Ephesus, Shore Excursions in Turkey, Kusadasi
Samyeli Travel
Shore Excursions Ephesus Virgin Mary Pergamum Didyma-Miletos-Priene- Selcuk Ephesus Celsus Library Seven Sleepers in Selcuk (Ephesus) - Once The, Commercial Center Of The Ancient World From Kusadasi And Izmir And Istanbul Ports, Istanbul Hagia (St.) Sophia + Blue Mosque + Hippodrome and Istanbul Blue Mosque + Topkapı Palace + Undergraund Cistern from istanbul Port, Istanbul Hagia (St.) Sophia + Blue Mosque + Hippodrome + Topkapı Palace Crusie Extension Packages In Turkey
Our Ephesus Tours Run From Port Of Kusadasi and Izmir Our Istanbul Tours Round From Port Of Istanbul.
Pamukkale, Aphrodisias, Pergamum, Didyma, Miletos, Priene, Isa Bey Mosque, Steam Train Museum Ephesus, Terrace Houses, House of Virgin, Mary Museum The Basilica of St. John, Sirince Village, Artemision, Ephesus Tours - Kusadasi Port - Provides Ephesus tours-shore excursions in Istanbul tours and Kusadasi


Comment's   

126-) Dear Mehmet,

My husband and I plus six of our friends arrived home after spending a fabulous vacation on the Noordam for a Mediterranean Adventure. While we were hesitant to book private tours instead of using the ship's excursions, we heard so much about your company on Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor that I insisted we take the chance. There was no chance involved. The ships attempt to scare the passengers into using their tours by saying the ship won't wait for you if you come back late. I never saw any tour arrive too late to board the ship. I must say that when each of us is asked for the highlight of the trip, we all shout Ephesus and NADIA

She was as knowledgeable as possible about world history, current affairs and social mores. Her kind and considerate nature was a delight to strangers in a foreign land.  She was patient, caring and paid attention to our needs and desires. Perhaps the most important aspect was that she spoke English clearly and precisely and we understood all the idiomatic comments and jokes. 

As a revelation, Turkey was a beautiful country with many kind and wonderful people. Nadia took us to a local restaurant and was in charge of the ordering for all 9 of us. We were delighted with the choices and service provided by the Turkish people. When it was time to leave we were all so sad that the day had to come to a close. We all hugged and promised to keep in touch. 

I highly recommend taking this tour and seeing the Terrace Houses. The Village of Sirince was breathtaking with the Antique Church. The Temple of Artemis is deservedly called one of the seven wonders of the world. The Celcus Library and Theatre are outstanding in their magnitude. Imagine a forum with a capacity of 25,000!

If any of your perspective clients would like to contact me for more information on the PO4 tour, I would gladly provide any information that I could. Please say hello to Nadia and we will be in touch with her soon.

Remember to ask for Nadia for an understandable English speaking guide.

Francine Rosen 
Manalapan, NJ

Noordam 
sailing Sept.26, 2009


125-) Hello Mehmet,

Greetings from Canada! We are home again after a really great trip. I am happy to make some comments about our day in Turkey. Thanks for making our day so interesting and enjoyable.

We were a party of 4 from Ontario, Canada. We chose Samyeli Travel for our day excursions from the port of Kusadasi because our daughter and her husband had used this company on an “American Express” tour 2 years ago when they  visited Ephesus and recommended them because  the quality of service they had received. It was our first visit to Turkey and this excursion met or exceeded all our expectations. We were met promptly as arranged at the Terminal by our guide and driver and were transported comfortably in a late model, immaculate, air conditioned van .

We had chosen the tour that included visits to the  Shrine of the Virgin Mary , the Basilica of St John, and the Ruins of Ephesus. In addition our friends wanted to purchase a small Turkish rug and our guide .Mehmet,  made these arrangements for us.

We arrived “ahead of the bus tours” at the House of the Virgin Mary so were able to take some time in uncrowded conditions to really look around and spend some moments in reflection. The buses were arriving as we left and we were grateful to have spent this early time there.

Ephesus, where the Apostles Paul and John , once lived was amazing! Despite the crowds that grew larger as the day wore on, Mehmet, our guide, was very familiar with the layout and directed  our small group around with ease. He  spoke very good English, was well informed about the history of Ephesus and made sure we saw all the “highlights” including the latrines and signs  to the brothels.  The Terrace House visit was well worth the “extra” fee. The “Grand Theatre”, where where Paul  addressed the Ephesians in Biblical times &  still used for events today, the  library, the Agora etc….there was so much to see!

We found ourselves alone with our guide at the ruins of the Basilica of St. John which allowed us to move freely about the place.

Then off to the carpet weaving centre  where we saw a demonstration of the process of carpet making  from capturing silk filament from the cocoons to the hand weaving . Our friends happily negotiated their purchase of a small rug wall hanging as a souvenir of their trip.

Our driver and guide dropped us back at the port as planned and we spent some time negotiating for small souvenirs’ at the shops at the port.

Our guide’s knowledge of Turkish culture and history and his ready answering of questions  on everything from religion, education, employment, housing, health care , military service and more contributed to a really  great day!  

We left Turkey feeling we would really like to return one day & see more of it. 

Louise M Berglund
Celebrity Cruises “Celebrity Equinox” October 14, 2009


124-) Hi Mehmet,

WE thought our tour was fantastic.  Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable, thoughtful, nice, and fun.  WE loved being able to create our own tour with a small group of people, we were 12.  Everyone had an opportunity to ask lots of questions, and so were able to learn so much more.  The village of Sirence was especially delightful.  We loved our restaurant experience with lots and lots of appetizers, tastes, and flavors, and what a bargain at five dollars per person.  We had a fantastic lunch.  And the people that ran the restaurant were such fun, and shared some of their cooking ways.  We took lots of photos, and had a marvelous time interacting.  The other great thing about a private tour, was the opportunity to visit the Terraces, in the Ephesus ruins.  They were a total high point.  The opportunity, to walk thru homes from 2,000 years ago, with incredible mosaics, in almost perfect shape, spectacular designs and colors, was truly amazing.  Bus tours, do not get to tour this area.  I felt that Samyelitravel was incredibly easy, and professional to deal with.  They were marvelous. 

Pati Kelly
Celebrity Equinox October 06, 2009 
(Ephesus Tours)


123-) Mehmet,  

My wife and I  really enjoyed our private tour of Ephesus with your company.  While on the tour we saw some of our fellow cruise shipmates with the big group, and so pleased it was just three of us touring and getting around the crowds.   In addition, because of our specific needs, the cost was the same as on the ship's shore excursion.  Eventhough, we did not specify about lunch, Tener took us to this wonderful coffee-tea- restaurant that was a Turkish experience and paid for by our guide.  One of the best parts was the private car, meeting us as we walked onto the pier,  and having the guide tells us, and answer questions pertaining, to our interests.  Thanks for your services and prompt replies.  

Paul Krumhauer 
Celebrity Solstice 
October 14, 2009 (Ephesus Tours)


122-) Hi Mehmet,

Our private tour with Mehmet was excellent. We loved Turkey, although due to time restraints on our cruise, just a day, we only saw a small portion of this fascinating country. We loved the beautiful countryside, the food, our visit to Ephesus and small villages. Mehmet was friendly, professional, and responsive. It was a pleasure organizing our trip with Samyeli Travel and it would be my pleasure to refer others to your agency. Please see photos attached.

Regards,
Marlene Walker
Toronto, Canada
Brilliance Of. The Seas 
October 07, 2009 (Ephesus Tours)


121-) Mehmet,

 I wanted to let you know we had a great time on our Ephesus tour earlier this month. Our guide and driver did a great job.

Mark Sebastian,  WA USA
Norwegian Jade October 11, 2009 (Izmir Ephesus Tours)


120-) Dear Mehmet

We would like to acknowledge your company for providing us with a wonderfully competent tour guide for our private tour of Ephesus.

Our guide, Levent, was knowledgeable, polite, well educated and he provided us with a very informative tour.

Everything ran smoothly from the prompt pick up at the port, the tour itself, the safe driving and the drop off back at the port.

This private tour was much better than doing a large group tour with the cruise ship.

I have no hesitation in recommending your company in the future.

Vilma
Grand Princess September 25, 2009
 (Ephesus Tours)


119-) Dear Mehmet,

We were met just off the ship by the travel agent and he took us immediately to our driver.  The vehicle was new and very comfortable and our driver was wonderful !  He stopped at any occassion that we wanted to take pictures on our drive to Izmir.  He was so accommodating and took us to all the places that we wanted to see in Izmir.  Since we had been married in Izmir 30 years ago, it was very important for us to find the church. Mithat was determined to find this church that has since been tucked in amidst very small streets and buildings with alot of traffic.  When we found the church, I cried.  Mithat said to me "if you are happy, I am happy."  He seemed truly joyful that he had found our marriage place for us. This was the highlight of our trip and our cruise.  The visit to the House of the Virgin Mary was very emotional.  We even sat down for a glass of chai at the agency to end our day."

