CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
Read what our clients have to say about us!

Cynthia H. - South Africa
December 23, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul and Aegean Tour with Gallipoli and Troy

Dear Rina,
I had a fantastic time in Turkey and really want to thank you for all your assistance. I am just sorry that I did not know what to expect. Could have stayed much longer had I known. I will most definitely be back sometime and will do business through your agency again.
To you and all those near and dear to you a Happy, blessed Christmas as well and everything you wish for yourself in the New Year.
Regards Cindy

Sandy and Chris V.C. - Massachusetts, USA
December 19, 2006
Itinerary: The Central Palace Hotel (Istanbul) Booking

Dear Rina,
We had a GREAT time in Istanbul. A short but fun trip. We liked the hotel very much..very centrally located...and the street is very quiet. We met up with our friends sister one day and went over to the Asia side. A great time!!!! We will start doing some planning for May after all the Christmas and New Years holidays...so will be in touch with you later.

Happy New Year to you!!!!!
Sandy and Chris V.C.

Lisa & Michael - California, USA
December 07, 2006
Itinerary: 8 Day Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
We had such a wonderful time in Turkey! We loved all of the sights, it's such a beautiful place and the people are incredible. We especially loved our time in Istanbul and felt so spoiled having a private tour and guide with Suleyman, he's the best! Anyway, we did really love the trip.
Thanks again for all your help.
Lisa & Michael

Sandy and Marshall S. - Texas, USA
November 28, 2006
Itinerary: Private Jewish Heritage Tour

Dear Rina,
Thanks for setting up our day with Linda to guide us through sights of Jewish interest in Istanbul. She was excellent, and we had a wonderful day with her. She had made advanced arrangements for us to visit several places, yet gave us additional choices, like the Spice Market and Grand Bazaar, which we enjoyed. Ironically, we learned while we were with her that she had been the guide of our dear friends, the Cassorlas, when they toured with Insight Travel three years ago. That was an unexpected surprise for us all.

We really appreciate your setting up our private tour, and we'll recommend Insight Travel to others planning trips to Istanbul. Thank you.

Sandy and Marshall S.

Carol & Colin N. - UK
November 25, 2006
Itinerary: Nilya Hotel (Selcuk) Booking

Dear Rina,
Thank you for your enquiry. We found the staff at the Nilya very friendly,
the rooms very atmospheric and comfortable and the location great - its just
a pity we didn't have longer to spend there as we really enjoyed the area.
Thank you for the recommendation.
Regards
Carol & Colin

Dianne L. - California, USA
November 21, 2006
Itinerary: Gallipoli and Troy Tour

Rina, it was a wonderful trip. We definitely enjoyed seeing Gallipoli and the tour guides on both Troy and Gallipoli were excellent and quite knowledgeable.

Thanks for organizing such a wonderful trip, on the days we wanted.

Dianne

John C. - Alberta, CANADA
November 21, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul Package

Hi Rina,
We had a fantastic time in Istanbul. Our two days with Suleyman were wonderful. He was an excellent guide and we learned so much from him. Please pass on our thanks to him. We enjoyed being able to experience the celebration at the end of Ramazan. The Hippodrome was really rocking! We also enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Daphne. The staff was very good to us and the room was great.

Our stay was too short, so we'll have to come back again in the future.

Thanks for everything,
John C.

Mary Ann S. - New York, USA
November 21, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul Package

Hi Rina,
We truly enjoyed Istanbul. There is so much beauty and history there. It was a wonderful experience that I would highly recommend to anyone. All the arrangements you made went perfectly. The hotel was wonderfully located and the hotel staff were very friendly and helpful to us. Having the tours (we learned so much about Turkey) and airport transfers pre-arranged by you also went very well and helped make it easy for us to just concentrate on enjoying our time there. I felt very secure knowing I could phone you if any problems arose.

Our friends and family are enjoying our photos and stories. If I learn of anyone here planning to visit Turkey, I will gladly recommend your services.

Thanks again, and best regards
Mary Ann S.

Suellen K.
November 21, 2006
Itinerary: Bozcaada Hotel Booking

Rina,
We had a wonderful time on Bozcaada thank you. It was very quiet on the island at the time but very relaxing which was the main reason for our stay there. Thanks for your help in organising this accommodation, we'll definitely use Insight Travel again.

Kind regards,
Suellen K.

