Matt and I are back in New Jersey and desperately missing Turkey. I want to thank you for all your hard work putting this trip together for us. You were very patient with my (numerous) inquisitions and requests, and for that I am truly thankful. Also, I would like to express my gratitude in your efforts to pair us with fabulous tour guides. As I already have expressed to you, Yalcin was a perfect guide in Istanbul.
In Cappadocia, we loved exploring the countryside with Sukrun. She was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the area; we couldn't have chosen a better guide ourselves. Our only regret during this part of the trip is that the balloon company you booked for us took flight much later in the morning than the other companies. As a result, we missed the sunrise photos we had been so looking forward to capturing.
Lastly, Bayram was a wonderful guide during our Ephesus tour. He also took us to the best lunch we had on the trip. Perhaps it was the amazing food and Izmir surroundings, but we ended up purchasing a fabulous Turkish rug from the family who ran the restaurant!
I also want to clear up some confusion that Yalcin may have communicated to you. While we were in Cappadocia, we toyed with the idea of extending our trip to Bozburun by one additional day, thereby cutting out our stay in Sirince. We are SO glad that we did not go through with this because we spent most of the day touring Ephesus and its surroundings, so we were exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep in Sirince. The Nisanyan was the perfect escape. Lastly, there was some confusion with our return flight from Dalaman to Istanbul. Luckily, the wonderful host at our hotel in Bozburun contacted Yalcin and straightened it out.
Overall, the trip was AMAZING, and we will be recommending your company to all of our friends and family. Thank you again for everything, and please stay in touch!
Best,
Elizabeth Blakely
------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Chevy,
Just got word back from my clients, who went on the Santorini/Mykonos tour. They had a wonderful time and said it was one of ther best vacations they have had. They did mention the hotel on Santorini was a little small, but the view more than made up for it. I will have no problem recommending your company to future clients and have told the other agents in our office to consider using your services. Thank You, yours
John Linschoten
Cruise & Vacation Consultant
------------------------------------------------------------------
Marilyn and Ronnie Epstein
ibgaga@hotmail.com
Went to Istanbul and Athens in May had Chevy took us all over and treated us like family. It was such a enjoyable time. Got to see all the sights and he took us other places we would have not seen. He is so nice and his staff. One of the best trips we ever took. Can't wait to plan another trip through him.
Marilyn and Ronnie Epstein
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Many thanks from all the people !
We had a very pleasant tour , with a good driver Levent , and a very friendly guide Ozdal
They have done the best for us , for our requests during the trip, so that we were very satisfied !!
All the towns were worth to be visited ...except Amasra,, I regret, but according to my me and my friends, we cannot understand why
it is on Unesco Heritage...
I should have better planned 1 night at Safranbolu and 3 nights at Trabzon, because the town, and surroundings are very intersting , particularly
tea farms , old wooden houses..
Never mind, this part of Turkey wins to be better known, ottoman style, scenic landscapes,no stops for commercial purpose...
Thank you for all Chevy
Best regards
Roselyne Taillebot
-----------------------------------------------------------------
We are back from our trip and had a fantastic time. All of our flights, transfers, and bookings worked well, but there are a couple things I would like to make you aware of.
The first is the baggage fees on Aegean Airlines. We had to pay 25-35 euro for each checked bag for every flight because they said we had discounted tickets. I didn't mind paying the extra 230 USD all together, but I would have liked to know about it before the trip.
The second issue you probably didn't know about, but the travel agency in Athens changed our hotel from the Athens Gate to a Best Western all the way in Piraeus. I didn't complain about it because we were only in Athens for about 30 hours, but I do not understand why we were placed so far away when there are hundreds of hotels in the city center. Since we were not taking any ferries, there was no reason for it. The hotel we were given was very nice, but it was very far (about 25 mins) walk from the nearest metro station, and we did not know if the area was safe to walk at night.
These are just some things I needed to bring to your attention to help future travelers. The rest of the trip went exactly according to plan, and we were extremely satisfied with the tours, hotels, and services we had.
Sarah Kroner
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Chevy and staff,
Our trip was FANTASTIC. What a perfect first trip to Italy and Greece. All six hotels: in Rome, Florence, Venice, Athens, Mykonos and Santorini were excellent. Tour guides and transports were friendly, courteous and most helpful. Thank you and I would highly recommend Encounter Tours.