I would recommend Samyeli Travel to anyone going to Turkey.  

On a personal note, I would recommend Mithat to you in very high regards.  I ask that you greet him for us.

I have attached several photos, you may use them as you wish.  Please send us a brochure if you use them in anything so we can see if we are famous ! 

Thank you again for your wonderful service. 

Sincerely and with gratitude,

Shelly and Stephen Stone
Minnesota, USA
Navigator Of the Seas September 24, 2009 (Rent a car with a driver)


118-) Mehmet,

We wanted to comment on how great Yuksel was as our guide!!  And how great Samyeli Travel were to deal with.  Everything went smoothly and without a hitch.

Marc & Patti 
Celebrity Solstice
 September 23, 2009 (Ephesus Tours)


117-) We enjoyed our tour immensely. Our guide was excellent,knowledgeable & very personable. We absolutely fell in love with Istanbul & felt our day was very memorable.

Thank you
Regards
Tracy Selwyn
Azamara Quest August 29, 2009 (Istanbul Tours)


116-) Hello there Mehmet

Sorry for getting back to you that late. We had a wonderful trip out to Ephesus, our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the ruins and the history of the place. We felt very privileged to have all of our questions answered with no-one else around to interfere, and we were able to do it at our own pace, which was very nice. We would recommend the tour to anyone travelling to Ephesus as the price was fair and service excellent. 

All the best to you
Regards

Marcel
Legend Of The Seas July 25, 2009 (Ephesus Tours)


115-) Dear Mehmet,

Bulent Soysal met us at the Kusadasi port on August 27th, 2009.  He provided us with such a wonderful tour experience.  His passion for and knowledge of Ephesus and Turkey fascinated us.  We were thoroughly impressed.  We have never had such an interesting, informative tour/day and we look very much forward to returning to Turkey.

With thanks and kind regards, 
Timothy McInerney 
Navigator Of the Seas August 27, 2009 (Ephesus Tours)


114-) Dear Mehmet,

We had a fabulous time!! Please tell Hassan that we all thought he was an amazing guide...so informative and good-natured in putting up with all of us! We promised him that we would be happy to be his guide if he came to Los Angeles, so feel free to give him my email address. Our day in Turkey turned out to be one of our very best days, so thank you  from all of us.

Thank you again!
Michelle Connell
Costa Serena August 20, 2009 (Istanbul Tours)


113-) Dear Mehmet, 

I want to thank you for the excellent tour of Ephesus that we had on 14 Aug with your guide, Jinghis.  We were picked up at the ship exactly as promised, and taken in a very comfortable, air conditioned van to Ephesus.  While we were there we visited the house of the Virgin Mary, the ruins of the city of Ephesus itself including the Terrace Houses, the basilica of St. John and the Temple of Artemis (once one of the 7 Wonders of the World). 

Jinghis was an excellent guide, bringing us to each of the sites and giving us a very thorough explanation of the site and then letting us tour the site on our own.  I much prefer this to a full guided tour, where you must stay with the guide and follow his strict itinerary and timetable.   We had tours like that in Rome and Pompeii, and I feel we missed a lot by having to keep up with the group and not being able to linger at the more interesting spots.

Besides touring the ruins, Jinghis brought us to a local restaurant where we had an excellent lunch of Turkish salad (very much like Greek salad), kebabs, meatballs and other local food.

I would highly recommend Samyeli Travel and particularly Jinghis, to everyone. 

John Harrahy 
Ruby Princess August 14, 2009 (Ephesus Tours)


112-) Hi Mehmet, 

One of the highlights and most enjoyable days on our vacation was our day in Ephesus and Kusadasi.  Our guide Gengus (Cengiz) was waiting for us on the dock.  Our driver was prompt and  courteous.  Ephesus is an unbelievable site to see. Our guide was charming,  and informative.  We wished he could have traveled with us to all the sites on our trip.  We will definitely recommend your agency and  we hope to return to Turkey and see Cappadocia some day soon.  We will let you know.

Gale and Allen Lehner
Nautica, August 4, 2009 
(Ephesus Tours)


111-) Dear Mr. Dagdelen,

I apologize for not getting back to you earlier with comments and feedback on the Ephesus tour.  On behalf of our group of 12, I can say that the Ephesus tour was one of the best if not the best tour we had on the cruise.  The size of the area, the quality of the structures still standing and the beauty of the ruins was exceptional and moving.

A definite "must see" is the terrace houses for their unbelievable size, workmanship and quality of the paintings, tile and marble remains.

Our tour guide, Bill (his English name) was superb.  His knowledge not only of the ruins but of the ancient culture and the current Turkish culture and people was superb.  His stories, anecdotes and datiled understanding made the tour all the better.  And who knew that our tour guide would be a professional archeologist who worked on the preservation of the structures at Ephesus!!!!!  What a bonus.  He was friendly, informative and took the time and effort to learn our names and where we lived.  He even joined a number of us for lunch at a local "restaurant" he recommended so we could enjoy the local food of Turkey.  I would recommend the Ephesus tour through Samyeli Travel to anyone making the trip to the area.

I have also attached a couple of pictures of our tour.  Thank you again for a wonderful experience.

Ken Papaj
Legend Of The Seas July 25, 2009
 (Ephesus Tours)


110-) Hi Mehmet,

We thoroughly enjoyed our day with Gengis (American spelling) and the tour he provided through the ancient ruins of Ephesus.  The day started with him being there as we disembarked our ship at Kusadasi, us being one of the first groups out of the port and therefore arriving ahead of the crush of tourists at Ephesus.  Gengis was articulate in English, knowledgeable regarding the history of this great ancient city, and kept us going at a pace to insure we would see everything there was to offer at this historic site.  Being that it was an extremely hot day we were thankful for our driver and the air-conditioned Volkswagen coach for the ten of us.

Having seen the cost of the excursions offered by our cruise ship, we were extremely pleased that we found your wonderful tour business and that the day turned out well beyond our expectations and well within our budget.  We would enthusiastically recommend samyelitravel to any group wanting to see and hear about the treasures of the ancient cities of Turkey and Greece.

We are attaching a couple photos of our group while at Ephesus.

Sincerely,
Gary & Diane Giannoni,

Ruby Princess July 23, 2009 
(Ephesus Tours)


109-) Dear Mehmet,

Thank you so much for making our visit to the ruins of Ephesus and the Terrace Houses a truly wonderful experience! We were a group of four, and in spite our anticipation and high expectations, your company delivered a beautiful and memorable day, which is saying a lot considering that our entire itinerary was spectacular! Our tour guide, Abraham, was a pleasure. He was knowledgeable and did a fantastic job of working the tour around our pace, our interests, and our questions. Your price was less than the cruise line excursion, and when we saw the large groups struggling to keep up with and hear their guides, we knew we had made the right choice by booking with you!

Outstanding! We'll recommend you highly!

Susan McGrath
Lowville, NY USA
Splendour of the Seas, July 21, 2009 
(Ephesus Tours)


108-) Hello Mehmet,

Thank you and everything went well: our guide was extremely knowledgeable and it was great to have him guide us through Epheseus and all the other sites. There were 10 of us in our family and even the 4 teenagers found it all fascinating! I had been there before and did NOT learn anything from the cruise tour I took but so much of it was explained now. We were very glad we added on the visit to the houses; we really would have missed out if we had not seen them. There is so much more to see than there was in Athens and so much is preserved so well. Keep up the good work!

Thanks again,
The Rand family
Navigator Of Seas Thursday July 16, 2009
 (Ephesus Tours)


107-) Hello Mehmet

We had an absolute great day. Our guide, Sammy, was so knowledgeable and as interested in our welfare as we were in your beautiful country. At every moment, he wanted to make sure we were comfortable and satisfied with our tour. Having kids on the tour is not easy but Sammy was able to keep them very engaged. We had the right blend of tour with commentary and time for ourselves to explore the sites and shopping. It was a grand time and we thank you.

Very best regards

Dave Lenhard and family 
Legend Of The Seas July 13, 2009 (Ephesus Tours)


106-) Mehmet

Many thanks for giving us an excellent guide and safe driver. We had a most delightful and historical day with Gehgis ( American spelling ).

I would be most happy in the future to recommend both of you.

