, being careful to find shade where there was some, talking, talking, talking the whole time. She was eager for and interested in our questions. She seemed to thrive on interaction. We just loved her. Ephesus was truly amazing. We will go back. There's so much more to see and to learn. But we were exhausted by the end of our tour day and grateful for a day of rest between Ephesus and Pamukkale. After Ephesus, we called Gulay on her cell phone (a nice contact to have) and requested Yeliz as our guide for Pamukkale. The idea of a day of rest between two intense tour days came from a comment on your web site so we had decided to heed their advice. Unfortunately, I got sick on the rest day and was not well enough for the Pamukkale trip. You'll have to rely on the accounts of the other 4 of our party who did make the trip. The Carisma Hotel was certainly everything one could have wanted in a five star hotel. Very luxurious, fine rooms, fabulous breakfasts, gorgeous setting. For me, it lacked soul. It had lots of sleek chrome and mirrors but was devoid of personality. We preferred our more colorful, funky Istanbul hotel, the Kybele. The Carisma, however, was a very comfortable place to recover from illness (except that the personnel at the front desk would not allow my husband to bring me liquids brought from outside the hotel, an odd and irritation and unwelcome approach to a sick person). At the end of the Pamukkale day, Yeliz made a point of coming to say goodbye to me. We had a heartfelt and warm attachment. I was very grateful for her expertise and her lovely personality. We have already recommended both MyTurkeyTours and Yeliz to other friends and relatives. The next morning, our driver picked us up at the Carisma at the exact appointed time, took us to the Izmir airport where we flew back to Istanbul. In Istanbul, we were picked up by one of your drivers and taken back to The Kybele. Gulay called us to make sure everything had gone well. We couldn't be happier with your organization. It was beautifully run, totally reliable and had intelligent and competent staff throughout. A complete pleasure to deal with.
You have our gratitude and our loyalty. I'm sure we will contact you when planning future trips to Turkey.
Sincerely, Sally Bowie
 

Cenan and all, sorry for the delay in providing your feedback, things have been very busy upon my return, which is why i enjoyed my relaxing visit to turkey so much! i had a wonderful trip! i can't thank you enough for organizing the tour for the specific days that i could take for holidays. it was refreshing to meet different people on the different tours every few days. there was always a driver to meet me at the airport, they were all very friendly and spoke good English, and arrived mostly on time for the trips from the hotel to the airport. the hotels were all very modern, clean, and comfortable; and especially the polat beach hotel in kusadasi was excellent with the pool and the beach. all of the guides were excellent, their knowledge of history and cultures and traditions is amazing, and they all had a good sense of humor which was nice on the long trips. all of the food was fantastic, so many fresh fruits and vegetables at every stop. i have already recommended "my turkey tours" to several people, and will continue to do so. thanks for a really great vacation. with best regards, kate dwyer

 

We really enjoyed our tour in Turkey. The hotel staff in Istanbul was very helpful and we were overall very pleased with our time there. (Transfers were very punctual as well.) For the second leg of our tour we were in Ephesus and Pamukkale. Our hotel was nice. Our tour guide was exceptional. Turgut was very informative and was by far the best guide we had. Our stay in Cappadocia was fine. The management at the hotel was a bit odd however. In addition the tour guide did not seem overly enthusiastic. Overall however we were very pleased with our tour and would kindly spread the word. Thanks
 

Cenan,

We found every aspect of our trip outstanding. The pick-ups were timely. The tour guides were knowledgeable, timely and professional. The sites were spectacular. The Kismet Hotel was adequate and clearly needs updating of its facilities. The Museum Hotel was excellent with a fine restaurant although we found the cave room somewhat small and claustrophobic, but that was our choice.

All in all, a great trip. Feel free to use us as a reference. Thanks for all your help.

Bob and Georgi Contiguglia

Cenan Yunusoglu,

We enjoyed our trip to Turkey very much. Your local agent, Gulay Konal at MedHills Travel was very helpful and made some last minute changes to the reservations that were uselful. All the people we met in Turkey were very friendly. The Turkish food was very good. The highlights of the trip for us were Istanbul, Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Bodrum, Turtle Beach, Oludeniz, Cappadocia, and Sanliurfa/Harran.

The best hotels were:
Altin Yunus in Cesme
Nisanyan in Sirince -- outstanding
Richmond in Pamukkale
Queen Ada in Bodrum -- outstanding
Bararossa in Kas -- outstanding
Alp Pasa in Antalya
Esbelli Cave in Cappadocia —outstanding

The Poseidon Hotel in Marmaris had very small rooms and was very noisy. Marmaris is the one place we could have skipped altogether on the trip.

The Zeus hotel in Kahta was also very noisy and impossible to get much sleep before the very early departure for Mt Nemrut.

