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

Vera B. - Brazil
Dec. 02, 2011
Itinerary: Private Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Dear Rina,
I am back to Brazil and I would like you to know that everything was great.
The tour guides and drivers were excellent as well as hotels , etc
I strongly recommend your agency to future travelers.
Turkey is a beautiful country, with very nice and helpful people. The food is the best in the world!
Thank you to organize this great trip!
Vera

Jerry & Jane S. - Canada
Nov. 20, 2011
Itinerary: Highlights of Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
We enjoyed Turkey and have so many memories and pictures to sort through when we get home. Our tour guide and bus driver were both excellent.
Our days were long with much to see, Turkey has much history.
Thank you for being so helpful with all of our reservations.
Jerry & Jane Stacey

Rebecca C.
Nov. 14, 2011
Itinerary: 10-Day Classic Western Turkey Tour

Hello Rina,
Nice to hear from you. The tour was fantastic, I really enjoyed it! Chala was great, informative and fun! The driver was also very helpful and his driving was very careful.

That's all. I hope that I will have to visit Turkey another time and I will definitely recommend your services to my family and friends.

Regards
Rebecca

Frances R. - Australia
Nov. 13, 2011
Itinerary: Grand Tour of Western Turkey

Dear Rina,
The tour was terrific and as a person who has never taken a tour before, always preferring independent travel, it was the perfect introduction. It was great to be in such a small group and not on a big tour bus. Kemal was a wonderful guide- so full of knowledge and a really funny guy. He really looked out for us. As for Ali (or is it Dursan?), he was the safest driver I could have wished for and a really delightful person, whose lack of English didn't prevent him communicating. I also have only good things to say of the drivers in Istanbul, especially the one on the day I was leaving, who managed to get through the
barricades for the Istanbul Marathon and pick me up then get me to the airport on time despite having to do a large detour.

I absolutely loved the Gamirasu Cave Hotel. It is probably the most gorgeous place I have ever stayed and I would happily have paid quite a bit more to stay another night so I could have really enjoyed it. It would have been nice to have a farewell dinner and take a flight the next day to Istanbul.

Other places I really loved were the Assos Kervanseray Hotel and the Hotel Nilya in Selcuk. The Orient Express in Istanbul was very nice with lovely staff and a fabulous roof restaurant.

I can't believe how much I saw and did on this trip. I would never have managed anywhere near as much if I had been travelling independently. It was truly comprehensive and I'm so glad that I got to do the Grand Tour rather than one of the shorter ones. Thanks for all your patience in dealing with me to ensure I got the trip I really wanted. It was really nice to meet you in Kas. Insight is a such a nice, personal company and I will be recommending it to anyone heading to Turkey
regards
Frances.
 

Henry T. -  Australia
Nov. 10, 2011
Itinerary: Private Tailored Seven Churches Tour

Dear Rina,
Thanks for all of your help with organising our tour. Your attention to detail in the planning stages was exceptional, and you were able to answer all questions very efficiently! Furthermore, when we were travelling, you were available even in odd hours of the day to answer our questions! Mum mentioned that you are the best tour agent she has come across, which is really saying something as she has booked many tours with many companies over the years!

As for the tour itself, everything ran seamlessly, and we were all very happy with the tour guides, transport and services. We got to everywhere we wanted to and had enough time to enjoy the sights. All of our tour guides were friendly and very informative.

We loved Cappadocia, and really enjoyed the historical sights at Ephesus and the Midros Valley. Although it was plenty of driving to visit all the places we wanted, the driver and guide made extra sure we were looked after!

Thanks once again and we’d definitely recommend your services to others who are travelling in Turkey - the best way to see the best of the country!

Regards,
Henry, Kiri and YY.

Chris K. - CA, USA
Nov. 04, 2011
Itinerary: Cappadocia Tour

Rina,
I was finally able to meet up with our client Carolyn Hill. All of the arrangements you made were well received and completely met her expectations.

Thank you so much for making these arrangements for us.

Sincerely,
Chris

Cathy C. - Australia
Oct. 31, 2011
Itinerary: Highlights of Turkey Tour

Dear Rina
have finally arrived home and just wanted to email you to tell you how impressed I was with the tour and with Arif and Necdet. It was an interesting, professionally run and informative tour. I found Arif to be an excellent tour guide and a fount of knowledge! I had not been too enthusiastic about going to Gallipoli but Arif made it come alive and I ended up being very moved by what we saw. Necdet was just a gorgeous human being and his quiet charm and warmth was delightful.

I loved Turkey and had lots of good times thanks to Arif and Necdet and your great organisational skills
best wishes
cathy
 

Oct. 24, 2011
Itinerary: Highlights of Turkey Tour

Dear Rina,
When we were planning our holiday trip we carefully listed the places that we wished to visit, how long we had to spend in doing so and we did background reading to be somewhat informed before we arrived to do our touring.
The itinerary that you provided seemed very attractive and we anticipated a great time. The chance to have a balloon trip was an added treat, and the few days for personal exploration of Istanbul appealed to all of us.
What we did not anticipate was the character of our guide and driver. Kemal’s credentials were sent to us but there was no mention of his friendly manner, his sense of humour and his daily efforts to ensure that we were well accommodated. We were all delighted to have him guide us and we are very grateful to Insight for assigning him to our tour. We could not communicate with Ali very much in words but his smile spoke plenty. We were very impressed with his skill in negotiating switchback turns on mountainous roads and winding narrow streets in little towns. We were able to enjoy the scenery knowing that our safety was assured. Again we are very grateful that he was part of our entourage.
All of us wish to thank you for arranging a great tour. We shall keep many happy memories of our visits to the many interesting parts of your pleasant country.

Ardith & Gerry D.
Mary Ann & Lynn L.
Martha & John P.
Carol & John S.
 

Denise C.
Oct. 21, 2011
Itinerary: Private Istanbul Tour

Hi Rina,
We really enjoyed our day with Mustafa. He has a great depth of knowledge and is a lot of fun. He really knew how to avoid the crowds, too. All in all, it was a great day for us.

Thanks again for your help.

Best wishes,
Denise

Leslie H. - VA, USA
Oct. 20, 2011
Itinerary: Highlights of Turkey Tour

Hi Rina, The trip was fantastic. In fact, Lucy and I have even talked about going back to spend a few days in Istanbul as we didn't see enough of what is there. Thanks for assigning us such a wonderful guide as well although I don't think he understood that some of us have a need to shop. He was so knowledgeable and kept us all comfortable and on schedule. The itinerary was great but we did see that it would really take more time to do Turkey justice.

Best wishes
Leslie
 

Bruce and Jane M. - LA, USA
Oct. 18, 2011
Itinerary: Highlights of Turkey Tour

Rina:

Here are Jane and my comments to our trip.

First, the guide - Arif - was excellent. He has a vast working knowledge of history and explains it in an interesting manner. He has a very good and dry wit as well. Moreover, when we found we had extra time on the last day in Cappadocia, he found places for us to go. Improvisation was Arif's very strong point and we all really appreciated his helpfulness.

Second, the bus was comfortable for 10. Even last row wasn't bad although for a trip of 5 hours at a time, the end seats which have no place for the outside foot to rest other than on a wheel covering can be more difficult.

Third, it was good to have the rest stops although it would also be nice to have fewer hours in the bus on the two long days. I don't know how to do that given the territory that we covered other than to drive faster!

