Hello Ephesus Tour Company

[wirebender]

We just returned from our Ruby Princess cruise and had 18 on our tour with Hello Ephesus. I have been in contact with Nilay, their operations manager throughout my booking with Hello Ephesus. Our initial group expanded from 8 to 18. We had a nice van with ac and room to spread around. Their prices were incredible, in US dollars and you can't go wrong. You will save a bundle not booking the ship's tour. There is no comparasion. Nilay was very prompt with her email replies and will call you if you provide a phone number. We booked an all day tour including the Terraces and had sufficient time to return to the bazaar next to the port to shop if you wished. We had Bulent 'Bill' Orkus as our tour guide. He met us at the port exit with a sign and we boarded their minibus which was parked elsewhere. Bill was excellent and a very knowledgable guide. He is a independent contractor, but have been in the business for 25 years. He even travelled for three weeks by AMTrack throughout the US may years ago, and knows our country. His English is very good and his expert commentary was excellent. He was in communication with other tours and we did the tour of Ephesus in the reverse order to avoid the early morning crowds in Ephesus. He even took us to a mosque which was not on our itinerary. Our driver did an excellent job dropping us off and picking us up during our many stops. We went to Ephesus in the afternoon after lunch and also did the Terrace houses. Depending on how many ships are in port, Ephesus can get very crowded in the morning. In the afternoon, the crowd was minimal. We visited the carpet school and had a very interesting presentation. There was no pressure to buy. Refreshment was served during the carpet demonstration. Lunch was served in an open area next to the carpet store and was very good. We had Turkish mezzas, grilled chicken breasts on skewers and grilled lamb/beef meatballs.

To those thinking of booking with Hello Ephesus or have booked, but a little apprehensive, rest assured. You cannot go wrong, I highly recommend Hello Ephesus.

[mehartys]

I wanted to say how pleased we were with our tour with "Hello Ephesus" I booked on line with Nilay and everything went as planned. Our driver and guide were waiting for us when we got off the ship, no delays. Our van was roomy and air conditioned. We paid $50.00 USD each (7 of us)for a full day tour which included Ephesus, St. John Basillica, Mary's house, a tour of the carpet education centre, a ceramic tour and a beautiful lunch. Our guide was Ali, he was very knowledgeable, polite and friendly. I highly recommend this agency. :)

[Marie-Claude]

Thanks to the last posters for letting us know about your experiences!! It is reassuring to hear from people who have actually done it!!

 

Hopefully, we'll be reporting as great an experience after our cruise in late October.

 

BTW, Nilay was also able to book tours in Istanbul for us... she was very helpful with all of our requests!

 

MC

[sjc35]

We just came back from our cruise, and we used Hello Ephesus for a day tour in Ephesus. Our tour guide is Ali Riza Ipek. He speaks very good English, and has traveled to the States many times. He is professional also fun, with great knowledge in those historic sites. We asked him lots of questions and he has been very patient. Like others mentioned, they prepared cold bottled water for us in the nice big van, all entrance fees were included (including Terrace House), we toured all sites as advertised in their website, Turkish lunch was really good in a nice garden setting, next to a government carpet school. We chose to watch the carpet demo, and it turned out to be fun and informational. No sales pressure. Everybody in our group agreed the Ephesus tour was the best one among our entire trip. So for the CC members who are going to use this company, enjoy the trip!

[sjc35]

For those who have troubles contacting Hello Ephesus, try use different email addresses. My yahoo email worked fine at the beginning, then no reply afterwards. Later I started to use gmail, and it worked well.

[Windmills]

I want to thank all of you for your posts here. We are sailing on the MSC Poesia in October and our Roll Call is absolutely dead. This is only or second cruise and we were a bit hesitant to go out on our own for tours, but you guys make it easy.

 

We have looked at Ekol tours but they were about $30 more expensive than Hello Ephesus and the ship tourand since there are 5 of us going (my DW, and 3 DK's) that adds up pretty quickly. Even though they were cheaper than the others, they were still a good deal more than the prices you all have posted. We're paying $80 per person for Ephesus, plus Artemis and the Terrace Houses. I think I read somewhere that their prices were going up.

 

So thanks to the advise here we have booked a 5 hour tour with Hello Ephesus. We have already specified no shopping, carpets or ceramics. If we end up with some time at the end we might give in for a low pressure carpet tour, just to see how they are made. After our return, I'll be sure to post how things went.

 

Thanks again for all the good info.

[mehartys]

I want to thank all of you for your posts here. We are sailing on the MSC Poesia in October and our Roll Call is absolutely dead. This is only or second cruise and we were a bit hesitant to go out on our own for tours, but you guys make it easy.

 

We have looked at Ekol tours but they were about $30 more expensive than Hello Ephesus and the ship tourand since there are 5 of us going (my DW, and 3 DK's) that adds up pretty quickly. Even though they were cheaper than the others, they were still a good deal more than the prices you all have posted. We're paying $80 per person for Ephesus, plus Artemis and the Terrace Houses. I think I read somewhere that their prices were going up.

