TURQUIA IMPERDIBLE

We travelled with Exotica, which is operated in Turkey by Euroriente.com. Between December 4 and December 14. First, we stay in Istanbul for 2 days. In Istanbul, we stayed at La Quinta by Wyndham hotel at Gunesli, which is located about 45 minutes away from Istanbul, and the traffic to and from the city is insane. A taxi from Istanbul back to the hotel La Quinta is about TRY 450-TRY 650 to TRY 950 depending on the traffic. We paid TRY 1100 from downtown Istanbul to the hotel on the first day and TRY 500 on the second day. This information was provided by the hotel concierge, as our tour guide offered no assistance about how to return to the hotel, since the first and second day included transportation from the hotel to Istanbul but no transportation back to the hotel. When approached about the possibility of returning with the part of the group that purchased an extra day tour, the tour guide was dismissive and not helpful, limiting to say we did not purchase the extra day tour, thus transportation back to the hotel was not included and that he would know where the group would be at the end of the day. It happened that we were at the Topkapi Palace at the end of the day, and a simple "what up" message would have been enough to connect the guests that needed a lift back to the hotel at the end of a long day. A little effort would have made a big difference, thus from my perspective, he missed the opportunity to meet their claim that they offer "Personalized attention 24 Hrs and committed to meeting the expectations of our customers". Euroriente claims that they offer "several categories of hotels, always taking care of the highest possible quality at the best market price, and that they select with very strict measures the best hotels in each city where our tours spend the night. The hotel La Quinta by Wyndham is about 45 minutes away from Istanbul and away from any amenities. The hotel room was not clean, and the spa area does not have a separate area for female. It is a mix spa area. Euroriente claims "to have a modern fleet of coaches and a team of highly qualified drivers who guarantee your safety." They also claim that their "fleet of buses is equipped with all kinds of amenities and the latest technological advances. For your comfort and convenience." The bus driver was excellent, there is no question about that; however, the bus was not equipped with Wi-Fi and several tables and one seat were broken. Euroriente claims that their "Guides are the face of our Company!! I was concerned with the lack of transparency about how the refund of the balloon trip was going to be processed and about leaving our luggage unattended at the lobby of the hotel in Pamukkale. The tour guide said that the hotel would assume responsibility for any loss. When I approached the front desk manager, he said that the Hotel does not assume liability for any loss of luggage left unattended at the lobby while guests are out of the hotel. When I approached the guide with my concerns, his annoyance with my queries was evident. I elected to leave my luggage inside my room and not to worry about losing my luggage. We came back to the hotel earlier than expected from our balloon ride with plenty of time to get our luggage to the bus. At the last day of our tour, we learned that this was his first trip with Euroriente Travel. Perhaps what I perceived as dismissive and annoyance were insecurity and lack of experience. Wishing him all the best in future endeavours.