Fourth, and this comment is from my wife, specific shopping recommendations would be appreciated. To set us loose in the grand bazaar for an hour gives the sense of bewilderment. Granted, Arif is not a shopper but again my wife would like to have had shopping recommendations. Visits to carpet and jewelry factories are fine, and if you recommend purchase there, then let us know before we consider buying rugs at the beginning of the trip. We did not purchase a carpet, although Jane may very well order one.

On the whole, and given the chance, I'd go back to Istanbul and Turkey in a heartbeat. We really enjoyed our trip.

Bruce and Jane M.


Highlights of Turkey Tour at St. Sophia
 

Rosie E. - New Zealand
Oct. 18, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina
We thoroughly enjoyed the trip and thanks for your patience and all the last minute organising. It all went smoothly and there were lots of highlights. Any disappointments we had fall on our shoulders because we were so late in committing to the trip.

We are back in New Zealand now but will definitely recommend your services. We certainly hope we have a further opportunity to enjoy your beautiful country in the future.

Kindest regards
 

Lucy S. - VA, USA
Oct. 16, 2011
Itinerary: Highlights of Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the Turkey tour. Everything was so well planned and went smoothly and most of all interesting and fascinating. I appreciate that. Arif was a great guide. He was so knowledgeable and his love of Turkey certainly showed.
Again thanks for everything. I will recommend Turkey and your company to all I know!
Lucy S.

Ann W. - Australia
Oct. 13, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hello Rina
I loved Turkey! I’ve been encouraging all my family, friends and work colleagues to put this destination at the top of their list of places to visit.

Istanbul was very interesting. Loved the food – and quickly developed a liking for apple tea.
The Daphne hotel was very comfortable and spotlessly clean, and the chap on the reception desk was very helpful. I left my luggage with him on my last day and went for a tram ride to Taksim Square. I gave him my iPad to lock away. When I came back to the hotel at the end of the day, he had cellotaped a large sign to my suitcase that said “Don’t forget your iPad”. How’s that for customer service!

Cappadocia.
What an amazing place!
The Assiana Hotel was lovely, spacious and clean, and the room was beautiful. I just loved having breakfast on the balcony. I had the best coffee of my whole Turkey trip here. And the Rose jam was to die for. Cappadocia Tours were absolutely fantastic. I was with a small group of 3 for the two days I was there and we travelled in a spotlessly new luxury small people mover. Our guide – Zeynep – spoke English perfectly. Understanding every word of what she said allowed us to ask many questions – to which she knew the answers. A very knowledgeable and likeable young lady.
Zeynep took us to local restaurants on both days and ordered some absolutely delicious local food from the menu. It was to all intents and purposes a luxury private tour. The three Canadians I met on this tour were wonderful and we got on like a house on fire. We now correspond by email.
Highlight for me was the balloon flight over Cappadocia.

Thank you Rina for organising the tour. I have many wonderful memories – and perhaps one day I shall persuade my husband to visit Turkey. I’d love to go again.

Cheers
Ann

Laurie & Andrew L. - Canada
Oct. 12, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
We are back after 30 hours in transit - a long trip home! We had a wonderful time in Turkey, and can't say enough good things about our travel there: the people most certainly - warm and friendly. And the amazingly diverse countryside. And the food! We already miss the Turkish breakfast.

The Assiana was perfect. We loved the room. The guide there was also excellent, and the sunrise balloon trip was the icing on the cake. Just amazing.

Sorry we missed meeting you in Kas. We had a very relaxing time there, and got in lots of swimming, walking, and sunshine after a lot of road travel seeing the country.

Thanks again for your assistance in making our trip a memorable one.

Warm regards,
Laurie & Andrew
 

Bron and Izabela S. - Australia
Oct. 11, 2011
Itinerary: Highlights of Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
We are back in Australia. The holiday in Turkey was great. Thanks for good organization. Arif is a very good and knowledgeable guide, please say Hi to him from us. We were very happy with the whole trip and will recommend your office to all our friends. We may also come again to see the eastern part of Turkey, and if we do I will contact you again.
Thanks
Bron and Izabela S.
 

Irfan C. - NJ, USA
Oct. 05, 2011
Itinerary: Private Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
You are welcome for the recommendation; you did an excellent job planning my trip and had a wonderful time, so I will def recommend you to anyone I know that will be coming to Turkey. I expect a lot of people to come eventually after how much I raved about the trip to my family and friends. Though I do understand why the price was high being a private tour. I wanted to give you some feedback on the tour and maybe you can forward it to the respective agencies so the owners are aware of how excellent their guides are

1) Mustafa in Istanbul- Best guide of our tour. Very professional, and the most knowledgeable of all of them. He was very keen and was able to pick up what we wanted to do, where we wanted to spend more time, and he tailored everything to our liking and what we wanted. We never felt rushed with him. He was not lazy at all, he spent extra time even though some days got late he had no problems taking us around to places we wanted to go to. On the last day, he went out of his way to drop us off at the grand bazaar and show us the gates we needed to go to and taught us the tramway system and how to get back to our place. When i saw him at night in the hotel lobby, he spent time discussing things with us in regards to where we can go to eat and whatever other questions we had. Definitely the best guide we have ever had! Please pass on our regards.

2) Melaika and driver in Cappadocia. Such wonderful people. Melaika treated us like friends. After she found out that my wife is pregnant she took such care of her like a friend. She would always recommend foods to eat, and her and the driver would be concerned for her well being wherever we went. She got small gifts as a token for my wife and our expected baby. We even took her contact info to stay in touch. She was also very knowledgeable. She also tailored our tour according to our preference. Did not feel rushed with her either. I can't say enough about the driver. What a nice man. He took us to his house on the second day for lunch and his wife prepared an elaborate fresh lunch from their garden. Amazing hospitality, wonderful family. He constantly observed our preferences and would jump on it right away (when we were hot in the car he noticed without us saying anything and adjusted temp; would constantly ask if we were thirsty etc; its these little things that go a long way). The lunch at their house was one of the highlights of their trip as we truly got to meet a Turkish family and see their way of life. His wife so so kind; she gave my wife a gift and also a gift for our expected baby. We enjoyed Cappadocia even more because of the tour guide, the driver, and his family.

3) Farook was excellent. He was very knowledgeable, answered all our questions; gave us plenty of time wherever we wanted, very punctual. When I spoke to him about the private transfer he called the tour company right away and tried to sort it out. Farook also showed much concern for my pregnant wife; he would stop and buy fresh fruits for my wife because it was healthy for the baby. He didn't act like a tour guide in that we felt very comfortable with him because he spoke to us like a friend rather than a tour guide. He was also very funny.

All in all, the tours you arranged for us were excellent. All the guides/drivers were always so punctual and wonderful. I can't speak enough about them all. We loved our trip to Turkey. We travel all over, and this was def our best trip, and like I said the trip was so much more enhanced because of the tour services.

Thank you for a wonderful trip.

I hope my best friend’s trip works out with you. I spoke to him at length about our trip, and he wants to make his trip pretty identical to mine and basically wants the same services you provided me, and he wants to take care of hotels and likely the airport transfers that I took care of.

Regards,
 

John A. - London, UK
Oct. 05, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Rina,
Our trip to Turkey went off perfectly and we were delighted with every aspect. The change suggested by Eser at the end of the cruise was a good idea. By the way, the drive from the coast to Antalya was very scenic and an unexpected bonus part of our itinerary. Our guide in Istanbul Mustafa was excellent. He helped us find good restaurants and even invited us to meet his friend the Imam of the Mustafa Pasha mosque. That was another unexpected highlight.