Carla H. and Peter C. - Idaho, USA
October 25, 2006
Itinerary: Rent a Car, Hotel Bookings in Istanbul, Aegean and Med

"I have been meaning to write you a letter and tell you how much we loved
Turkey and the trip that you planned for us. I have told as many people on
Trip Advisor as possible..." Read detailed comments

Adam C. and Ezra C. - Ontario, Canada
October 18, 2006
Itinerary: Ephesus Tour

Hi Rina,
It's been a week since we've returned from Turkey, and I wanted to let you know that we really enjoyed the trip you arranged for us to Kusadasi and Ephesus. The Korumar Hotel was a great choice. It looks as if it's been recently renovated so everything looks very fresh. Beautiful pool area. The food was decent. The weather during the trip was really good too (not sure if you had anything to do with that). Most important, all of the arrangements you made for pick up and drop off worked well, as you promised (a couple of times they were a little late, but it didn't cause any major delays).

I would certainly recommend your company to anyone traveling to Turkey.

Thanks again,
Adam C.

Maureen and Doug B. - California, USA
October 16, 2006
Itinerary: Sultanahmet Tour and Bosphorus Cruise with Dolmabahce Tour

Hi Rina,
You beat me to it! I was going to e mail you when we got home (this a.m. actually) to tell you how much we enjoyed the tours. Both guides were punctual and helpful. We were fortunate to have very small groups so we got all the attention in the world. We were especially impressed with Bilge.  What a powerhouse! She gave us 150% of her attention, knowledge and assistance. Talk about focused ......she made sure that we got everywhere and imparted a huge amount of knowledge in a short time. She was also willing to be flexible as I wanted to spend more time at Topkapi Palace seeing the Harem section....she adjusted and we were able to do so. You have a gem there. Thank you for your ongoing communication and assistance. We found Istanbul to be hospitable and fascinating. Our best to you. Maureen and Doug B.

Cathy and John L. - California, USA
October 09, 2006
Itinerary: 5-Day Istanbul Package

Hi Rina,
We could not be happier with Insight. Our guide, Erol, was friendly, knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. You are lucky to have him! We enjoyed ourselves so much that we hope to return to Turkey in the future. This time, we'd like to see more of the country and not limit ourselves to Istanbul.
Thanks for all of your help, Rina. We wouldn't hesitate to call on you again and will tell all of our friends the same.

Regards,
Cathy L.

Lenora B. and Catherine W. - Ontario, Canada
October 05, 2006
Itinerary: Highlights of Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
The trip was beyond my expectations. A beautiful country & beautiful people. Nihat & Hakan were exceptional folks & felt like family after a few days. The trip to Antalya was also awesome. Thanks so much for all your organizing. We had the best of the best.

more later
Lenora

Vincent M. and Emma S. - Australia
October 04, 2006
Itinerary: Patara Prince Hotel Booking

Hi Rina,
We enjoyed our holiday and found your service very good. Kalkan is a very nice place and we intend to visit again. Found the Patara Prince to be a relaxing place. Their service wasn’t fantastic but would return back to the Patara Prince.

Best Regards,

Vincent

John and Julie L. - Australia
September 28, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul, Aegean and Cappadocia Tours

Hello Rina,
We had a wonderful tour especially in Turkey where Erol looked after us like best friends. He really is a great tour guide especially for Australians as he has a wonderful sense of humour. He was very professional in all respects. He also found us some wonderful places to eat lunches especially the one near Ephesus and Gallipoli. The hotels were all comfortable and the meals were good and the coaches were great.

Altun Carpets excelled with our carpet which we bought on the last day in Istanbul almost beating us home. I can recommend him to everyone for excellent service.

Regards John

PS. The highlight for most of us was our hot air balloon over Cappadocia. Well worth the special flight out there. Thanks for organising that for us. We twisted a few arms of nervous people to go up and they thanked us for this afterwards.
The belly dancing at the Galata Tower on the last night was also a highlight even through i got teased for having a quiet nap towards the end of the night.

We thoroughly enjoyed the ruins etc and I'm now glad Erol made a special attempt to get us into Troy even though it was late in the afternoon. This actually made it better as we had it to ourselves and despite somewhere reading the that the wooden horse was a bit fake. The history of seeing 9 civilisations at the one site was most spectacular. As farmers we also were most taken back by the silting of the harbour over the centuries.

Sylvia S. and Sue Anne L. - New Jersey, USA
September 26, 2006
Itinerary: Highlights of Turkey Tour

Rina,
The trip was what I hoped it would be, which was a close-to-the-ground experience of Turkey. Hakan was an excellent guide, as I’m sure is no surprise to you. Very knowledgeable and personable. I appreciated being in a very small group very much.

I would not hesitate to recommend Insight Travel to others.