Sincerely,
Herbert Becker

• Out trip was PERFECT

• There was never a problem with transports, the tours or times.

• The Hotels were in great locations.

• The one Hotel we had a problem with, your rep found us a wonderful place w/out a problem.

• I have been telling every one how satisfied we were at the attention to detail and the timing and reliability of everyone involve in the tour. THE BEST was our guide at Ephesus-she was AWESOME!!!!

• Thanks so much for an amazing vacation

• We fell in love with Greece and Turkey

• Rose Bay on Santorini was THE BEST!!

Iyi aksamlar Cenan, and Ms. Gulay Konal,

I was pleased to hear from Cenan and I must admit that I’d anticipated your request for feedback. We’ve now had plenty of time to reflect on the trip and in summary Marlene and I are very pleased with the package you provided and we are particularly happy with the execution. In the dialog below I will mention specific names and I would ask that this not be provided to other prospective clients but only used internally by Medhills or MyTurkeyTours.

I’ve commented in the past about how pleased we were to be met promptly at every airport and bus exchange. In particular Sami was absolutely reliable. Although our bus was delayed from Canakkale to Istanbul, he was there politely waiting. As I recall it was a Sunday evening and I know he would have preferred to be with his family but he was only concerned about our needs.

We were not disappointed with any of the Accommodations. Of course Dersaadet Hotel and Elkep Evi were particularly nice. Although I think both are out of your network I would recommend these without hesitation. In both cases the staff was particularly generous. Did I mention Cemil at Dersaadet? He is quite the gentleman. Of course El Ruha was also very nice and the location was a treat. We found the Zeus in Kahta to be reasonable and the breakfast was good. To be honest we arrived late so we did not get much of a feel for the facility or the neighborhood. Oh, we felt quite comfortable on the streets in every city we visited.

In Selcuk we of course stayed at the Kalehan Hotel and again the staff, Dilek Ekmen and a gentleman whose name I did not record, were very pleasant. Of course the room here was more modest than the other properties, but it was consistently clean. It did however have a number if items which needed repair. The location was good and we found multiple restaurants in easy reach. You might promote the close proximity of the Temple of Artemis, the Byzantine Gateway, and the Basilica of St. John. It would have been a treat to enter the citadel on Ayasouluk hill. We thought that if we had bicycles there we could have done Ephesus, Mary’s house and even Kusadasi easily. I liked that it did not have the glitz present in Kusadasi.

We were of course pleased when met, on time, at the airport in Ismir, and the shuttle to Selcuk was very quick. During that ride I asked if our guide, I have his name here but I won’t specifically mention him, could arrange an evening trip to Kusadasi but he hesitated and indicated that we should work through you. All that is ok. Then just before he left us in the lobby, after providing some good advice, he offered to get us to Kusadasi for 40E. We didn’t really understand the neighborhood and fortunately we declined. As I mentioned, the staff of the Kalehan Hotel were very helpful and they provided us a walking map so we took a local bus to Kusadasi for 14.40YTL round trip, two persons. I mention this not to impune the gentleman, nor were we offended because we have an obligation to be smart too, but simply to illustrate what you already know. You’re success is dependent on the quality of the sub-contractors. I believe we mentioned the fine French guide that shared our coach to Pamukkale and Hierapolis which was so engaging for those who spoke French. Unfortunately, Fazul?, while light-hearted, was not particularly informative. Given the long trip on this day and the limited time available to actually visit the alternatives this is a segment that could be skipped.

The two guides at the top of our list are Yelis who presented Ephesus and Nurullah who took us to Pergamum. Yelis was very detailed and did a particularly good job of moving us around the crush of visitors and presenting a cohesive overview of the history. She had to juggle a couple of groups with different itineraries and managed this with good success. If I could have arranged it I would have liked to arrive at the moment it opened and stay until it closed, and I wish there was but one group to minimize the overhead.

Nurulllah Galiskan was our guide to our second most favorite spot in Turkey, Pergamum. What a spectacular venue and he made a terrific effort to show us every detail. He even purchased a multicolor transparency to help use understand. After lunch and an hour in the local museum (our choice) the hand off at the bus station went well.

Again we were met promptly in Canakkale by Ali Ihsan Sidar and taken to the opulent Kolin Hotel. This room was just great and the view was spectacular. I hope you have the opportunity to stay here one day as well. We found the meals had a lot of variety so that was all good. The only down side to this hotel is the high cost of all the amenities like exercise and pool. We chose to just walk instead.

