This was our first time using KimKim and I had my fingers crossed that everything would run smoothly. Our trip to Türkiye was amazing! It started off wonderfully with Yigit waiting for us at the Istanbul airport after our 13 1/2 hour flight. He was so friendly and welcoming and we were driven to The Bank Hotel. A great first impression! Exhausted from our travels, they invited us inside and handled all of our luggage and immediately served us a drink of our choice in the lobby while they finished readying our room and ushered our bags up stairs. This level of service continued throughout the entire trip.
Our guide, Volkan, met us in the hotel lobby the next morning and while we sat he gave us a 45 minute brief historical introduction to Türkiye. We loved this! We really wanted to learn on this trip, and I wish we could have had Volkan as our guide for the entire trip. Not only was he knowledgeable, but he did a beautiful job of balancing guiding and directing us and talking with also giving us some time to wander and explore the sites at our own pace. When it came to the food, we would have been lost without him. He gave suggestions and there were many opportunities to try the various foods. We weren't quite prepared for the amount of hills and walking we would be doing in the city, but in hindsight it would be challenging to tour Istanbul by car, and we are so glad to have done it this way. Volkan also was familiar for good picture spots and invited our family to pose while he took several pictures of us with our camera. We really enjoyed him teaching us while we toured Topkapi palace so we could learn about the life of the sultans. The mosques were incredible and beautiful. Be prepared for motorcycles driving on sidewalks! :-D Volkan was very aware of his surroundings and did a great job guiding us through the busy places. We also bypassed the long lines because we had a guide with us. Super!
Berat and Murat communicated with us daily on our trip. This was so reassuring. The day before they would provide us with driver names, vehicle license, phone number, and times for each pickup. I was impressed at how everyone was on time and we were not left waiting. When we had a small bit of trouble at one hotel, Murat contacted them and smoothed things over, and the hotel even had wine and snacks waiting for us that day!
Our favorite place to visit was Cappadocia. After the masses of people in Istanbul, it was refreshing to see those views, and lunch at The Dream Spot took my breath away. What a way to start off Cappadicia! When we visited the Underground City, Volkan asked us if we had claustrophobia, and I told him I was mildly affected, and I didn't want to be trapped in the tunnels. He did a great job of making sure the tunnels ahead were cleared of people before having us walk through, and that made it very enjoyable with no moments of panic bent over in a passage waiting for people ahead to move. The hot air balloon ride was unlike anything we have ever done, and we were so glad the weather cooperated.
The only place we could have skipped was Izmir... it's a modern city. We think it was probably a necessary connection point for our travel day where we flew from Cappadocia back to the west coast. We met Ozan as our guide for Izmir, Ephasus, and Sirence. He was knowledgeable and friendly. We loved the mussels stuffed with rice that we sampled from a street vendor! I honestly didn't think I would like them, but I'm willing to try just about anything. When he found out we ran a math learning center, he took us to a summer camp/school/univercity in Sirence! This was an unexpected surprise, and it was the first time Ozan had been there as well. My only wish is that Ozan gave us a bit of time to explore on our own. At the museums he was excited to have us see certain things, but I would have liked a little unstructured time to view things at our own pace as well without being overly directed.
Our private boat tour in Bodrum was beautiful! I thought 6 hours might be too long, but with four stops for swimming (we were only promised three) and lunch served, it was a relaxing day towards the end of our trip. Bodrum was also wonderful for walking in the evenings.
A few notes below on our lodgings:
The Bank Hotel - amazing. Gorgeous architecture and this family loved the complimentary chocolates! The breakfast was so good. No complaints.
Hotel Taskonaklar Cappadocia - How exciting to have a hotel built into ancient ruins! Gorgeous accommodations. Our daughter's mattress had springs pushing into her and she ended up sleeping on the couch. When I found out, I flipped her mattress and all was well the second night. Be prepared for quite a few stairs outside. Again, the breakfast was amazing.
Mövenpick Izmir - nothing of note. Nice modern hotel.