Thanks for making it work so well. Sue Anne, who has never left the states before, had a wonderful expanding time as well.

Sylvia

Dave and Undere D. - South Africa
September 25, 2006
Itinerary: Aegean and Rhodes

Dear Rina,
The trip went excellently and your organization was faultless. The only issue we had was with the odd taxi driver 'getting lost' by mistaking the name of a hotel (in the favor of their meters). Other than this the tours, accommodation and transfers were perfect.

Best Regards
Dave D.

Scott M. - California, USA
September 25, 2006
Itinerary: Private Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus Tours and Self-Drive

Hi Rina,
Barb and I had a great time, loved turkey, especially Istanbul, and wish to thank you for all your support, and guidance.

I hope we'll have a chance to use you again, and will definitely refer anyone to you who is planning a trip to Turkey.

Cheers, and thanks for everything!
Scott

PJ and George W. - Texas, USA
September 19, 2006
Itinerary: Private Istanbul Package

Thank you SO MUCH for making our trip to Istanbul so very fabulous! The Sultanhan hotel was outstanding, our guide, "HOW COME" (Hakan) was so wonderful, our driver as well. The Mazals kept telling me what a fantastic job I did, but although I would have liked to take the credit, I assured them that it was Insight who made this vacation so memorable.
I appreciate what you did for us- Thank you again for everything.
PJ and George

Margot C. - Canada
September 18, 2006
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Rina and Lisa,
Just wanted to extend our thanks for a fabulous trip in your country!

We had an amazing time and were welcomed with open arms. We nearly need a
vacation after all the tours we fit in such a short time!

The Gamirasu cave hotel was spectacular! The staff was so attentive and they
even gave us the honeymoon suite!

Our hotels were all quite nice and better than we had hoped!

Just wanted to thank you for your help and excellent organizational skills!
We did have a great time and will be back. Should anyone ask, we will
recommend your agency for any travel in Turkey.

Thanks again,
Margot

Rob and Bronwyn G. - Canberra, Australia
September 14, 2006
Itinerary: Private Gallipoli & Troy Tour

Hi Rina,
Both Rob and I would like to extend a very warm thank you to yourself, Suleyman and our driver for the tour down to Gallipoli. When we were making our travel arrangements we were almost going to cancel Gallipoli altogether as we didn't have any responses to the many emails we sent out requesting the tailored itinerary and we simply didn't have enough time to do the two full day overnight trip (including Troy) that was on offer by other tour companies. When you came back with the tailored quote, although a lot to spend for two days, as Australians we just couldn't miss the opportunity to make the pilgrimage to this very special place. I have tears in my eyes now just thinking how special it was for us both. The moments when we took our first steps in the same place our ANZACs did so many years ago is a memory that will stay with us forever - I know we will re-live those same emotions each year as we celebrate ANZAC Day back ! in Australia for the rest of our lives. We don't know if we will visit Turkey again as there are so many other places to experience in the world - thankfully your tailored itinerary and your willingness and ability to provide a truly quality service allowed us to see this very special place held in the heart of Australians.

Thank you again for this wonderful experience.

Regards,
Rob and Bronwyn G.

Maisa A. - Dubai
September 10, 2006
Itinerary: Group Istanbul Tours

Dear Rina,
I'd like to thank you very much for all your arrangements to my trip, I enjoyed wondering around Istanbul very much, specially Dolmabahce Palace and Princes Island..

Thank you again and best luck in all your work and life..
Maisa A.

Judy S. - Massachusetts, USA
September 10, 2006
Itinerary: Cappadocia Tours & Hot Air Balloon Flight

Hi Rina,
Everything went great. We loved Turkey. All of our flights were perfect. Now we just have to work off our weight gain from the wonderful meals we had.

Thanks so much for your help and contribution to making our trip as memorable as it was.

All the best,
Judy

Barbara I. & Rob B.
August 28, 2006
Itinerary: Hotel Reservations in Aegean & Mediterranean, Turkey