It was a pleasure meeting you and we will certainly recommend Insight Travel to our friends.

John
 

Randall Y.  - Singapore
Sept. 28, 2011
Itinerary: Istanbul Package

Dear Rina,
The trip to Istanbul was wonderful. My friends and I really enjoyed ourselves. The guides for our day tours were wonderful too.

I'll be sure to recommend your company to any friend I know going to Turkey.

Regards,
Randall Y.
 

Sonia M. - MI, USA
Sept. 27, 2011
Itinerary: Istanbul Package

Rina -- We loved the tour, the hotel and the entire city of Istanbul. It was a great vacation.

Erol, the tour guide, was very thorough -- yet not boring. He gave us just enough detail. Also, the lunch was very good.

The Hotel Amira was definitely my favorite part. It was clean and the service was exceptional.

Thanks so much for your help and we hope to all be back again one day!
 

Edward G. - NC, USA
Sept. 27, 2011
Itinerary: Private Istanbul Tours

Hi Rina, I think that you and I must be on the same wavelength or something. One of the things that was on my To-Do List for today was to email you and thank you for making our stay in Istanbul so very wonderful. Both Mustapha and Erol were just unbelievable Guides, thoroughly professional, pleasant, and welcoming. Both of them were just tops as far as we were concerned, we could not have asked for better. When we come back to Istanbul again, I want to tour with both of them again.

Mike and Judy got home fine. He thinks that the whole episode resulted from him taking one of his medications incorrectly, so that this was essentially a medication reaction. I have talked to him by phone as well as email since we got home and he says that he's fine. I want you to know that both Phil, who is also a Doctor, and I are very grateful to Mustapha for all of his efforts and the way he handled the situation with Mike. Short of building a wheelchair himself (which he would have done if he had had a chair and some wheels) I don't know what else he could have done. Mike could not have continued the tour; at the same time, he did not need to go to the hospital and start all of that stuff either. The situation was handled in the best possible way and the end result was as good as it could have been. Please thank Mustapha again for all of us.

Finally, a Very Big Thank You goes to you. You were just perfect to deal with the whole time: quick responses, everything stayed on track, and I always knew that if I had a question or a problem, that you were going to be right there and that you would have the right solution to any problem. I will be writing a review on Trip Advisor about your agency; let me just say that you won't have to worry about my recommendations. The next time we come to Istanbul, I want you back also, and if you ever come to Charlotte, dinner will be my pleasure.

Again, thank you and your Staff so very much for everything. Gail and I are looking forward to touring with Insight again.

Best Regards,
Edward G.

Doris R. - Dominican Republic
Sept. 19, 2011
Itinerary: Ephesus Cruise Excursion

Hi Rina, I’ve got home today.
Salomon (as we named him) is a great tour guide, very friendly, great sense of humor and gave us answer for everything we asked, his explanations were very easy to understand and for real he made our tour memorable. I’ll highly recommend he and your company… thank you so much
Doris
 

Janet M. - Australia
Sept. 07, 2011
Itinerary: Private Western Turkey Tour

Dear Rina
Yes, thank you Rina, the tour was great! Mete was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable, polite and an excellent driver. We learnt so much about Turkey, both formally and informally as we were driving around.

We thought the Tatlises was a bit tired and also just a bit too large to feel comfortable in. Although, one thing we did like was having a swim at the end of a long day! The two hotels that we changed in the itinerary (Sirkeci Konak and the Yunak Evleri) were really beautiful. I would recommend both of them to anybody who wanted something special. The "surprise" hotel of the trip was the last one in Cannakale, I can't remember it's name, was terrific - great location and a really "old fashioned" hotel in a nice way. I thought the food on the trip was also really good - good quality and authentic Turkish cuisine, my diet started the day after we left!

We are currently in Florence Italy. It is such a contrast - amazingly crowded with queues a mile long for all the attractions. Although there were plenty of people around in Turkey it didn't seem to interfere with anything we wanted to do. We are in the apartment now, having a siesta before venturing back into the crowded streets.

Thanks again Rina. We have given your name to a friend planning to come to Turkey next year and if anyone else asks me I will certainly pass your name on.

A great trip!
Regards
Janet

Mary Ellen H. - NY, USA
Sept. 06, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi, Rina:
We had an absolutely amazing vacation – Turkey is so diverse and simply magical on so many levels. Logistically, everything went like clockwork – you couldn’t have planned a better itinerary or schedule for us. We had just the right amount of free time to explore on our own.

Now – here are a few great finds. Errol introduced us to a blacksmith in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul who made us custom, silver jewelry at a fraction of the cost at stores/booths. We also located a tailor (Terzi) in Selcuk who could turn around the manufacturing of pillow cases and dresses in a day. The weekend bazaar (I forget if it was Sat or Sunday) in Selcuk is a do not miss! The Ramadan (Ramazan) festivals are also must see events – especially the one by the Blue Mosque in Istanbul; also loved the Galata Tower and dining under the bridge at sunset.

One additional thought – we almost did not bring sneakers thinking that sandals would do – you should let your guests know that sneakers are a must!

Overall – we loved the location of our hotels; if the Akay had wireless in the rooms and softer sheets they could be upgraded to a 4 star plus! The Orka was hopping – and perfectly situated. The cave hotel was a bit off of the beaten path but a nice retreat with free shuttle service into town.

Both my daughter and I travel a lot to less developed countries and we agreed that Istanbul is our favorite foreign city and that Turkey has all of the charm of Greece 30 years ago – and much more history than we expected! Fabulous!

Thanks for your time and thought in planning the trip for us. On a side note, everyone from the drivers, to hotel owners, to guides has the most respect for you – so kudos for hosting such a well run and respected business! Without hesitation I would refer others to you and hope to be in touch with you again for future trips…

Best,
Mary Ellen

Leni W. - USA
Aug. 26, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Tour Itinerary

We had a Great Trip. thanks to your arrangements, and the wonderful ( for us) location of the hotels you chose, and your support and availability. It was an added bonus to get a chance to say hello in person.

Everything worked out smoothly, and we even got to have an adventure in a Turkish ER!
Makes for a great story. I will be glad to recommend you to friends who want to have their own Turkish adventure.

Leni
 

Francois H. - France
Aug. 23, 2011
Itinerary: Hotel bookings

Dear Rina, We are now back in France.

I take the opportunity to thank you for the organisation of our Trip. We all did enjoy the trip and the hotel were different and particular.

Our best souvenir will of course be Hotel Bella in Selcuk that We really recommend. Others have swimming pools which was also a great pleasure mainly for our children.

So we really thank you for your choice and for the organisation. I will recommend you to our friends whenever they go to Turkey.

Best regards
Francois
 

Melanie S. - USA
Aug. 15, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
Everything went very well, we appreciate all your help. If we were to do it again, we would probably spring for a flight to replace one of our overnight buses since the schedule got to be very grueling. Of course, that was a personal choice and had nothing to do with your plans!

We had an incredible time overall and really feel like we got to see and do as much as humanly possible over the course of our ten days. Thanks again for all you did to help make it such a memorable trip!!

Best,
Melanie
 

Susan M. - OH, USA
Aug. 11, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Tour Itinerary

We had a wonderful time...and were all singing your praises! All transfers and hotels accommodation's were handled smoothly and were just what we were hoping for. I think Kas was a great place to spend our last days in Turkey...you truly live in a lovely part of the world. The proprietors there and at the Historia were extremely welcoming and informative.