Murray Ginsburg 
Navigator Of the Seas July 16, 2009 (Ephesus Tours)


105-) Dear Mehmet

We have arrived safely back in Canada and I just wanted to write to thank you very much for the service your company provided while we were in Turkey. Our guide, also Mehmet (assuming not you) was wonderful. He was polite, informative and helpful in all ways. His tour of Ephesus was very detailed and we enjoyed it very much. We would recommend his services to anyone we know who is travelling to Kusadasi.

Thank you again

Denise Tapiero
Celebrity Solstice July 01, 2009 (Ephesus Tours)


104-) Hi Mehmet,

We had a wonderful time on our tour of Ephesus!!! This was one of my son's favorite stops on our trip. I'm sure a lot of that had to do with the fantastic tour guide, Nadia. She was very knowledgeable and easy to listen to.

I'm attaching several photos of our tour - enjoy!

Kathy Andres 
Legend Of The Seas July 01, 2009 (Ephesus Tours)


103-) Hi Mehmet, 

We really enjoyed our tour with Gokhan our tour guide.

He is so passionate about his country and knowlegable about the ancient history and the modern Turkey. He is very friendly, very detail, knows everyone, and always try to keep us under the shade in the hot weather.

I was surprised that for 4 people we got a private guide and a driver for the tour. It was a lot nicer than the cruise ship excursion and value for the dollars. I definitely will recommend it to my friends and family and will put comment on Forum.

Please thank Gokhan for the wonderful tour.

I am attaching some photo.

Lisa (from Canada)
Noordam June 24, 2009 (Ephesus Tours)


102-) Mehmet,

On our visit to Kusadasi in June, 2009, we had an outstanding guide. He took us to Ephesus and gave an excellent tour. Very informative. We also visited the Temple of Artemis and St. John's as well as the House of the Virgin Mary.

We had been to Ephesus before but did a cruise ship bus tour. This time we did the private tour, and I highly highly recommend doing a private tour. We were met at the port with no problems, had great transportation and, as I said, an outstanding guide.

I would use this tour company again!!! That is the highest praise I can give!!!!!

Thank you.

Diane Braziunas
Legend Of The Seas June 07, 2009 (Ephesus Tours)


101-) Dear Mehmet:

I'm sorry that it took me so long to reply but we did not comeback from Europe until June 20th and a week later my grandson was born, we have been very busy.

We had a wonderful time in Ephesus, everything was great, the transportation, the sites that we visited and specially the tour guide Nadia, very professional, her knowledge was incredible what a great personality.

Definetly I will recommend Samyeli Travel Agency to all my friends that want to go to Turkey, I also will like to tell you that we were very impressed with your country, Turkey is a beautiful place and the people are very nice.

I'm sending you the picture that we are with Nadia.

Thanks again for a wonderful tour.

Dania Alameda 
Celebrity Solstice Sunday May 31st, 2009 (Ephesus Tours)


100-) Dear Mehmet:

I want you to know that Ephesus, Turkey was one of the absolute highlights of our 3 week vacation. We flew into Rome for 3 days, took a 12 day Princess Cruises tour through Italy, Greece, Kusadasi/Ephesus and Monte Carlo, ending with 5 days in Venice. The one day we spent in Ephesus was so incredible and we owe much of the delight to Yalcin, our tour guide through Samyeli Travel. He was engaging, polite, extremely well educated and gracious. We loved him, we loved Ephesus, we loved Turkey and the Turkish people. There were 6 people in our group and each of us has had a small sample of Turkey with the desire to return and see more! We felt the tour fee was very reasonable, especially split among the group. We took several other tours, but the one with Samyeli was by far the best. We highly recommend you and when we return, we will book with you again.

Thank you for helping to make this vacation amazing!
Dan and Jackie Flesher
Bakersfield, Calif.
2009 Princess Cruises
Sincerely,

Jackie Flesher
Crown Princess May 23, 2009 (Ephesus Tours)


99-)We had a very enjoyable tour and would be happy to recommend your tour company to anyone going on a cruise in your area. Thanks for your courtesy and providing us with a very professional guide.

Peggy Melgard
Celebrity Solstice May 10, 2009


98-)Hi Mehmet, 

I would just like to say "Thank You" ,we really enjoyed our tour of Ephesus. Our guide Hakan was waiting for us when we arrived in Kusadasi, he was really kind and friendly and has a great knowledge and enthusiasm about his country and ancient Ephesus. We have very happy memories of our tour and will definitely recommend Samyelitravel to anybody wanting to visit this beautiful part of the world. I enclose a few of our photos for you to use if you wish, many thanks, best wishes,

Judith and Mark Lindley.
Splendour Of the Seas April 28, 2009


97-)Hi Mehmet,

Sorry I haven't written before this but we just returned a few days ago and have been recuperating from a slight cold. 

I will be happy to give you some comments on the tour we received.

We arrived at our meeting spot a few minutes early and Hamar was there waiting for us. What a great pleasure for us to find out we were the only ones to book the tour so we had a private tour rather than a group tour. We truly enjoyed the whole tour. Hamar was very knowledgeable and as he was educated in the States we had no problem with a language barrier. He was very much a kind gentleman and even impressed my husband (who can be a bit harder to please than me) with his knowledge. Ephesus was absolutely amazing and one thing that made it even more special was that Hamar sang for us in the theater (what a great singer) and told us about the time he sang with the Russian Symphony at the theater, it just made the tour more personal for us. After the Ephesus tour Hamar took us to a carpet demonstration and we very much enjoyed the hospitality of Sam and his team and even bought a couple of carpets. 

I have to say that we didn't know what to expect when we came to Turkey as it was our first time there but we have decided that we will return to your beautiful country one day soon. Your people's hospitality and kindness really touched our hearts and the beauty of your country we hope to enjoy again very soon. 

When we do return I will certainly contact you again to set up another tour!!!!

Thanks again,

Debbie 
Noordom April 25, 2009


96-)Dear Mehmet,

Our group had a wonderful tour with your company while we were in Ephesus on March 31, 2009. The private bus and private tour guide provided us easy access and in depth knowledge about the area in and around Ephesus. Another thing that I appreciated was the easy communication lines between the two of us. Everything you said you did and you accommodated us with good service.

Thanks again Mehmet,

Ryan DeKoekkoek 
AquaMarine (March 31, 2009)


95-) Samyeli Travel ,

This is Rex Thomas from Ohio , USA .  We recently toured Ephesus on July 28 , 2008.  There were 4 people in our party, and everyone had an incredible time.  The tour was fantastic.  Our guide was Orchun, and he did a great job in guiding us during the tour.  He was very informative, relaying much information about the entire area.  We would very much recommend this tour for anyone traveling to Ephesus.  I will send a few pictures that we took during the tour, and you are welcome to use them in any way that you wish.  Thank you for a wonderful time.

 

Rex Thomas
Galaxy July 28, 2008 (Ephesus Tours)


94-) Dear Mehmet,

Thank you so much for the tour of Ephesus. We really enjoyed the commentary and the wonderful sights. I would recommend your private tours to anyone thinking of doing the ship excursions. The freedom of not having to wait for a large group of people and the personal service you provide make your tours so much more enjoyable than any ship excursion we could have taken.

Wendy Harding 
Princess Cruises 2008 
(Ephesus Tours)


93-) Dear Sir

Our tour of Ephesus was excellent.  It was the best day of our two seek trip. Cengiz did a great job--he knows every detail about the ancient city and the history of the area.  We were all amazed!

Pleas thank him for us.

Larry Danek 
Navigator Of The Seas Augsut 14, 2008 (Ephesus Tours)


92-) Dear Mehmet,

I just wanted to write a quick note to let you know how much we enjoyed our shore excursion to Ephesus   Our guide, Gengus, was waiting at the dock and was informative, considerate and entertaining throughout the entire tour. Not only did we see Ephesus, we enjoyed the pottery tour, the leather fashion show and most of all, watching the ladies hand-tie the rugs and gather silk from the worm....fascinating! 
Thanks again for arranging such a wonderful day.

Take care,
Donna Wall 

Holland America Line ''NOORDAM'' May 25, 2008 
(Ephesus Tours)


91-) Hello Mehmet,

We couldn't have been happier with the tour. Cangus (spelling?) was incredibly friendly, funny and knowledgeable and truly made the experience one we'll never forget. In fact, Turkey ended up being one of our favorite ports visited during the cruise. Thanks for everything!

Kristen Keller 
Navigator Of The Seas July 24, 2008  (Ephesus Tours)


90-) Mehmet,

Thank you very much for making our day in Turkey very special. Fell free to use our picture at taken at Ephesus.