Ok, there is a third guide at the top of our list. Aukut Degre provided a very rich history of the period leading up to WWI through Turkish independence. This was a kind of a clumsy day because we were hustled over to the peninsula early in the morning but we then sat for a couple of hours as we waited for the tour to start. We were given bag lunches but these were not so great and we hand no opportunity to eat once the tour began. I’m surprised that we were not just served before the tour up on the top floor of the facility. Having said that, the tour was just great! It ran to nearly sunset and Aukut was able to really connect with the young Australians and New Zealanders that were in our group. I pressed him on history and politics and he was wonderfully balanced and candid. I learned rather a lot from this gentleman. My only regret is that we emphasized the ANZAC forces and I have a strong interest in the Turkish perspective as well. Another trip!

We found Troy a good half day trip and worth the effort but it was clear that Marlene and I were add-on’s to another group’s trip. I’m afraid that their experience was cut short by the need to pick us up and drop us off. Our guide here, a tall young man who simply used the name John was not particularly enthusiastic, but I can appreciate the routine must be tedious. I’d like to spend more time here.

What I’ve not mentioned was the trip to Nemrut Dagi. Ms. Gulay was absolutely correct; it was the highlight of the trip. Our favorite photo is one of Marlene taking a photo of about a dozen young women as the sun rose. It was a long trip but one of the great memories of our lives. You might explore alternatives to CEM tours for this leg of an itinerary. The guide was not very experienced and there were two restaurants which we visited twice. Did I tell you what a beautiful country you have?

I know that each of your sub-contractors has an obligation to present the tour groups to local artisans and we are glad to acquire some special knowledge. Perhaps one of the disadvantages of independent travel is that it is difficult to manage the number of events so there is some redundancy. Marlene and I visited two ceramic shops, two jewelry shops, two rug fabricators, and a leather goods shop. We managed to beg off on one other similar event in Selcuk thanks to Yelis. Each of these merchants was very hospitable with the exception of the leather goods shop in Istanbul which I found offensive. Much of our group was older than I at age 60+ but they were presented with a fashion show that target twenty-somethings. The music was sufficiently loud that several of the guests covered their ears. When the fashion show was completed several wanted to simply find a way to the sunshine but the merchant attempted to intimidate us by saying it would be rude for us to leave without joining him in tea. While I fully respect the generosity of the Turkish culture I, and others, found this particular venue over-bearing.

The morning we visited Bircik we had a moment to step over to the Euphrates. It occurred to us that it would have been fun to have a brunch picnic adjacent to a nice part of the river…perhaps near Ataturk Dam.

Ms. Gulay. I hope that you continue to visit with each client after their arrival. This conversation was likely more valuable than you realize. Thank you.

Well, I’m about out of gas but I would again like to express my thanks for a very memorable visit. Marlene and I speak highly of the fantastic sights, most of which I’ve not mentioned, and the very pleasant people we met. I can only hope that Cenan receives the same kind of respect here as we received in Turkey…..but I fear not.


Tesekkur ederim.

Marty

Cenan,

It is hard to believe that we have been back from our trip for nearly 2 weeks. I had intended to sit down every day since and send you a note, but had so much to say so it has taken me a bit to gather my thoughts.

First of all we wanted to tell you what a wonderful trip we had. We loved Greece, but Turkey was phenomenal. I had been wanting to go to Turkey for 20 years since I had heard of Efes, but everything about Turkey: the geography, the art, the culture, the history, the seaside, the mountains, the food, and the hospitality of nearly every person we encountered in Turkey surpassed all of my expectations.

Aside from the 2 small matters to which you attended quickly and helpfully from long distance, everything was great. We were impressed with how seamless the arrangements were. We smiled with delight every time we were met at our new destination (even at 2:00 in the morning!) and picked up at our hotel on time for the next thing on our itinerary. We were so pleased with the organization of the trip and the selection of things on the tours. I also went on the balloon ride in Cappadoccia and loved every second of it.

We cannot say enough wonderful things about our tour guides in Yediz in Pamukale and the gentleman (I regret I cannot remember his name) in Istanbul, as well as the driver Ali who was our driver from the time we landed in Marmaris until we left out of Izmere. Yediz and our Istanbul guide were outstanding and really made the history come alive. If there is any way to let them know, we would appreciate it.

The staffs at all of the hotels were gracious and helpful and the location of each hotel was perfect. We were always right in the heart of the place we wanted to be. We particularly loved the the Blue Hills in Istanbul and Giramsu in Cappadoccia . I laughed with utter delight when we opened the door in our cave hotel to find such a beautiful room with traditional Turkish decorations. It was wonderful.

We are looking forward to returning to Turkey and exploring more and we thank you again for everything.

 Regards, Dev & Joseph

Dear Cenan,

We are back and still buzzing with the wonder of Turkey and its people. Thank you for putting together a varied and well-paced tour for me and Richard. The time in Konya was meaningful for both of us and having tickets to the Mevlana Festival at the cultural center was one of the highlights of our trip. Cappadocia and Izmir are so rich with history and natural wonders that we felt dazzled and well informed by the guides who took us through these places.