Erol in Istanbul was outstanding. He was able to communicate well in English and kept us on our toes for the entire day.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.
We will refer any friends your way who may be interested in visiting Turkey....but promise to weed out the real stinkers.
Sincerely, Susan
 

Bill D. - USA
Aug. 10, 2011
Itinerary: Highlights of Turkey Tour

Hello Rina!
I thought the tour was excellent. If I had complete reins to change anything, I would wish for an easier journey to Cappadocia. I didn’t think the stop in Konya provided all that much.
Arif was a rock star. Very informative, insightful and always willing to answer questions. I was also impressed by our driver. I have no idea how he navigated the narrow streets without a scratch. You have a good team.
Bill

Janine P. - UAE
Aug. 04, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Good morning Rina,
Sorry for only responding now. I actually wanted to phone you from the airport at Istanbul to thank you, but then I got distracted.

WE LOVED TURKEY!!!!!! WOW WOW WOW, what an amazing beautiful country!!

We are very impressed with Insight Tours and have already recommended Insight Tours to our friends and family.

We are definitely looking at returning to Turkey in the future! Wow, what an amazing country!

Thank you again for your excellent service!!! You were a star!!!!

Kind regards,
Janine

Rosamin O. - GA, USA
Aug. 01, 2011
Itinerary: Private tailored tour

Hi Rina,
Thanks so much for a very well organized vacation. Everyone was so helpful every step of the way. We are definitely going to recommend Insight Travel to whoever wants to travel to Turkey.
Regards,
Rosemin

Katy G. - USA
July 27, 2011
Itinerary: Erboy Hotel Booking

Hi Rina,
Thanks for checking! Everything was fine. We really loved Istanbul, and Hotel Erboy was great. The staff were very helpful, the food was good and the location was perfect.

Thanks again for all your help.

Katy G.
 

Monica B. - South Africa
July 27, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hello Rina,
Greetings from South Africa and thanks for organising a lovely tour for us!!! There were days that the program was very hectic, (Those days we arrived close on midnight at hotels) Luckily we had some extra days at places.

I can't even say which part was the best. I enjoyed them all and the variety. I was most amazed and personally challenged by the consideration and caring of the Turkish people. Travelling with 3 generations in one group does pose problems, it is as if the people just sense it and respond without any requests from our side!!! Wow!!!

Yes I would encourage friends to travel Turkey and make use of Insight Tours!!!! Would love to go again, but will probably end up somewhere else. There is still so much of the world to see!

Thanks for your organisational skills, all our pick ups went well or with little minor glitches only.

Regards
Monika

Alex C. - Australia
July 27, 2011
Itinerary: 10-Day Classic Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina
We’re now back in Australia after our holiday in Turkey. Many thanks for organising our stages with Insight, it all walked perfectly. We were able to use the showers in the sauna area at Mina on the day we left for Ankara and this was much appreciated. It’s a nice hotel with very helpful and friendly staff.
Kind regards
Alex

Matt R. - New Zealand
July 25, 2011
Itinerary: Perge and Aspendos Tours

Dear Rina
Many thanks for helping us out at the last minute with today's tour to Perge, Aspendos, and Side.

It was great!

Excellent guide and a very good internationally-diverse small group of co-travellers.

Also thanks again for your help and advice re my initial enquiries a couple of months ago.

Regards & best wishes
Matt

Sulabha P. - India
July 21, 2011
Itinerary: Self-Drive

Dear Rina,
We had a wonderful trip. Everything went off very well. We have fallen in love with your country and are planning to return in a couple of years. I have already suggested your Agency to a couple of friends, so don't be surprised if you receive an increased volume of enquiries from India.

The hotels more than met our expectations. I had originally expressed some reservations about Nilya hotel to you, but you were right. With the new management, it turned out to be perhaps the best place. The new owners were very helpful and gave us excellent service.

I have a couple of suggestions for you, if you don't mind. I thought it might help to make an already great service even better :)

1. It would be useful to give details of the meals being served on the airlines. It is easier to plan for the travellers. We got excellent meals on Turkish airlines, but the Sun Express did not serve any food. If we had known that, I would have packed some fruits for our breakfast. It is not a big deal, just makes life more convenient :)

2. It would be good to have the information regarding OGS/KGS cards so we know what to expect in terms of toll on the highways. Once again, not a big deal, just makes life a tad easy.

But for these very minor issues, it was a well organized, excellent trip.

Thank you very much for all your help.

With luck, I might ask for your help at some point in the future!

Sulabha
 

Frank C. - New Zealand
July 21, 2011
Itinerary: Grand Tour of Western Turkey

Good evening Rina

We would like to provide you some feedback on our Insight tour of Turkey.
Overall we had a very good time. The weather was perfect and we had very good travelling companions.

Tour Guide - Kemal
• Very passionate about his country and its history.
• Friendly, helpful and considerate.
• Tried to vary meals as much as possible.
• Tried to accommodate our group's requirements.
• Appeared to have a very impressive knowledge of Turkey's history and archaeology.
Driver - Ali
• Very good driver
• Friendly, courteous and helpful.
Transport
The VW was a very good small coach
• Appreciated having a 14 seater for 8 travellers and guide.
• Comfortable, quiet and ideal for our trip
Content
• Overall we thought the content of the tour was very good.
• Frank compared to content with a tour of Turkey he did with Insight Vacations. Your tour was far more comprehensive and Kemal took us to places which the large tour companies just do not cover. This was most appreciated.
• We very much enjoyed the smaller places - Assos, Selcurk, Kas Dalyan and Antalya.
 

Atishi P. - India
July 15, 2011
Itinerary: Private Western Turkey Tour

Dear Rina,
We had a wonderful trip -- Turkiye is a great country, that has so much to offer. I loved that our tour had history, culture, nature, outdoor activities, etc etc -- a little bit of everything, for everyone. It was a very well planned itinerary.

My special thanks to Captain Zafer and his family for the lovely gulet cruise -- we were fortunate to get the gulet to ourselves, as also to get a family-run one. And of course thanks to Mehmet -- a guide who was informative as well as entertaining, and who adapted very nicely seeing the interests of the group, especially the kids.

And of course the whole trip went of very smoothly, with all the details having been worked out very nicely by you despite all our changes. All our transfers and bookings were like clockwork.

I'm not sure when we would visit Turkey again, though many of us would love to, especially my kids! But I do know that many of my friends and colleagues are very enthused after hearing about my holiday. So you can be expecting more emails from India for next summer!

With warm regards,
atishi
 

Monica S. - OH, USA
July 13, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
EVERYTHING worked out perfectly. I'm going to write positive reviews on Trip Advisor because that's how I found you. I'm sorry i was so nervous - maybe traveling by myself while 5.5 months pregnant (and tired and emotional) wasn't the best idea. But everyone at every hotel and tour agency really made it a point to take care of me.
Thank you.
-Monica

Amal N. - UAE
July 7, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

...we enjoyed and met a lot of kind people during our trip. I’m thankful to god then to you for giving me the chance to see the beauty and mystery places in Turkey. Read detailed comments
 

Aditi K. - Singapore
July 4, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
We returned yesterday from our Tour of Istanbul and Turkey. It is a beautiful country! We wanted to say "Thank You" for organising for us. It was very well arranged..the guides, drivers, hotels, all turned out to be pleasant. All was done as promised and punctually. We particularly enjoyed the Nilya. And the Kolin was also very comfortable. We would not hesitate to recommend your tour to our friends!

