Trail Travel

Thank you Berat for planning a wonderful trip. We enjoyed our stay in Istanbul. Everything went smoothly. We had an excellent guide and a nice hotel.

Hotel Review

Armada Hotel

Istanbul

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore the Dolmabahçe Palace

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Crossing between Continents: Explore Kadıköy and Moda

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eminönü Heritage Tour: Explore the Historical Bazaars and Ottoman Architectural Sites of Istanbul

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

I’m

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Boat Tour on the Bosphorus

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

all of our guides were great - very knowledgeable and on time and respectful and the transportation arranged was ideal!

Hotel Reviews

Pera Palace

Istanbul

great location history and a very accommodating and friendly staff

Authenticity & Character

the breakfast included was excellent - very authentic and over the top in selections and quality of food

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

the rooms were great and the common areas lovely in every way.

Hotel Taskonaklar Cappadocia

Nevsehir

great location - great views and super fun to be in this cave hotel

Activity Reviews

Cappadocia E-Bike Tour - Full Day

Cappadocia

Guides were great - bikes were great- super fun day!

Wine Pairing Dinner at Revithia Cappadocia

Cappadocia

this restaurant had a great view and the staff was super friendly but the food didn't feel super authentic and was a bit fussy. that said, the plates, bowls and the serve ware was very artsy and amazing!

This review is from Corinne. I did not receive the email asking for a review so Susan forwarded it to me.

It was an amazing trip. Turkey is such a beautiful country, so much history and some of the most hospitable people I have ever met. For a two week trip, Berat set up a schedule that allowed us to see so many places and enjoy many experiences. I got a taste of Turkey, and want to go back eventually to see the places that time just did not allow.

Our three guides, Volkan, Alp and Ozan were incredibly knowledgeable and were able to answer all of our questions. While they had very individual styles, it was clear that they loved their country and were happy to share their knowledge and impressions with us. They were very attentive and helpful. And the drivers also deserve praise--they drove some very long distances, maintained good attitudes and were quite helpful.

In summary, Berat planned a wonderful trip and everything went very smoothly. Thanks for a great time!

The two weeks I just spent in Turkey was immersive in the country’s rich history and culture as well as its modern day life. Berat provided an excellent itinerary that exposed me to some of the best Turkey has to offer. She booked us into boutique hotels, many of which had a rich history of its own, and the service and locations of each one was exceptional . At several, we were the only American guests, which was refreshing. As for our guides, my friend and I were lucky enough to have 3 diverse yet terrific guides. In Istanbul and Cappadocia we were beyond lucky to have Volkan Akoluk as our guide. He shared his passion for and knowledge of his country’s history and culture in a way that was more like telling us a story than merely reciting facts. He never rushed us through any site and was very astute to when we needed a break or a cup of coffee or tea or ice cream. It was more like walking with a good friend and not a tour guide. Alp was more stoic and reserved but always had his hand out to help maneuver a climb up or big step down when climbing to see the ancient fires and walking among the ruins of Myra.. He did at times tell us more history than one can absorb in a day or two. Ozan, on the other hand, was so excited about each day and each site we visited that it was hard not to be excited as well. He was like a kid seeing the sites for the first time, be it Ephesus or the blue pools in travertine of Heliapolis, and his enthusiasm was contagious making the heat, crowds and humidity bearable. He too shows such passion for his host country. Seeing Turkey through the eyes of 3 different guides with 3 distinct personalties and approaches, and the people we met through them, made this trip overall one of my best travel experiences.

Hotel Review

Gül Konaklari Sinasos (Rose Mansions Sinasos)

Nevsehir

This was a lovely hotel located in a small village, a bit remote from the hubbub of Cappedocia. It had lovely grounds and the rooms were clean, spacious. However, my one complaint is that having arrived in the dark there was no light on in the room nor was I escorted into my room nor advised there was a platform once you step into the room. Thus, I fell into the room while trying to find a light switch. Having just had hip replacement surgery several months prior, this could have ended badly. Luckily, only my ego got bruised.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Explore the Basilica Cistern

İstanbul

Incredibly fascinating the engineering involved to create this water system. Beautiful art installed as well which creates a juxtaposition between history and modern times.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I cannot express how much of a good time I had in Turkey. Although I did get a bad cold half way through it proved even MORE how great the arrangement with KIMKIM was. My guide and driver took exceptional care of me for which I am so thankful. My guide was so knowledgeable, personable, patient, helpful. I asked his several arcane questions and he had a very good answer ever time. His level of knowledge was as remarkable as his hospitality. In case you cannot gather from my review I had a WONDERFUL TIME. KIMKIM has been EXTRAORDINARY in planning and execution of my Turkey vacation. The profile picture shows my guide: Mr. Yigit, me: Nolan Warner and the driver: Mr. Cumali

We had a wonderful 9-day trip to Turkey thanks to the efforts of Berat at Kimkim travel, and the knowledgeable guides she arranged, Volkan and Ozan, in Istanbul and Izmir.