Lisa and Andy Schenke
Visited in May 2014
_________________________________________________________
Thanks for setting up an AMAZING vacation for me and my family. We could not have scripted it any better! Everything was very well coordinated and we were able to enjoy all of the sites at our pace.
The tour guides at each city were perfect as well... Sylvia, Sabrina, Evan, and Kristian are all extremely knowledgeable and fun to be with!
We will definitely recommend you to others that we know who are traveling to Europe.
Thanks again.
Andy Carey
Visited March 2014
__________________________________________________________
My wife and I recently visited Greece for 11 days. Encounter Tours made all arrangements for the two of us and it made our trip so much easier.
From the minute we exited the airport in Athens until we returned at the end of our trip, every taxi driver and tour van met us on time and delivered us to our next destination, exactly as planned. Chevy chose a wonderful variety of sites for us to visit both on the mainland and in the islands.
Tour guides were excellent and the accommodations were very good.
We also took a trip to Turkey with Encounter Tours a couple of years ago and it was fabulous. I would recommend Encounter Tours to anyone and look forward to more tours with them in the future.
Bill & Karen
Bend, OR
Visited 2013, OCT.
____________________________________________
Hi Chevy,
I'll be giving your contact information to a friend of my sister-in-law that will be contacting you to schedule some European tours.
We were all very pleased with your support and appreciate all that you did for us.
Best Regards,
Rich
Visited 2013, September
____________________________________________
We were well accommodated and enjoyed our guides Yelcin and Sedat very much. The pace was a little fast, but I think that was because we wanted to see "everything" in just 11 days! We loved Cappadocia and our spectacular hot air balloon ride over it, Istanbul, Kas, Ephesus, everything. The people were lovely and the food was fantastic.
The three night cruise on a Turkish Gulet was a highlight; only manned by three young men, including the captain, a cook and a deck hand: we couldn't believe how wonderful the food was and we got to sleep on deck if we wanted to! Swimming in the Mediterranean right off the boat was SO fun and we even saw a turtle!
The only place we went that I would recommend against on the entire tour was the Gar Music hall in Istanbul. It was touristy and hoaky and the food was terrible, especially considering how much good food Istanbul has to offer.
Tansy Rein
Visited September 2013
____________________________________________
Dear chevy
Thank u for the nice tour u organized for us. we had a lovely time,
and would definitely choose Encounter tours next time we visit Europe.
All of your representatives were most helpful, except for mr giuseppe in
italy, whom i found to be not of a very cooperative or accommodating.
also plz express our thanks to mr Yalcin Dogru for helping us in
turkey and Greeece.
Dr Tazin Afrose Shah,
Bangladesh
_____________________________________
My wife and I spent 6 days with Encounter Tours travelling to some of the well-known tourist spots.
Although this was a somewhat difficult summer for tourism in Turkey, all the arrangements had been carefully made and were completely followed, always on time. Tour guides were excellent, and travel arrangements and accommodation were very good. Pre-travel correspondence was always answered promptly and helpfully by
Chevy Noratli, who was also responsible for the planning.
Gary & Asha
Visited August 2013
________________________________________
We had a driver all to ourselves throughout Morocco which enabled us to spend whatever time we wanted at sites and change the itinerary as desired. It was great.
The driver was Berber and although his English wasn't great we did fine with a combination of English and French. In Fes and Marrekech we had fluent English guides. I would especially recommend the Riad El Yacout in Fes which was beautiful and had a wonderfully accommodating staff.
The organization of our trip by Encounter Tours and the attention paid to our particular wishes by Chevy S. Noratli couldn't have been better.
________________________________________
To Encounter Tours
On behalf of my friends and I, I would like to express our sincere thanks for the excellent tour.
From the time of our arrival at Istanbul airport, during the entire tour and to the time we were dropped off at Istanbul airport for our flight back to Toronto, your arrangement was meticulous and perfect.
Our special thanks to Mr. Sardar at the Ferman Sultan Hotel who was a real pleasure to talk with and Mr. Mahmoud who looks after breakfast and also guest services. The location of this hotel was a good choice because it was close to everything downtown.