Best Regards,
Aditi

Glenn J. - Australia
June 29, 2011
Itinerary: Private 3 day Gallipoli Tour

Dear Rina,
The tour was everything and more than we had hoped for. Kemal was excellent and he and my father got along very well together as did Kemal and us. The Gallipoli Houses was a fantastic place to stay and I believe Kemal when he said it was by far the best place to stay in the whole area.

We are very pleased that the whole organisation went without a hitch. The hotel in Istanbul was in an excellent location, the staff were great as were all of the Turks we met in the hotel and on the streets. I believe the whole experience has changed my father's opinion of Turkey and its people completely. He had a wonderful time and can't stop talking about it. The Gallipoli experience moved him deeply.

For all of these reasons we want to thank you profoundly. For a small little tour like ours you put in a great deal of work and I am we are very grateful for your efforts and very pleased with the result.

Thank you again,
Glenn and Corry.
 

Phillipa and Richard H. - New Zealand
June 27, 2011
Itinerary: Highlights of Turkey Tour

Hello Rina,
We had a most remarkable time and tour in Turkey. The tour surpassed every expectation and was faultless :-)
Our guide Arif Yasa taught us so much history, culture and art. We could not have asked for a better guide, Arif is outstanding; so knowledgeable and amiable. We all thought so highly of him.
Also Nejdet the driver, was a confident, skillful driver and very friendly.
The food was always wonderful and two hotels were outstanding - the Nilya in Selcuk and The Gamirasu in Ayvali - (we were all like excited little children when we arrived there!!)
We absolutely loved the balloon trip too.
Thank you so much for organising and providing such an awe inspiring tour of Turkey, we loved every moment of it.
We will certainly be recommending this to our family and friends.
Many thanks again to you also Arif - you are amazing :-)

Best Regards
Phillipa and Richard

Robert S. - CT, USA
June 24, 2011
Itinerary: Highlights of Turkey Tour

Hi Rina
Just want to tell you about our trip. It was really great, and much more than we had expected. Arif was absolutely great. He knew everything and we were very well taken care of. All connections worked well and most of the hotels were good. Loved the Cave hotel, very beautiful and well designed. All the people could not do enough to satisfy our needs and responded immediately. The food was Turkish, very different from US but good. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and plenty of variety. I met a woman and her son at The Cave Hotel at dinner, she was from UAR and she was traveling with her 12 year old son and she had booked her trip with you. Lovely woman and very bright boy. Made me very aware of other people from unusual distant lands. But she probably said the same thing about me. The Turkish people are very warm, helpful and very welcoming. The people at the first hotel were especially great. The ruins were incredible as were the Mosques and museums. Did a lot of walking and climbing which at the time took a lot of effort, but was very rewarding.
Loved the trip, thanks
Bobby
 

Jay and Joyce L. - TX, USA
June 22, 2011
Itinerary: Grand Tour of Western Turkey

Hi Rina,
I apologize for taking so long to let you know how fabulous our tour was. It has been busy since we got back.

First of all you were wonderful to work with while planning the trip and our tour was fabulous. Every time I had a question I would shoot off an email to you and within hours had the answer back. Throughout the whole trip all of the logistics worked perfectly. This started with the first day when we missed our change of planes in New York due to bad weather, and had to get on a flight many hours later than planned. All I had to do was send you a quick email from Kennedy airport and there was no problem with getting picked up on arrival to Istanbul for the transfer to our hotel. You had the driver in Istanbul waiting for us right there at the airport at our new arrival time without missing a beat. Thank you for that!

The level of service remained well above all my expectations throughout the entire trip. The van we traveled in was large and comfortable. The driver was excellent and extremely safe, no matter how steep or precarious the roads. Every one of the boutique hotels we stayed at was comfortable and pleasant. Often, such as the "cave hotel" in Cappadocia or the one overlooking the Mediterranean in Kas, they were simply breathtaking. We would have never been able to arrange them on our own, at least not without an incredible amount of both work and luck. The food was great and the little restaurants our guide took us to were perfect. There were only one or two extremely minor glitches of the type you always expect when traveling in the entire tour. Neither of these was Insight's problem and both were fixed quickly and responsibly by the hotels. The managers and staff at the hotels were very courteous and responsive. Your patient, methodical attention to every single little detail in the planning and travel phases of our tour all paid off, and are so much appreciated.

Of course I must complement and thank Arif, our guide. He was the most perfect guide we could have wished to have the pleasure of touring Turkey with. He clearly loves and knows his country. The breadth and depth of his knowledge in ancient and modern history ranges from before Alexander the Great and the Greeks and Romans through the Ottoman Empire to modern Turkey, the middle East and Europe. And in addition he has obviously studied and is fluent in architecture, archeology, mythology, literature, and the Muslim and Christian religions. It was wonderful how he explained everything we saw and did from multiple perspectives. There was literally not a single question that we asked that he could not answer in as much detail as we wanted. And though I am sure I peppered him with questions he was patient and always enjoyed answering them. With each answer I was glad I asked the question I did, because it made so much of a difference in understanding the history that was unfolding before us as we traveled and visited all the wonderful sites you had arranged. Any one with an interest in the culture and history of Turkey will be very lucky if they can be guided by Arif.

Finally to anyone traveling in Turkey, I would say do not miss the balloon ride in Cappadocia! Thank you for including it. It was beautiful and we will remember the joy that it brought us for a lifetime.

To sum up, my wife and I have been on lots of other tours by other companies over the years, all organized by highly rated travel companies that have very slick brochures, good reputations, and are much more widely known than Insight. So, I admit that I was a bit reluctant when I started planning the trip with such a small company in Turkey. But after returning from our Turkey Tour, I do not hesitate one bit to say that your service is far more than a cut above all of the rest. It was wonderful to meet you for dinner in Kas and have the opportunity to tell you that in person. Please feel free to use us as a reference any time.
Jay and Joyce L.

Connie K. - Australia
June 21, 2011
Itinerary: Cappadocia Tour and Hotel Package

Dear Rina
the 3 of us had a most wonderful time! All arrangements were efficient and
correct; our driver Mehment must be the best driver in Turkey! and that
was very important to me especially as I get very anxious with reckless
drivers - he was superb.
Our guide Irsen was also wonderful - he was pleasant, sensitive and very
knowledgeable
the hotel was special - all in all a most memorable experience and I will
recommend it to my family & friends
Connie
 

Ginger W. - GA, USA
June 21, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Dear Rina,
Thank you so much! The trip was great and all went smoothly. It seemed that when people knew we were with Insight Travel, we got extra special treatment. Sezin and Mustafa were the BEST! They both always had ready smiles and went out of their way to give us that extra memorable time. Going to Mustafa's house for lunch was a real treat. Our Turkish night was wonderful, memorable and fun. Everyone there obviously knew and liked Mustafa. Sezin was knowledgeable, fun and professional. Hasan also really knew his history and we enjoyed talking with him about all kinds of topics. Mehmet was okay and did his job but we felt like it was a job for him rather than a joy like it was for the other guides.

Thank you for helping us to have such an extraordinary time in Turkey! The hospitality, friendliness, and general sense of humor of all we met leaves us with a warm place in our hearts for Turkey (Anatollia). I will certainly recommend you to anyone I know who is going to Turkey.

