What some of our guests said after their tour;

Hello,

We thought you company should know what a great tour guide Nazli Gursan is and what an asset she is to your company.  She was our guide while in Istanbul a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed her very, very much.  She was extremely knowledgeable and so kind as well.  She was a pleasure to spend a full day with.  I will also put a great review for you company as well on the Cruise Critic message boards.

Again, thank you!

Ralph and Donna DeBlasio

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

 

Your service was excellent and we enjoyed the tour very much.

I will recommend your company highly as you are very professional in the way you handled every aspect beginning with my first email to you.

Nancy Wilkes

just got back from our trip, thank you so much for terrific guides, and great times in turkey, will recommend you to everyone who is going to your corner of the world.
Bernice

Dear Ekol Travel,

I am just now catching up on all my e-mail after returning from our 3 week trip. Just wanted to let you know that Turo (nickname) did an EXCELLENT JOB of being our guide. He was able to answer all of our questions, and it was obvious that he was very knowledgeable about the sites we were visiting.

We had a fantastic tour with him and it was 20 times better than the cruise shore excursion would have been. All of the reviews we read on your website definitely held true. We would definitely recommend Ekol Travel to any of our friends visiting Turkey.

Thank you so much.

Ronda Judd and daughters

Hi Len!! We just came back from our trip and thanks toyou we had a wonderful time in Istanbul and Ephesus. Your guides were great and just as you said, spokeEnglish beautifully and were super informative. Iappreciate your handling our tour and making our tripmore enjoyable. Thanks again. Bonnie

Nur,

We wanted to send you a follow-up e-mail to let you know how pleased we were with the tour of Ephesus we had with your guide, Tokay on Thursday, May 17. Please forgive me if I have misspelled his name. I didn't write it down that day.

Everything about the tour was just perfect. Tokay was so nice and helpful. He loves his country and made us feel the same way. He was very flexible in his schedule to allow us plenty of time to do and see all of the things in which we were interested. We were so happy that we chose Ekol Travel and we will recommend it to others.

The driver, Levin was also very pleasant. We were very impressed with the beautiful van designed especially for touring.

Please tell Tokay "hello" from us.

Sincerely, Janelle & Armin Brahm

Dear Nur,

We want to thank you and to commend Umit Ozipek for his guide services during our cruise stop in Istanbul.

Umit's services were outstanding. He adapted to our needs, moved at our pace, and knew fully every aspect of the history, culture and background of the areas we visited. He is a superb guide and we fully enjoyed being with him during the day.

Sincerely,

Jerry and Peggy Rose

Dear Fevzi, I am writing on behalf of our group to tell you how much we enjoyed our visit to Kusadasi and how wonderful our guide was in seeing that we felt welcomed in your country and made sure we enjoyed ourselves. We were impressed and pleased with the knowledge, the enthusiasm and the helpfulness of our guide. He was outstanding and went out of his way to show us a wonderful time. We cannot say enough about how much we enjoyed our visit there and we will certainly recommend your service to any of our friends who may be considering traveling there. Thank you so much! Donna Rains

Fevzi:

I just wanted to say thank you for the wonderful time we had in Ephesus and Istanbul. The guide we had in Ephesus was very informative and flexible and made the ruins of Ephesus a very special experience. The Terrace Houses are unbelievable!

Our guide in Istanbul, Murat Gurer, was outstanding. I would rate him a 5-star guide! He was so knowledgeable and personable and we felt like our day in Istanbul could not have been better. He was very conscientious of what we wanted to see and hear, and if a certain area of the Topkapi Palace was crowded, he headed us off to another location to circumvent the crowds. He did an excellent job and I just can't say enough nice things about him.

Once again, thank you for having wonderful guides to make our short stay in Turkey a memorable one.

Steve and Fran Susman, Denver, Colorado

Note: I did write a mini-review for the cruise critic Europe, Ports of Call board. I have already had one person contact me wanting your contact information so hopefully this will generate some additional contacts for your company.