Hi Rina, Just got back last night and wanted to thank you once again for another terrific trip. It all worked out perfectly. As always, you did a great job. Wanted to let you know that The Villa Daffodil gave us a very quiet room with a sea view which was very pleasant. I also wanted to tell you that the little pension in Birgi (Cinaralti Pension) was so adorable but more importantly, the owner has to be the sweetest, most hospitable person on the planet. Since the town has very limited restaurants for dinner, he offered to cook for us. We did not want to impose upon him so we bought some eggs, tomatoes and bread to cook for ourselves. He offered us vegetables from his garden. Since his garden has a number of tables, local people as well as other guests congregated in the garden in the evening and everyone ended up talking and sharing fruit, etc. There was something very special about the whole experience and he made it very special in his eagerness to treat you like guests in his home.
On a more practical note, it was helpful to have vouchers. Given the language barrier, it just was a quick way to identify us and it seemed to make things easy.
On my travels, I gave your name to some other people. I enjoyed our talk about the East, maybe in 2 years since next year we may go to Greece. I like talking about potential itineraries with you because I find it interesting and helpful. It was our last talk that we came up with this itinerary and it really was a special trip, a good combination of sights. Finally, we loved the Villa Mahal. We loved the hotel, sea was superb as you know and the clientele was friendly. Kas was far prettier than Kalkan as you said so best of luck with your move. Have a good winter, we'll be in touch, and if you can let the nice man in Birgi know how much we appreciated his kindness, I would be most grateful. Enough of my rambling, be well, thanks again, Barbara and Rob

Elaine K. - California, USA
August 22, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul, Cappadocia and Mediterranean with private driver

Hi Rina,
We had a wonderful trip and I would highly recommend your services. I feel you did a great job given the time constrictions.

When I have time I will e-mail hopefully helpful constructive critique, but by and large, everything was wonderful and we do not have any real complaints about anything.

Mustafa rates a perfect 10 (on a scale of 1-10). We were grateful for his help, his even temperament, his eagerness to always be helpful, and his skillful and careful driving. Our guide in Istanbul, Erol, was also wonderful--he was knowledgeable, pleasant, easy to work with, and considerate of our physical shortcomings. Thank you so much for planning this memorable trip for us.
Elaine K.

Charu C. 
August 21, 2006
Itinerary: Edirne Tour

Rina - We really enjoyed the trip to Edirne. Our guide was excellent and quite informed. He accommodated my request to visit the Rustem Pasha Caravanserai even though that was not on the original tour program. Edirne was a great trip that I would recommend. Thanks for all of your help organizing the program. We'll definitely be in touch about using your services if we return to Turkey. Feel free to use my name as a reference. Best, Charu C.

Barbara G. - Massachusetts, USA
August 18, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul Tours

Rina - We had a fantastic trip! Our two days of tour with Suleyman were wonderful... what luck to have only two others with us for the morning of the first day, and only ourselves on the second! Not only was he has a font of knowledge with a great sense of humor, he consistently checked with us to see if there was anything else we would like to see or learn about.

I would love to visit Istanbul again, and also see more of Turkey. In the meantime, if I hear of anyone planning a trip, I will enthusiastically recommend Insight Travel.

Barbara

Chris F. - Doha, Qatar
August 13, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul, Gallipoli and Troy Tour (CODE: CA05)

Hello Rina,
Thank you for your work in organizing our accommodation and tours in Istanbul/Canakkale, we had no problems and were very satisfied with everything. The Orsep Royal Hotel was a great location, walking distance to all the sights in the area and very close to the ferry boat terminals. The Maydos Hotel in Canakkale was very good as well, excellent location right on the water front, very nice to have breakfast outside with the view across the Dardanelles. I must add that the Hotel's staff were very friendly and helpful. Also the people at "Hassle Free" where excellent, both tours where very well run, with interesting guides who knew their subjects very well. I think if we had known how nice it was in Canakkale we would have had more nights down there and less in Istanbul.  All in all an excellent holiday, so thank you again and we will definitely recommend you to our friends.
Regards,
Chris

Margaret R. - Canada
August 08, 2006
Itinerary: Melaike Hotel, Foca

My stay in Foca was WONDERFUL. What a great little "secret". I fully enjoyed the Melaike hotel and service was wonderful. Traveling as a single woman I was very comfortable and safe there.
Thank you for your help.

Margaret R.

Fawn H. - Virginia, USA
August 07, 2006
Itinerary: Ephesus and Istanbul Shore Excursions

Hi Rina,
We had a wonderful time in Turkey. Your guides were great! They were right there waiting for us and were wonderful. We, of course, loved the restaurant in Istanbul.
Erol was especially good. He showed us so many insider things in Istanbul. We really felt special. Bekir was also very good. He really knew Ephesus!
I will be using your company whenever I send people to Turkey either on land tours or by ship. Your tours are such a much better way to go!
Thank you!

Fawn H.
Travel Consultant

Felice M. - Hong Kong
August 05, 2006
Itinerary: Western Turkey Tour

Dear Rina,
It was a wonderful trip to the extent that we might go back next year to visit the Mediterranean side and also Istanbul and Cappadocia.
The hotels in Cappadocia and Ephesus were great. We had a fantastic time at the hotel in Cappadocia not only because of the surroundings but also the people
who ran it and the guests. The arrangements for the tour and the transport were efficient and everyone was professional.