Ginger

Rona B. - Australia
June 21, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina
Everything you organised was amazing and perfect. We love Turkey so much and the people and our tour guides, they are so informative, polite and hospitable. The hotels were lovely also. You live in a wonderful country which seems to have everything just right compared to other countries and so much history. We will definitely be back.

Will email you again soon.

Thank you so much.

Regards
Rona

Alice W. -UK
June 20, 2011
Itinerary: 10-Day Classic Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
I have just returned from holidays and wanted to say thank you for organising such a great tour around Turkey.

In particular, I wanted to say that our tour guide (Cagla Cegil) for the journey from Ankara was fantastic and his passion and knowledge about Cappodocia in particular made that the most memorable experience of our trip.

It was a great experience and I would recommend the tour for others who wanted to see the highlights of Turkey in a small amount of time.

Thanks,
Alice

Diane W. - NC, USA
June 16, 2011
Itinerary: Daphne Hotel and Flight Booking

Rina,
Your arrangements worked out well. The flights and hotel were good. We enjoyed walking everywhere from the Daphne, and the staff were very nice.
We had a wonderful trip. Thank you for your help. I would not hesitate to contact you again for future travel to Turkey.
Diane

Suki P. - LA, USA
June 16, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Dear Rina!!!!!!!!!! Merhaba!

Everything was perfect! I want to go back to Turkey! I am going to actively promote your agency to my circle of friends here in New Orleans.
Everything worked like clockwork, right from the first airport pick-up when we saw faithful Fehmi standing there with the sign. We explored the Grand Bazaar on day one and saw the Whirling Dervishes in the Hodjapaca Center. All the remaining conducted tours were good. I was especially impressed with the tour guide in Cappadocia, his name is Fatih and he was excellent! The whole experience in Cappadocia was outstanding! The balloon tour, the visit to the Goreme Open air museum, Soganli valley with a simple but tasteful farmer's lunch, the Kaymakli underground city, it was just fantastic. We dined at Somine's and at Ziggy's, both are excellent restaurants. The hotel staff at Esbelli Evi gave us a ride on both nights and the restaurant staff dropped us back in their personal vehicles! I loved the people in Turkey! Back in Istanbul, the staff at Emine Sultan were very good, warm, friendly, helpful. We also met the owner. My favorite monument was the Rustem Pasa mosque! The tiles are exquisite! We also visited Topkapi Palace, the Galata tower, the Yerebatan cistern, and of course the other things on our itinerary. The Turkish night at Sultana's was a lot of fun! My best meal was at Haci Abdullah Restaurant on Istiklal Avenue near Taksim. A passerby overheard us talking, and told us about the place, took us there, and introduced us to the waiters. What a meal! I am still drooling at the memory of it!
Everything was on time, Fehmi went beyond the call of duty on our last airport drop-off. We forgot a walking cane in the car, Fehmi drove back to the airport and managed to find us while we were checking in to return it to us. I was really impressed with all the arrangements.

All in all, a great trip and one that I was sad to see end. I will be back and will bring more friends next time. Thank you for all your help in the initial planning stages, and for the flawless execution of every detail of the trip. It was a real pleasure to be able to get a customized tour and to work with you. I wish I could have met you while we were there.
Thanks again! Tayshaykurederim!
Suki

Rebecca J. - TX, USA
June 15, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Rina,
We had a fantastic time and this has been our best trip yet. We have fallen in love with Turkey and hope to come back again. We were very happy with the itinerary and the hotels we stayed at. One of the things we loved most about Turkey was that it was a perfect blend of culture, history, sun, and sand.

Thanks again for all you and your staff did to make this possible. Hopefully we'll be in touch in the future to help plan a trip to see Cappadocia.

Take Care!
Paul and Rebecca J.

TB Lim - Singapore
June 15, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
I had a fantastic time in Turkey! Thanks for planning all these for me, it has been a wonderful experience.

On hindsight, I should have devoted more time to Cappadocia. The various towns/cities along the Aegean Coast are almost the same after a while.

I am certainly looking forward to my next trip to Turkey.

Cheers!
TB

Julia H. - CA, USA
June 14, 2011
Itinerary: Grand Tour of Western Turkey

Dear Rina, well, Karen beat me to it! I was about to write The Most Glowing Report Ever, and then she forwarded to me the one she had already sent you! I agree with everything she said. It was the most wonderful experience in every way. So, I will just add a little more from my personal perspective.

I am someone for whom the taking part in interesting and rewarding work/trips/explorations/activism with people that I am in tune with is the most enjoyable part of living - and this Turkish holiday was so much that. The organization of the whole thing was so smooth, faultless really, that we, our little group of eight, were free to just enjoy and relish every little adventure without having any worries about where to go or how to do it.. Each busy day was so full of fascinating things to learn see and do that I woke up each morning with a big sense of joy and anticipation; it is of course too much to take in - everything from 3,000 B.C. to the future! - but it was a great start to try and understand that wonderful country. I am very taken by it and its people; it is so beautiful apart from anything else. We, Karen and I, were lucky of course: to find such simpatico people in the van with us, we bonded like anything and the sharing of our experiences and the fun and laughter were great; and then, the best bit of all was having Kemal as our guide. He was just the guide for us. He was so informed and informative, patient, tolerant of our vagaries, and just so much fun also. I particularly liked his witty way of imparting knowledge, always adding "his 10% from his imagination" about the myths and legends. Again, we were lucky to have such a good fit; Please give him an affectionate message from me when you next see him, and say that I hope his lovely little twins are blooming. I will write to him separately to thank him.

The food was terrific, the hotels that were chosen almost all lovely, Of course there were a couple of little snags, but none were because of your arrangements. One for me was my luggage not arriving with me in Istanbul; I had fears of having to wear the same clothes for two weeks! And here too, the hotel people at the desk (particularly a man called "John") were so helpful and tolerant with my fussing and bothering them about that. The hotel was perfect for us. I would recommend it because of its perfect location. I doubt that I will return to Turkey, much as I would like to. I have a daughter in New York with my grandchildren, and my far-flung brothers in Scotland and a need to go back to Britain now and then. But it was truly a marvelous and memorable time and I thank you so much for everything. So many of my friends are asking me about it, and of course I will be your informal "travel agent in California"! A tiny suggestion: one thing that is difficult for we Foreigners to know how to manage is TIPS - how much and to whom/what. We do not want to be either stingy or crass.........Enough. Very Best wishes. Julia

Russell and Simone M. - England
June 14, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Dear Rina
Thank you for all you effort and your patience with all our niggling questions. Thoroughly enjoyed Kemal's company as well - he answered questions on a far wider range of subjects than merely the sights we saw in Istanbul, so if you would pass our thanks on to him I would be grateful.

Russell and Simone

Joanna S. - Canada
June 13, 2011
Itinerary: Private Istanbul Tours

Hi Rina,
Everything was great. The guide made very at ease and it was a pleasure to explore the city in her company.
Thank you for the memories,
Joanna
 

Karen G. - OR, USA
June 01, 2011
Itinerary:  Grand Tour of Western Turkey

Dear Rina,
The trip was fabulous and your service was wonderful. It was great to meet you along the way! Our tour guide, Kemal, was very knowledgeable, patient, helpful with all problems, humorous, and fun to be with. Our driver, Ali, was absolutely top notch: I've never felt so safe. I am a bit acrophobic, and I never even thought about it when we were driving around coastal or mountain curves with steep cliffs to one side. And the roads in Turkey are so excellent!

