About the Magic Carpet Tour by Fez Travel / Anatolian Adventure Tour by Encounters Travel

Have you booked or are you thinking of booking either the Magic Carpet Tour by Fez Travel or the Anatolian Adventure Tour by Encounters Travel? Here’s a review to help your decision-making or provide some additional context to what you’ll be seeing on your trip!

All information valid as of November 2023, unless otherwise indicated, and -no- I was not furnished to write this review.

Tour Booking Information & Itinerary

Why Does This Review Cover Two Different Trips?

Well, simply put, they’re the same trip. Fez Travel is the operator of the tour, which it markets as the Magic Carpet Tour, while Encounters Travel -a U.K.-based tour rebooking company- sells the exact same itinerary as the Anatolian Adventure Tour. I booked this trip as the Anatolian Adventure through Encounters Travel, but -again- it is, for all intents and purposes, the Magic Carpet Tour operated by Fez Travel.

This review also covers all or parts of the following trips offered by Fez Travel, Encounters Travel, and Inspiring Vacations (corresponding days indicated):

What Is Your Opinion of Tour Rebooking Companies?

There are upsides and downsides to using rebooking companies, but -in my experience- the differences are negligible. Just know that the itinerary provided by your booking company may not exactly reflect reality once on the ground.

How Was Your Booking Experience with Encounters Travel?

The booking experience was quite painless, and my booking agent, Gavin, was extremely easy to deal with and accommodating to my needs. I actually booked two tours with Encounters on the same reservation (Best of Jordan and Anatolian Adventure); while I thought this might provide difficult, it was a pretty seamless transaction. Gavin kept me well updated prior to departure and the joining information included in the welcome packet was incredibly accurate.

Why Did You Book the Anatolian Adventure Tour?

I had a pretty specific list of places I wanted to see in Turkey: Gallipoli, Pamukkale, Ephesus, and Cappadocia being the primary ones. I also wanted to allot 10 or 11 days for this trip, which trimmed many of the offerings from other companies which include days along the coast. Lastly, because of good luck, it cost the same to fly a triangle leg from the United States to Amman, Jordan, and on to Istanbul before returning to the United States. This allowed me to do a quick tour of Jordan, the ending date of which had to mesh up with the start of my Turkey adventure. So, long story short, this tour checked all the boxes for me.

Were There Any Itinerary Differences From the Information Provided by Encounters Travel Pre-Tour?

Yes, but I think this is a reasonable expectation when booking through a reseller.

To their credit, the only item listed in Encounters Travel’s documentation that we did not cover on our trip was a visit to the Gallipoli Museum (I suspect timing of the ferry to Çanakkale precluded this.) Beyond this, all the information provided by Encounters Travel was -to the best of my recollection- accurate. Even the hotels listed on the Encounters Travel website were 100% accurate, so kudos for that.

I’ll provide one caveat to this: when I booked, I had planned to take the bus transfer back from Cappadocia to Istanbul via Ankara; however, I was alerted early on in the tour by our tour guide that the Inspiring Vacations participants had that day set aside for a visit to the Ihlara Valley with a follow-on flight from Kayseri to Istanbul. I was given the option of joining the Ihlara Valley tour with the flight for a reasonable cost; while the flight option was listed in Encounters Travel’s documentation, the Ihlara Valley option was not, although to be very clear this was a circumstance unique to my specific tour.

I’d be remiss to not point out that we made several additional stops at locations not listed in the itinerary provided by Encounters Travel:

  • A small but appreciated stop, we took a minute to visit the Troy horse movie prop on display in downtown Çanakkale.

  • We made a stop at a leather goods shop in Selçuk.

  • We made stops at a pottery shop and a jeweler in Cappadocia.

Lastly, there was the opportunity for several add-on experiences not listed in Encounters Travels’ documentation:

  • An option for a Bosphorus Cruise in the afternoon on the Istanbul day.

  • An option for a Whirling Dervish show in Pamukkale.