 

So thanks to the advise here we have booked a 5 hour tour with Hello Ephesus. We have already specified no shopping, carpets or ceramics. If we end up with some time at the end we might give in for a low pressure carpet tour, just to see how they are made. After our return, I'll be sure to post how things went.

 

Thanks again for all the good info.

My husband and I rolled our eyes at the thought of another carpet tour, however, Ali our guide took us to a carpet education centre where we were able to watch a few women making carpets. The hosts were very gracious, they then took us into the showroom to show us the carpets, offering us all a beverage of choice, Apple Tea, soda, beer. No pressure. After the demonstration, we walked outside where we were treated to a wonderful lunch with a great view. Our guide also took us to a pottery, which was interesting but way too expensive and we were not interested in purchasing anything anyway, could have passed on the ceramics. We paid $50.00 pp for 7 of us, you could probably get it cheaper if you got more people to join your tour, the vehicle we had could seat 14 and I know that if we had more people the price would have come down to about 45 USD pp. :)Anyway, hope you enjoy your tour.

[money4mice]

We returned Aug. 17 from our cruise. I think our tour with Hello Ephesus was a highlight. The carpet demo was very interesting and worthwhile. We felt no pressure to buy. We hired several private guides in other ports. I think our guide (Gokhan) and the tour/ van was probably one of the best excursions we went on. We only did the 4-5 hour tour which left time to have lunch on the boat then go shop in Kusasasi. I did end up buying a rug at the port- if was hard to not buy a rug! It is beautiful, 4x6, silk, wool and cotton. They packed it up in a tote bag for me so I carried it on the plane and was able to walk on it immediately. Enjoy your cruise!!

[DEL67]

We returned Aug. 17 from our cruise. I think our tour with Hello Ephesus was a highlight. The carpet demo was very interesting and worthwhile. We felt no pressure to buy. We hired several private guides in other ports. I think our guide (Gokhan) and the tour/ van was probably one of the best excursions we went on. We only did the 4-5 hour tour which left time to have lunch on the boat then go shop in Kusasasi. I did end up buying a rug at the port- if was hard to not buy a rug! It is beautiful, 4x6, silk, wool and cotton. They packed it up in a tote bag for me so I carried it on the plane and was able to walk on it immediately. Enjoy your cruise!!

 

We were in Kusadasi last week and also used Hello Ephesus. Like Money4mice, it was our favorite tour. Our guide, Bulent (Bill) was very knowledgeable and willing to take us anywhere we wanted after we finished our agreed upon tour. We had reserved a tour to Ephesus, the Terrace Houses, Sirince (a tourist trap) and the Temple of Artemis, but based on our input, he also took us to a carpet factory which we found interesting, a mosque and the Seluk museum. In addition, we had a delicious lunch near the carpet factory comprised of typical Turkish dishes.

 

Yes, we did buy a rug, but the price was very reasonable and there was no pressure to do so.

[hcf]

Folks,

 

I have been reading this thread and finding all kinds of information on the Helloephesus tour company. I went on its website and found several Ephesus tours. I couldn't quite figure out which tour most of you folks had gone on so that I will know which one to go on when we go on the NCL Jade on 1/24/2010.

 

Thank you in advance for your information.

 

Anyone planning to go on 1/24/2010 on the NCL Jade?

[wirebender]

Go for the Deluxe All day tour, including the Terraces and if Bill is your tour guide, he may even take you to a mosque. I had 18 people from CC join me for the tour. Lunch was included in the price. You will still have time after the tour to shop in Kusadasi.

[PenelopeCorelli]

Decide what you want to see and HelloEphesus will give you the price. They are very flexible. All tours include a traditional Turkish lunch (excellent!) at the carpet school, unless you don't want it. Eylem Kurnaz, now a facebook friend:), was our guide. We were the only ones on the tour, but it was still inexpensive. You can go with a group if you want, but I liked our setup - it was our anniversary, after all! If you want to add other stops toward the end of the tour, they're always agreeable, but of course you will pay extra admission fees, if any. We added St. Mark's, although our tour was for Ephesus, Terrace Houses, & Sirince Village. We also had time for a leather or ceramic shop, so we went to the ceramic factory. It is such a soft sell, it's like no sell at all, but these places are very nice, air-conditioned, and a very important part of Turkish culture. So it's polite to visit something, and yes, the tour guide gets a small commission when you buy anything, as is customary. As most posters have said, this will be a highlight of your trip - credit goes to the excellent way Hello Ephesus does business.:)

[tamsam07]

Looks like this tour company only picks up in Kusadasi. Too bad they don't pick up in Izmir. I just got a quote from Lavent Solmaz for $300 for my husband and I on a half day tour. That is really too expensive so I guess we are going to just take the ship excursion. Helloephesus really has much better rates, I wish we could book with them.

