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07/31/2011
Comment from TripAdvisor
Don Frisbie (USA)
“Veni Vidi” – I came, I saw…
We just returned from a two week culture and adventure tour in Turkey. Hands down one of the most amazing trips ever and we can’t thank Mr. Bulent of Veni Vidi travel agency enough for his direction, attention to detail and personal touch to every step of our trip. This may be a lengthy review. Turkey is a huge country and I know from personal experience, planning such a trip can be challenging and, while you can explore a lot via the internet, there is always an element of uncertainty wondering if the pictures are as real as the description, and packaged tours to me raise the imagery of cow herding with cameras and bad buffets. It’s also difficult to know which agency to trust with your time and your money. Let’s be honest, they all promise the trip of a lifetime. I’ve been fortunate to have planned many 2 week trips around the world, always with the assistance (and a little apprehension) of a randomly selected tour company or unexpected backhanded 3rd party referral of a contact who worked with someone or knew someone who worked with someone and had fantastic stories when they returned. In the end, it comes down to a bit of research and a little trust and instinct. I’ve had consistently good fortune, along with a few (later to be determined) humorous moments and many a great adventure. In comparison to my other trips, this one in particular was the most complete, best balanced and most comforting to date.
As a general guide here are a few tips I’ve consistently followed:
First, be realistic with the number of days you have to travel and limit your scope to allow you time to really explore an area or site. Do your own research, identify the areas or activities you must do vs. you would like to do if you had time. Prioritize your list, as you may have to make some choices and concessions.
Second, get a map of the country and highlight the areas you wish to see and explore.
Third, connect the dots and see how much territory you will cover. You might be surprised and quickly become more realistic with your plans. Just remember, if you have a great experience, you can always go back and add on some of the things you might have missed.
I learned of Veni Vidi from a mutual friend who had just returned from Turkey and raved as much about her “agent inIstanbul” as she did her vacation. I made a mental note and two years later reached out for the contact information. Having already created our shell of a trip as outlined above, I sent Mr. Bulent an email introducing myself along with mentioning how I learned of his agency. I received a response within a day and we began an exchange of ideas, needs and recommendations that resulted in a full two week itinerary that hit almost all we desired to do including internal transportation, transfers and hotels along with pre-selected tours (some small group, some private). A few tweaks made to add or detract time based on where we wanted to spend our days and trusting in his direction if one hotel was preferred over the “cute one I saw on the internet”, and feeling reassured we would not be herded around the country, we had a final itinerary and plan. All met our interests, was within budget and we knew going in there were a few planned personal luxuries along the way. That done, all we had to do was show up and enjoy our trip – knowing we would not lose a single moment trying to navigate our way from Point A to Point B, or arguing over how to read a map or what line are we supposed to be in. We had plan, we were assured to see the main sites of interest and we had time to pause along the way and enjoy a nice dinner and bottle of wine at the end of each day. With all the planning done in advance, the entire vacation was left to be enjoyed. Meeting Mr. Bulent and his wife and friends our second night in Istanbul only added to the enjoyment and adventure – feeling we had a new friend in country and the peace of mind we had a local contact at any point we needed. He also gave us a cell phone to use for our trip so we could always be in immediate contact. Now on to the trip…
Upon arrival in Istanbul we were met by our driver and taken to our hotel, The Rast Boutique Hotel in the old part of the city. The hotel staff were extremely welcoming and taught us a few Turkish pleasantry expressions as we checked in. We were immediately taken to our room – very clean, comfortable and enough room to set our bags and move around. We opened our window and imagine our awe as we had a panoramic view of the Blue Mosque, the Aya Sofia and Topkapi Palace. What an incredible first sight in the city, and it was all ours for 3 nights. The only view better than ours was two floors up on the open air roof terrace (where you could also eat or have a cup of tea). The hotel is on a side street so you don’t hear a lot of street traffic and is conveniently located to the tram line and plenty of local sidewalk cafes and restaurants. This hotel does not have the proper license so you won’t be able to order any alcohol – a shame to not be able to share the view with a glass of wine. In Istanbul we had a private guide for two days to show us to all the main sights. A definite perk. Veni Vidi offers larger group day tours of the city but we opted for a private tour to enable us the flexibility to move around the city at our pace and not be herded along with 20 or so people who stand waiting to take the same pictures on the same spot 20 or so times. The advantage of guided tours is you don’t wait in line for tickets, jump to the front in most cases and are able to get deeper pieces of history and culture. Trip highlights: Bosphorus Cruise Tour, Egyptian Spice Market, Topkapi Palace (pay the extra and don’t miss the Harem section), underground Cisterns. Our second day took us to Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia and Dolmabahce Palace. Don’t miss the panoramic views of Camlica Hill on the Asian side. At the end of our two days of touring our guide left us off at a Turkish bath – an experience not to be missed and should be repeated during your trip if time allows.