  • An option to go hot air ballooning in Cappadocia (ultimately cancelled on my trip due to weather).

Encounters Travel: if you’re reading this, you’re probably doing your company a disservice by not explicitly listing the possibility of hot air balloon rides in Cappadocia in your trip materials. This is a bucket-list item for many Turkey visitors, and I can only guess how many people shy away from booking with you because this is not listed as a possibility on your itinerary. I highly encourage you to list this option in your advertising, itinerary, and pre-departure information in the future.

Where There Any Itinerary Differences From the Information Provided by Fez Travel Upon Arrival?

Upon my arrival in Istanbul, Fez Travel provided me a copy of their version of the itinerary for the trip, which -as expected- was quite a bit more detailed than the one provided by Encounters Travel. There were some minor differences, as well, but -again- nothing to significant:

  • Similar to Encounters Travel’s documentation, the stops at the pottery shop and jeweler in Cappadocia and the Troy horse visit were not listed (again the Troy horse being more of an unexpected bonus than a planned stop.)

  • The optional “Traditional Turkish Folklore Evening” in Cappadocia was not offered (I suspect this is due to the distance between our chosen hotel and the location of these dinner venues, but all the same this was pointed out to me as an omission.)

  • The Fez Travel paperwork similarly did not mention the Ihlara Valley option, but -again- this was a pretty unique set of circumstances.

One other minor, minor, minor thing I’ll point out: the Gamirasu Cave Hotel is listed as being in Ürgüp while in reality it is 15-20 minutes away in Ayvalı. Why might this matter? I attempted to book a hot air balloon-chasing photography tour through a third-party, and -while they were glad to do hotel pickups in Ürgüp, they declined pickup once they figured out I was actually staying in Ayvalı. I did find a company willing to pick me up for this tour in Ayvalı: Excursion Mania, for whom I am extremely grateful. If you stumble upon this page, know that -while weather kept me from taking my photography tour with you- your willingness to accommodate me meant a lot and I look forward to working with you sometime in the future when the winds are more favorable!

Should I Take the Van Back to Istanbul or Book The Return Flight?

As mentioned, I took a flight back to Istanbul but that was not my original intent. Up until my arrival in country, I had planned to take the van; however, the inconvenience my solo transit would have caused logistically paired with the opportunity to see bonus Turkey (Ihlara Valley) led me to make a snap decision to fly back. The main question on your mind is probably, “is the airplane faster?” Honestly, likely not - because of the flight schedule and the transfer from Istanbul Airport to downtown, we didn’t arrive to central Istanbul until around 930PM; if the van left Cappadocia at 630AM, as intended, and took the “long estimate” of 15 hours to arrive, the air and van passengers would be checking in to the hotel at roughly the same time.

So what then should be your primary factors in deciding whether to take the flight or the van? Honestly: hot air ballooning. Hot air balloons only launch about 75% of the time in Cappadocia, so if this is a must-do experience and you want to have the best odds of launching, take the airplane as a second opportunity will not be possible if you take the van. This will necessitate a flight later in the day, so please coordinate the timing appropriately with your booking agent. Passenger comfort may also be a factor for you, of course, and another 12-15 hours in a van may not be to your liking. Lastly, you may opt for the van if seeing Atatürk’s mausoleum, Anıtkabir, is an absolute must for you.

If you are curious about the cost of the flight, go onto the Turkish Airlines website and search for a one-way flight between Kayseri and Istanbul on the appropriate date - I suspect your flight won’t be more than 200 U.S. dollars, and may even come in under 100. It really depends on the season and the time of day you fly.

The Variation of This Tour I Want to Take Skips Istanbul / Gallipoli-Troy-Pergamon / Cappadocia - Is This a Good Idea?

Indeed, looking at the variations of the Magic Carpet / Anatolian Adventure tour I see some variations which skip Istanbul, Gallipoli / Troy / Pergamon, and Cappadocia.

  • Istanbul: Not including Istanbul on your itinerary is not a big deal if you have visited before or are self-planning an add-on visit. But to visit Turkey for the first time and not spend time in Istanbul is probably something you’ll regret doing.

  • Gallipoli / Troy / Pergamon: If you aren’t a huge classical or modern history buff, skipping these isn’t a big deal if I’m honest.

  • Cappadocia: Sorry to say, but there is practically no excuse why you’d come all the way to Turkey and not see Cappadocia if time and money allows. And if you’re a few days of leave or a few bucks short, do yourself a favor and wait.

Why Would You Want to Book the Anatolian Adventure Tour / Magic Carpet Tour?

I think this tour works best for people with a strong interest in the classical and modern history of Turkey and those who want to see as much of Turkey as they can in a reasonable timeframe at a great price. The density of sightseeing stops on this trip is immense, and I can’t think of any way you can cram more into eight days of travel than they do on this trip.

Why Would You Not Want to Book the Anatolian Adventure Tour / Magic Carpet Tour?

If you are the type of person who likes taking their time exploring cities and villages, this isn’t a great match for you. I will concede the following: I could have spent another day in Istanbul, a full day in Gallipoli, a full day in Şirince, and at least another day in Cappadocia for starters. The fact that I had to move on doesn’t bother me - I can always go back in the future and explore more. But if you are in a situation where you need to one-shot Turkey with a 100% completion rate, you may find this tour comes up just a bit short as this trip is an excellent primer for visiting Turkey, not a one-stop-shop.

Also, if you need to have some fun-in-the-sun on your Mediterranean adventure, this is not a great tour for you. Similarly, if you have no interest in historical topics, this also is not an ideal itinerary for you as many of the stops are to classical sites (Troy, Pergamon, Ephesus, Hierapolis, etc.)

The Tour

A Day-by-Day Breakdown

The itinerary information provided by both Fez Travel and Encounters Travel lacks specificity in the day-to-day details of what you’ll be seeing on the tour - here is a synopsis of what we did on my tour, but bear in mind your experience may be different.

Day One - Arrival Into Istanbul: I arrived particularly early into Istanbul (around 10AM), so I did not have the highest of expectations about my transfer to downtown Istanbul. After enduring the long trek from my gate to customs to one extreme end of the baggage carousel hall to the extreme opposite end of the arrivals area (I’ll spare you a diatribe about Istanbul’s new airport), I linked up with the Fez Travel representative at Arrival Door #14 who -gratefully- was willing to transfer me downtown all by my lonesome (this is about a 45-minute journey and I’m surprised they didn’t make me wait for more arriving passengers.) At this time, I received my welcome packet from Fez Travel, which made mention of a 7PM welcome reception in the hotel reception area. Around noon, I arrived at the Nidya Galataport Hotel, my home for the next two days, and -again, much to my surprise- my room was ready for me.

I spent a rainy day walking around Istanbul, visiting specifically the Basilica Cistern, which I had wanted to see since the first time I saw “From Russia with Love.” A walk to Istanbul’s historic core via the Galata Bridge takes about 30 minutes from the Nidya Galataport Hotel; there is a tramway (which doesn’t save much time, to be honest), as well as taxi options for a few hundred Turkish Lira. I grabbed a quick döner from a street vendor for lunch, probably the first time I had ever had one sober….

After the welcome meeting -during which I met our guide, Tamer- fellow group members and I made our way to the Galataport where we ate dinner before retiring for the evening.

Day Two - Istanbul Sightseeing: After breakfast at the hotel, our driver, Cengiz, brought us by our tour van to the historic center of Istanbul. We were given an historical overview of Sultanahmet Square (the Hippodrome), followed by guided tours of the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace before being given free time to explore the grounds at Topkapi Palace further on our own. After meeting up with the group, we were given the option to return to our hotel by tour van, or to take an optional Bosphorus Cruise with the tour guide; I opted for the latter.

