Rikki B. - Tennessee, USA
May 15, 2007
Itinerary: Tailored Western Anatolia Tour with Blue Cruise

The trip was amazing. There were some tense moments just because we weren't sure how things 'worked" in Turkey. I'll give you a rundown of the best and the not so great...

The hotel is Cappadoccia was absolutely fantastic in every way. What a great place! What a cool location! What a terrific staff! and the food was top notch -- nothing like a five course meal with live music. We can't say enough positive about that place. Everything in Cappadocia ran like clockwork, too. Our escort was at the airport. Our guide was terrific. We didn't think too much of Ihlara Valley -- it was a long walk and not special. Everything else was amazing in Cappadoccia.

We were very nervous about our bus trip to Demre, especially the transition to the smaller bus. In retrospect, this is funny. Making the transfer was no problem. However, we didn't understand the fact that these little buses pick up folks all along, so when he started driving very, very slow, and honking his horn at everyone; and then pulled over and stopped and talked with a bunch of other drivers, we were concerned. Needlessly, of course; we just didn't know the drill.

We loved Selcuk and Ephesus. The staff at the hotel was very nice and the air conditioning worked. There as a huge street market while we were there which was a great bonus.

In retrospect, I think it would have been better to stay in Aydin one night before going to Selcuk in order to go to Aphrodisias (which we loved) and Hieropolis (which was brutal). That would eliminate the long car ride from Selcuk. Our guide for the private tour said that you used to be able to take a bus through Hieropolis but now you had to walk the whole way. And it was a long and brutal walk in the heat.

We were starting to drag at this point and the very late arrival at the IIion Hotel didn't help. After Hieropolis, I was dreading the Troy tour, but we had the most delightful guide of all and it was very enjoyable.

We were very impressed with the bus service in Turkey. The buses were all so clean as were their stopping places for breaks. Plus, the bus stewards! There's nothing like that in America. Except for the rough roads, it was better than flying.

Keep in mind that I am just telling you everything straight up. We loved our trip. It was quite a leap of faith for me to put it all in someone else's hands; especially with so many little bits and pieces to arrange. So many things could have gone wrong, and nothing did (unless you count that late pick up in Demre). I'm only giving you the little complaints so you know. The Turkish people were so nice. We had many wonderful interactions and no bad ones. The country was beautiful. The ruins impressive. We loved it.

I would recommend your services to anyone thinking about going to Turkey.

Thanks for everything.

Rikki