Dear Fevzi,

We were in Istanbul and Kusadasi on the Brilliance of the Sea for the past two weeks and just arrived home last night.

I wanted to let  you know how much we enjoyed our touring with Omer Elkay in Istanbul.  He picked us up at the airport on arrival, took us to the hotel and then we toured with him the next day in Istanbul.

Omer was terrific and we enjoyed his guiding us.  He was very knowledgeable and informative. 

When we were in Ephesus, the woman guide (I forget her name now) was also wonderful.

We will certainly recommend your firm to any of our friends who travel to your part of the world.  Thanks again.

SANFORD J. WEINBERG

San Mateo, CA USA
 

Dear Jenny:
We would like to thank you for the wonderful job Zakir did on our tour of
Istanbul both on Oct 21 & 22. (GALAXY)  She was very pleasant and
knowledgeable and we enjoyed her company.  Also, On Oct 26 Asil and his
driver (Lucky) were fabulous.  The driver was right on the ball and very
polite.  Asil was  excellent and professional and we really enjoyed them
as well.  Please extend this message to the others in your office as I
will try my best to give your agency an excellent review online.  Many
thanks--pleas give our regards to the guides we had.
John and Teresa Gately

Dear Fevzi,
Thank you for a wonderful day in Turkey.  We so enjoyed the trip to Ephesus and seeing the Turkish countryside.  Thanks for all the information.  The day was just perfect.  Our visit with you was a highlight of the trip.
We are back home in Pheonix with many good memories.
Sincerely,  Susan Hixson

Hello, Fevzi,

 We all enjoyed our day with Ekol in Kusadazi and Ephesus.  We were very impressed that you were there at the dock to greet us, especially when an accident prevented our scheduled driver from being there.  (We do hope that all is well with the driver and anyone else involved.)  Mustafa is a dedicated guide and an excellent ambassabor for Turkey.   

Thank you so much for your speedy responses to us by email as we were making our plans and for making sure that we had a wonderful time in Turkey.  We hope soon to be back to visit other places in Turkey, especially Istanbul, and hope that you will be there to help us when we return. 

Sincerely,

Sandy Langfitt

Dear Ekol Travel,

We absolutely loved our day in Turkey with Ekol Travel.  Our guide, Selcuk and driver were both very cordial and kind, we loved the countryside and everything we were taken to see.  In fact, of all the stops on our Mediterranean cruise (Rome, Florence, south of France, Naples, Athens, several Greek Islands), Turkey was our favorite place, mostly due to Ekol Tours and Selcuk.

 What a wonderful surprise Turkey was to us!  I even wandered to the market afterwards (a single woman, alone) and the people at the market were very friendly and nice to me as well, not bothersome as in some other country's markets.  We were very impressed with Turkey and would love to come back.

 I would not miss an opportunity to advise others to use your company, Please know that I will take advantage of all chances this Winter and Spring (when people are planning their 2007 cruises) to recommend your company.

 