Warm regards,
Felice

Fay H. - New Jersey, USA
August 04, 2006
Itinerary: Gallipoli and Troy Tours

Hi Rina, 
We had a very good visit. The guides for Gallipoli and Troy were both excellent and I would certainly recommend our hotel in Canakkale to others - great location and excellent rooms. The tour representative who traveled on the bus with us to and from Canakkale looked like Colin Farrell and was extremely nice. 
Thank you very much for making the arrangements for the tour. We had a lovely time.
Fay

Allen & Terry P. - California, USA
July 28, 2006
Itinerary: Ephesus and Istanbul Shore Excursions

We had a wonderful time. Our guide was very helpful. As I said it was great. 
I recently gave your name and contact info to two couples who will be to Kusadasi on a cruise this fall. 

Thanks again
Allen & Terry P.

Linda A. - Doha, Qatar
July 27, 2006
Itinerary: Cappadocia and Antalya with private driver

Dearest Rina, we made it home. Thank you for a wonderful trip. we really enjoyed ourselves. The kids moaned and complained about coming because we left a summer program but at the end of the trip they all thanked me for dragging them and said it was so much fun which it was. I especially want to thank you for introducing us to Mustafa we sure enjoyed him. He really went out of his way to make us happy. He had us for lunch and dinner with his family and we really got into the Turkish culture it was great. We have met a life long friend in Mustafa we have all kinds of future plans Inshallah.

I will highly recommend you over and over again you are great at what you do Mashallah! We hope to go again in the future. Thank You, Linda A.

Lynette A. - Prague
July 25, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul, Gallipoli and Troy Tour (CODE: CA05)

Hi Lisa,

I had a great time in Turkey and was very impressed with all the guides on my tours of Gallipoli, Troy and Istanbul. 

Thank you for your help and organization of my trip. I enjoyed it very much.
Regards,
Lynette

Aida K. - Switzerland
July 25, 2006
Itinerary: Aegean, Central and Eastern Turkey Tailored Tours

Dear Rina and Lisa:

Thank you for putting together a fabulous tour of Turkey for me. I am very satisfied with the itinerary arrangement, the bookings of transport and tours, and your impeccable selection of boutique hotels in Ephesus, Ankara, and Cappadocia. 

I had a great time and looking forward to coming back to Turkey. 

Best regards,
Aida

Mary B. - Wisconsin, USA
July 25, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul and Trabzon Package

Rina,
I wanted to write to say thank you for your help with our reservations in Turkey and also to Egypt. The Tash Konak Hotel was wonderful. Staff were always very gracious and helpful. Hotel Omesa in Trabzon was also fine.

We had a wonderful trip and thank you so much for your help. If you ever need a reference, please feel free to give my name and email address.

Sincerely,
Mary Ellen

Mike R.
July 24, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul Tours

Lisa,

All of our tours went fine. They were interesting, organized and fun. Both guides that we had were knowledgeable and experienced.

Thanks for your assistance. Should we make it back to Turkey and need tour assistance, we'll certainly call you.
Thanks,
Mike

The Sisters of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen  
July 21, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul and Aegean Christian Heritage Tour

Dear Rina,

Without a doubt our trip to Turkey was the highlight of our trip. The arrangements were perfect...Erol was the best tour guide any of us have had ever. The driver Nihat was fabulous. Hotel Daphne and the dinner on the roof was spectacular and I can email you a picture of that evening if you wish. The trip to Ephesus was excellent. Anyway, as you can tell the trip was very special to us and you all made it possible. I have referred your agency to quite a few people and you should be hearing from them shortly. I have been asked a couple of times if the Turks are as upset at the Pope's remarks as some of the militant groups around the world. I said I doubted it but if you could let me know if there is any tension that would be helpful.

Please tell Lisa that we said hello and thanks for everything. If any of you are ever in the Northwest USA please come by and visit us so that we may return your gracious hospitality.

Please feel free to use us as a reference and I would be happy to talk to any potential travelers but I would only want to be contacted through you. Again, thanks for everything and God bless you,
Sister Marie Janae

Sister Marie and the singing nuns gave this kind note to our driver Nihat during 
their brief Christian heritage tour in Turkey.

