Turkey's Highlights - Pamukkale, Ephesus, Cappadocia Trip & Balloon Ride Option

Went Eastwards. Solo trip from IST to Cappodocia > Antalya > Pamukkale > Selcuk > Bursa > IST Cappadocia - did the balloon ride . It was OK . The view was spectacular but I think more fun than that was waiting in the dark and watching the balloons come to life! It was beautiful. Hot air balloon ride , ticked off my list Pamukkale - Cotton Castle - really touristy even though was there in Nov. Hotel was walking distance to one of the entrances and thank god I used this. The moment you enter , you take off your shoes and walk on the walk travestines , upwards. It was really fun. Water was cold at first almost numbing my feet but got warmer the higher I went. Only a family of 3 besides me doing this. It seems everyone else , busloads of tourists and those coming by car use the other entrance. Great , had the travestines all to myself till I hit the top. Skipped swimming in the pools. 130TRY and so many people in the pool! had time so arranged to go paragliding. Was fun! Spent a good amount of time in the air . Euphesus - Stayed in Selcuk and no regrets! Small , quiet town yet getting to Euphesus was breeze. Took a dolmus both ways. Euphesus was so worth it! Don't miss the terrace houses (extra 80TRY) but great way to get a glimpse into how people lived . managed to do Euphesus and Sirince on the same day.

Itinerary: Day 1- Hotel pick-up to airport. Upon arrival, was picked up then straight to visit Pamukkale which was awesome. Afterwards, we were driven to our hotel In Kusadasi. Day 2- visited ancient city of Ephesus and Temple of Artemis. Day 3- full day transfer to Cappadocia :( Day 4- Cappadocia Green Tour Day 5- Cappadocia Red Tour. Good points: -all the hotels book were really great. Clean, comfortable, and good locations -the coordination with pick-up, drop-offs were arranged really well -the emergency contact was very responsive and helpful -Breakfast at the hotels were great. The breakfast in The Cappadocia Hotel was phenomenal. Downside -there was just too many downtime especially in Day 1–2. We started the tours at around 9-9:30 and would finish at 2pm-2:30pm. This was including looking at the sites and random visits to cultural stores (i.e. Turkish Delight, ceramics, etc) and a LOT of car ride. -our first guide in Day 1-2 was informative but felt he was rushing the entire tour to finish early. We were given only 15-20mins to wander around, which was a shame because it wasn’t enough to take in the beauty of the sites. Also did not see the Necropolis. Hmm wish they added another site St. John’s Basilica which was right beside the Temple of Artemis. -for Day 3, our flight was at noon. Wish that we were booked an earlier flight so we can arrive in Cappadocia earlier. -Day 4-5 was really nice. Tour guide, Bush, paced it well. Only comment was probably not enough time to explore the Uchisar Castle. But this was understandable as I don’t think she expected my companion to want to hike up the steep slopes. I think the quality and pace of the tour is really dependent on the Tour Guide. Overall, this tour package would be good for those who want a very relaxed trip and who can spend more time in Turkey. The 5 days could probably be condensed to maybe 3-4days but this would have been a hectic and exhausting schedule. Was still a good experience and all the sites were mind blowing.

This was a 5 day trip broken into two very unequal parts. The first part was a 2 day trip in Kusadasi/Parmukkale and Ephesis with guide Ata. Ata was not good. He complained of being tired and yelled at me for asking to skip shopping to add another site--which was right next door to a site we were already visiting. We were upgraded to a private tour, without asking for it. In hindsight, this was a mistake, as Ata, or so the tour operator hypothesized, might have resented not having many people (fewer tips?). The Tour operator said he got good reviews from other clients; my search of travel sites don't show this. All in all--if you get Ata, make sure you stay on his good side, if you can find it. Specifics: the hieropolis buggies were "too expensive"; the Cleopatra Pool--waste of money; The far half of Hieropolis "a long walk" (ironically, not true on a buggy). All in all, he said--it is at our pace, suggested really short amounts of time and rushed us to the next place to sell us crafts. He even told us background information in the car for one attraction to save time, supposedly. He should seek employment in another field--9 years doing it with the last 4 a bit light (covid and some other reason unclear). In the middle of our 5 days, we had a free day. This was due to a flight change. We filled that on our own. This also changed our hotels from 2 days at the Illada Avantguard to one and Hotel Cappadocia from 2 to 3. This change could not have made us happier! The Illada was a nice hotel, but the city view when we could have had a sea view was vexing. We heard from the tour operator that their clients usually do not get even a city view--it was a nice view, but certainly not a city view--which we would have paid extra for if the tour operator had given the option--we booked MONTHS in advance and easily did so before the hotel filled. Hotel Cappadocia was a bit hot and had no pool. However, they provided a fan and the views and experience more than made up for the lack of pool. The three people who run the place and their staff were so friendly and helpful. The Turkish Breakfasts each morning were very similar each day but different enough to get us through 3 mornings without a feeling of monotony. THE VIEW!! WOW! The tours were led by Ozman. Very nice. Very helpful. Took photos. Had a dry and a bit warped sense of humor. It was clear that he knew he was going to try to get us to buy things in the arts and crafts places, but he did not insist on our participation and made sure we were hydrated from these places and brought water into the van (contrast this with ATA). We enjoyed the balloon ride. The tour operator upped the price 90 dollars each or demanded we cancel and rebook (at a new price). He claimed it was the operators refusing to honor the agreed price. This would not work in US contracts. However, the economic hardship and inflation in Turkey made us suck it up and pay. It is expensive anyway. Worth it? maybe. If you have the opportunity, why not. One last word on the arts and crafts places. While I am there for the history and sites, they do serve a purpose for the tourists in summer who need a break from the heat. The AC in the vans was meager. If anything, think of them as a safety precaution. DON'T BUY ANYTHING--way overpriced. We bought on ETSY for much less.