The next morning we flew to Izmir and joined a small group of 12-15 people for a tour of Ephesus. An incredible city not to be missed, but due to the easy access and popularity of the this site with cruise ships, depending on your timing it may be overcrowded and you may feel rushed on your tour, not to mention several hundred strangers in your photos. After Ephesus we toured the House of the Virgin Mary – a beautiful site and be sure to wash your hands in the fountains and notice how soft you skin becomes. Bring paper to write and pin up your prayers (if that is your belief). On the way to our hotel we stopped at the Artemis Temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. We stayed overnight at the most adorable family owned hotel away from the town center of Selcuk, Akay Hotel. Here we passed through a gate next door to reception and entered an inner courtyard with pool. What a way to unwind after a long day of travel and touring - to sit in the sun with a cold Efes beer and a swim. Our room was on the second story corner with a small terrace overlooking the pool and our windows opened to the hill and an old mosque. We only had one night here so we opted to relax and not bother getting a ride for the 5 minutes into town center, instead having a quiet roof top dinner at the hotel.
Day 5 we were picked up promptly by our guide and driver and began our 2 hour drive to Aphrodisias. This site is often overlooked due to its out of the way location but is not to be missed and should be added into your itinerary. The ruins are fantastic in their own right and very well preserved. Opposite to our overcrowded pilgrimage at Ephesus, here we had the city and site practically to ourselves and were able to get some of our best photos and historical information. There is also a wonderful and very modern museum featuring many fantastic sculptures. In the afternoon we made the almost two hour drive to Pammukkale and the ancient pools.Wear proper shorts and shirts to allow you wade up to your knees in the various pools. Try not to be laden with bags and allow yourself to get wet, cover your skin in the softening mud clay and take your photos. Skip “Cleopatra’s Ancient Pool” unless you like the scene of tourists and kids running around the snack bars and splashing in the Disney-like pool with a few fake columns dropped in for effect. We would love to come back and see this site at sunrise or sunset to see how the light reflects off the limestone and travertine.
From here we began our 4 hour drive to Fethiye. This was our first and pretty much only glitch with our travel arrangements. We had been arranged by Mr Bulent for a private car to drive us to Fethiye. for the ease and extra comfort. At the last minute our driver took us into the town of Pammukkale and stopped at his travel office. Some conversation took place and suddenly we were asked then transferred to join a small van with a small family of six for the drive. It seemed odd and suspicious, but being tired from a long day and not wanting to deal with the drama of raising a big complaint, we followed as directed assuming something must have occurred at the last minute and our driver was unable to make the long drive. Less comfortable but on our way, we tolerated the drive and anxiously awaited a shower and dinner in our awaiting harbor hotel. About an hour before Fethiye, our driver stopped for a ‘meal break’ at a local roadside restaurant – clearly a tactic to help generate business for the locals, as the other family in our van was not expecting this break either – but took advantage of the opportunity to order dinner for six. We politely declined food, sipped our tea among the roosters while biding our time and tongues before our destination. Having been given a cell phone at the start of our trip by Mr Bulent so we would have easy and instant contact should any issues arise during our travels, I should have called him from Pammukkale. When I told him of the situation after arriving in Fethiye, he was more angered than I and called me back 15 minutes later apologizing that the driver should never have transferred us and while it was obvious that someone made the effort to either make or save money by the switch, it wasn’t going to be with “our money” and that I could expect a refund of 100 euros upon my return to Istanbul (which I got). Unexpected but much appreciated, it further reinforced my instincts and appreciation for having been connected to Veni Vidi Travel.
The next morning we boarded our Blue Cruise for 4 days/3 nights along the Aegean/Mediterranean coast on the Kaptain Nobi. This was a highlight of the trip and perfectly placed in the middle of our itinerary. With only 12 people in total on board it was like having our own yacht. The cabins were small and no frills but we did have the privacy of our own bath, and with the heat everyone slept on deck. Not knowing what to expect or what the other boat mates would be like, we were lucky and made some great new friends (facebook got several hits upon returning home). Along the cruise we stopped at ports, slept in coves and explored Lycian forts and tombs. We even got taken to a discothèque in the middle of nowhere and, while the worst drink I ever had, the music and fun were awesome! Skip the hike into the Butterfly Valley unless they are in season but spend time exploring Kas – great shops, restaurants and a nice visit to ‘civilization’ after 3 days at sea. Be sure when you book your trip you know where exactly the boat will end. Ours was to Damre-Olympos but dropped us all in Damre – a bit of a distance from Olympos and some on our boat were expecting to go to Olympos and became concerned regarding their transfers and later plans to Antalya. Fortunately for us, we knew Mr Bulent would have a car waiting wherever the boat dropped us off – and sure enough there was a lone town car on the dock when we anchored in Damre.
