Pamukkale Hot Springs and Ancient City of Hierapolis with Lunch from Kusadasi

Posted By : Cruiser00051450162
I went on two trips, one to Pamukkale and the other to Ephesus. Everything was perfectly organized. Our lovely guides, Mrs. Kasia and Mrs. Gabrysia, have a lot of knowledge, which they pass on wonderfully. The ladies are nice, friendly, smiling and answer all my questions. Thank you for a wonderful time, knowledge provided and the opportunity to see wonderful places.
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Posted On : 2023-10-06 09:44:51

Posted By : _ih8_user-names_69
DO NOT BUY - I do not think this is a professional tour company or an experienced company at all! For starters, this company sent me onto the WRONG tour altogether so I did not get to see the hot springs like i paid for (which as clearly on my ticket/email confirmation/text confirmation as well)
They sent a pickup for 6am (they arrived early at 5:45am) so I rushed out the door to get in the van and start the day. This driver checked my ticket and took me in, then dropped me off at a random corner for another large bus to pick me up w/the other passengers on it. THIS guide also checked my ticket and checked me in, I could clearly see my name on his list of guests. So naturally, I figured I was in the correct spot. I nap for the first hour or so of the drive and wake up when they take us somewhere on the way to use restrooms and grab an optional breakfast (not included and food/drinks were very bad quality)

We get back on the bus and continue on, then the guide tells us we are doing 1 more stop before reaching Ephesus (i am starting to get a bit confused as that city name doesn't sound familiar) So we arrive where we are told to use the restrooms because the main part of the tour there are no restrooms available. However, we are brought into a retail/jewelry design factory and are led and pressured to shop for jewelry (under the guise of using restrooms) Me as well as many other passengers were very confused and upset as to why we are being pressured to buy jewelry on this trip and delaying the actual tour.

It was here that I went to the guide and showed him my ticket AGAIN and asked about the hot springs, THEN at this point he says that it is impossible to go to the hot springs today and that this company only offers the hot spring tour on Fridays and Mondays not on Saturdays and tells me there must be a mistake. So at this point in time I am already 2.5 hours away from my hotel and stuck here on this full day tour that I had no interest in going to. I immediately begin contacting the organizers via Whatsapp to figure out how this happened and to get a refund. Luckily, they immediately accepted the refund, but this story is VERY far from over.

Fast forward to after the ancient city tour is done and they are supposed to take us to the included lunch. We make yet ANOTHER stop at a tourist trap retail store where we are pressured to buy overpriced Turkish goods.

Then we finally get taken to lunch at the worst restaurant you will find in this country. Bland food, drinks NOT included - not even water - I barely ate because I was worried this food would not sit well in my stomach and we still had hours before heading home.

Next, we are taken to a nearby stop and are given the opportunity to go on an ADDITIONAL tour to the house of Virgin Mary (for $300 lira) or stay here and wait for the bus to come back in an hour and a half. I chose to stay behind and not spend more $$ on a tour i didn't want to go to.

It is now 4:30pm and the bus comes back to pick up the passengers like myself that were not interested in another tour. This is where things start to get VERY bad.

About 1 hour 45 min into the drive back to Bodrum where we started, the bus starts pulling off at random rest stops and telling certain passengers to exit the bus and transfer to a different driver/van. Eventually they pull over and call my name to exit the bus with a handful of others and we get put in a separate van. We are about 30min away from my hotel at this point. This driver was constantly lost, driving in circles to the point where the passengers were using their own navigation to try and guide him to their respective hotels in order to make it home. It is now dark, about 8pm (remember they picked me up at 5:45am that day) and the driver almost gets us into 3 different accidents and is struggling to get the guests back to their hotels.

I am now panicking that my phone battery will die soon, this man cannot understand english and is obviously lost. Some passengers opt to just get out and find their own way but I being alone, and a woman with a low phone battery hope and pray that this man can eventually find my hotel. I am the last one sticking it out in this van hell ride and finally the driver lets me show him my navigation to my hotel and he drops me off near my hotel at 9:45pm.

I balled crying in the dark of the van thinking that I may not make it back to my hotel safely or without getting into an accident that night. After being in their control and "supervision" for 14 hours I feel traumatized and hesitant to trust any tour company through Tripadvisor ever again. This was a tour from hell and I do not think this company is legitimate.

Between the disorganization, horrible communication, tourist traps, horrible food, lack of WATER, and not arriving back to my hotel until 9:45pm I will NEVER trust this website again.

DO NOT BOOK - go through your hotel or find a physical agent to help you visit these hot springs that I hope I can visit one day in the future. My trip was ruined because of this day.
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Posted On : 2023-05-14 13:29:48

Posted By : 336piotreks
I used the services of the office during the trip from Kusadasi to Pamukkale and I can recommend this trip and the general service during the trip with a clear conscience 😉
Mrs Kasia is a great guide 💪
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Posted On : 2023-05-05 07:14:29

Posted By : David_B
I have been a Viator customer for 15 years and have always had good experiences. However, this tour has made me consider using them again for the following reasons:
1. The tour felt rushed, we only had 2 hours at Pamukkale to ourselves after the guide gave a 30 minute walkthrough at the entrance. It was a long day - 12 hours, mostly travelling.
2.Our bus broke down and they had to send another bus to take us - as above, it felt like we lost this time at Pamukkale because of this.
3.Our guide was rude to ourselves and other passengers. In all my years of travelling I was completely shocked at his attitude and disinterest on the tour.
4.The guide overcharged us by 50TL on entrance to the Antique Pools and would not explain why when questioned about this.
5.We we’re dropped off in Kusadasi 15 minutes walk from our hotel when it was supposed to be hotel pick up and drop off. The Guide said that the road was too narrow and could not fit a minibus through, which was not true, he had directed the driver down the wrong way.
6.Lunch was poor and the Guide did not communicate to the group when this was, resulting in 2 guests buying their own lunch and the Guide was rude to us when I asked about what is happening with lunch after we arrived in Pamukkale.
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Posted On : 2022-09-20 10:53:04

Posted By : Arpita B
I visited Pamukkale and the ancient city of Hierapolis and was mesmerized. The travertines and so beautiful and view from there is gorgeous. The city also has a good historical reference. Pamukkale is a must go for Turkey visitors.
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Posted On : 2019-05-29 04:37:43