Terry Koen 
Legend Of The Seas July 13, 2008 
(Ephesus Tours)


89-) "We booked our Ephesus tour with Samyeli Travel for our extended family of 11 people.  They delivered on everything they promised.  The guide was waiting for us as we disembarked from our ship.  He was a great guide and very personable.  Everyone in our group loved him!  He was very knowledgeable.  He gave us an insight into life in Turkey as well as the historica sites we visited.  We traveled in a clean and air conditional shuttle bus.  Lunch was fabulous.  I highly recommend Samyeli Travel!"

Nick Vleisides 
Galaxy July 16, 2008 (Ephesus Tours)


88-) Mehmet – We had Ibrahim as our guide in Ephesus and he was excellent.  He was a very knowledgeable, engaging speaker.  He also did a good job managing the itinerary to avoid the crowds. I would highly recommend him to any potential clients.  In fact, my entire family agreed that our Ephesus stop was one of the best and most pleasantly surprising of all the cities (Italy, Greece, Turkey) that we visited.  I have not downloaded my pictures yet, but will try to send you a couple when I do.   

Tim Butler  
Emerald Princess July 18, 2008 Istanbul - July 19, 2008 Kusadasi 
(Ephesus Tours)


87-) Mehmet, 

I can only say wonderful things about Ugur and our driver. Both were just great and we throughly enjoyed spending time with Ugur. The tour and the places we visited were just fantastic. We loved Turkey and will, hopefully get back one day to see more of the country. We will definite give your tour company 5 stars on the cruise boards!! I will send Ugur some pictures when I get the chance. Thank you, again. Natalie

Thank you again, Natalie
Celebrity Cruises ''GALAXY'' June 25, 2008 
(Ephesus Tours)


86-) Hi Mehmet.

We had a wonderful private tour of the ancient city of Ephesus with Samyeli Travel.  Our tour guide, Naciye (Nadia) Otar, was wonderful.  She was so knowledgeable on not only Ephesus and ancient history, but on Turkey and the world today in general.  Plus she was very personable and a joy to spend time with.  All of us in our group (5 adults and 3 children) enjoyed our day with Samyeli Travel.  Additionally, I would like to commend Mahmet at Samyeli Travel.  He made booking very easy, was able to handle changes to the number of people in our tour with no problem, and he even handed out cool wipes at the end of our tour.  I highly recommend Samyeli Travel for private tours in Kusadasi!

Also, I've attached a couple of photos that you can use on your website if you like.

Thanks for a great day,

Steve Hall
Princess Cruises ''Emerald Princess'' June 23, 2008. (Ephesus Tours)


85-) Dear Mehmet....

I am pleased to let you know how much we enjoyed our Ephesus guide and excursion.  We could not have had a more thorough and enjoyable visit otherwise.  Our visit to Sirince was special and the people of this small village were extremely friendly and accommodating.

I would recommend your agency to anyone wishing to visit the Greek Isles.  I have also appreciated your website and all of the lovely pictures.  Unfortunately, my camera gave up its last breath on our trip and I have very few pictures to display.  However, I can clearly picture the lovely sights and remember the happy day we had on our tour.

Thank again.

Lucy Pelland
Windstar Cruises ''Wind Sprit'' June 09, 2008. (Ephesus Tours)


84-) Hello,

We were so pleased with our day!  Yulcin (spelling?!) was a great guide and gave us everything we asked for.  We would be happy to recommend you to anyone.
Many thanks.

Jodi Fondell
Royal Caribbean ''Spendour Of The Seas'' May 27, 2008.
(Ephesus Tours)


83-) Dear Mehmet and Phil,

We were only in Kusadasi for seven days and of those seven we booked four tours with "Samyeli Travel". We both had a fantastic time and our tour guide Feyzullah made it really special, what a gem!  We had a really special holiday.

Just to let you know it is raining really hard here and we are missing the sunshine.

Regards Mick & Paul 
(Ephesus Tours)


82-) Thank you for a wonderful excursion, and for exceeding my already high expectations! We got a group together and booked with you instead of with the cruise ship.  Not only did we pay half as much (since the Cruise-line didn't take a huge profit), we were able to see the sites at our own pace AND didn't have to stick with the 50 Costa Cruise buses.
Our guide knew everything and it made me feel a bit lazy that I only had to learn 300 years of stuff in American History classes. :)

Thank you again for a wonderful trip. Best of luck!

Warmly, Christina Richards, USA
Costa Cruise Lines ''COSTA CONCORDIA'' April 07, 2008 
Ephesus Tour from Port of Izmir  
(Ephesus Tours)


81-) Greetings Mehmet, 

Very nice to hear from you.

I cannot tell you in few words how much we enjoyed the visit in Izmir/Ephesus.  It could not have been andy more delightful than the visit hosted by Levent, such a nice young man.  We felt like he took care of our tour just like we were his family.  We were away from home for 23 days and we have told EVERYONE who asked that our favorite day was in Turkey on that tour.  The day was perfect.

And your country was delightful.  Our cruise was not so special but we chose Costa primarily  because of the itinerary to Izmir.  I don't recommend Costa at all, but I recommend your tour service with no hesitation at all.  The vehicle, the driver, and Levent's professional guide skills made it such a wonderful day.

Please feel free to refer any potential customers to me for comments.

I am passing your message on to my wife, she was just a pleased as I was and may have some additional comments.  

I'm guessing you want photos attached to an email and I will try to do that in another document.  If there is another way, please advise me.

Thank you again for the privilege of getting to know Levent and your country.  We had a difficult day the day before Izmir, being pickpocketed in Athens.  So we were down spirited when we arrived in Izmir.  But your service made that day the best of our whole trip.

With kind regards,

Norm Haddad
Costa Cruise Lines ''COSTA CONCORDIA'' April 07, 2008 
Ephesus Tour from Port of Izmir 
(Ephesus Tours)


80-) I just wanted to let you know that we took the 12 day Old Mediterranean Boat Tour with Princess Cruise Lines last summer and we have told all of our friends and family that the most favorite stop was in Turkey. We were so pleased by the informative tour guide that you offered us and we would use your services once again if we were to go to Turkey in the future. We would highly recommend your travel agency to anyone else that visits Istanbul. We saw so much more than other people who took the Princess Boat Cruise package tours.

Thank you once again for your tremendous guided tour that you provided to us last summer.

Lorne and Carol Pierson 
Calgary, Alberta, Canada 
Princess Cruises ‘’Emerald Princess’’ July 11, 2007
 (Ephesus Tours) 

79-) Dear Friends at Samyeli Travel,

My wife and I used your guide service for a private tour in Istanbul and the ancient city of Ephesus (Kusadasi) in August of 2007. Both of these tours exceeded  our expectations. Our tour in Istanbul was conducted by G. Lale Kilic, the most attentive, knowledgeable and detailed guide we have ever had. She adjusted the tour to meet our desires as far as time to spend in the places we wanted to see. She kept merchants from raising their prices above what they should have been charging and saw to it that we had rest stops when I needed them. She even called ahead to the person who would be guiding us in Ephesus ,Naciye Otar, to alert her to  our needs and desires. She arranged for cold beverages on an extremely hot day and helped me find some mementos which  I wanted to bring home to our friends at our church. I had a life's dream of being able to see the Haggai Sophia  and the Blue Mosque. Lale made this possible and very informative with many answers to my questions about each one.  If we would ever be able to travel to Turkey again I would certainly hope that we could once again have Lale be our guide.

We arrived at Ephesus on a very hot day. Naciye saw to it that we were not rushed and that we had plenty of cold water to drink. She, too, was very knowledgeable and arranged for us to have a delightful lunch in a local restaurant which had wonderful local food and atmosphere. My daughter and son in law especially enjoyed this part of the tour. My wife Dianne and my son in law Paul took many pictures which I treasure. We also enjoyed a tour of a ceramics factory and a carpet weaving factory and a very remote village where we saw a very ancient church.

I will share with you that I had to have cancer surgery two weeks after returning home from this trip. I was actually in better shape to undergo the surgery after the trip than I would have been before the trip thanks to the special care Lale and Naciye took to make sure we traveled at an easy pace. I was also very impressed with the drivers they worked with - we had no white knuckle experiences like we had had on a large group bus tour in Athens. The air conditioning on our very comfortable vans made the traveling easy.

I would be happy to try to answer any questions someone would have about our trip. Certainly Samyeli Travel will do everything they promise and more. (2007) (Ephesus Tours)


78-) Dear Mehmet:

We have just returned from our cruise which included the Turkish ports of Kusadasi and Istanbul. I think our day in Istanbul was the best of our whole cruise.I had just awakened in the morning and opened my eyes to the sight of The Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace through our balcony door. Unforgettable!  The success of our experiences in those ports was due, in no small part, to your excellent guides. We loved being able to move about quickly, not having to wait, as you do on official ship's excursions,  for many people to board the bus. Also, we were able to make minor itinerary changes to suit our group. Your guides were pleasant and well informed.