I’ll admit I made no record of which of the many tour operators we chose for our Bosphorus cruise (Tamer the tour guide purchased the tickets), but it appears they’re all pretty much the same sized boats taking the same 90-minute route up-and-down the Bosphorus. That said, there are some important things to know:

  • Based on all the signboards and advertisements I saw, it is significantly less expensive to self-book a Bosphorus cruise than to pre-book with the travel company. If you want to save maybe 10 U.S. dollars or so, it may make for a good option in the afternoon on Day One (you’ll have time to make it back for the 7PM meeting), or you can break off and do your own thing after the Istanbul walking tour with the group concludes.

  • Waterside seating is at a premium on these cruise boats, so I encourage you to arrive as early as possible for the best seating. I struggled to find a spot along the railing to take photographs, and it wasn’t until about halfway through the cruise that I could start really looking out. This only frustrated me for two reasons: one, there were plenty of people sitting along the ship’s edge playing with their phones (I watched one woman edit an Instagram post for about 20 minutes) who could have very easily sat in the cafe or along the ship’s interior; and, second, much of the upper deck had non-translucent sheeting draped as a sort-of window covering (I suspect from the rain the day prior). This begs some obvious questions: one, why go on a river cruise if you’re not going to even look out from the boat? And, two, why operate a scenic tour boat where only maybe half of your customers can see outward from the boat? Again, self-booking will allow you the opportunity to get on the boat as early as you like to avoid this issue.

After taking the tram back towards the hotel, we again chose to eat at the Galataport before returning to the hotel for some sleep.

Day Three - Gallipoli: This morning was incredibly rainy and windy, so we somewhat begrudgingly gathered up our belongings after breakfast and headed towards Gallipoli where -of course- we’d spend a good chunk of the day outside. We made a quick comfort break stop for coffee just outside of the Istanbul metropolitan area, and then stopped at a Shell gas station canteen in Gelibolu for lunch (before you turn your nose up at that, the food was incredibly good, we all agreed!)

Onwards we then traveled to ANZAC Cove; when we arrived around 1PM, the rain had let up rather significantly. Tamer, our guide, intelligently provided our World War I lecture inside the tour van before giving us time to take photographs. We made additional -albeit quick and rainy- stops at Lone Pine Cemetery, The Nek, and Chunuk Bair. All in all, we spent 2.5-3 hours exploring the Gallipoli Battlefield, although I expect if the weather weren’t so bad and many of the hiking trails washed out, we may have spent longer.

I do want to point out Tamer had asked the Commonwealth guests if they had any relatives who had fought in Gallipoli, and was willing to accommodate and special visit requests (particularly to cemeteries) he could arrange; I thought this was a nice touch.

We caught the Eceabat to Çanakkale ferry, which whisked us across the Dardanelles from Europe to Asia in about 30 minutes. Keep an eye out for dolphins! Upon arrival in Asia, we made a quick stop at the Troy horse movie prop before checking into the MD Barbaros hotel for the evening. We regrouped for the included buffet-style meal in the hotel dining room before turning in for the evening.

Day Four - Troy and Pergamon: Waking up early, we had another buffet-style breakfast before hitting the road towards Troy. After a one-hour or so guided tour of the Troy site, we hopped back into the bus for the long ride to Pergamon. We made a comfort break at a gift shop along the Edremit Gulf before resuming our journey. About two hours later, we ate lunch at Kervan Pide in Bergama before heading to the Pergamon site and riding the cable car up to the top. After another informative orientation tour, we had about an hour to explore the site on our own before meeting up again at the tour bus at the bottom of the cable car. Back on the road, we thankfully passed İzmir before the afternoon traffic got too bad. This allowed us to get into Kuşadası before sunset, which was lovely to see along the promenade across from our hotel, the Ilayda Avantgarde. If possible, do not miss the sunset (if you do, try and catch it the following day!)

After checking in and unpacking for two nights, we regrouped and headed to the Marvista Restaurant, which was a short walk away on the ground level of another Ilayda hotel property. After another excellent meal and a quick run to the ATM, it was time to turn in.