We certainly lucked out with the 6 other people who shared our van--they were great: intelligent, fun, delightful. For me, it was a bonus that they were Australian and Scottish, and not "fellow" Americans.

The hotels and restaurants along the way were almost all really special--it showed a lot of thought had been put into the arrangements, and we would never have been able to find all those places on our own. A highlight was the lunch with the family at their farm, but there were so many delightful restaurants along streams or in the mountains! It made the trip full of pleasant little surprises at every lunch time. The little hotels were great--especially in Assos, Pamukkale, and our "cave room" in Yusuf Yigitoglu Hotel was spectacular. There was one large hotel, I think it was in Kusadasi, (Marina Hotel?), that was a bit too full of large buses of tourists and food that looked good but didn't have much taste, but the room was nice, with a balcony over the harbor. The hotel in Konya was also large, though it had great food and big rooms, but the center of Konya isn't particularly attractive. In general, there were so many wonderful accommodations, we got quite spoiled!

Our hotel for the extra eight days in Istanbul (Erboy) was right in the center of the old town and in perfect walking and tram distance to almost everything. It was modern and clean and well run, and the concierge was extremely helpful. (He walked over with me to the pharmacy and talked to the pharmacist about getting an appropriate medication for my back problems.) The rooftop restaurant was excellent and affordable, with a nice view. It would have been nice to have a more atmospheric hotel with a "room with a view," but, for the price, the Erboy was excellent. I'm glad we took the two-week tour, first, and then, at the end, took our 8 days alone in Istanbul, because we were feeling more at home in Turkey and more confident of our own ability to find our way around.

If I had any one critique, it would be that the pace of the tour was a bit pushed on some days. The first day of our tour crammed too much in: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hippodrome, and another mosque (Sokullu Pasa)It was interesting, in itself, but that is just too much in one day. Days when we could slow down, for instance, the boat trip at Dalyan, or the optional day cruise to Kekova (a really great choice and very reasonable, cost-wise), gave us a chance to relax and really experience the environment. Pergamon was spectacular, on its hilltop, with a dazzling array of wildflowers after an unusually wet spring. I compare that to Ephesus, which was a zoo: packed with thousands of tourists. Of course Ephesus was well worth seeing, but the experience wasn't magical, the way Pergamon was, because of the relative density of tourists. We had Pergamon more to ourselves.

Finally, I'd like to emphasize, again, how helpful Kemal was. The zipper on my suitcase broke, and he negotiated with a street vendor for me, so I didn't have to pay an exhorbitant tourist's price for a replacement. He was responsive to everyone's needs, and with eight different personalities, that takes some tact.

Rina, please feel free to use any portion of this e-mail in your "remarks from clients" section, and don't feel you have to use every last word! Julia and I had a wonderful time, and would highly recommend your services to anyone who asks!

Best wishes,
Karen G.

Gary D. - CA, USA
June 06, 2011
Itinerary: Istanbul package

Rina, it was a perfect trip. We enjoyed living in the heart of town and experiencing the flavor of the people.
Thank you,
Gary D.

Wayne and Julie - Australia
June 06, 2011
Itinerary:  Grand Tour of Western Turkey

Hi Rina
We arrived home late Friday afternoon after a wonderful trip. It was so nice to meet you and put a face to the many emails between us. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and found our companions a diverse and compatible group. Kemal and Ali are both thoroughly professional. We felt quite at ease with Ali's driving skills and still wonder how he manages to stay so calm in Istanbul traffic. Kemal's knowledge of both the history and culture of his country is amazing. He was willing to discuss any topics that were brought up by the group and managed to get us to most sites before the crowds arrived. Even the weather was great. Our only suggestion would be perhaps cutting down on the time spent at lunch (or leaving earlier in the mornings) to enable the group to get to their accommodation a little earlier to relax a while before dinner. Most of the meals were fine but we did have trouble finding a variety of vegetarian main course food rather than just being offered more of the starter.

As for the hotels, we particularly enjoyed the hotels at Assos, Antalya and the cave hotel. All fabulous accommodation. The staff at the hotel in Dalyan were unhelpful - you might want to look at changing this hotel. The room at the hotel in Kas was fine but there was no lift past the 2nd floor which made it difficult with luggage and for the older people in the group. Both the hotels we chose in Istanbul were excellent and very centrally located.

The itinerary was very full and enabled us to see so much of western Turkey but has now left us with an appetite for more so hopefully we will be able to do the Eastern Turkey tour in 2013.

Please keep us on your mailing list and we look forward to booking again with you. We have attached a group photo, unfortunately minus Ali, taken at the pottery factory near the end of our trip.

Kind regards
Wayne and Julie


 

Guido L. - Berlin
June 06, 2011
Itinerary: Turkish night at Galata Tower

Delicious food, lot of drinking, spectacular view and wonderful atmosphere. All of my friends were delighted - I wasn't blamed for booking.
Thank you very much tessekür ederim
Guido

Rita S. - MT, USA
June 06, 2011
Itinerary:  Grand Tour of Western Turkey

My Insight Travel Tour of Western Turkey was my first experience with a formal tour group and traveling with people I didn't know. Since I was traveling with such a small group and without a friend of my own I was concerned about how I would get along with my fellow travelers. By the time the trip was over we were all friends. Our guide was brilliant. He really knew his history and there wasn't a question he couldn't answer. His English was flawless. The driver was friendly and helpful and always right where you needed him to be when you needed him. Arif was patient and took care to see that all of us could do the things that were important to us. He let us shop when we wanted and arranged the extra things we wanted to do and made sure they happened for us. The little boutique hotels were clean and interesting with each one being an experience in itself. You made such careful, well researched choices, and everything went off like clockwork. I know from speaking to other travelers that that is not the norm when traveling with many of the travel agencies in Turkey.
Thanks for making my first experience a good one. I will definitely send my friends to you when they are ready for their Turkey adventure.
Rita

Jennifer & Dan H. - CA, USA
June 03, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
Turkey was AMAZING, and we are so glad we went with Insight for our tour organizer. Our Cappadocia tour guide, Fatih K., was especially wonderful, but all the guides were great throughout the tour. Everything was so well organized and we felt very comfortable and taken care of wherever we went. We definitely will return to Turkey in the near future, and we thank you and your company for showing us what a great country it is.

Best wishes,
Jennifer & Dan H.

Glenda W. - Australia
June 02, 2011
Itinerary: Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi
We had a great time and everything was so well organized and fantastic hotels guides and no problems. Mehmet, Erol and Murat were all great guides.

Thanks for all your help.... I will recommend you to all. Please make sure the guides get the feedback about how much we appreciated their knowledge and help getting round a fantastic country. I think all of us plan to come back sometime soon
Cheers Glenda

Vickie O. - USA
June 02, 2011
Itinerary: Konya and Cappadocia Tour

Dear Rina,
The itinerary that you put together for me this year was fantastic. As in the previous 5 years of your helping me with my travel in Turkey, I always know everything is taken care of, and in good order. The accommodations in Konya and Cappadocia were excellent. The scheduled stops were well planned and I was so thrilled with the awesome historical sites. Thanks to your staff for a pleasurable trip, and give everyone my best regards.
Until next year,
Vickie O.
 

Mark M. - Canada
June 01, 2011
Itinerary:  Grand Tour of Western Turkey

Dear Rina,
It was nice to hear from you.