We have recommended your tour company to many of our friends who will contact you when they are ready to travel.
Keep up the good work.
Best Regards,
Nizarali Ratansi
_______________________________________________
Good Morning Sonya, I wanted to let you know that our trip to Turkey went smoothly and we were both very impressed with the travel company Encounter Tours.
Their organization was fantastic and both times we spoke to their representatives they were so helpful. Turkey was a very interesting and organized and safe country for tourist.
We hope that the situation in Egypt settles down and we can look at going there in 2014.
Regards Pamela Train
___________________________________________
Hi Chevy
Just to let you know that everything worked out perfectly with your organization.
Hotels, locations, guided tours, balloon, restaurants, transfers and free time ended up to a perfect combination.
The hotel in Cappadocia, Has Cave Hotel was very nice, very familiar and we were very well received.
Just a low point there, the internal heating was not enough for the room, and even though they supplied an additional portable warmer, we never managed to feel completely comfortable there because of the low room temperature.
Thanks for setting things up so fast.
Best Regards and Happy New Year
Manuel Sequeira
______________________________________________
Just wanted to thank you for the trip. Everything went smoothly and we had a great time. The guides were all excellent, and the drivers meeting us from planes and buses were there as planned.
Best regards,
Lyn
-------------------------------------------
Hello Chevy S. Noratli,
Thank you very much for the excellent tour.
The boat, service, snacks and program were great!
I would like to express my special thanks to captain Ali who was very kind, participative and easy going.
We really enjoyed the picturesque bays and the Mediterranean sea!
I wish you good luck and prosperity!
With best regards,
Georgy Lebedev
-----------------------------------------
Just a quick note to thank you and your team for looking after us in. You made it into a wonderful holiday
that in general ran very smoothly. I really appreciated the care you gave us in Istanbul. We felt very welcomed into that small corner
near your shop front. I am sure that I speak also for Viv, Monica and Lakshmi.
Wishing you all every success for yourselves and those whom you love.
Peta
-----------------------------------------------------
Our trip was wonderful. The hotels you chose were outstanding and so centrally located. We especially enjoyed
Your representatives met us at every airport and that was very smooth. Your tour guides were very personable...
Sincerely,
Dorothy Foley
---------------------------------------------------
Hi Chevy,
We enjoyed all the places very much. Alkep Eve cave hotel was quite wonderful
experience. We took lots of beautiful pictures and I'm in the process of making a beautiful online album.
Hotels were quite comfortable.
Thank you,
Varsha Bhatt
-------------------------------------------------
I just want to thank you so much for all of your assistance this summer. It was a pleasure meeting you and talking to you. First, let me say there was no comparison between the Stone Hotel and the Speectre....the Stone was much nicer! You were right!
Thanks for everything.
Wendy
---------------------------------------
Hi Ann
I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful tour you arranged for our group. We enjoyed it so very much much.
I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you personally to thank you for making all these arrangements. We will always remember this wonderful tour and would gladly recommend your company to others."
Anonymous
---------------------------------------
Hi Chevy,
Just a short note to say thanks for a great trip you put together for us. We were also very greatful for the good hotels we stayed in and the family room set up was very convenient.
Besides the one of the transfers, everything else was well set out perfect and we had a really great time.
Regards,
Charl, Elize, Ivan & Charlize Cuyler
Hi Chevy,
Thanks for all your help with our bookings in Turkey! We had a fantastic time on our holiday! We particularly liked the Akol Hotel in Cannakale, and also Kismet Hotel and Oyster Residences.
We will definitely recommend you to any friends
Thanks again for all your help!
Regards,
Anna & Simon
New York NY
---------------------------------------
I would like to thank you for your efforts in organising my holiday.
I appreciated very much the quick change of hotel at no extra expense.The organisation of my trips,pick ups etc worked fine,your staff where most helpfull, I will have no hesitation in recommending you to anyone at all.
Thank you again.
Regards.
John Dolan
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Mr. Noratli & Staff at Encounter Tours
- - - - We have a fabulous trip!!!!!!!! Your partner made sure that all the details worked out and even the weather cooperated for us. Thanks a million!!!!!!!
Mrs. Hamilton / Long View Washington
--------------------------------------------------------
Add your review here