Pauline C. - South Africa
July 17, 2006
Itinerary: Mediterranean Hotel Bookings 

Hi Lisa, 
Thank you so much for the bookings of the Hotels. Great Hotels - Mine at the Blue Pearl was the nicest person - so helpful and kind - great place and Oludeniz was beautiful - The Maki in Kas is unreal - what a view -Istanbul is a wonderful city. 
Thanks for helping to make our holiday wonderful - will recommend you and Turkey to our friends in South Africa.
Regards Pauline C.

Robert C.
July 01, 2006
Itinerary: Private Istanbul Tours 

Dear Rina,
We had a wonderful time in Istanbul. Mr. Aslan was an outstanding tour guide. Everything about the tours exceeded all expectations. We were extremely happy with all aspects of the services. Thank you again so much for this terrific experience!

Sincerely,
Robert C.

Vickie O. - Texas, USA
June 28, 2006

Itinerary: Bosphorus Cruise with Dolmabahce (CODE:AB01)

I would like to say that I am so glad that I happened to read about you on the web because the staff (and service I received) was so nice and helpful. The tour was really nice and I enjoyed it so much. If I may say so (without stepping on any toes), if all Turkish businesses operated as well as yours, the economy would skyrocket !!! 
Thanks again for all your assistance. I don't know what I would have done stuck down in Side (without being able to walk). I will certainly blog travel sites about your services. 
I will look forward to hearing from you and tell all hello from Texas !

Have a great day,
Vickie 

Maria D. 
June 27, 2006

Our trip was wonderful--we enjoyed Istanbul and the people were all so nice. Bodrum was fantastic and we love the Su Hotel--it was lovely and for the price cannot be beat. We will surely return to Turkey soon. 

Maria

Anita L. -  Singapore
June 24, 2006
Itinerary: Tailored Tour featuring Istanbul, Safranbolu, Cappadocia,   Antalya, Aegean and Bursa

"...we had a fantastic time. And we hope to come back to visit those parts we haven't seen. And yes, I WILL recommend Insight Travel." Read detailed comments

Ann I. -  Istanbul
June 21, 2006
Itinerary: Assos Hotel

We loved our time there, and can't wait for the next opportunity to get out 
and explore Turkey! Thanks again for your help.
Cheers, 
Ann

Pamela H. - Hawaii, USA
June 14, 2006
Itinerary: Mysteries of Eastern Turkey Tour + Hattusas + Safranbolu

"... We both feel the trip was a truly wonderful event and don't want to lose track of what are still at this point very clear memories..." Read detailed comments

Linda R. -  New Jersey, USA
June 13, 2006
Itinerary: Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina, 
Just a quick note to let you know we thoroughly enjoyed the itinerary of Western Turkey which you helped us plan. Everything worked out great including our spur of the moment car rental. ( which gave us more flexibility). Thanks again for all your help & it was a pleasure meeting you ( I miss Turkey already and we've been home only a week).

Best Regards,
Linda R.

Susan S. -  Ohio, USA
May 26, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul Tours

Dear Rina, 
We just fell in love with Istanbul. Since I've been home, I've dreamed about it every night. And I'm already planning (in my head) my next trip - through Rina at Insight Travel of course! The day we spent with Murat very knowledgeable - we learned so very much from him and walked the city which we really enjoyed. 
I want to thank you for all your help during our short trip to Istanbul. You helped make it unforgettable. When I'm ready to come back, you will be the first person I contact. Thank You again - Susan S.

David & Ellen F. -  Pennsylvania, USA
May 24, 2006
Itinerary: Northeastern Turkey Tour

Rina, here is a belated "Thank you" to you and Kunt Mehmet Kuntasal, our guide to NE Turkey three weeks ago.

Ellen and I were fully satisfied with your plan and its fulfillment by Mehmet. We saw remarkable churches, mosques, monasteries, tea plantations, waterfalls, and the fabulous newly-opened Karaca Cave. (We arrived so punctually at the latter that we had to track down the custodian!)

The accommodations were as promised, as were the meals; we enjoyed many unfamiliar regional specialties.

The Kingdom of Trabzon (Comnene dynasty) is well worth the travel -- the refuge of Byzantine leaders after the sacking of Constantinople by the Crusaders. The 10th-Century Georgian churches were fascinating, especially for their scale and pre-Cyrillic inscriptions on walls at Ishan and other sites.

Again, many thanks for an unforgettable experience.

Pauline W. -  California, USA
May 24, 2006
Itinerary: Mysteries of Eastern Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
I had a wonderful trip; the accommodations en route and in Istanbul were very good. I loved seeing Ararat the bald ibis, the "Garden of Eden" and every single ruin, fresco, cave and mosque and I don't think we passed anything older than yesterday that Suleyman was not able to discuss.

