Guided Tours to Ephesus Tuekey

[pier]

A few years ago we booked with Levent and had personal confirmation from him, but when we arrived at the port he had sent a substitute guide. She was wonderful and we loved touring with her, but we really felt that Levent was not up front with us.

 

Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/holyland.html

 

On our last trip we had a much better relationship with Nur from Ekol tours and everything was exactly as we discussed.

 

After reading these posts, it is a relief to know that we weren't the only ones who had trouble with Levent. He wasn't up front with us, either. We booked him in January for private tours in Ephesus and Istanbul in June, with the understanding that we could add people if we wished to do so because the van held ten people--it was our choice. He was charging $300 a day for Ephesus and $280 a day for 3 days in Istanbul. If we added anyone, the fee would be divided by the number of people. We wanted to add people to the tour in Ephesus, so I went on roll call and added two other couples. A week before we were scheduled to leave, Levent sent me an email telling me that he was adding us to a group of ten who were traveling together. We didn't want to intrude on another group, and we didn't want to be the cause of the van being overcrowded. (As it turned out, the day we were in Ephesus, it was 106 degrees.) Most important, I had promised people a tour in Ephesus that would cost them $50 a person. To make it short, Levent said we could go with one of his associates at a higher price, which we didn't want to do.

 

He used "family troubles" as an excuse for contacting us so late and for being unable to be our guide on our first day in Istanbul and said he would send another one of his associates. He did, however, want to be our guide for the last two days, and he especially wanted to provide transportation to the airport from our hotel. When we first booked him, I didn't pay much attention to the $70 airport transportation fee that he tacked on to the booking (I only requested guide services, not transportation services). Under the new agreement that he sent, he'd raised the airport transportation fee to $90. At that point it made no difference. We no longer wanted to use him.

 

I felt terrible telling the people who were supposed to go on the Ephesus tour with us that we no longer had the guide. I would never have posted on roll call if I'd known that this would happen. We found Nur at Ekol at the very last minute and feel fortunate that it all worked out.

 

I thought we were done with Levent, but we weren't. On our third day in Istanbul, we were at a tourist site with our guide and happened to meet a woman from the ship who told me that Levent was talking about us, telling people he was upset because we canceled him. The fellow certainly isn't professional.

 

But he is ambitious (to put it tactfully). In Istanbul, we arranged transportation to the airport through our hotel. We were told that the cost was usually 25 euros, but because we would be sharing the van with another couple, it was 20 euros. Then we understood why he was so anxious to "provide" our transportation.

[whale-watcher]

A few years ago we booked with Levent and had personal confirmation from him, but when we arrived at the port he had sent a substitute guide. She was wonderful and we loved touring with her, but we really felt that Levent was not up front with us.

 

Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/holyland.html

 

On our last trip we had a much better relationship with Nur from Ekol tours and everything was exactly as we discussed.

 

After reading these posts, it is a relief to know that we weren't the only ones who had trouble with Levent. He wasn't up front with us, either. We booked him in January for private tours in Ephesus and Istanbul in June, with the understanding that we could add people if we wished to do so because the van held ten people--it was our choice. He was charging $300 a day for Ephesus and $280 a day for 3 days in Istanbul. If we added anyone, the fee would be divided by the number of people. We wanted to add people to the tour in Ephesus, so I went on roll call and added two other couples. A week before we were scheduled to leave, Levent sent me an email telling me that he was adding us to a group of ten who were traveling together. We didn't want to intrude on another group, and we didn't want to be the cause of the van being overcrowded. (As it turned out, the day we were in Ephesus, it was 106 degrees.) Most important, I had promised people a tour in Ephesus that would cost them $50 a person. To make it short, Levent said we could go with one of his associates at a higher price, which we didn't want to do.

 

He used "family troubles" as an excuse for contacting us so late and for being unable to be our guide on our first day in Istanbul and said he would send another one of his associates. He did, however, want to be our guide for the last two days, and he especially wanted to provide transportation to the airport from our hotel. When we first booked him, I didn't pay much attention to the $70 airport transportation fee that he tacked on to the booking (I only requested guide services, not transportation services). Under the new agreement that he sent, he'd raised the airport transportation fee to $90. At that point it made no difference. We no longer wanted to use him.