Nisanyan Houses - This was a visual treat. The hospitality was wonderful and the food was so good, as was the view. The artistry in the rooms was lovely. All that said, we were glad we only spent one night here. The large bed had an uncomfortable, flat mattress, and my husband had to climb over me to get into and out of bed with the way it was framed and oriented against the wall. It was lacking in linens and only had a flat quilt (not a duvet) to cover us. The second bedroom had two beds. Our daughter had the larger bed and she said it was comfortable, but the other bed was only big enough for a child. Our 6 foot tall son and to sleep on the couch downstairs. The spiral staircase was treacherous without a handrail, and I was worried I'd accidentally fall into the sunken shower when using the bathroom during the night, so I left that light on. I attempted to make coffee, but when I turned the dial for the counter-top plug-in stove, I got an electric shock. The toilet ran non-stop, and we switched the water off between uses. (There was no phone to contact the lobby, and I didn't feel like navigating the walk up the stairs to tell them, so we waited until we left to report it. ) The stairs on the grounds were also very challenging with rough-hewn stone and no hand rails. It was a hike to get to the pool. It was a beautiful place for photos, visually delightful, and the owner was so nice I hate to say anything critical, but not somewhere I'd stay again. They could improve it by taking care of some of these issues, such as adding handrails.
Divan Bodrum Palmira - Very comfortable hotel! We ran into a few minor issues, but they were taken care of.
We would definitely use KimKim again for planning a trip like this to an unfamiliar country!
Hotel Reviews
This was a visual treat, and I want to give it a higher rating, as I think some people would love it here. The hospitality was wonderful and the food was so good, as was the view... the view was truly unmatched. The artistry in the rooms was lovely. All that said, we were glad we only spent one night here. The large bed had an uncomfortable, flat mattress, and my husband had to climb over me to get into and out of bed with the way it was framed and oriented against the wall. It was lacking in linens and only had a flat quilt (not a duvet) to cover us. The second bedroom had two beds. Our daughter had the larger bed and she said it was comfortable, but the other bed was only big enough for a child. Our 6 foot tall son and to sleep on the couch downstairs, and there were no extra linens. The spiral staircase was treacherous without a handrail, and I was worried I'd accidentally fall into the sunken shower when using the bathroom during the night, so I left that light on. I attempted to make coffee, but when I turned the dial for the counter-top plug-in stove, I got an electric shock. The toilet ran non-stop, and we switched the water off between uses. (There was no phone to contact the lobby, and I didn't feel like navigating the walk up the stairs to tell them, so we waited until we left to report it. ) The stairs on the grounds were also very challenging with rough-hewn stone and no hand rails. It was a hike to get to the pool. It was a beautiful place for photos, visually delightful, and the owner was so nice I hate to say anything critical, but not somewhere I'd stay again. We did not have a chance to enjoy the wonderful bread and jams they put in the fridge for us, but that was a lovely added touch. They could improve it by taking care of some of these issues, such as adding handrails and putting in a new mattress and enough linens. With handrails and a more comfortable bed and a safety barrier rail added to the shower, I would love to visit again.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Uncomfortable beds and treacherous stairs. It was very clean, but not comfortable or safe.
Hotel Taskonaklar Cappadocia
Nevsehir
How exciting to have a hotel built into ancient ruins! Gorgeous accommodations. Our daughter's mattress had springs pushing into her and she ended up sleeping on the couch. When I found out, I flipped her mattress and all was well the second night. Be prepared for quite a few stairs outside. Again, the breakfast was amazing. Incredible views.
Cleanliness & Comfort
We had to flip a mattress, and there were also two different leaks we reported. It took a while to get the AC to cool everything down and dehumidfy everything.
The Bank Hotel - amazing. Gorgeous architecture and this family loved the complimentary chocolates! The breakfast was so good with many selections. No complaints. Great location for walking tours of the city.
Activity Reviews
Public Boat Tour on the Bosphorus
İstanbul
This was a lovely change of pace after some tough walking tours of Istanbul. Just the right length boat tour.
Food Tour in Istanbul
İstanbul
We can't really fit a food tour all in one day, because you can only eat so much! Volkan did a wonderful job of spreading this out and including it during our three full days in Istanbul.
Istanbul Archaeological Museum Tour
İstanbul
How was this museum not packed with people! So much to see an learn.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul
İstanbul
Another world! So much character and history. Just hearing the calls to prayer was so different for an American. The palace was fascinating, and the mosques were beautiful.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Volkan was the best! We couldn't have imagined a better guide. He really does a wonderful job of ensuring we had a full experience, but also gave us time to explore on our own and meet back up with him.