People on the ship told us they were pleasantly surprised by how nice Turkey is, but we had already heard many glowing reports from several friends who had travelled to Turkey and loved it. Keep up the good work! I will certainly recommend Samyeli travel to friends.

Cheers, Linda Long. 
Princess Cruises ''STAR PRINCESS'' November 25 & 26, 2007 
Ephesus & Istanbul Tours


77-)The tour P3 Ephesus tour was terrific, we will be back to states in a few days and when I catch up I will be happy to send further comments to you and to the other websites.  I thank you for your quick responses while I was looking to tour and also your very concise information and follow-up after booking.  If other agencies were are this good it would make booking travel a breeze!  I rate yours as the best excursion that we had this trip. Thank you very much educational experience that you provided with a very personable tour guide. 

Bobbi Winsler
Celebrity Cruises ''MILLENNIUM'' November 23, 2007
(Ephesus Tours)


76-) Good morning,

We arrived back in the US late last night. We were extremely impressed by the guide in Istanbul. She made good use of our time and gave us thorough information and background for all the sights and history of Istanbul. We could not have been more pleased with her service, she is excellent!!!!

The young lady we had in Ephuses was very good also. She did everything we requested including trying to help me find a curling iron replacement for the one destroyed in Istanbul. She was very pleasant and informed and will only improve with experience.

Please thank them both for us and we will recommend your service and guides at any opportunity. I'm very glad I found your service on the internet.

Susie Porto
Oceana Cruises ''INSIGNIA'' November 9 & 12, 2007. 
Istanbul & Kusadasi (Ephesus)


75-)  Dear Mehmet,

 

We were all so pleased with our private tour in Ephesus. Our guide, Emre, was excellent. His knowledge of the history of the area was great, and he was just so much fun and a pleasure to have with us. We wished he could have come with us to every port and been our guide. I would highly recommend your services to everyone thinking of going to Ephesus, and I would suggest that they ask for Emre by name, as he truly made our trip that much more enjoyable.

 

Thank you once again for making our trip the best it could be.

 

Gerard, family and friends.

Oct. 16, 2007 RCCL Spendour of the Seas
(Ephesus Tours)


74-) Dear Mehmet,

The tour went well.  As we exited the port we met with our guide immediately.  She was very informative and attentive to any questions we had.  I found the pace to be quick but I do understand that with so much to see time really moves fast.  We could not believe it when it came to an end. 

Thank you so much!  It would have been hard to do it on our own. 

Esperanza
Royal Caribbean 
''SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS’' October 16, 2007 
(Ephesus Tours)
 


73-)  Dear Mehmet,

I could not have been any happier.  We all had such a WONDERFUL day.....I'm still adjusting to the time difference since we arrived back home, but will be happy to follow up on the websites that you have forwarded to me.

Our guide made the experience the best.  He was so knowledgeable...had a genuine love for the history...and treated us so well.  We enjoyed our unique lunch...and I can go on and on.  I've been telling agents for the past two evenings (at trade shows) how wonderful our tour was.  I'm going away for the weekend...but will definately post comments as you have requested.  I hope to send other clients/friends etc. etc. to what is "home for you" and a "dream for us".

Thanks so much again,
 

Debbie Parrett  United Travel Inc. Massachusetts USA
Celebrity Cruisess ''GALAXY'' on Wednesday October 10, 2007
(Ephesus Tours)

 

72-) Dear Mehmet,

Many thanks for arranging a wonderful tour of the city of Istanbul for us on October 6. We had a fantastic day and our guide Lale was fantastic.

 

Thank you again,

Glenna Murray
Thomson's Cruises ''CALYSPO'' on Saturday October 06, 2007 
(Ephesus Tours)

 

71-) Dear Mehmet,

 Thanks for a great tour in Istanbul and Ephesus.  You all are real  pros and I would be glad to recommend you to prospective clients.
Holland America Cruise: Empire of the Ottomans.

Bob Bennett
Round Rock, Texas
Holland America Line ''Rotterdam'' October 02nd & 3rd, 2007 
Istanbul & Ephesus Tours

 

70-) Dear Sirs, 

on October 1st we had the peasure of visiting Efeso with one of your guides, and we want to thank you for the wonderful moments we had and for the guide who was very helpful and whose explanations were really interesting, thank you again,

Warm regards, marta Gandolfo

Monarch Cruise 
''BLUE October 1, 2007 (Ephesus Tours)


69-) Hi,

Just want to let you know that we considered your tour of Ephesus one of the best private tours we have ever been on.  Our guide was very knowledgeable, and interesting to be with.  We will be recommending your company whenever we have the opportunity to do so. 

Ken McMahon
Celebrity Cruises ''GALAXY' on Wednesday September 19, 2007
(Ephesus Tours)
 


68-) Dear Mehmet,

I want to extend our thanks for the wonderful tours we had in Istanbul and Ephesus earlier this month. Even with a change in our itinerary, your guides managed to optimize the time we had to the fullest.

Our guide in Istanbul was Ayhan Uysal, a marvelous, intelligent and engaging young man who shared his wealth of knowledge with us. There were only four of us and he gave us such personalized attention, never lacking answers for our many questions. He also took us to lunch at a local Istanbul restaurant where we enjoyed traditional dishes. Anyone fortunate enough to have him for a guide is guaranteed a memorable experience.

Our guide in Ephesus was Nadia. She was also very personable and so knowledgeable. We had a wonderful day with her and touring the ruins in Ephesus with her was exceptional.

Needless to say, thanks to Samyeli Travel we would love to come back to Turkey and spend more time. It was more than we ever expected and we will strongly recommend your services to anyone we know who is traveling to Turkey.

Best regards,

Barbara and Maury Slater
Celebrity Cruisess ''GALAXY'' September 8-9-10, 2007
Istanbul & Ephesus Tours


67-) Dear Mehmet,

Our tour exceeded our expectations. Tugrul was absolutely excellent. I was very impressed with the education and training he had received and his ability to answer all our questions with a depth of understanding that exceeded any other tour guide we had on our trip. Not only that, he was exremely personable, energetic, and genuinely helpful. I highly recommend him and Samyeli Travel. Please give Tugrul our best regards,

Randy and Betty Ann Beardsworth
Princess Cruises ''ROYAL PRINCESS'' September 8, 2007
(Ephesus Tours)


66-) Mehmet,

Hello! We enjoyed our tour in Ephesus. The van was nice and roomy and our guide, Genghis, was very knowledgeable. We felt everything was well planned and organized and the lunch was a good "taste of Turkey" for us to try. We felt the tour was a very good value and were impressed that you contacted us to combine our tour with the other people to save us even more money. Thank you very much for the tour. 

Sincerely,

Jennifer Swanlund and family
Holland America Line ''ROTTERDAM'' September 5, 2007
(Ephesus Tours)


65-) Dear Mehmet,

I would like to extend my thanks to you on behalf of the Montagna Singers for the first-rate service your company has provided for us in Ephesus and Istanbul. Our guides (Tuurul in Ephesus, and Ersin in Istanbul) were friendly, wellspoken and knowledgeable about the sites we toured. We felt very welcome in our first time in Turkey and their hospitality was commented upon by all our participants. I wanted to tell you that, from the initial correspondence we had last February, you have been most considerate of our needs and patient with our arrangements. I am pleased to recommend you and your company to other potential clients in the cruise critic forum of which I am a member.

Best regards, Peter Domitrovits - September 2 and 3, 2007 Carnival Freedom
Ephesus & Istanbul Tours


64-) Hi Mehmet,

We had a good time with your tour guides, Nadya at Izmir had a good sense of humour. Both of them were nice and I'm glad we booked with your company. 

Thanks, 
Sofia Po
Carnival Cruise Lines ''CARNIVAL FREEDOM'' September 2-3, 2007
Ephesus & Istanbul Tours


63-) Mehmet, 

Thank you for the great tour and our special thanks to Genghis and the drivers for making it a wonderful day. We will remember it for a long time. 
Best wishes, 

John Napleton 
Princess Cruises ''Emerald Princess'' August 29, 2007
(Ephesus Tours)


62-) Dear Mehmet,

I am writing to let you know what a fabulous time we had in Ephesus. Our tour guide and driver were just wonderful and so informative and they were kind, courteous and really took care of us. Our tour of Ephesus was one of the highlights of our trip. We learned so much and are excited with the possibilities of returning to Turkey soon. 
I would highly recommend your agency to others and thank you.
I have attached a picture of our day.

thank you,
Donna Garfield
Celebrity Cruises ''GALAXY'' August 28, 2007
(Ephesus Tours)


61-) We did enjoy our tour with you very much. I found out about you from www.cruisecritic.com and I was already planning on giving a good referral for you. We just arrived home late last nite and have very good memories of our trip to 
Turkey. Yalcin Ikizoglu did a very good job explaining things to us and his English was the best!! He probably had the best English of any of our guides on the whole 
trip. Thank you very much and I am hoping to get some pictures to you soon. We just got home last nite so we are pretty tired. Thanks again.

Sincerely
Sandra Lamont
Celebrity Cruises ''GALAXY'' August 08, 2007
(Ephesus Tours)

 



60-) Dear Mehmet,
 

We have just returned home and I would like to thank you and in particular our guide(Ms Tulip) for bringing Ephesus to life. This is our second visit and the terrace houses were a dramatic addition this time.

We would be pleased to recommend you to friends and colleagues in future.
 

Kind regards,

Ian Walker
Celebrity Cruises ''GALAXY'' August 08, 2007
(Ephesus Tours)
 


59-) Mehmet - Thanks once again for a great tour.  Jengis Cenk was a terrific guide who we would highly recommend.  I just posted a thread on cruisecritic and mentioned your agency.  Here is a photo of our family at the Library of Celsius.  This was really the highlight of our cruise.  My brother Steve will be posting something as well.  Best of luck to you and your guides.  

David Louie

Royal Caribbean ''Splendour of the Seas'' August 07, 2007
(Ephesus Tours)
 


58-) Hi Mehmet,


The Ephesus and Istanbul trips was great and everything worked out perfect. Congratulations on such great services, 
The best, 

Salvi Folch - Princess Cruises EMERALD PRINCESS August 1-2, 2007 
Ephesus & Istanbul Tours
 


57-) Hi Mehmet,


We just wanted to let you know what a wonderful tour and tour guide we had on our recent trip to Turkey. Six of us arrived on the Splendour of the Seas on July 24 and we were met by Nadia (Naciye) Otar. She was informative, funny and a wonderful person. We had a great time with her and would highly recommend her and your company to anyone going to Turkey. Taking a private tour with you was the best way to see the sights!
 

Thanks for making our time in Turkey memorable.
 

Gail and Paul Dziorny (in the party of Timothy Kartisek) Royal Caribbean Cruises ''SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS'' July 24, 2007
(Ephesus Tours)
 


56-) Hi Mehmet,

 

We had a great time on our Ephesus Tour, our guide was fantastic and we would both recommend him to others and would request his services for other tours in Turkey. We also requested to go to a good, traditional restaurant for lunch and it was perfect! Thank you very much. I will send some photos at a later date.

Best regards,

Stephanie Greenburg and Darrin Swan  -  Princess Cruises ''EMERALD PRINCESS'' July 11, 2007
Ephesus Tour


55-) Mr. Dagdelen,

 

Thank you so much for 3 wonderful tours in Turkey.  We were very pleased with Arzu (please pardon my spelling!) in Istanbul and Turu in Ephesus.  Both were very knowledgeable and their English was excellent.  We were also very grateful for your thorough and speedy responses to our questions via email.  Your busses were large and comfortable.  It was a pleasure working with Samyeli Travel, and I will recommend your company whenever I have the opportunity.

 

Becky Obendorf   Celebrity Cruisess ''GALAXY'' July 8-9-10, 2007
Istanbul & Ephesus Tours


54-) Hi Mehmet,

 

Our guide service was terrific. He was knowledgeable, interesting, charming and accommodating.  All 6 of us could not have been more pleased.  

Ellen    
Seabourn Cruise Line ''SEABOURN SPIRIT'' July 2, 2007 
(Ephesus Tours)


53-) Hi Mehmet:

We really enjoyed our tour of Ephesus and Kusadasi area with Yalchin.  He was really great.  I have attached a few photos for you.  I will definitely recommend Samyeli Travel to anyone that I know will be going to Turkey.

 

Take Care,
 

Scott and Robin Pugh - June 26, 2007 Royal Caribbean ''SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS''
(Ephesus Tours)
 


52-) Dear Mehmet,

Thank you so very much for the wonderful experience we had touring Ephesus. Our guide was so informative with his knowledge of the area and his enthusiasm about the history was contagious! I highly recommend Samyeli Travel to anyone visiting Ephesus.

Pat & Jim Burgess - Maureen & Herb Gee, Celebrity Line ''GALAXY'' June 05, 2007
(Ephesus Tours)


51-) Hi Mehmet,

The Ephesus Tour you organised for us was excellent and good value – the bus was waiting for us at the ship, the guide was funny and knowledgeable and I would happily recommend your services to any other visitors to Kusudasi. 

Best wishes

Alex Beeson - Royal Caribbean ''SPLEDOUR OF THE SEAS'' June 12, 2007
(Ephesus Tours)


50-) Hi Mehmet,

We enjoyed the tour very much, and our guide and driver were both exceptional.  Thanks.

Jim Telepman - Royal Caribbean ''SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS'' June 12, 2007
Ephesus Tour


49-) Dear Mehmet,

Thank you so much for the good tours your company provided us. It's the best tours we had, Izmir and Istanbul, guided by your two very rofessional,
detailed and efficient tour guides. Please relay our grateful thanks to both of them, Genchis in Izmir and Ceng in Istanbul.
We were so impressed of the cleanliness of Turkey inspite of the traffic we encountered. Hope to visit Turkey again. Attached are some pictures taken.
Regards,
Cristina - Carnival Cruise Lines ''CARNIVAL FREEDOM'' May 17 & 18, 2007
Ephesus & Istanbul Tours


48-) Mehmet,

We are finally home in Florida and I wanted to write to you to tell you how much we liked our time in Kusadasi with your tour guide and driver.  I am sorry that the cruise line misled you for our pick-up time.  Fortunately, everything worked out for us and we had plenty of time to visit all areas.

We are very thankful that we booked our trip to Ephesus, Virgin Mary House and Artemis Temple with you.  Mr. Cenk Cenghis was, by far, the best tour guide that we had on our entire cruise. He was very friendly, professional and provided much information of the areas we visited.  Also, our driver (I have forgetten his name) was very courteous and professional.  All of the people I talked to on the Legend of the Seas that did an excursion on a bus, were disappointed with their tour.

I told many people on the ship about our great tour with Samyeli Travel and I will also highly recommend you to all the people on Fodors. com, CruiseCritic.com, cruisemates.com, trip advisor.com and venere.com. 

Thank you, once again for a wonderful day in your country.  When we return, we will certainly use Samyeli again and will request Mr. Cenghis.  If I can be of any further help, please let me know.

A. (Alvis) Van Taylor  -  Royal Caribbean ''LEGEND OF THE SEAS'' May 22, 2007
(Ephesus Tours)


47-) Mehmet,

We very much enjoyed our tours in both Ephesus and Istanbul. Accept for unavoidable delays due to the ship/traffic, we had no problems meeting up with our guides - very prompt. Thorough coverage of tour sites. Very knowledgeable tour guides. Friendliness of tour guides was exceptional - we especially liked Nadia in Ephesus. The private tour group experience was definitely superior to the ship's large group tours.

Thank you for making our visit to Turkey so memorable.

A. Lisa Ty   -   Princess Cruises ''EMERALD PRINCESS'' May 21-22, 2007
Ephesus & Istanbul Tours


46-) Hi Mehmet,
We all were extremely pleased with the tour! We were met promptly by you and our guide Genghis and the van you provided was very comfortable for our group of 10. My husband enjoyed seeing the sign with my name so much that we asked to keep it and had it autographed by Genghis. Our driver was courteous and careful which we all appreciated.  Everyone also enjoyed the delicious lunch. One couple told me that of all the tours he had taken on the trip (all others were Oceania tours) that the Ephesus tour was by far the best. Having visited Kusadasi and Ephesus before, the highlight for me was the Terrace houses and I am very glad that I included them in the tour plan.  We took too long in other places we visited to get to the Isabey mosque, but the group agreed that it was our fault and no one minded in the least.  The shoppers appreciated the extra time to spend their money at the sites we visited. That is the best part of a tour that is customized; the group has more control of the pace.  In short, we could not have been happier and would not hesitate to recommend Samyeli Travel to anyone wishing to arrange a private tour.  I have attached a picture of the group in front of the library – taken by Genghis.

Carolyn Ferris - 
( May 20, 2007 - Ocenaia Cruises ''NAUTICA'' )
(Ephesus Tours)


45-) Joseph and Dixie,
Dear Mehmet James Dagdelen,

    
Dixie and I  highly recommend your tour. We enjoyed it immensely. You gave us a personal one on one experience that we will always remember and for which we will be grateful.