Best, Ellen Quinn
 

Dear Jenny,

 This is a first for me,  I never write letters back to companies but here  goes.  My name is Diana Sandal, a few months ago my husband Fred contacted  your company by e-mail on the recommendation of a friend that had used  your service. He was inquiring about your tours available for Istanbul and
 Ephsis.  You responded very quickly with full details from pick up  options, times, and cost.  We tried sending you our credit card  information and the charge would not go through.  We talked with our bank
 and found out that charges were not allowed in Turkey.  We were in a panic  as this was our only credit card and thought we would not have the chance  to use your company. You e-mailed us back saying don't worry we will take  you at your word that you will be there and we will go ahead and send the
 tour guide and car for you.  This in itself was very impressive to us as  you did not know us and as a company did not have to make this "special  arrangement" for us. A lot of companies would have said So sorry that is our policy pay first by credit card or no tour. When we arrived in Istanbul we were greeted by a big sign with our names on it held by Mr. Omer Elkay,  we were immediately impressed with Omer,
 not only by his extensive knowledge of the history,legends, myths, and  tales of the area but by his extremely friendly and pleasant personality.  He answered EVERY question we had and trust me there where many.  I am an avid camera buff and wanted tons of pictures Omer was very sweet and
 allowed me plenty of time to take what ever photos I wanted and even took some pictures of my husband and me together.  We also had some special requests...I needed to find some Turkish coins to bring home to my 10 year old daughter.......Omer took us right to a stand that sold old coins
 mounted on a card with details about the coins and got us an excellent price on it.  We also wanted to see the Sistine system.......again this was arranged for us and worked into the schedule without delay.  I also  want to mention our driver on this tour......Forgive me but I have  forgotten his name.....but I have not forgotten the excellent driving  skills and also his politeness and his never in a rush attitude.  We have  done several Excursions with the cruise lines always with the feeling that  we were being treated like a heard of cattle,  get on the bus, go to the  site,get off the bus, get a few details about the site, strain to hear the  short memorized facts offered by the tour guide, get back on the bus, go back to the ship.  We had never considered doing any private tours.  Omer has spoiled us we will look for companies like yours from now on.  This tour took place on October 1st.  We ended our time with Omer exchanging
 e-mail addresses and phone numbers. Feeling that we had made a friend. And just knowing there was no way that we would have another guide as wonderful as Omer.On October the 2nd we went to the port of Ephsis and again we were greeted by a sign with our names on it and within a few moments we knew that we were wrong!!!  We did have another wonderful tour guide and driver.  We were met by Ms. Filiz Capraz and our driver Lucky........I am very bad  with names and how to pronounce them I could not say his name properly,  he very sweetly said just call me Lucky.  We feel we are the ones that  were Lucky for the time we spent with these people.  Again we were with extremely friendly and knowledgeable people.  The details and information shared with us about the sites and  history of the area we were in was beyond impressive.  Again every question was quickly and skillfully answered.  Once more we had a special request we asked to go to a "local" place for lunch....Filiz and Lucky took us to the most charming restaurant with real lounging couches and fabulous food.  It was the best meal we had
 the entire trip (this includes the food on the 5 star cruise ship)  We feel that again we had time with wonderful people and friends.  We also ended this tour with the exchange of e-mails and left feeling once again that we had spent time with good people that we were happy and blessed to have met.
   I would like to end this letter with a few facts as to why Omer (his driver), Filiz, and Lucky, and the key to all of it Jenny meant so much to us. I am a simple southern girl from very small towns  I never thought Iwould ever see the sites I saw on this trip in my life!!!  This was truly a once in a life time trip for me.  Fred and I put over a year and a half of our lives into planning and saving for this.  Everyone could have done a so so or ho hum job with us and we would have been very satisfied it would have been what we were use to receiving on tours..........But  instead we feel that we received service of a lifetime.  I only hope that the people mentioned in this letter receive satisfaction and blessings for a job that they all have a special talent for.  Helping peoples dreams  come true.

 Thank you one and all,
 Mrs. Diana Sandal
 507-358-8337

Dear Fevzi,
 I want to let you know that we greatly enjoyed our excursions in
Izmir/Esphesus and Istanbul.  The guides (and our transfer to the airport)
arrived promptly on time, and were most friendly and helpful.  The tours
were much more informative, personal, entertaining, and leisurely than those
done through our cruise ship.  If our future travels find us in Turkey, we
will certainly contact Ekol for assistance.
Also, I would like to thank you again for all of your assistance in
arranging the tours, including our last minute request for an airport
transfer.
Lisa Richardson

I wanted to write a thank you for the wonderful tour you gave us to Ephesus on September 27.  Ayse nur was our guide and she was fantastic, so knowledgeable and such a great sense of humor.  She was a delight!   I have already given her name and your company name to two people who will be in Kusidasi in October of this year.  Your company is first class and I hope we can use your services again.  We definitely want to return to Turkey and Greece.  Thanks you so much,
Charles Burgin

We just returned last night safely and wanted to write and express our gratitude.  All ten of us were impressed by the knowledge and professionalism of all your people.  We enjoyed ourselves and learned a great deal and appreciated your efforts.  Thank you to all your staff.  When we come back, together or individually, we will certainly call you first.  Thanks again.