My son and I wanted to do a history focused tour for this first trip to Turkey and with just that high level guidance, Berat produced an itinerary that covered successive periods all the way from Ancient Greek and Roman sites (Pirene, Ephesus) to Istanbul’s layers of empires (Roman to the Ottoman) and the after effects of the Turkish-Greek population exchange in Cyprus in 1923. We saw the main sights (Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque etc), but also some unexpected gems with interesting side stories (observed Sunday mass at the seat of the Orthodox Church near Balat).

(It turns out tour-guiding is a major in college in Turkey, combining history, geography, art history, communication, archaeology and more. It totally makes sense: the serious focus produces high quality guides who lead tours for visitors to Turkey as well as Turkish groups visiting other countries.)

Towards the end of our trip, we wanted to see more modern art and our guide helped us fit in the Istanbul Modern, various artsy places in Kadikoy (Asian side) and art galleries back on the European side.

Hotels, planes, taxis and even metro rides were included in the trip cost, but lunch/dinner and guide tips were not paid ahead.

The trip was on the expensive side, but this was a solid introduction to Turkey and we left wanting to come back soon.

Thank you Berat for this memorable trip.

I highly recommend KimKim as a travel service. We received amazing individiualized attention to all of our travel needs during the two and half weeks in Turkey. Murat and Hulya provided overall management and were immediately responsive to issues that came up as well as providing detailed directions and communication at every stage of our trip. We had some concerns regarding cleanliness and suitability of the hotel room in Istanbul and Murat helped arrange for an upgrade the next day. The communication piece was really outstanding. She provided detailed information about drivers and tour guides and even checked us in on flights. All of this made our experience so comfortable when the logistics of travel can be overwhelming and confusing especially when you have multiple destinations as was our case. We were picked up and dropped off by dedicated and professional guides and drivers. We had three different guides; one for Istanbul, Cappadocia, and Izmir/Ephesus. All of our guides were friendly, responsive, punctual, interesting and most important, knowledgeable about the area toured, Turkish history and the sites visited. In Istanbul, Betul was clearly very experienced and knew the city extremely well. She took us to all of the important sites and we loved learning about the culture, city and especially the food from her. She even made a dinner reservation for us. In Cappadocia, we had an amazing guide, Esin. She was really awesome; her knowledge of the region and history was truly illuminating. Just a lovely human being who was flexible to our needs and enthusiastic and passionate with her guidance. For the last leg of our trip from Izmir to Bodrum, our guide Ecem provided clear information and was very helpful and accomodating. One of the advantages of this trip was that we were picked up and dropped off every day at our hotel and all travel was just so well coordinated. Thank you for all that was provided.

We had a wonderful time in Turkey and Berat and team made it seemless and easy. Working with Berat to plan the trip was easy as she gave great suggestions, had timely responses, and was there to help when needed. The focus of our trip was Istanbul and Cappadocia and the tour guides we had in both locations were stellar. Informative, bringing historical perspective to life, not overwhelming us with too much information, and helpful in recommending local places to visit, we really enjoyed our time with the guides. In Istanbul the highlights were the various mosques with historical context from Andrew and in Cappadocia the balloon ride was special as was the cooking class and walking tours through the various rock formations. Highly recommend this trip to others!

Hotel Reviews

Amira Hotel

Istanbul

Great location with very responsive staff. Breakfast was very good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Millstone Cave Suites

Loved this location and the embiance! Another great breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul

İstanbul

A must do and Andrew was a fantastic guide!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Public Boat Tour on the Bosphorus

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Eminönü Heritage Tour: Explore the Historical Bazaars and Ottoman Architectural Sites of Istanbul

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Urban Hiking Tour: Strolling around Old City Walls, Fener + Balat

İstanbul

Really liked exploring this neighborhood. A more hip and modern side of Istanbul.

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Hot Air Balloon Tour at Sunrise

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Kaymaklı Underground City

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Visiting Göreme Open Air Museum (UNESCO World Heritage)

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Sightseeing Around Uçhisar and Discovering the Cappadocian Valleys

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Cooking Class in Cappadocia

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Driver from and to airport were great. Hotel was nice but not many workers spoke English especially at the bar and restaurant. Had to use Google translate, surprising since most of people who stayed there were from US, Canada or Britain. Overcharged us for alcohol,a glass of prosecco was $30 and red wine was $20.

Sebil, our tour guide was good except walked fast and didn't check to see if we were always behind her. She also didn't always know answers to questions we asked about historical times.

Overall had fun with old college friends. Loved exploring the streets in the evening. Loved Turkish tea, coffee and sweets

Hotel Review

The Galata Istanbul Hotel - MGallery

Clean rooms but most workers didn't speak English. Wouldn't recommend restaurant, food on menu is not what you were given. Waiter didn't understand we were vegetarian and kept bringing us shrimp. Asparagus risotto didn't have asparagus. Overcharged for alcohol.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walkable to tram, stores, restaurants

Staff

Speak English

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was walking fast and didn't always make sure we all together on streets of Istanbul

Transport

Explore the Dolmabahçe Palace

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Boat Tour on the Bosphorus

İstanbul

Boat was late, many of us slept on tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Eminönü Heritage Tour: Explore the Historical Bazaars and Ottoman Architectural Sites of Istanbul

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Zeyrek Cinili Hamam: Relaxing Turkish Bath + Beautiful Museum

İstanbul

Amazing experience, highly recommend

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport