Istanbul, Turkey, is a wonderful city with many beautiful mosques. When our family disembarked from a cruise ship at Istanbul in July ’08, in a large lot at the base of the gangway there was a sea of taxi cabs. Drivers approached those of us who had not purchased the ship’s bus trip to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia and offered to show us the city’s tourist attractions for €l00-€125 (near $139-$173).
Dear Globetrotter:
Welcome to the 394th issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine, the one in which travelers like you pass along recommendations and warnings to others.
I can share a few news items with you, here.
Regarding tours to Turkey, a reader (Feb. ’07, pg. 67) recommended Mehmet Ozbalci of TurFantastik (Millet cad. Inan Is Hani No: 5/ 610, Aksaray, Istanbul, Turkey; phone [90] 212 589 3325).
We engaged Mehmet in a 14-day private tour for 10 people in an air-conditioned Mercedes van, April 1-15, 2008. The price was $1,800 per person, not including airfare.
The tour was well organized and informative and set at an enjoyable pace. The accommodations were excellent as was the food.
My wife, Jeanne, and I enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime customized travel adventure to all of Greece’s great historic mainland and island sites plus Istanbul (Turkey), Lake Ohrid and the capital of Macedonia, thanks to the effort of Kutrubes Travel (Boston, MA; 800/878-8566, www.kutrubestravel.com), a terrific small travel firm we found through an ad in ITN.
Here are notes from our 17-day “Egypt and the Eternal Nile” tour, Feb. 22-March 9, 2008, from Odysseys Unlimited (Newton, MA). The cost from New York was $8,210 for two.
The trip reviews we had read for the Jerusalem Gold Hotel (234 Jaffa Road, Jerusalem, Israel 94383; phone +972-2-501 3333, fax 501-3344, www.jerusalemgold.com) were mixed. However, we need not have feared; we had a wonderful experience at this hotel.
My wife, Jane, and I stayed there for one week in March ’08. Our room cost $106 per night and I felt that we received good value for the money.
The rooms were comfortable and clean.
Rob Sangster, Memphis, TN
The Medina of Fez, Morocco, is reputedly the oldest and largest vehicle-free contiguous area in the world. It was built in the 11th century and is ensconced by 17 kilometers of walls.
My wife and I took an almost 3-week-long tour to Egypt and Jordan with Vantage Deluxe World Travel, Jan. 20-Feb. 8, 2008, at a cost of $10,248 for two, including round-trip airfare from Washington, D.C., to Cairo.
This was advertised as a 5-star trip. It involved two cruises, one on the Nile and the other on Lake Nasser.
I’d say the Nile ship, Crown Empress, was 3-star, not 5-star. This was confirmed by walking through other ships, as they were tied up one next to another; some were obviously better.
Dear Globetrotter: