Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey Shore Excursion Question

[TheMiz]

We have all read the great comments on who to get for your shore excursions in places like Rome but

I really haven't seen anything about Turkey.

 

Come on gang spill the beans!

 

 

 

who should I get in order to go see the Temple of Artemis

[travelbugs]

Okay Okay..... We haven't used this guy yet (we leave on Monday) so we can let you know when we get back. I haven't seen reviews about him on these boards but have on others. His name is Denizhan Pekoz and his drivers don't speak english so they automatically throw in an english guide. He can be reached at....

************@yahoo.com

 

They offer half and full day tours. If your interested I 'd be happy to email you their list of the tours and prices. Temple of Artemis is in there!

[slgjhg]

Hi All,

 

In 2004 we did a trip from Rome to Bangkok (30 days) on the Royal Princess. Levant Smolez (sp) was who we hired in Istanbul. We wanted to hire him in Kusidasi also but he was already booked. He is the best. He (I believe) was ranked the #1 tour guide in Turkey for several years.

 

 

From our RollCall we were a group of 8, he met our ship upon arrival with a Van and driver and transported us to our first site. It was a magical day and Levant could not have done a better job. If you want the best, it is Levant, the man he had fill in Kusidasi was also very good.. My husband and I truly enjoyed it.

 

Regards to All,

 

Shannon

[NAS-KARR]

Try "EkolTravel.com" , they're quick to respond and most accommodating, large variety of tours for both Kusadasi and Istanbul.

 

Ciao,

[TheMiz]

I can definitly recommend Sammys Travel for your Kusadasi stop but I dont know if they organise your Istanbul trip.

 

We are not going to Istanbul on our Cruise

 

We just stop at Kusadasi and 3 ports in Greece

[longislandfamily]

We've booked EKOL Travel based on recommendations found here on CC. They've been great to deal with, making plans, but our cruise isn't until July, so I can't report on performance. They have tours and prices listed on their web site, and will also customize.

[SeaCCruiser]

I second the recommendation for Levent Solmaz, he is wonderful. His site is

> info at LeventSolmaz dot com

[myhartkids]

I'm looking into ekol travel for an Ephesus tour, but they require you to fax your credit card number and signature. Is this safe? I feel a bit weird about it.

[I&MsMom]

I've not done this with this particular guide, nor in Turkey in general. But I have done it for privately arranged shore excursions throughout the Caribbean and Mexico.

 

I've never had any problem. Faxing is MUCH more secure than e-mail, and it's no different than providing the same info to a hotel to secure a reservation. If they are reputable, I would not hesitate.

 

JMHO. Hope it works out. Happy Cruising!

[rnwetdogs]

5/09/06

 

Four of us used Ekol tours to visit Miletus, Didyma and Ephesus. We had a driver, and an english speaking guide 'George' in a 15 passenger van (just for the four of us) Very informative, and outgoing. We had black turkish tea on a patio overlooking Miletus, with very few tourists around, and left just as the first tour bus pulled in. A great lunch in Didyma, a nice long visit in Ephesus, and ended with George insisting we meet his fiance' in Kusadasi. Overall, a top experience. I'm not certain about their website, think this is correct.

www.ekoltravel.com

[sunsetme]

are kusadasi tours half day or full day?

[bigmjh]

We were in Kusadasi in October ... only a half day in port. We used Ekol Travel and had a wonderful guide and driver and guide "trainee". The tour was a half day due to our port schedule and it was a FULL half day ... House of Virgin Mary, Temple of Atemis, Ephesus, and rug weaving school. If you have a full day in port - I'm sure that Ekol Travel will fill it with wonderful things to see. BTW - We also had to fax CC information to guarantee reservation (we actually made a small deposit). All of our European guides required CC info so as to insure that we did not stand them up. NEVER had a problem with any driver ... all of them were on the dock waiting for us ... usually before the agreed upon time. We'd walk off the ship ... find our driver holding a sign with our name ... and off we'd go!

[producegirl]

We have all read the great comments on who to get for your shore excursions in places like Rome but

I really haven't seen anything about Turkey.

 

Come on gang spill the beans!

 

 

 

who should I get in order to go see the Temple of Artemis

I booked this with the cruise line. I am doing the Temple of Artemis, St. John's Bascilla, and House of Mary tour. 1/2 day, leaves 8AM.

Wanted to slow down a little after all the full day tours before this stop.

Hope this helps!

[sunsetme]

I want a half day tour and time for the beach--is it possible?

[KCSungirl]

jdechter - there is WAY to much to see in Kusadasi to take time for the beach and you are talking to the Princess of the Beach! The beaches are nice, but don't give up seeing Ephesus and all of the other historical sights to go to the beach. The history in/around Kusadasi really impressed me. One of our favorite stops.

 

OP and others - Our friends used Levant and absolutely loved him. We hired a driver at the port for $120 Euro for a day tour of the historical sights. Our driver did not speak English. A little tourist English, but that is all. Kusadasi was the only port that I noticed English was not as proficient. We used the audio guides at Ephesus, but there are private guides available for around $20Euro an hour. Bargain with them. I would say if you only have time for one thing do Ephesus. Levant takes his group to a carpet store/factory. Our driver also wanted to take us to different shops, but we said no. We wanted to spend all of our time seeing the historical sights, not shopping for rugs. Have fun. Turkey is great! Sungirl

[Travelgrrl]

I just emailed EKOL tours and they were incredibly quick about getting back to me, and we have reserved them for a 4 hour tour of Ephesus, Home of Virgin Mary, and Temple of Artemis for a decent price os $55 USD each (for two). Just based on their quick and professional response, I am excited to meet them!

[bigmjh]

I'm sure you'll have a great day with Ekol Travel. Our contact (last October) was with Fevzi Turhan ... he was really great to work with and responded quickly to our emails. We also used them for our day in Istanbul (with comparable success) and they gave us a great (discounted) rate for booking Kusadasi with them.