Day Five - Ephesus and Şirince: In the morning, we had our included breakfast in the lovely top-level hotel restaurant which overlooks the Aegean Sea. Do yourself a favor and get up a bit early to experience the lovely view with your meal!

Our first stop was at a carpet weaving shop, OBA Rugs and Kilim in Selçuk, for an overview of how hand-woven carpets are made; naturally, there was the adjoining shop where you could buy any sized carpet from heirloom silk display pieces to floor-sized wool (with free shipping, of course). The carpets are beautiful, but -alas- not cheap, so if you’re in the market for a rug … bring a credit card.

We then made our way to Ephesus for a two-hour long guided tour with built-in break periods. I thought this amount of time was more than satisfactory to cover the property. The time being about mid-day, we made our way to the lovely little village of Şirince for lunch.

After yet another pleasant lunch, this one at Cici Şirince Mutfağı, we were given some time to explore the town; however, there certainly wasn’t enough time for me to try all of the wine shops! Şirince is certainly one of the places in Turkey I most look forward to revisiting on a future trip.

After leaving Şirince, we made a quick stop at the ruins of the Temple of Artemis (one of the seven ancient wonders of the world) in Selçuk before returning to Kuşadası. After a rest period (and another sunset on the Aegean), we headed back again to the Marvista Restaurant for the included dinner before retiring for the evening.

Day Six - Pamukkale and Hierapolis: After one more stunning breakfast-with-a-view, we packed up our bags and set off towards Anatolia (goodbye, sea!). Shortly after setting off, we stopped at a leather goods shop -Porqué Leather in Selçuk- where we were treated to a brief fashion show and the opportunity to buy some leather goods (mainly, coats). Quick warning: the fashion show does contain very sudden bright flashing lights, so if you are prone to seizures I’d definitely skip it!

Moving onwards, we made an early lunch stop at Kismet Pide in Nazilli. As we finished the rest of the journey towards Pamukkale (with a quick ATM stop thrown in for good measure), the weather regrettably deteriorated and it began to rain. By the time we arrived at Hierapolis and the Travertines, the rain was really coming down and we had to beeline for the Hierapolis Archaeological Museum to get dry and receive our history lecture from Tamer. Slowly, the weather started to improve (much to our relief) and we were given about 90 minutes to explore Hierapolis and the Travertines on our own.

Unfortunately, the Travertines -which I had very much longed to see- were quite the disappointment. I think this was equal parts 1) my lofty expectations of what they’d look like, 2) the large crowds (which showed up conveniently as the rain stopped), and 3) bad luck … and I say bad luck because the Travertine pools which were filled the day I visited were quite distant and few in number, taking a bit of “magic” away from my visit (in case you didn’t know, the pools are filled with the assistance of pumps due to changes in groundwater.)

Anyway, after leaving the site (and navigating a minor mechanical issue with our van which Cengiz quickly addressed), we checked into our hotel, the Adempira Hotel in Karahayıt. Those who opted to do the Whirling Dervish Show were collected up and whisked off to the venue.

I’ll talk more about the Adempira in the hotels section below, but -suffice it to say- the best way I can describe this place is it is a shoddily-built cruise ship stuck on dry land. The included dinner buffet was, frankly, a health and safety disaster but mostly edible.

The one redeeming quality of the Adempira Hotel is its spa, which offers a wide variety of pay-for massage and treatment services, as well as free-to-access Turkish baths, saunas, steam rooms, and hot spring pools. Certainly consider taking advantage of this while you’re there!

After dealing with a wide variety of other hotel-related issues (again, more to follow), I turned in for the night.

Day Seven - Konya to Cappadocia: If you choose to fly back to Istanbul, this will be the longest travel day of the trip for you (about 11 hours). Waking up a bit earlier than I had most other days of the trip to prepare myself mentally for the upcoming travel day, I bypassed the included breakfast buffet (I tempted fate once already) in favor of a few cups of coffee. Once on the road, we made a couple of comfort stops en route to our lunch locale, the Mevlevi Sofrası in Konya. Afterwards, we walked across the street to visit the Tomb of Mevlana Rumi. The tomb is extremely chaotic and was very jam-packed when we visited, so if this is a site that holds no interest for you, you may be well-served to skip it. Also, here’s a top tip: do not use the bathroom at the tomb, head back to the lunch restaurant if needed. You’ve been warned.

Back in the van, we made a comfort-and-historical site visit stop at the Sultanhanı Caravanserai after about two hours. This break is only for about 30 minutes, but if nothing else it is a nice place to stretch your legs after a long day in the vehicle. We made a beeline for our hotel that evening, the Gamirasu Cave Hotel in Ayvalı.

Arriving after sundown, we conducted a speedy check-in in our unique and eclectic rooms before having the included dinner in the hotel’s dining room. Tucked out from the long travel today, most everyone went to sleep shortly after concluding our meal.

Day Eight - Cappadocia: During the night, the winds picked up dramatically and the temperature dropped drastically, so the hot air balloon operators agreed it best to cancel the morning’s balloon rides. These things happen, unfortunately, but I think everyone agreed “better safe than sorry.” As mentioned, I had planned to take a balloon photography tour, but -this too- was cancelled (obviously). Anyway, this gave us a little bit of a reprieve, however, from an early wake-up, so we ate the complementary breakfast at a much more relaxed pace than we might have otherwise. It also gave me some time to take some photographs of the hotel … something I very rarely feel compelled to do!

We made quite a few stops in Cappadocia in quick succession: Pigeon Valley (20 minutes for photographs), Uçhisar (30 minutes for tea at a museum which was a former cave home), the Ozler Art Center Jeweler (30 minutes), the Göreme Open Air Museum (90 minutes for free exploration of the site’s many cave churches), lunch at a gas station, the Özkonak Underground City (a 30 minute guided tour), the Sultan Ceramics pottery studio (30 minute demonstration and studio / showroom tour), a walk in downtown Avanos (20 minutes), and a photo break at Devrent Valley (15 minutes). Short of adding the morning hot air balloon ride into the mix, I can’t imagine you can cram much more into one day in Cappadocia.

We arrived back at the Gamirasu Cave Hotel in time for sunset … and the blistering cold weather which was moving into the area. The wind picked up signficantly, which I think stifled the tour group’s enthusiasm for drinks and hookah by the hotel’s bonfire … didn’t stop me, however!

Another complementary dinner was included in the hotel’s dining room, and -soon- everyone was off to bed again.

Day Nine - Ihlara Valley and Return to Istanbul: Reminder: This Ihlara Valley itinerary was only included in my package because the majority of tour participants booked through Inspiring Vacations, which includes this program; normally, Fez Travel or Encounters Travel bookers would either be on the bus back to Istanbul via Ankara and a stop at Atatürk’s mausoleum (13+ hours, depending on traffic), or waiting at the Gamirasu Hotel for a transfer to Kayseri Airport.

We already knew from the night before our second crack at hot air ballooning was cancelled, so we got to sleep in a bit again before making our way to Ihlara Valley. We made a stop at the Selime Cathedral to see another cave church; however, unlike the ones at the Göreme Open Air Museum, you could take photos inside. There were also no other visitors, which was nice.

After about an hour of exploration, we made our way to Belisırma to begin our 90-minute exploration hike of the Ihlara Valley. We then had lunch at Belisırma River Restaurant before making our way to Kayseri Airport for our late afternoon flight to Istanbul Airport (in our case, the main Istanbul Airport, not the smaller Sabiha Gökçen Airport on the Asian side of the city). Here we bid our farewell to our tour guide, Tamer, and our driver, Cengiz.

Upon arrival in Istanbul, we collected our luggage and made our way back to good ol’ Arrival Door #14 where the Fez Travel transfer team met us to shuttle us downtown. Arriving back at the Nidya Galataport pretty late at night, I think we all forwent dinner and instead went to sleep.