Please let the staff know again how delighted we are with your group of workers. We shall certainly recommend your help and organization to friends who wish to visit your unique country.

Sincerely, Leclanche & Richard

Rosie, we had a great trip. Turkey has enormous variety and beauty combined with a rich history. The airlines provide something to eat on short flights which doesn't happen in this country. However, the greatest part of a very nice experience was the Turkish people - they were great!

The hotels were top notch. During our first stay at the Seven Hills, the view from our room of the Blue Mosque and Highia-Sophia was stunning. If you had a part in landing us that room, we thank you very much. Hisar Evi is a delight - wonderful location within an interesting little town, and Ismail is a charmer. The Charisma is a fine hotel with a very friendly staff and fine seaside fish restaurant next door. Alp Pasa was a good choice, Cenan. The Antalya area is a lovely part of the world.

The choice of sites visited was good. We appreciated the flexibility of rearranging Day - 8 (Pirenne-Miletus-Dityma) in favor of Sirince and Tire. We also appreciated the chance to see Parmukkale during the long drive from Kusadasi to Antalya. One thing that should be reviewed is doing the Pergamum tour from Kusadasi. It's a killer! Going through Izmir twice in one day is too exhausting and unnerving.

Our guides - Nilgun Kirman, Fatih Cakaci, Harun Yildirim and Ismet Turan were all very well informed and courteous. We were especially impressed with Fatih, who has the soul of a poet, and Ismet who is charming and erudite in a good way. He and I had fun talking about the Roman Empire. One thing guides need to avoid is over use of the cell phone which Nilgun did somewhat and Harun, who is very likable, did in spades. Believe he had some personal issues going on at the time.

The overall coordination was generally good. We did become a bit anxious about receiving our electronic flight tickets before flying on to the Kayseri-Izmir-Antalya part of our tour. Also, in Antalya, Ismet did not learn for sure that he was to be our guide until 8:00 PM (18:00) the night before. Since I was uncertain when we were going to be taken to the Antalya airport, I called Mehmet Yildiz and arranged the pick-up time.

It was a wonderful experience! Thanks to you Cenan for helping us get to Turkey, and thanks to you Rosie for taking good care of us after we arrived. I especially appreciate your help in reaching the Bank of America in New York late on a Friday afternoon after an ATM machine ate my ATM card.

Hopefully this answers most of the questions on your Tour Feedback Form. We would confidentally recommend a Commegene tour to our friends. Thanks to you both for a fine travel experience.

Best Regards, Mary & Dave Shaw

 

Dear Cenan,

We arrived home on Friday night very tired from the long travel day but VERY happy with our trip. On behalf of the Gilleses and my
husband and myself: thank you very very much! With the exception of the misunderstanding on the Santorini tour and
an hour + delay in being met in Athens - everything else went extremely well. All our contacts were very welcoming and available
for information if we needed them, the tours were very good (the last one in Istanbul our guide was not good and sullen, but oh well!), our hotels were great (actually the only one we were disappointed in the room was the one in Rhodes -- my request! Be assured that if I have the opportunity to refer you to anyone who is traveling to Greece or Turkey your name will be given to them.

Sincerely in gratitude.
 

Merhaba and Good Morning Rozi and Kommegene Travel staff!

You have really made our first trip to Turkey a most wonderful and unforgettable experience. We sincerely thank you, your staff, your professional private guides, your regional representatives and all of your hotel staff for this. Travel by plane was excellent, allowing us the time to visit various areas separated by great distance. Tesekkur ederim.

We especially thank the Blue Hills Hotel staff in Istanbul who were most professional, helpful and attentive. This hotel was very comfortable and the location was excellent, as we strolled through the Hippodrome and the gardens of the Blue Mosque on our daily outings.

Your Cappadocia arrangements were perfect. The Hisar Evi Cave Hotel and the excellent staff there certainly added to our enjoyment of this ancient area, together with the high quality tours and personally-guided valley trekking.

Best of luck to you as you continue to develop your excellent travel business. We look forward to meeting you all again, as we consider our three weeks with you, just the first of our visits to Turkey.

Mr. & Mrs. Winfield  - USA 

Dear Turkish Friends, 

We are now back home after two fabulous weeks in Turkey and still full of all the memories of your great country. We cannot thank you guys enough for making our travel arrangements with no hassle! Everything was so organized and tours were definitely great! We have already told everyone what a pleasure you have been to work with and that we would highly recommend MyTurkeyTours Travel. 

Cenan, you have been absolutely very helpful.  We were so glad to have such a professional tour agent like you! Thank you very much for all of your help and recommendations.