 

I felt terrible telling the people who were supposed to go on the Ephesus tour with us that we no longer had the guide. I would never have posted on roll call if I'd known that this would happen. We found Nur at Ekol at the very last minute and feel fortunate that it all worked out.

 

I thought we were done with Levent, but we weren't. On our third day in Istanbul, we were at a tourist site with our guide and happened to meet a woman from the ship who told me that Levent was talking about us, telling people he was upset because we canceled him. The fellow certainly isn't professional.

 

But he is ambitious (to put it tactfully). In Istanbul, we arranged transportation to the airport through our hotel. We were told that the cost was usually 25 euros, but because we would be sharing the van with another couple, it was 20 euros. Then we understood why he was so anxious to "provide" our transportation.

Very interesting...and so similar to our own experience. But we ended up with such a wonderful tour from Ekol that I suppose it was all for the best ;)

[navigator0709]

Just back from our 7 day Venice cruise. I posted this in Italy thread too,I got lots of information from this site before we went.

My summary- although more expensive, the private guides are worth it.

We had Daniella from RomeInLimo for a 3-4 hour Vatican/St.Peter's tour.That we could take an 11 and 12 year old for three hours in a hot, crowded art museum and not hear one complaint is a miracle! Do look for the elevator to the dome in st.peter's. In Turkey we had Vulcan through Ephesus Deluxe, also excellant. Again we went for hours w/ no "i'm bored".

On the other hand, at the Colosseum we joined an on-site group where woman had small microphone, too large a group, often stood w/ her back to us, we could barely hear her. (quote from my 11 yr old's journal "mom and dad tried to listen but I just pretended to and took pictures because I couldn't understand her). At Dubrovnik we rented mp3 players w/ audio tour, again the volume was insufficient, every time you tried to pause it froze up. one of them kept skipping. In both cases, the person soliciting the tour had virtually no accent but the person giving the tour had a strong accent.

 

Turkey was a long day but we had a nice tour starting w/ Ephesus, terrace houses, temple of artemis (not much left there), a nice lunch at rug co-op where they demonstrated making rugs- my dtr's favorite part of the trip (until she won at bingo!), we spent too long there and at leather store but that was due to our own indecision, not that they pushed at all, we could have left quickly but chose to spend too much $ instead. This left very little time for the village of Sirince, which looked quaint and fascinating but we only had time to walk one block (loads of little shops, beautiful pashmina scarves, lots of inexpensive jewelry). He told us things would be cheaper there than at the port bazaar but we didn't really have time to compare.

 

 

Hi vicmeisternj,

 

Thanks for the review!

 

We have reserved "When In Rome Tours" for an similar tour of the Vatican. I hope they make it just as interesting for my 7 and 11 year olds as RomeinLimo did for you.

 

How long was your tour in Ephesus? Did you do the full day or half day. We are only scheduled for the Ephesus Deluxe Half Day Tour- Ephesus and Terrace House. I figure any more will get boring for the kids. They are picking us up at the ship at 8:30 and its a 4 hour tour. Do you think that will be enough time?

 

Sally

[pier]

We used Ekol for the half day tour and it was enough, especially since it was so hot.

[vol lady]

When you are taking your cruise on the GEM? Would love to meet a few people to organize a private tour. Will be in Ephesus on Sept 22 on the Gem.

Hi Bee Bop

My husband and I will be on the Gem cruise and be in Ephesus on Sept 22. We would like to share tour with someone also. Good review from sportsmedatlanta @aol.com. re: guide. Would be lot cheaper to share.

vol lady.

[vol lady]

I replied to Bee Bop and my husband and I are going to be in Ephesus on Sept 22 and are interested in sharing a tour. I understand that Ekor is a good place to start. If you are interested in sharing, please reply.

[Bee Bop]

Hi Vol Lady,

I have been in contact with Ekol and was just arranging the tour. Please email me and we can discuss the possibilities litracy at novachem dot com

[maryann ns]

You need to go to your roll call to organize private excursions.

[hubofhockey]

I will highly recommend Kusadasi Tours (kusadasitours.com) for Ephesus. Melih, one of the owners, also is a licensed guide and he gave six of us a great tour that included the terrace houses. A tour for two is not that much more per person than a tour for six. We did six because we just had six (from the roll call) who wanted to do it together. Melih has a good command of the english language, has a great sense of humor, and he knows Ephesus very well. We also stopped at the Temple of Artemis (or what's left of it) on the way back. Have a great tour.

[stinesheri]

Also used Ali from Ekol, and loved the experience. Nur at the office was a terrific help, and Ali was the best. I would not consider a trip to Turkey (they also do Greece) without using them.

[travel456]

Can you give us Kagan's email address or web site Thanks Barbara bkov123@hotmail.com or on this web site

[no fuss travel]

How far ahead do you need to book these tours? We will not be leaving until May next year.

[weazie256]

Will be in Kusadasi the end of October and have gotten a very good price from Castle Travel for a private tour. Has anyone used them and can you give me a review.

 

I don't know where I am right now on cruisecritic so to be sure I get your response would you also email me: weazie256@cox.net

 

 

Thank you.

[suaku]

We were in Ephesus and Kudasi with Crystal Cruises last month. As it was too hot, we almost would have given up going the tour, because we had already been there twice few yrs ago. finally, the charm of Ephesus overcame and we met our guide Oz (ogzu or ?)in crystal tour. An english teacher with a great sense of humor. He was amazing at biblical history and archaeology. We ended up with a great tour. It was definitely the best tour we have ever had. He said us that he could organize private tours in his non-contracted days with cruise liners. Sandra is looking for his mail. Would be great if he is available.

[Maureen4]

We were in Ephesus and Kudasi with Crystal Cruises last month. As it was too hot, we almost would have given up going the tour, because we had already been there twice few yrs ago. finally, the charm of Ephesus overcame and we met our guide Oz (ogzu or ?)in crystal tour. An english teacher with a great sense of humor. He was amazing at biblical history and archaeology. We ended up with a great tour. It was definitely the best tour we have ever had. He said us that he could organize private tours in his non-contracted days with cruise liners. Sandra is looking for his mail. Would be great if he is available.

\\

 

Could you post Oz email?

[MercedMike]

Can you give us Kagan's email address or web site Thanks Barbara bkov123@hotmail.com or on this web site

 

We had a great tour with Kagan. Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/blacksea.html, which also has a contact link for him.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[BOGOman]

This seems to be an ekol love-in, but other companies such as HelloEphesus and EphesusDeluxe have good reviews to if you search on this board. We used HelloEphesus and could not have been more pleased, from the initial email to the end of our wonderful day.

We're happy to hear that Ekol and Kagan are retaining good reputations. We tried Hello Ephesus, but after getting an offer from them that they subsequently denied, and seeing how slow they were to respond with terse and labored English, we lost faith in them. It's too bad because we read on these boards that they served many people well, but maybe no more. ~ Bill

[gone cruisen]

Just an FYI -this was 4 yrs ago, but Our guide for Turkey, Ephesus, was Hakan Edirne, and he can be reached at hakanedirne@hotmail.com. Cost was $26 + $5 for a home made lunch! He was wonderful!

 

Also wonderful was Marcello Moresco in Sorrento. We did the amalfi coast with him. http://www.seesorento.com marcellomaresco@tin.it I can't remember the cost but it was worth every penny

 

Hope this helps,

Carol

[suaku]

\\

 

Could you post Oz email?

