Sep 23, 2024
Amazing and flexible - Nesrin and the driver Emir were amazing. From start to finish we had a wonderful time . Travelling with my wife and 13 and 10 year old daughters the transport was immaculate clean and super comfortable.The tour was exactly what was offered . We are foodies we did a tour of the Ephesus amazing then we had a lovely delicious lunch saw some amazing rugs . Then as requested we were taken to a local food market we tried some friut then some turkish sweets . Then my youngest one saw a Turkish Pizza place and wanted a spinach and feta Pide . So Nesrin ordered one we sat down and enjoyed this also. Nothing was an issue we had a fantastic day we learnt we laughed we ate and we then ate more. Thanks for an amazing day .
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Sep 18, 2024
The Best Way to See Ephesus! - Emre was a delightful host and guide. He was very knowledgeable and spoke English clearly. Since this was a return tour to Ephesus for us (last time in 2012), he took care to give us different insights about Ephesian life in addition to the standard historical perspective, often with a good sense of humor. We toured the entire public area, the Terrace Houses and the new Ephesus Experience media show on a hot, sunny day and Emre paced it well, found shade when needed, and ensured we had plenty of icy cold water to rehydrate. We shared a delicious authentic Turkish lunch prepared by Emre’s local favorite, Selcuk Koftecisi. For a concluding coffee, we met the wonderful owners of the Phoenix Gallery who shared their passion for supporting artisans of disappearing Turkish handcrafts (glassblowing , mosaics, Kilim rugs) with no pressure just gracious hospitality. All in all, a great day. Emre spoke of the other tours he offers: e-cycling, wine, culinary, etc. and we'll be sure to reach out to explore more on our next visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 15, 2024
Amazing nice your guide with lots of knowledge - Amazing tour guide took us to Ephesus but as it was raining in the morning she took us to a Turkish rug making place which was amazing to see how much work goes into the rugs, then we went to the make your own lunch which was a very cool experience, the host of the place we went to was lovely and the food was incredible traditional Turkish food. We enjoyed every part of the day and the guide was amazing. So much knowledge and had all the best places to go to, we highly recommend her!
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Sep 15, 2024
Best Shore Excursion we’ve done - One of the best days we’ve had by far - Nesrin was an excellent guide and so informative! Modern Mercedes Sprinter with great AC - easy meeting point at the port once we got off the ship. Ephesus was a highlight and Nesrin again knew everything and was helpful with questions we had.
The cooking class was at a small boutique hotel in the countryside with the friendliest hosts - isolated with a nice pool and grounds.
We will definitely be booking with Nesrin and Phoenicia Travel in the future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 9, 2024
Absolutely outstanding - Breaking with the normal Viking cruise line shore excursion, we decided to book an independent tour with Emre. We are beyond happy we did! First Emre did a great job of communicating with us in advance of the tour. Next, he arrived with a professional driver and van. Emre was open to our ideas and guided us through the region in the most efficient and unbelievable way, while sharing his knowledge about the sites and culture. As a private tour, we were able to arrive at the Virgin Mary’s home before anyone else. Amazing! Next we went to Ephesus and learned so much from Emre. His pace was perfect for us. After visiting a very unique ceramic studio, we went to a fantastic outdoor lunch a rug gallery. We actually purchased two rugs. Emre then took us to a very nice vineyard for a wine tasting. We simply could not think of a better day and tour guide. Learning that we were going to Istanbul, and did not have a solid itinerary, Emre introduced us to a fantastic local guide there. I could right an entire review about Istanbul, but the take away is that Emre is a professional at the highest level and has best of class contacts across Turkey.
We found zero faults with Emre and highly recommend his services. Absolutely outstanding tour guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 6, 2024
Wonderful tour, highly recommend - Nesrin was the perfect tour guide for my family of 6! She was happy to adapt the tour to our interests and she was very responsive to messages. During the tour she told us many interesting stories and was overall very kind and attentive. She speaks excellent English. I would highly recommend her to anyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 3, 2024
Excellent tour of Ephesus with a tasty lunch and a visit to a Turkish carpet co-op. - The tour of Ephesus was very informative and well organized. Especially impressive are the Terrace Apartments and the remains of the Ephesus Library. After the tour we visited Turkish carpet makers. We saw how different kinds of carpets are made by hand. The carpets are very beautiful.
The family style lunch was very tasty.
We also visited a family owned pottery shop that makes amazing ceramic art pieces.
It was an excellent excursion and we liked Nesrin a lot.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 20, 2024
Excellent tour for the whole family - Azime was our guide for our party of 7, ranging from 9 years to 85 years old on a tour of Ephesus and Mary’s house and wonderful traditional farm lunch. He was eloquent, enthusiastic, humorous, extremely knowledgeable and managed to dodge the crowds and heat despite us visiting in the height of peak season. He was flexible in catering for the needs of our group and a real pleasure to spend the day with. Would highly recommend along with the driver he arranged for us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 8, 2024
FABULOUS! - This tour was amazing! I booked it last minute and the host responded to me right away. Everything went smoothly- communication, pick up, etc. Polat was our tour guide and was very kind and informative. He truly went above and beyond to make sure we had a great tour. The transportation was a Mercedes Benz Sprinter equiped with complimentary bottled water and candy. I highly recommend! 10/10.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 28, 2024
Review of our day in Ephesus - Emre was knowledgeable and insightful about everything we saw. I had asked ahead of time to NOT have a carpet demonstration, but we still had one and I didn't appreciate that. Otherwise it was a good tour.
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