 

Thank you again. May 1, 2007 M/V Oceanic ll - Replace Sea Diamond 
(Ephesus Tours)

 

44-) James McVey   
Hi Mehmet,

First of all we did not have a tour in Ephesus with your company, although we wish we had. Our tour was in Istanbul.  We were met as soon as we docked and started immediately. Our tour guide was Mr Fatih Erarslan, he was very knowledgeable.  He answered question not only about the sights, but also the government, society, and culture. He was very pleasant and we would certainly request him if we ever return to Turkey. After this tour, we have decide we will always do private tours not tours from the ship. Thank you for your services and we wish continued success in your business. Thank you to Fatih also. 
( March 31, 2007 - Carnival Freedom )
(Ephesus Tours)


43-) Joanne Hoefer

Just a note to tell you how much we enjoyed the tour and to thank you for the "great guide" you gave us. I have posted good reviews for you on the cruise lists and hopefully they will bring you more business. thanks again for the professional job ( April 30, 3007 Emerald Princess )
(Ephesus Tours)


42-) John Tchiang 
Dear Mr.Dagdelen,


Overall, we are very pleased with your tours in both Izmir ( Ephesus ) and Istanbul.
In both cases, your guides are very knowledgeable and extremly detail minded.
We wish to extend our appreciations for the job well done. We will recommend
your services to our friends.
 
Sincerely, 
( March 30 & 31, 2007 Carnival Freedom )
Ephesus & Istanbul Tours


41-) Bill & Shelley Canada
Mehmet

Shelley and I had a excellent tour of Esphesus with your wonderfull Professional Guide "Nadia". We felt our time and money  
was well spent. We couldn't have asked for a better guide or driver and the vehicle was very comfortable. We will definately 
recommend Samyeli Travel to other friends who are planning to go to Turkey. November 27, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


40-) Brad Barbour Kettering, OH
Mehmet,

Greetings from Kettering, OH, USA! 
First of all, I would like to thank you for your clear, quick and timely information that you provided throughout the entire process. We planned many private tours on this trip, all of which were recommended through the Cruise Critic Web Site, including yours. I appreciated your extra efforts in putting Sheila and I in touch with the Greshams for this private tour, as well. Thank you!
Of all the tours that we took , in Istanbul, Kusadasi, Athens, Rhodes, Naples, Rome and Venice - it was Samyeli Travel that FAR EXCEEDED our expectations and provided super customer service, quality arrangements and VALUE for the price paid. Not only did Samyeli Travel deliver everything that was promised, but everyone went out of their way to ensure we had a terrific experience.
The cleanliness of the van provided, the professionalism of the driver and the knowledge and personality of our guide were OUTSTANDING!!! As soon as we settle down and have time to right our review and submit it to the Cruise Critic website, you can be confident that Samyeli Travel will include our highest praise!
Mehmet, we had an unfortunate experience at the end of our trip, my luggage and camera bag were stolen from the train at Roma Termini, other wise it would have been my pleasure to provide you with photos of our tour and guide.
Feel free to use these comments as a recommendation of your services, and should someone want to contact me personally, I would be more than happy to do so.
Please extend a warm thank you to everyone who made our excursion and private tour a very memorable experience!! 
Take care, November 27, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


39-) Karen Thomas,
Hello Mehmet

We enjoyed our tour with Cengiz very much. He was very knowledgable and educated. His English was good. We feel as if we got a very good history lesson on our trip to Ephesus. The lunch we enjoyed in the garden of the Ceramic School was very enjoyable and it was nice to sit outside and enjoy the atmosphere of the 'real' Turkey. October 07, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


38-) Thomas & Nancy Schwab
Dear Mehmet,

I just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our private Ephesus tour on November 5, 2006.  This was a private custom tour for just the two of us that actually cost less that a similar group tour offered by Princess Cruises.  We were met by our guide on the dock as soon as we disembarked from the Golden Princess.  The car was immaculate and spacious and we  had a very good driver in addition to our guide. Our guide spoke very good English and was very interesting and informative about Ephesus, the Terrace Houses, Temple of Artemis, and the Basilica of St. John.  We found the Terrace Houses especially interesting and are glad that we included them in our custom tour.  We had a tasty buffet lunch at a very nice restaurant that also had very clean restrooms.   
The other part of our tour that was surprisingly educational and interesting was a visit to a Turkish Carpet cooperative school and showroom.  We enjoyed our Turkish coffee while we were shown a variety of carpets after watching a weaving demonstration. There was absolutely no pressure to buy.  We had contacted four other tour companies on the web and found the best combination of service and price from Samyeli Travel.November 5, 2006 
(Ephesus Tours)


37-) Marylin Reed
Dear Mehmet,

We absolutely loved our tour of Ephesus with "Nadia" on October 25th! She was delightful, and we truly enjoyed the day with her. She was very knowledgeable about Turkey & about Ephesus, and it made the Ephesus tour so interesting to have her guide us through it and explain things. She was a lot of fun, and we would highly recommend her to anyone considering one of your tours. The Ephesus tour was our favorite stop on the entire cruise. As soon as I get a chance, I will write a review on tripadvisor.com and recommend your company. Thank you for your excellent service. I will try to forward some pictures in the next few weeks. Sincerely. October 25, 2006 
(Ephesus Tours)


36-) Nick Nickerson
Hello Mehmet,

We had a great tour of Ephesus with Or your guide. He was very informative and even spend extra time with us. His knowledge of Ephesus was amazing. We would highly recommend him to anyone who wanted to learn the history of Ephesus. Thanks... October 23, 2006 
(Ephesus Tours)


35-) Patricia Schmied
Hi Mehmet,

We took 5 tours indipendently from our cruise. This was by for the best! Nadia was wanderfully informative and fun. Her language skills were wanderfull. We enjoyed her very much. This was the highlight of our cruise!. WANDERFUL! THANK YOU! October 12, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


34-) James Fulter
Dear Mehmet,

We thoroughly enjoyed both tours arranged for us and the tour guides in both Istanbul and Ephesus were knowledgeable and personable. The vehicles provided were clean and comfortable. We also enjoyed the meals at the two venues selected for us.We will be pleased to recommend your services. October 03 - 04, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


33-) John Fagg
Dear Mehmet,

I want to comment Samyeli Travel for the very fine tour we had on Saturday October 7, 2006.  I will recommend Samyeli Travel and I hope to do another tour with you someday.  Our guide, Fusun, was delightful, knowledgeable, and very patient with our many questions.  I believe the driver was Recep.  He was also very good. We appreciate the quality of your service.  Thank you, again. October 7, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


32-) Linda Brasseal
Hi Mehmet,

We absolutely loved your service and Nadia was perfect for us!   She was great at Ephesus and Artemis temple and also back in town. When I get a chance to come back and see more of Turkey, I will certainly call upon your services again. July 16, 2006 
(Ephesus Tours)


31-) Lori Seaton
Dear Mehmet,

Thank you for your e-mail.  Bill and I greatly enjoyed our tour of Ephesus, Temple of Artemis and The Virgin Mary House.  Everything about it was perfect.  Ibrahim and our driver were promptly waiting for us at the airport and it was a blessing to have comfortable, air-conditioned ransportation waiting for us.  They were both very friendly and entertaining tour guides. Ibrahim was very knowledgeable about the history of the beautiful sites we visited and we felt as though we were getting inside information that other visitors were missing out on.  They dropped us off at the front door of the hotel we stayed at in Kusadasi and recommended a restaurant for dinner.  It was all a great experience and a highlight of our whole trip. SundayJuly 23, 2006 
(Ephesus Tours)


30-) Maureen McCracken
Dear Mehmet,

We had an incredible vacation last month that included 7 countries—and we look back on our time in Turkey as a highlight of the trip. We credit that to our guide Denis—who taught us more about the history of the area in one day then we would have learned in a semester at school. We were also made to feel incredibly welcome—and for that reason we look forward to returning to Turkey again in the future. Thank you for an amazing day to remember! We would highly reccomend Samyeli Travel to anyone visiting the area. Thank you for providing such a wonderful service! August 25, 2006 
(Ephesus Tours)


29-) Vaveine Teves
Hi Mehmet,

Thank you for arranging our Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary and Temple of Artemis tour.  All of us thoroughly enjoyed it.  Our guide, Nadia, and driver, Necdet, were excellent.  Nadia gave a wonderful tour.  We learned a lot about Ephesus, and Turkey as well.  Hopefully, we would be able to visit your country again someday.August 16, 2006 
(Ephesus Tours)


28-) Michael Myers
Mehmet,

We have now returned from our cruise and would like to thank you for an excellent tour of Ephesus. Gengis was a great guide and we will recommend your services to anyone we know making a similar trip. August 25, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