Sincerely,

Rich Rosenthal

Dear Ekol Travel,

Our day with our Ekol travel guide, Omer, was the best day of our Mediterranean adventure. He was charming,knowledgable and interesting and he made Istanbul exciting and wonderful.  We have told our friends about Ekol and Omer and will continue to do so. We hope we will have an opportunity to use your services again.

Sincerely,

Barbara & Mark Lippman

Thanks for the response. We truly enjoyed our time with your company and felt we were well informed and had the opportunity to really enjoy the day.  Hope to see you all again soon.  We will certainly recommend your services as we felt you were warm, sincere, honest and professional.

 

Thanks again!

Jim Shambo
 

Dear Fevzi Turhan
The services rendered by your tour agency were very good and we appreciate the guides assigned, and the drivers.

We will recomend your services to your embassy in our country and to our travel agency. And Istanbul and Ephesus great places, we appreciate your country and your culture,

kindest regards

Nora

Fevzi Turhan -

   Wanted to thank you for arranging for our Istanbul tours.  Mr Umit was a great tour guide and very knowledgable.  I will recommend your company to my travel agent as well as anyone I know travelling to Istanbul.  Thank you again!

Tory Johnsey

Dear Jenny,

I want to thank you very much for taking care of our tours in Istanbul...We had a wonderful time and loved the city.  Our tour guide, Omar, was fantastic...very accommodating, easy to get along with, and very knowledable...We were able to see everything we had planned...and we are greatful for assuring that everything went smoothly.  Best regards,
Lourdes

Hi Fevzi,

 

We just returned from our European vacation and wanted to let you, and anyone else who plans to visit Turkery, know how pleased we all were with the two tours we booked with you through the internet. We were the first ones off the boat and were gone while all those who booked with the cruise line were still gathering in the ships lounges. We docked earlier than expected and your guides were already there with their signs to meet us. Through out the day we were always a step ahead of all those big groups who booked their tours with the cruise line so we had extra time at the end of the day. Your guides showed us other sites and we went shopping!  We know, being from the most popular vacation destination in the world ourselves, how there is so much to see in the short time allowed for shore excursions. We would let others know that these are unsolicited comments and that we would highly recommend your tours to anyone planning to visit your country.

 

Allan, Lundie, Margaret, Dorothy

Maui, Hawaii

Just a note to let you know that we had a fabulous time in Turkey with Yigit.  Our entire group enjoyed the tour and Yigit was a great guide.  He was flexible, accomodating and did everything he could do to make our day in Turkey a terrific experience.  Thank you again for your great tour and making our stay so enjoyable.  We can't wait to come back.

Sincerely,

Scott Chanin

Dear Fevzi,

Just to give you a quick report that we had such a wonderful time

with Omer in Istanbul and with the lovely gal in Ephesis and particularly

with Olga in Athens. Everyone was so professional, on-time, courteous.

We would  cetainly recommend Ekol (and did!) to other passengers and friends for future trips.

Thankyou again for making our trip in Turkey and Greece so enjoyable.

Kind Regards,

Dave Wescott

Do you by chance have contacts in France or Italy for similar bookings?

Dear Jenny.

Thank you so much for arranging the wonderful time we spent in Turkey on our recent cruise.

George was great, so informative and lovely to talk to, he made the tour a day to remember.

I will recommend Ekol travel to my friends and if we are lucky enough to plan another trip which includes a visit to

Turkey we will most definately be in contact with you.

Kind regards.

Jean Callister.

I wanted to thank you for making our trip so wonderful.  My husband and I booked 3 shore excursions with you instead of our cruise ship.  We couldn't have been happier. 
We received excellent treatment that far surpassed the cruise ship tours.  Jenny was wonderful in helping me choose and decide the tours.  I only wish we were able to use your tour company for ALL the excursions.  I am highly recommending you to my travel agent here in the USA.