Enjoying the comfort (and air conditioning) of our drive we made our way to Antalya. We checked into the Alp Pasa, a converted Ottoman Mansion in the old part of the city. A beautiful hotel with very comfortable rooms. Stay here for the rooms and the location but spend your drink and dining dollars elsewhere – the service here at every level was the worst we experienced on our trip and consistent throughout the hotel. Also be warned of their VERY STRICT no outside beverage or food. Upon return to our hotel after a full day of touring in the heat and humidity we were stopped by the water sentry and marched into reception like it was the Principal’s office and had our half drunken water bottles confiscated. Their loss – we ate a fantastic dinner down the block at Vanilla. While in Antalya we toured Perge, Aspendos and Side. All amazing sites with the amphitheater at Aspendos being one of the most incredible sites on the trip. Side had some great waterside ruins that make great backdrops for photos but avoid the town and no need to stay here unless you prefer the tacky and tasteless experience ofCancun. For the first time we were in a bad tourist trap and had lost any sense of the cultural history and welcome we had come to love in Turkey. Fortunately this was a stop on our day and back to Antalya we went.
After two nights in Antalya we were picked up after breakfast by our gudie and driver and began our four hour journey to Cappadocia. We were extremely fortunate and had the same guide with us for the next three days. Not only did we learn so much about the history and culture but we got to cheer him on in anticipation of his pending wedding. Along the way we stopped in Konya and visited the Mevlana Museum - home to the whirling dervishes. A great site and view into religious history and culture. We toured the museum but did not see any actual whirling – fine by us as we quickly learned the meditative, spiritual significance of the whirling beliefs and had a performance occurred it would have felt like a stagedVegas side show.
After a full day of driving we finally made it to Cappadocia and brought to our hotel, the Gamirasu Cave Hotel. We were excited for this part of the trip and it’s Unesco Heritage, and the allure of sleeping in a cave just added to it. Upon check-in we learned the Mr Bulent had been colluding with the hotel manager and arranged a “special surprise” for us. Looking a little bewildered, the staff (and I mean all of them) walked us up to our room – the Byzantine King Suite. And for a King or Sultan it was. Bigger than our apartments and complete with sitting area, large jaccuzi tub, marble and onyx full Turkish bath (complete with in room sauna) and terrace, we were stunned, speechless and giddy at the same time. The bed was almost the equivalent of 2 queen beds under a dome with the coolest insets of colored backlighting in the dome of the cave. Okay, so the remote to change colors and turn the blinking ability on/off was a little much but this room was amazing. All arranged and a random delight by Mr Bulent as a surprise for my partner’s 40th birthday. Now we had a great reason to use that cell phone and could not thank Mr Bulent enough for his kindness and generosity. After drinking the wine in the mini-bar and taking pictures of the room non-stop for the next 30 minutes, we finally paused, took in the amazement of the room and the pure joy of our entire trip and went down to dinner. As if the trip wasn't enough, I could not have planned a better birthday surprise if I'd thought of it myself and made his day one to remember forever.
We got up the next morning at 4am, made our bad Nescafe and met our driver to take us to our hot air balloon ride. This is a MUST if you go to Cappadocia. Being terrified of heights I never felt safer. Seeing the balloons up close and one after the other taking flight it wasn’t long before we were up, up and away overlooking the fairy chimneys and cave dwellings thinking this is what the moon’s surface must be like. The ride is so smooth and silent except for the occasional burst of helium into the flame and on we continued until we landed softly in a vineyard an hour later. We spent the next two days touring the North and South sides of Cappadocia. Truly amazing and you could almost make a week’s trek just exploring the caves and caverns. Having been to many Inca and Mayan ruins including Machu Piccu, I’ve not seen or experienced anything like this area. There is something incredible and spiritual about this area.
Having reached the end of our itinerary, we made our way to the airport for one last night before beginning the long journey home. Arriving back late in Istanbul, we had one more surprise waiting – a small suite at the Rast Boutique Hotel with private terrace to enjoy the same panoramic view that welcomed us…
Now that we are back and trying to narrow down the over 3000 photos to the “perfect” 50 or so, we still pinch ourselves wondering how it is we had such great fortune and experience on this trip. I learned a perspective of Muslim culture that is welcoming and accepting of all (not often reflected in our news), a crash course in geography realizing that I was actually in Asia almost the entire trip, and history lessons beyond anything I was taught in school. We truly explored where the world began and it’s all there for the (breath)taking. Fortunately, Veni Vidi Travel and Mr Bulent Albayrak are there too to help you create the trip of a lifetime (and take your breath away…)
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