27-) Robert Eiseman
Hi Mehmet (James),

We (5 adults & 5 children) had a terrific guide (Hassan) and were amazed at the knowledge and the desire to detail this knowledge by him.  He truly was fun to be with, yet maintained a sense of professionalism.  He mentioned he had toured with school groups and therefore was perfect for our mixed aged group.
As for the value of the dollar paid, fantastic.  Excursions offered by the cruise line were either shorter or much more expensive than what we paid per person.  A birthday cake was even arranged for my daughter without any asking.  We could have hoped for nothing better other than more time to spend visiting Kusadasi & Ephesus. August 02, 2006
 
(Ephesus Tours)


26-) Kay Dixon
Dear Mehmet,

I hope this email comes to you OK. All of us agree that the tours with Cengis and you were the best part of our cruise! Our tours with your company, 2 days in Istanbul and 1 day in Kusadasi, were the high-point of our cruise. Your customized service made it possible for the 18 members of our family group to enjoy touring together. Everything we saw was wonderful and we are excited to have you arrange a longer land tour to see a larger area. Thank you so much! July 6 and 7 in Istanbul, July 9 in Kusadasi

Best Wishes, Kay Dixon 
Istanbul & Ephesus Tours


25-) Chuck
Dear Mehmet,

Samyeli Travel will get great reviews from me. Your company was very efficient, had clean vehicles, good drivers, and knowledgable and friendly guides. I would recommend Samyeli Travel to anybody visiting Turkey.
The only regret I have is that we couldn't stay in your beautiful country for a longer time. I hope someday to go back again. June 10, 2006 
(Ephesus Tours)


24-) Debbie Broeckling 
Dear Mehmet,

Our tour and tour guide was outstanding. We had the most wonderful time. We especially enjoyed going to Sirrence.  It may have been the highlight of our trip.  I can't wait to enjoy the peach wine we bought there.
Thanks again for your great service and follow-up.  I would not hesitate recommending your company to anyone going to Turkey. Looking forward to doing it again (maybe not real soon, but some day). June 19, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


23-) Debra Tucker

Hi Mehmet,

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour.  The guide was well informed and provided very good details.  He made Ephesus come alive for us.  It was one of the highlights of our cruise.  The vehicle was in excellent condition and quite comfortable.  Considering the personal nature and the big cost savings over the the cruise ship’s excursions we would highly recommend Samyeli Travel to anyone stopping in Kusadasi.  They were a pleasure to work with and were very timely in their responses. June 09, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


22-) Larry Barker
Dear Mehmet,

The trip was excellent. Tour guide was well informed and insured we enjoyed the experience. Thanks from all four of us. August 25, 2006 
(Ephesus Tours)


21-) Fiona MacLennan
Dear Mehmet,

Thank you for a wonderful day at the sights . Ibraham was first class guide and most informative and we were very well looked after for the whole day. We were delighted with the service.Many thanks... September 17, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


20-) Diana Richmond
Hi Mehmet,

Great email communication prior to service. We enjoyed ourselves very much in your country during our one day visit. May 09, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


19-) Regina Holt-Michael
Hello,

Thank you so very much for a wonderful experience. Our guide was perfect. I will recommend you to all my friends and family heading to Turkey. May 14, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


18-) Teresa Cox
Dear Mehmet,

Our tour was fantastic - guide (I forget her name) was wonderful, very friendly and knowledgable. We were very pleased with your email responses, the meeting at the port, driver, van and guide. You do a great job. Keep it up!! I'll be in contact again should I happen to return to your lovely country. May 17, 2006 
(Ephesus Tours)


17-) David Christie
Hello Mehmet,

Our private tour was excellent. Our guide Ebru was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. The highlight of our tour was the trip to Sincere and the visit to the house of one of the local people. Sharo was an excellent driver and we always felt safe. I have included a couple of our pictures for you. 
Thank you and Kindest regards April 26, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


16-) Marc L. Dash
Hi Mehmet,

Our guide was very good, extremely knowledgeable and very friendly and courteous. I would recommend your company to anyone traveling to Turkey. May 09, 2006 
(Ephesus Tours)


15-) Mrs. James
Hello Mehmet!,

We had a wonderful time in Ephesus! Our guide was Wonderful!! Lunch was terrific!!! She was very knowledgeable and very nice. We highly recommend her. The vechicle as great and we had a very nice time.
Thank you again. April 21, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


14-) Brad Craven 
The tour that you provided exceeded our expectations in every way. Indeed, it was the highlight of the entire 10 day cruise/tour for most of our participants. The guiding, transportation, and features of the tour were superb. We want to return to your country! My group loved the stop at the carpet factory and cheerfully dropped $20,000 in 90 minutes. I hope that we will be able to use your services in the future for a deeper look at Turkey. April 24, 2006

(Ephesus Tours)


13-) Bette Davis
Dear Mehmet,

We were surprised to have both a driver and a tour guide.  They were both excellent and were waiting for us as we left the ship.  Sedat was so informative and since he is an English teacher, of course he was very easy to understand.  He was so accommodating, letting us go at our pace and stop for pictures whenever we wanted.   The schedule was great, the car was very comfortable, and lunch was delicious.  I also want to thank you for being so good to deal with and so prompt in answering my questions while I was planning the trip.
I notice you have updated the prices of the tours on your website.  The tour is still a bargain at the new prices and I would highly recommend it and your company.  When we saw the big groups of people following the flag around on the Princess tours, we knew how lucky we were to have a private tour.  In a few days when things settle down here, I will be posting comments on some of the forums.  If we are lucky enough to return to Turkey someday, I will want to book more tours with you. 
The only suggestion I could offer is to make it clear on the web page tour description that the price includes both a driver and a guide; I think it would be a selling point.  Thanks again. May 09, 2006 
(Ephesus Tours)


12-) Tom Straker
Our Ephesus Tour was excellent and very professional. Our tour guide Nilay was very knowledgeable. We had a great tour and enjoyed it very much. April 30, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


11-) Shawn
Hey,

I just wanted to thank you for the excursion. What a fun experience.

We were very impressed with Samyeli Travel on our excursion of Ephesus. The bus was air conditioned and the tour guide was very knowledgeable. With a group of about 45 individuals including a lot of children they allowed flexibility in the time at each place. I highly recommend an excursion with them. April 09, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


10-) Mark & Patrica
Dear Mehmet,

Just got back from our cruise ship on Costa Fortuna and The Ephesus tour was unbelievable and perfect thank you for everything. 
Great tour perfect guide and we recommended Samyeli Travel everyone.
I have already given several of business cards to people on the ship and will give one to the travel agent who booked our cruise. I certainly would recommend Samyeli Travel to anyone who is traveling to Turkey.
Thanks for a wonderful and memorable experience. March 25, 2006
(Ephesus Tours)


9-) Kathy Morgan
Hi Mehmet,

I just wanted to get in touch with you and thank you for organizing our Ephesus tour while we were in Kusadasi for the day. It was a lovely day trip and we really enjoyed the Sirince Village. 2005
(Ephesus Tours)


8-) Sam and Lisa
”The tour was unbelievable and perfect thank you for everything. 
Great tour perfect guide and we recommended Samyeli Travel everyone.” 2005
(Ephesus Tours)


7-) George Carter
“It was a pleasure touring Ephesus and Selcuk with Samyeli Travel agency and especially our driver who was very experienced. It really was a very nice tour we'll always remember it so thanks to you.” 2005
(Ephesus Tours)


6-) Klaus Giess
“The Ephesus tour you provided was excellent. We were efficiently met at the ship by your friendly staff. The bus you sent us was superb, but the very best was the guide you provided us. He was so enthusiastic about the subject! She had everyone's attention.” 2005
(Ephesus Tours)


5-) John Michaels
“Dear Mehmet,
I really enjoyed the Ephesus and Virgin Mary tour and found the history of this region absolutely fascinating. Thank you for help in organizing this tour for me and my friends.” 2005
(Ephesus Tours)


4-) Susan Sleeve
“This tour was well organized and we were met at the port and accompanied to our buses. Ephesus was amazing and I never thought it would cover as much space as it did. I am glad we took the option to do the Sirince Village tour as well as this was well worth it and there was plenty of free time to look around and browse the small markets” 2005
(Ephesus Tours)


3-) George Stevens
“A thoroughly enjoyable time and a must if you are visiting Kusadasi via cruise ship or other. We were picked up from the port and given a very professional tour around Ephesus and other sites. Thank you” 2005
(Ephesus Tours)


2-) Phil Thomas
“I would recommend these tours to anyone who is interested in visiting these ancient sites. The guide was excellent and was very enthusiastic about this subject” 2005
(Ephesus Tours)


1-) John Lasek
“Kusadasi was a lovely place to visit on our cruise and I really do suggest if you have the time then you do a tour of Ephesus and the areas around it.” 2005
(Ephesus Tours)


 

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