Paula McDonough
 Kingston, MA

Just wanted to thank you for the great service you provided on our trip to Istanbul and Kusadasi. Your service far surpassed our expectations. We would highly recommend your services to everyone. Umit in Istanbul and Aysenur in Kusadasi were very knowledgeable and enjoyable. Our kudos to them and you.

Dianne and Carroll
Myrtle Beach, SC
June 17-24, 2006

 I just wanted to write and tell you how much we enjoyed our tour of Istanbul with Tolga Koseoglu.  He was a great guide and gave us so much interesting information on your city.  We will highly recommend both him and your company to future cruisers!  Thank you for helping make our visit to Istanbul a completely memorable trip.  Tolga is for sure a jewel to your company.

 

Deborah Tragesser.

Good day Jenny:

 

Though it was nearly 2 weeks ago we had the pleasure of working with your guides Yigit in Izmir and Omer Elkay in Istanbul, the memories of 2 truly unique and extraordinary experiences still live clearly.

 

Both my family and I were truly impressed by both of these wonderful, gracious and knowledgeable gentlemen. The experience of sharing both your country and their knowledge was far more than we had expected. On at least 8 occasions since our return to Canada we have raved about their abilities as well as their hospitality. In addition, at least 4 people have already asked for your web site info as well as your direct e-mail address.

 

Simply put, we could not have been treated better. The drivers were courteous and efficient, the AC vehicles were spotless and comfortable and the guides were, as Omar would put it, truly "world class". On any return to your country, you would be the first people we would turn to for guidance and assistance in putting together a Turkish Experience.

 

Thank you for your help in the beginning and the experience of sharing your colleagues with us. Pass on these words to both Yigit and Omar. They need to know their efforts on those days were appreciated totally. The experiences with them were the absolute highlights of our 7 day journey to the Eastern Med.

 

Thank you again.

 

Gord Stovel
 

It's been two months since you arranged our day tour in Kusadasi.  I've been wanting to write you to tell you how much we enjoyed our short stay there.  It was so nice to meet you there at the dock.  We could immediately tell we were well taken care of.  The van was nice and very roomy and our guide, Tunc, was amazing.  He was so friendly and knowledgeable. His love of Turkey was very apparent and very infectious.  If you have an email address for him I'd appreciate it.  We were all so impressed with your beautiful country and would like to return again someday soon.  If we do we will definitely call you to make the arrangements.  We have friends who travel quite a bit.  We'll be sure to tell them about Mr. Turhan at Ekol Travel.  Again, thank you for a wonderful trip.  Good luck in all you do! Sincerely,

Dear Ekol travel,

I just wanted to thank you for making our Turkey trip so marvelous--everything you planned went beautifully.  We both fell in love with your country, and if I ever return, I will definitely contact you immediately.

THANK YOU!
Cheers Alisa

It was a pleasure to meet everyone in person and we sincerely appreciate your lovely gift.  This will be displayed proudly in my home.  I look forward to visiting Kusadasi again next week. I think that I will simply stay with the group again as already planned as I think it is important to spend this time with my clients.  Thank you once again, you did a fantastic job.  Ngaire

Hi Fevzi,

I have to say without a doubt that the highlights of our Mediterranean cruise were the two private tours of Kusadasi and Istanbul that we booked with Ekol Travel.

As we disembarked the cruise ship in Kusadasi, it was comforting to see Yagit standing on the dock holding  a sign with our name on it. Within
minutes we were comfortably seated in his air conditioned car and on our way to Ephessus while those passengers that booked the cruise line tours were
waiting around on the dock for everyone on their tour to show up. This gave us the opportunity to arrive at the archeological sites early enough to be
ahead of the crowds. Yagit was very knowledgeable of the history and culture of the area and we found him delightful as he explained Turkish culture to us.
His English communication skills are excellent.

At Ephessus, he allowed us to progress at our rate while allowing us plenty of time to take pictures or to ask questions.
With his knowledge of the site, there was never a question asked that he could not answer.

