Excited to return and visit the rest of Turkey soon!
Turkey
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Jul 12 - Jul 26, 2022
Our trip to Turkey was excellent and had a great balance between history, culture, and relaxation. Trail Travel did a great job of making sure our transfers were seamless and ensuring we had the best experience at our hotels and sites. Berat was extremely helpful in going through multiple itinerary iterations after receiving feedback on the type of trip we wanted. What is great about this platform is that you really are able to personalize your trip rather than needing to fit into a rigid, fixed pre-existing itinerary. Berat was also prompt with her responses while we were in Turkey to troubleshoot any issues we experienced with our hotels and logistics.
We spent 2 weeks in Turkey, going from Istanbul to Cappadocia to Antalya to Izmir before returning to Istanbul. During this time we developed a great camaraderie with our guide, Onder, who was very receptive in tailoring our activities and content to our interests and styles. He was extremely professional, always making us feel like we were welcome, and introducing us to many locals in each of the spots we visited. I also want to thank all of the van drivers (Mustafa, Ramazan, Erdogan to name a few), who presented us with clean, spacious vans and supplied us with water. Each spot that we visited had a wonderful charm of its own. If we had more time, I would have loved to add one extra day in Kas and a couple more days in Istanbul to fully experience the city. For our packed trip, it was helpful to have some later starts to balance out our very early ones in the beginning of the trip.
Our trip was wonderful, and we would definitely book again if we had the chance. Some suggestions for improvement for an even better experience via Trail Travel/KimKim:
- When booking domestic flights, ask about estimated luggage quantities/explain airline policies on luggage beforehand
- Ask about preferred flight timings when possible
- Develop some form of guide matching based on travel style and interests
- As much as possible, provide pricing breakdowns (esp. for hotel rates to compare)
Hotel Reviews
Otto Palace is a cute, no frills attached b&b that makes you feel like you are staying with family friends. This means that the hosts have good vibes and senses of humor, but service is very "chill" and relaxed, even when you require a little more assistance as guests. This serves as a decent base if you are planning a night in Adrasan as a launching point for a boat tour, but it might also be worthwhile to check out AirBnBs in the area.
We were greeted with warmth and friendliness at our first hotel in Turkey. I would like to specifically mention that Betul was particularly helpful. She escorted us to a restaurant for lunch just after we arrived and showed us around the property. Definitely venture out for food rather than sticking to the hotel's restaurants, as you can certainly find all sorts of food for a variety of prices in Istanbul. This hotel is tastefully decorated in an Ottoman style and is in a prime location near the most famous sites in Istanbul!
Staying in a cave hotel was one of the highlights of our trip. Kayakapi is a beautifully kept, guest-centric hotel, with large, clean, and luxurious cave suites. We enjoyed using the pool and spa facilities, as well as exploring the hotel as a whole. We are frequent travelers and our stay at Kayakapi was definitely one of our best hotel experiences.
This hotel was included last minute to our itinerary due to an issue with our original hotel. It was a surprise treat, a gem in the middle of the Old City. The quaint property in the middle of bustling Kaleici is built over an archaeological museum open only to guests. We not only experienced comfortable rooms with a semi private terrace overseeing the beautiful grounds and mountains, but also were given a mini tour through the underground museum by Marcus, one of the archaeologists staffed at the hotel. We saw the layers of Antalya - Hellenistic, Byzantine, and Ottoman - wonderfully preserved.
A very cute hotel in the cute town of Sirince. We received a friendly welcome, loved exploring the town from this hotel, and spending the evening on our little private porch.
Sadly our stay at La Kumsal was the only hotel experience that was not overwhelmingly positive. We were excited about our 2 night stay at Kas to be close to the ocean and were told that the rooms that we had paid for were sea view rooms. When we reached the hotel, the staff member at the front desk was a little confused about our room types. Despite not knowing English, however, she was trying her best to communicate with us and let us know that the issues with our room would be resolved the next day. Unfortunately, our rooms smelled of smoke, the tables/desks were quite old with stains and markings. One of our rooms was looking right out in the main bar area with no privacy or view of the sea and the other was looking out at a small pathway with a sliver of a view from the balcony. The doors were a bit hard to open/close. The shower water was cold to lukewarm. However, the rooms as a whole, though very simple with some need for maintenance, were clean. We immediately notified Berat about our experience, just as feedback, and she promptly contacted the hotel's manager. The manager called us up afterwards. He seemed a little upset over our complaints but assured us that the problems would be resolved the next day and sent us a fruit basket. The next day we met the manager. He was a little cold and passive aggressive while explaining that the hotel was completely booked and that they could move us to a villa for extra money. Berat helped us navigate this conversation, and eventually we were able to move to their villa for our second day in Kas, without paying extra. The villa had a beautiful view with a private pool, beach area, and 3 bed/3 bath. This was definitely more than we were expecting for our room change at the hotel. While we had some unfortunate experiences with some of the staff and our expectations of the rooms, the outdoor areas such as the pool and dining areas are quite pretty. The villa was also great, and we enjoyed using the private pool. If you decide to stay at La Kumsal, be clear on what type of room you are getting - "seaside" or "sea front" or "sea view"!
Wonderful boutique hotel in a great location. Breakfast was great and the attention to detail for decor was noticeable. Feel free to do your own research on restaurants and other services in the area, as some of the recommendations given by the staff were helpful, but possibly overpriced. We were also recommended a salon that overcharged us and actually hurt my mother's fingers during a manicure.
Another hotel we loved. Wonderful staff, well designed rooms, and some of the comfiest beds we've slept in! The breakfast was also delicious, and we enjoyed getting to know the restaurant staff.
Activity Reviews
Onder did a great job of introducing us to Istanbul!
Great way to get a different perspective of Istanbul
We thoroughly enjoyed our three days in Cappadocia, and all the activities - hot air balloons, hiking, pottery making, etc.
The ancient sites of Aspendos, Perge, and Ephesus were marvelous, but in the middle of July it was extremely hot, which limited our ability to explore as much as we may have wanted.
Loved it! The Ab-ı Hayat treatment was one of our favorite activities of our trip.
In retrospect, I would have moved our itinerary around to give us 2 full days in Istanbul before heading off to Cappadocia. This would have been a great activity for the 2nd day of our trip. Unfortunately keeping this for the last day of our trip meant that we were a little too tired to fully appreciate the magnificent sites. With a little more energy, we definitely could have spent much more time at Topkapi Palace.
Dear Ruchi,
Thank you so much for this review. We are so happy you had a positive experience during your trip to Turkey! It was a real pleasure to have designed the trip with you and glad to hear you'll be willing to come back again!
Thanks so much for the feedback and your spot-on suggestions too, we always try to make it better for our travelers and improve our excellent service as Trail Travel.
Best regards,
Berat