 

Hi Maureen, sorry for delay. Here's his mail guideturkey@hotmail.com .enjoy turkey

[the4things]

We just returned from our 12 day Ruby Princess cruise (21 Aug - 2 Sep) and we used ephesusshuttle also. Fevzi was very prompt to reply to our emails and our tour guide to Ephesus - "Zee", was excellent. She was extremely knowledgeable and very pleasant to tour with. In Istanbul (also through ephesusshuttle) our guide was Nazla, again, extremely knowledgeable and very pleasant to tour with. We enjoyed our time at both ports!

[worldly wanderer]

This seems to be an ekol love-in, but other companies such as HelloEphesus and EphesusDeluxe have good reviews to if you search on this board. We used HelloEphesus and could not have been more pleased, from the initial email to the end of our wonderful day.

 

I have just come back on RC Navigator of the Sea having taken my two grandsons for an 'education cruise'.. I booked Hello Ephesus and were very impressed, they were at the dock to meet us as arranged and gave us a thorough 4 hour tour for $120 for 3 people in an AC vehicle. We could have had longer but we declined a visit to a carpet factory and a leather factory as we are not in the market for buying. However they dropped us off at the Bazaar just in front of the port where they were selling authentic fake watches and copy handbags. Bought turkish delight of course and saffron to put in my paellas.

 

I found them to be extremely courteous and polite but don't start haggling about an item unless you are intereted in it at the end of the day. Its considered rude to haggle and then walk away.

 

I highly recommend this company (wouldn't be using them for the second time in quike succession if I wasn't. Regards, Wendy

[maygrovecruisers]

This seems to be an ekol love-in, but other companies such as HelloEphesus and EphesusDeluxe have good reviews to if you search on this board. We used HelloEphesus and could not have been more pleased, from the initial email to the end of our wonderful day.

 

We have just returned from the Nautica Black Sea cruise and can confirm that HelloEphesus.com provided us with a super guide, Bill (Bulent Orkus), for a 4hour tour of Ephesus and the Terrace Houses on Sept 9th. The General Manager Ms Nilay Parlak replied promptly to all my emails even when I kept adding extra people. We had 7 people in a 25 seater A/C coach with a helpful driver, Ibrahim. Bill was accommodating and knowledgeable and we all enjoyed his company very much. He never rushed us but helped us get the best photos from the best view points. The Terrace Houses are amazing and should not be missed.

 

Jeanette.

[Atwell]

We toured Ephesus on Sept 7, 2010 with Yelda of KSG Tours (Kagan and Lale Kosagan's company). Yelda was a fantastic guide - so friendly and knowledgable.

 

Yelda and her driver met us with a van at the ship in Kusadasi and we covered so much territory during the day. The arrangements were made through Kagan Kosagan at KSG Tours. He took care of all the details and was so responsive to our questions. We highly recommend Yelda and KSG Tours. We also used them in Istanbul and had an excellent experience.

[florida2185]

We did a Greek Isles cruise in 2009. I organized a tour for 14 and used Celsus Travel http://www.celsustravel.com.tr . Celsus Travel was a true pleasure to work with and our guide was excellent.

 

Our itinerary was The Ancient City, Terrace Houses, House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis. The tour ended at the Kudadsi Bazaar just outside the port gates. I was able to negotiate a final cost of $58 USD per person.

 

Our tour included lunch but it turned out to be lunch at the property of a carpet seller. Unless someone in your group has a interest in purchasing a carpet, I would definitely eliminate this stop.

 

I also agree that the Terrace Houses are a MUST see.

 

Larry

[maryann ns]

We have just returned from the Nautica Black Sea cruise and can confirm that HelloEphesus.com provided us with a super guide, Bill (Bulent Orkus), for a 4hour tour of Ephesus and the Terrace Houses on Sept 9th. The General Manager Ms Nilay Parlak replied promptly to all my emails even when I kept adding extra people. We had 7 people in a 25 seater A/C coach with a helpful driver, Ibrahim. Bill was accommodating and knowledgeable and we all enjoyed his company very much. He never rushed us but helped us get the best photos from the best view points. The Terrace Houses are amazing and should not be missed.

 

I'm glad to see Bill is still around. He is excellent: his English and knowledge are great and he is personable and eager to please.