Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

[Robin G]

My family and I will be visiting in June and are interested in obtaining a driver/guide. Any suggestions?? Thanks.

 

Robin

[martyap]

We used Ekol and they were excellent. Emails were quickly answered by Fevzi Turan. Kusadasi is a very upscale beach resort and a tour to Ephesus is amazing. Ekol required a small deposit which was no problem. We put together a group of 8 from our roll call but they do smaller/larger vehicles. They took us to a place for lunch that was average and we had no desire to do any further shopping after spending 6 days in Istanbul. Be specific in what you want to see/do.... I highly recommend their services....Marty

[Fblack]

I like EKOL as well. We had a driver and a guide. They even paid entrance fees. Their prices are fair.

[Robin G]

Thanks so much. Great info! Sounds like a fantastic idea.

 

Robin

[jmb4534]

We usesd Ekol last year also. It was great. We did a half day tour and it was only about $100 for 2 people. Well worth the money.

 

I recommend skipping the carpet factory unless you have about $3000 to $10000 to spend on a rug. The ceramic factory was good though. I bought several gifts there.

[mountainmare]

We used Nejat Incendogan--just got back, you can check out my port reviews for details.

[Fblack]

While full sized silk carpets are very expensive, we bought a small silk carpet to use as a wall hanging. It's about 14" x 18" and cost $375. Not cheap, but a nice souvenir of our trip.

[NAS-KARR]

Suggest EKOL~ ~customize it if you want.

 

 

Good Luck e CIAO,

[threeofus]

While full sized silk carpets are very expensive, we bought a small silk carpet to use as a wall hanging. It's about 14" x 18" and cost $375. Not cheap, but a nice souvenir of our trip.

 

We also bought a carpet. We bought it from ADA handicrafts - right across from the port. They are works of art. The people at the store could not have been more professional and very friendly - no hard sell.

The cost of shipping is included in the price.

They told us it would take 6-8 weeks for the carpet to arrive and I just checked my email and it's coming next week. That would be about 2-1/2 weeks.

They had us sign the back of the carpet so we know we are getting the one we chose.

[Robin G]

We recently returned from our Brilliance of the Seas cruise with our stop in Turkey. We did contact Ekol - they are a travel agency and then sub-out to independent guides and drivers.

 

We had Oktay who was wonderful. He was the guide and he brought his own driver with him. Oktay walked all around Ephesus with us and took us to the Terrace Houses. We saw everything -- Tomb of St. John, etc. While we walked with him he explained so much. In Turkey, they need to be licensed to be a guide. He told us he went to school and is licensed by the government.

 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

 

Robin

[MercedMike]

We used Hülya Terzioðlu hulya462002@yahoo.com in Ephesus and were extremely happy with her.

 

Visiting a carpet factory is very interesting, whether you actually buy or not (of course, my DW DID buy!).

 

Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[CRUZGAL53]

We are using them in November for Instabul & Kusadasi. They are wonderful to work with.

[knitter]

We used Levant Solmaz for our group tour in Ephesus. There were 10 of us and I think everyone was pleased. We went to Mary's House, Ephesus uncluding the terrace houses which are amazing, the museum, lunch and a carpet factory. I could have skipped the carpet factory, although it was interesting to see how the silk is collected and the weaving. Some of our ship mates used Ekol and were also very pleased.

[carolmacey]

I believe the OP has sailed, but other folks may read this as well.

 

Kusadasi Tours was terrific on our visit in May! I organized 3 vans for 12 people each and EVERYONE was thrilled with our day. I can higly recommend them! The man even called me in Arizona to ask some questions when he didn't hear from me via e-mail. We had a great price and a great tour!

 

Carol