[Kathy & George]

Looks like this tour company only picks up in Kusadasi. Too bad they don't pick up in Izmir. I just got a quote from Lavent Solmaz for $300 for my husband and I on a half day tour. That is really too expensive so I guess we are going to just take the ship excursion. Helloephesus really has much better rates, I wish we could book with them.

Try contacting Blue Ege travel who is the parent/affiliate company of Hello Ephesus located in Izmir.

[tamsam07]

Try contacting Blue Ege travel who is the parent/affiliate company of Hello Ephesus located in Izmir.

 

Thank you Kathy&George. I think something is wrong with their site, as it is not working properly and is most difficult to navigate. It is missing info and is very difficult to read.

[herkin]

Looks like this tour company only picks up in Kusadasi. Too bad they don't pick up in Izmir. I just got a quote from Lavent Solmaz for $300 for my husband and I on a half day tour. That is really too expensive so I guess we are going to just take the ship excursion. Helloephesus really has much better rates, I wish we could book with them.

 

An earlier post on this thread said that goephesustour was related to Hello Ephesus as well. (They have the same Tursab number) Goephesus does do tours from Izmir, and they are priced much less than the ship excursions. Hope that helps.

[Kathy & George]

Thank you Kathy&George. I think something is wrong with their site, as it is not working properly and is most difficult to navigate. It is missing info and is very difficult to read.

Try their email at "info at Bluegetravel dot com" They were very helpful when I was researching Hello Ephesus.

[epixx]

We enjoyed a private tour for our family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids) 8/24/09. Ship was docked from 0700 to 1300, so we took the 1/2 day Ephesus with Terrace Houses tour from Hello Ephesus. Our guide was Yecim. The tour and guide were fabulous! We were offered the carpet stop option without pressure. Our 2 girls really wanted to see the demonstration, so we stopped. The kids absolutely loved the demonstration, and our teenager was thrilled when she was permitted to sit next to one of the carpet weavers (a girl who actually looked about my daughter's age) and assist with weaving the carpet! Kudos to Hello Ephesus. Tour cost for the 4 hour tour for 4 people: $120.

[tamsam07]

Herkin,

 

Thanks so much! I just sent them an email requesting a tour. Their prices are very affordable and they have the tours we are interested in. Sure beats $300. Thanks again.

[herkin]

Herkin,

 

Thanks so much! I just sent them an email requesting a tour. Their prices are very affordable and they have the tours we are interested in. Sure beats $300. Thanks again.

 

Glad to help. :)

[Viking3]

Kathy and George

Saw that you used helloepsesus for your trip in May. We have tentatively booked them for Solstice cruise in October. Were you happy with the tour? We booked the deluxe tour that includes the terrace houses.

[Kathy & George]

As promissed here is my review and info. Hello Ephesus was everything it prommissed to be and more. They were at the gangplank with name cards waiting for us, where Serdar Atalan whicked us away in our roomy and comfortable new van with driver. He was great and so helpful in keeping us out of the crowds and into the best viewing points. There were several stops for photo opps along the way. In all we spent 9 hours with him and he was willing to do more. The House of Mary, Ephesus, Terrace Houses, St John's Basilica, The Museum,The rug making Learning Center, Temple of Artemis and a very delicious luncheon were all included. His english was excellent and his knowledge was extensive. I would not hesitate to use him again. The communication with Hello was fast and accurate. They were easy to work with and would arrange anything we wanted. For those of you who had trouble contacting the email address, Serdar gave us his personal address: serdar dot atalan at hotmail dot com

He is contracted through Hello Ephesus as an independant guide. The site of Ephesus is huge and you will want to have water with you as you are visiting. I can't immagine how hot it would be in summer as it was perfect for our Nov. visit. There is no place along the way in the ruins to stop and refresh so be sure to take advantage of the restroom facilities before entering.

[maryann ns]

Our group had an excellent tour with Hello Ephesus (Bill) in November. I couldn't have been more pleased. We did the deluxe tour which included the Museum, House of the Virgin Mary, Basilica of St. John, Ephesus including the not to be missed Terrace Houses, lunch outside in a lovely garden. The lunch was at the government rug making school. The demonstration was interesting and worthwhile and there was absolutely no pressure to buy.

 

Their price and service was top notch.

[smileon]

We are thinking about using this company in May but am wondering what sort of pace the tours are at? We are looking at the 4 hour tour to include Ephesus and the terrace houses.

 

My concern is that we are taking my step father who has previously had a knee replacement and, although very able and walks regularly, does need to take his time particularly when going down hill or stairs.

Would he be able to miss parts out if it became too difficult for him?

 

We will also have our 2 children aged 10 and 14 - any recommendations regarding a particular guide anyone has had who would manage to make this "come alive" for them?

 

Thank you for any advise or help

[maryann ns]

With just four hours, I would count on seeing Ephesus only. If you have your own private tour, your guide will go at your pace. There are staircases for the terrace houses and of course you may or may not climb the two ampitheatres. Other than that there is just a lot of walking on uneven surfaces. Your father could miss the Terrace Houses, but if he can take his time, he would probably be glad he saw them.