From Ephessus we drove to the Temple of Artemis, where again, because of his knowledge we had the opportunity to experience what the original site must
have looked like before it was destroyed.

On the way back to Kusadasi we stopped at a rug manufacturing facility where we were provided with some Turkish coffee and apple tea while sitting under
a walnut tree. This gave us an opportunity to ask Yagit questions about modern day Turkey
and also to discuss Islamic customs and traditions. Please extend our heartfelt thanks to Yagit for making our time in Kusadasi such a wonderful
and memorable experience.

Our experience with Tolga in Istanbul was the same. As we disembarked the cruise ship he also was standing on the dock holding a sign with our name on
it. Again we were seated in his car and on the road well ahead of those who had signed up for the cruise ship tours. Tolga's English communication was
excellent as well as his knowledge of the sites that we visited. We were never rushed through any of the sites and were allowed plenty of
time to ask questions or to take pictures.
 

Since the tour was only a half day tour ending around lunch time we asked Tolga if he could recommend a local Turkish restaurant to eat at where we
could experience real Turkish food. Not only did he recommend one near the Grand Bazaar, he took us to it and even ordered the food for us. The rest of
the day was spent wandering through the Grand Bazaar shopping for some jewelry and leather goods.  Again, please extend our heartfelt thanks to
Tolga for a wonderful time in Istanbul.

I have already given several of your business cards to people on the ship and will give one to the travel agent who booked our cruise. I certainly
would recommend your company to anyone who is traveling to Turkey or Greece.

Finally, Fevzi, I would like to thank you for giving us Yagit and Tolga as our guides. Your arrangements for us were first class and much appreciated.
I guess the best compliment I can give you is that if Debbie and I find ourselves traveling in Greece or Turkey again, I will certainly call you to
arrange another private tour.

Bob and Debbie Taylor
 

Just wanted to let you know we all thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Kusadasi, Miletus, Didyma and Ephesus.   Our tour guide was friendly and extremely knowledgeable.

We will certainly recommend you to our traveling friends and we’ll contact you next time we’re traveling to Greece and/or Turkey.

Thanks again,    Doug

 

 

Just wanted to drop you a note to thank you and Nilay for the wonderful tour of Ephesus -- we could have spent more time there, but the ship was leaving!!

Nilay was wonderful and we had a delightful and informative time!

Thank you again.

Maureen Anderson

 

A message to say we enjoyed your tour for us in Istanbul.

You guide  , Selcuk Sebilcioglu, appeared very knowledgeable.  He spoke passionately of the town and of Turkey.  We appreciated learning some ofTurkey's history.

We will recommend your services to anyone travelling to Istanbul.

Richard and Diana Magnuson

 

Hello Fevzi,

We have now returned to Australia and I would like to take this
opportunity to thank you for organising our trip to Turkey.
My wife and I had an excellent holiday and the effort you and your
company made to ensure all the details were correct and that the holiday
would run smoothly was excellent. The accommodation , guides, route
taken through Turkey and support during the trip made our holiday one we
will not forget.
We are pleased to have chosen your company and will recommend  you to
our friends and any body who is planning a trip to Turkey.

Regards
Phillip Andrews

 

We just returned from our tour and wanted to waste no time in telling you how wonderful it was.  The guide and driver were first rate.  Our tour went smoothly, we were able to see all the sites we planned and more.  Thank you for all of your help.  We are looking forward to tomorrow in Kusadasi with great anticipation!

Sandy Strum

 

 

Another GREAT tour - guide and driver were excellent - you can use me for a recommendation any time wish your were also in Venice

Sandy Strum

Mr. Turhan,
  
  We would like to thank your agency,  for the very prompt response to
our inquiry. Jenny helped us to pick the most beneficial tour for the
right price.
  We had a wonderful tour in Ephesus on April 9 with Haluk Caliskan and
Ugur. They were very professional and knowledgeable, and very
responsive to our needs. We received service, that we honestly did not expect to
get and we will use and recommend your agency in the future.
  Thanks again, great job,
  
  Igor and Edit Vaynberg