As far as comments on the tour – overall it exceeded my expectations. Arif was an exceptional guide, he told us a great amount of historical information and answered every question thoughtfully and with good humor. Our driver was very efficient and friendly although he had limited English. The small tour group was good since we all got along very well. If there had been friction it might have been a problem. The meals were great, Arif was very helpful in suggesting what to order and explaining what the various dishes contained. The highlight of this was our meal with the farm family on May 22. One exception was the meal we had in the Mediterra Art Hotel in Antalya as it was not up to the usual standard.

One suggestion – I would have liked two days initially in Istanbul since one day only allowed us to see a few major sites, leaving many more unseen. Perhaps one or more of the following days could be altered to allow this change. All the hotels were good with a good mix of higher and lower class. I think most of us enjoyed the smaller more unusual hotels over the 5 star type ones, although they were a nice change. The Gamirasu Hotel in Cappadocia was terrific and a great surprise ending to the trip. I’m also glad I took the balloon ride in Cappadocia as it was a highlight as well.

I would be happy to give your tour a very good recommendation if you ever need one for a prospective client.

Best regards,
Mark

May & Norman B. - UK
May 31, 2011
Itinerary:  Grand Tour of Western Turkey

Dear Rina
Just a note to say how much we enjoyed our Grand Tour of Turkey. The organisation was impeccable. Of the 70 countries we have now visited we enjoyed this as much as any. We are only disappointed that you only do trips in Turkey.

It was a real pleasure to meet you in Kas and have that warm feeling of meeting a friend.

Kindest regards
May & Norman

Wai Fun. - Malaysia
May 27, 2011
Itinerary:  Self-Drive and Hotel Bookings

Dear Rina,
We had a good time in Turkey and enjoyed the trip very much.

Generally the hotels are fine. Please find my comments below:

1. Pamukkale Hotel- Room was ok, but food was not very good. Spa at hotel was a plus point. We had breakfast and dinner there.

2. Cappadocia - Local Cave House - Hospitality was really good and we did get our late check out for one room. We felt very at home at the hotel and the location is convenient too.

Thanks and best regards,
Wai Fun
 

David P. - OR, USA
May 26, 2011
Itinerary:  Kekova Blue Cruise

Hi Rina -
We are back in Istanbul (actually Yesilkoy) so we are close to the airport for our flights to the US tomorrow morning. Our four days with Eser were terrific. We enjoyed ourselves very much. He was a most congenial host and was sensitive to our every need/request. We particularly liked the placed he showed us and appreciated that he got us there before the crowds. And his meals were really relished by one and all. We plan to write him once we get home. In addition, we will write our friends in Ankara and recommend that they sail with Eser when they cruise the coast. Many thanks to you for referring us to him.

Yes, the water was cool but that did not deter us from taking several plunges each day. It was fun to explore the underwater formations, try to work off some of the calories consumed and just relax in the water. You should try it, which I'm sure you will as the weather warms up. Sorry we didn't have a chance to meet you. I hope you have a great summer. Very best regards - David

Eduardo P. - Brasil
May 24, 2011
Itinerary:  Gallipoli, Troy and Pergamon Tour

Hello Rina,
We had no problems and we could do all the tours very well. Thanks you for the the attention and thank the guides.

best regards
Eduardo

Trish G. - Australia
May 11, 2011
Itinerary:  Anzac Day and Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina, we have been back from our trip a week now and are still trying to settle back into everyday life. We had a wonderful time and we both loved Turkey, as everyone told us we would. Our trip went like clockwork, from airport transfers through the Anzac tour, Selcuk and the day trips.

The Bella Hotel in Selcuk was lovely and the food the best we had in Turkey. The Turkish people we came into contact with were lovely and helpful, even when there was a language barrier.

Thanks for your help in organising this Rina, we will definitely be telling people about your great service and maybe one day we will be able to organise another trip.
Trish G.

Dan C. - OH, USA
May 06, 2011
Itinerary:  Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Rina
I just wanted to let you know that everything was great. Everything that you arranged went off without a hitch. Thanks again, it was a pleasure working with you.
 

Stephen L. - Singapore
May 01, 2011
Itinerary:  Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina
Just to give some feedback. We have to 2 very good guides. Briefly, Remzi at Cappadocia. The highlight was the lunch at a village home. Murat at Canakkale was most knowledgeable and focus. Please send them our compliments.

cheers
Stephen

Hui Yi - Singapore
Apr. 08, 2011
Itinerary:  Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
I'n back in Singapore. Thanks for the arrangement. Eugene and I had a great time in Turkey. We are looking forward to visit other parts of Turkey!

Thanks,
Hui Yi

Nirajah M. - Australia
Jan. 31, 2011
Itinerary:  Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
...Well what can I say……we had a wonderful time in Turkey…..the tour that you organised and the guides and drivers were very professional and very courteous. Travel was comfortable at all times and hotels were all safe and clean. We thank you very much for organising the tour for us. It was great. I guess we enjoyed Turkey very much because our tours were all great and there were no mishaps. Don’t worry about the lateness of the driver….we got to the airport with time to spare…..so all good!!!

I will definitely be forwarding your details to friends and family.

Thanks again!
Nirajah
 

John P. - TX, USA
Jan. 09, 2011
Itinerary:  Self-Drive and Hotel Bookings

Rina
We had a great time in Turkey. All of the transfers and reservation you had setup for us were on time and they took good care of us. The Otel Akay in Selcuk would be a great place to stay on a summer time trip. We did all of our site seeing in Istanbul by foot. We calculated that we walked 58km in Istanbul and a trip total of 70km. Aaron really liked the fact that there was no down time during the trip we were always on the go. Since Aaron Studies languages he was like a kid in a candy store in Istanbul listening to and talking to all the different tourists.

Thank you for setting up a great trip.

John
 

Susan I. - USA
Jan. 08, 2011
Itinerary:  Highlights of Turkey Tour

Dear Rina,
My family and I enjoyed our trip to Turkey very much and thank you for putting such a wonderful itinerary together. We were astonished by Kemal's encyclopedic knowledge of all that is "Turkey" and are convinced that if it weren't for him being such a credible and caring guide, our experience would not have been the same in quality and service.

We greatly enjoyed our daily tours and how each adventure led to the next. We enjoyed the time spent outdoors trekking in the cold, open air. Our lunches were fabulous. Yes, there were two or three times we had to go to plan B or sometimes C because the intented restaurant was occupied or closed or whatnot. But each day we were fed with delicious local food in authentic settings -- these lunches were the best meals of the day, and we are now huge fans of Turkish food. I bought two cookbooks before I returned.

I would love to visit Turkey again! It is such a magnificent country and I look forward to seeing it play a unique and vital role in the world that reflects its unique culture and history. What I liked most were
1. our guide and driver and their expertise of the place, professional experience and thoughtfulness (i.e., great service)
2. our itinerary -- good balance of different experiences
3. the fact that most little costs were taken care of in the tour (entrance fees, water at meals, etc.)
4. YOU. Thank you for being so patient and kind, Rina!

I will be recommending your tours to my friends, Rina. Thank you for putting together such a fabulous experience for my family.
Sincerely yours,
Susan
 

Denise C.
Jan. 03, 2011
Itinerary:  Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
The trip was great. Thanks for organizing everything. The hike was fantastic. We were lucky to have good weather when we were hiking.
Denise

David N.
Jan. 02, 2011
Itinerary:  Tailored Western Turkey Tour

Hi Rina,
We are very satisfied with the trip in Turkey and everything went very well. The weather was also great, especially when we travelled outside Istanbul.

Thanks again for all your help!

Best,
David