There was a congenial atmosphere in the bus attributed in no small part to Nihat's and Suleyman's easygoing way. I had a lovely time and have passed your brochure on to some friends. 

Take care, Pauline

Cindy M. -  Doha, Qatar
May 24, 2006
Itinerary: Western Turkey Tour

Rina,
I cannot thank you enough for arranging such a wonderful trip for us. We could not have asked for a more enjoyable trip. The flowers were gorgeous, the food was great, and of course we all loved Dundar! I know many of us are planning on returning next year; hopefully around the same time.(Dundar had mentioned planning a trip for us, and several of us were interested in that). I know I will be back with my family. I will definitely be getting in touch with you to make our arrangements. 

Thank you so much for everything,

Cindy

John C. -  Lagos, Portugal
May 22, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul Tours

Dear Rina,
I am writing to thank you again for your help in arranging my tours. I found all of them to be very good. In particular the guide's talk at the Suleymaniye Mosque on 10 May, and the one by another guide on 13 May on the Bosphorus cruise were excellent.

However, the highlight of the week and of my trip was the private tour with Selahattin Erman on 11 May to see some of the mosques designed by Sinan. To say that Mr. Erman is a walking encyclopedia on the subject is probably just to repeat something you already are aware of. The extent of his knowledge on the subject was astounding, and his enthusiasm and love of these places made this tour absolutely wonderful. His tour was the highlight of my visit, and even if I had had only this one day, my trip would still have been well worth it. His
tour exceeded all my expectations.

I certainly want to be able to return to Istanbul in the near future, and I hope that Mr. Erman would again be available for a private tour.

I feel I should also compliment the driver, whose name I do not remember. What a difficult job he has!

Thank you again, and please give my sincere regards to Mr. Erman.

Sincerely,
John C.

David and Susan C. -  Victoria, BC, Canada 
May 13, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul Tours

Hi Rina, we enjoyed our tours very much and will recommend your company to others. Murat was a great guide very friendly and professional and he certainly new the area. We also especially enjoyed meeting Suleyman and appreciated his vast knowledge and easy going approach.

If you plan on visiting Victoria, please look us up and we would be happy to show you our city.

David and Susan C.
          

Merrily C. - Doha, Qatar  
May 07, 2006
Itinerary: Western Turkey Tour

Rina,
You and Dundar did such a wonderful job! We all really enjoyed ourselves. Poor Dundar having to put up with all of us and some of the high maintenance ones too. Linda and I had such a wonderful time and I know it got to the point Dundar wanted to club us but thank him again for putting up with our antics! We are like small children when we get away from our husbands and children...okay, we are like that with each other even with our families. I guess I never knew how wonderful Turkey was and it was all thanks to you guys! Kudos and all the best in the future for you and yours!! I know I will be one of the ones coming back.

Sending much adoration,
Merrily C.

Jennifer F. - London, UK 
May 04, 2006
Itinerary: Independent Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina, 
We had a fantastic time, we were constantly titillated by ever changing scenery, people and things to do. The fresh food available everywhere was a pleasure, the people were always helpful and only occasionally too much so and the shopping never disappointed. If we ever make it back to Turkey we will certainly travel by coach as it was so easy. 

Thank you for your excellent itinerary, even though we were getting our own way around a lot you gave us very clear instructions which made it easy to move as much as we did. My 3 highlights were picnicking in the Grand Theatre in Efes, Ballooning at sunrise over Cappadocia and staying in Kadir's Treehouse from where we went to see the Chimera at night. That said, every day offered something memorable. 

Thanks for all your help and spot-on advice - I will definitely recommend you to anyone who asks about Turkey travel.

Regards,
Jennifer

Bea T. -  Nevada, USA
May 3, 2006
Itinerary: Ephesus and Istanbul Shore Excursions

"... All three of us are ready to head back to Turkey and experience more. Volkan Oltu... is a wonderful Ephesus guide. Marilyn and Kay were smiling all the way through that visit... Our day with you, Suleyman, was "the icing on the cake"!... We especially appreciated your openness in talking with us about almost everything we could think of concerning archeology, history, culture and religion in Turkey..." Read detailed comments

Joanne S. - Maryland, USA
May 03, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya Accommodation and Tours

Rina,
Everything went very well. We highly recommend the Daphne Hotel. The accommodations were lovely, our hosts incredibly nice. Lunch on the roof top restaurant was quite special. The Sacred House Hotel is perfectly named. Please encourage your travelers to stay there. It is a very, veryyyyyyyyyyyy special place. The owner and staff could not be nicer. We fell in love with the setting and the people. The tours were great - particularly those in Cappadocia. We avoided tours in Istanbul and saw myriad sites. The shopping was outstanding.

Many, many thanks for all you did to make the trip so special. We will most certainly return to the country that is now in the top five of our travel destinations.

Joanne

Anna H. - Australia
May 02, 2006
Itinerary: Istanbul and Aegean Tour

Dear Lisa,
I'm home now, after a wonderful trip in Turkey - thanks to you.
Everything went perfectly, down to the pick up at the cross road to go to
Ephesus. What a wonder - I could have spent a whole day there, or more.

All the hotels were fine and the Aya Sofia pension hotel in Istanbul was
outstanding. I looked of my window straight on to Aya Sofia.

Will definitely be in touch if I am coming back to Turkey and will be
recommending Turkey as a great destination for all my traveling friends.

Thanks again.
Anna

Linda J. - Oregon, USA
May 01, 2006
Itinerary: Western Turkey Tour

Rina,
I thought I would follow up since we returned last night from our adventure! 
Thank you for your promptness in answering questions, making suggestions, etc. Your website and email proficiency were the reasons we booked the tour with Insight.

We thoroughly enjoyed the walking tour with Suleyman in Istanbul, and of course he was professional and a very well-informed guide. We also were very impressed by Mehmet who picked us up and guided us for a day. (He took us to some small but fascinating places which weren't on the big tour schedules and gave us some insight into current Turkish life, religion and government.)

We all loved Turkey. It is such a fascinating place for so many reasons and we all felt that the Turkish people were so friendly and helpful. We had two wonderful lunches at Turquoise Cafe near your office and a couple of us had a wonderful Turkish bath at the place Suleyman recommended. Istanbul is such a great city and quite a contrast to Athens, which besides the ruins and Olympic sites, hasn't got much charm.

Regards, Linda 

Cheryl B. -  Cairo, Egypt
April 27, 2006

Hello Rina,
Our trip to Istanbul was LOVELY, and the tours were wonderful. Our guide was knowledgeable, personable, and had a good sense of humor. 
Nice staff at the Tash Konak - enjoyed being in Sultanahmet, and having breakfast each morning on the rooftop terrace. The highlight for me was the 3 million tulips all blooming in Istanbul...what a great surprise. I will definitely contact you again for my next trip to Turkey. I look forward to exploring areas other than Istanbul.

Cheryl

Richard S. -  California, USA
April 16, 2006
Itinerary: Western Turkey Tour

Greetings:
We had a great time. I would definitely recommend the overnight train from Istanbul to Ankara for all your clients. It's a great experience. 

Our guide, Daria, fluent in Spanish and English, was outstanding. She is a wheeler-dealer on the first order. She got us front row seats at the Whirling Dervishes and also at the folk dance.

Cappadocia was great and the total eclipse of the sun, with people coming from all over the world to see it, was spectacular.

We really enjoyed the caravanserais, used by merchants traveling the Silk Road. I liked to joke that they were places where Marco Polo had slept, though that is dubious at best.

All of the other places along the way were outstanding. Aphrodesias, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Kusadasi, all have incredible Roman ruins, far surpassing everything in Italy that I had seen with the exception of the Coliseum. People interested in Roman ruins would be better served going to Turkey.

All in all a great trip. It far exceeded our expectations.

Richard S.

Barry and Louise D. -  Pennsylvania, USA
April 11, 2006
Itinerary: Western Turkey Tour

Dear Rina,
We enjoyed our tour of the city with Suleyman (Please thank Nihat for his services also).
Yes, we had a wonderful time in your fantastic country! I recommend our
guide, Cagla. She was multilingual, very informative, full of
stories and details, and certainly kept us amused and on a schedule (over
3000 km! in one week) 

I took about 700 pictures (!)...and have not taken the time to cull them.. Have attached two for you to see. The first Suleyman will remember me taking and the second was from the top of the Arcadia Hotel, which we highly recommend.

We had a great time and have encouraged many to take the trip. Thank you
for your help.

Barry and Louise D.

David and Ann C. -  Marmaris
April 07, 2006
Itinerary: Hera Hotel and Eclipse Tour

Dear Lisa,
Many thanks for your help in booking us in to the Hera at Kas, we enjoyed watching the eclipse, we drove to Olympos and climbed to the top of the Citadel a great viewing platform. Kas was as pleasant as ever and Hera is a comfortable hotel with friendly helpful staff.