Day Ten - Departure Day: My flight and the flights of my tour members departed Istanbul Airport mid-afternoon, so around noon we were shuttled back to Istanbul Airport. As it was Monday, the museums in Istanbul were all closed which meant we couldn’t really get bonus Istanbul time even if we wanted to (shame, I wanted to see Dolmabahçe Palace - next time, then!) Before long, it was time for my flight back to the United States, and my Anatolian Adventure tour came to an end!

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Now back to the review!

Hotels

We stayed at five hotels during the Anatolian Adventure / Magic Carpet tour, all of which I have some pretty strong opinions about. Naturally, I can’t guarantee you’ll stay at these specific hotels, but -if you do- I’m hoping you’ll find this information useful.

Nidya Galataport, Istanbul: I stayed three nights at the Nidya Galataport; two nights at the beginning of the tour in what I’ll call the “First Room” and one night at the end of the tour in what I’ll call the “Second Room.”

Realistically, the two rooms had more in common than not: both rooms were long and narrow (almost like galley style kitchen of hotel rooms), both had a comfortable queen-sized bed, a small desk, a refrigerator, a small safe, a good sized closet, and a walk-in shower. Each room provided two bottles of water per day with coffee and tea, and soap and shampoo were available. Also, its worth noting both rooms were very clean. I will point out that the narrowness of the rooms unfortunately meant there was no reasonable place to open a suitcase besides the bed or the foyer (I opted for the latter since I like, you know, sleeping); I only point this out in case you have two large suitcases as compromises may need to be made! The room was so narrow, I had to hold my phone vertical for the following video or I’d scrape the walls….

Unfortunately, another similarity was that each room had a window, and -for reasons I still don’t understand- both rooms’ windows were wide open upon check-in. In the First Room, this wasn’t a tremendous issue aside from a couple of insects which got in, but in the Second Room it let unseasonably cold air (5C / 41F) inside which meant the room was also, well, unseasonably cold. Given there was no heat option yet activated on the HVAC system, this was kind of a problem. Oh, one quick note while we’re on the topic: the Second Room’s window looked directly across into the hotel’s gym which was maybe 3 meters away. A bit too creeper for my taste….

Now, for the major differences: the First Room was at the end of the hallway next to a service closet, which meant its geometry was all wonky. The bathroom door only opened about 2/3rds of the way and there was an awkwardly placed shelf right in front of the bed which I think I ran into about a dozen times. I can look past these things as minor inconveniences, but it all the same did make navigating an already tight space tricky. The First Room’s shower wand also had an amazing ability to fly out of its cradle (almost as if the sizing were not correct) which resulted in a couple knocks on my noggin. Thankfully, no blood was spilled.

Unlike the First Room, the Second Room had an absolutely paper-thin door to the adjoining hotel room, which -unfortunately- was occupied by a person or persons who enjoyed listening to Spanish language content on their cellphone on speaker at uncomfortably loud volume late into the night. Promptly at midnight, I was compelled to give the door a solid knock and utter a firm, “¡Cállate!”

Beyond the rooms, the amenities of the hotel were quite fair. Beyond the aforementioned gym, the hotel had a spa, a small bar, and 24-hour room service I dared not to try. It also has a laundry service which I availed myself of after coming directly from a week in Jordan; naturally, there is no rate sheet prior to turn-in, and to say that it was expensive is an understatement to say the least.

I only ate the included buffet breakfast at the hotel which I would describe as overall pretty solid. The restaurant appeared clean albeit perhaps a bit undersized for the morning rush.

Now as for the staff, I would best describe them as mercurial. Sometimes they were the most helpful bunch in the world, sometimes I felt like they wouldn’t give me the time of day. Quite peculiar, actually. My travel companions reported the same phenomenon, so it wasn't just me (not this time, anyway.)

Lastly, let’s talk about the location. I understand that tour operators need to balance a lot of different requirements when considering a hotel: ease of access, proximity to services such as restaurants, accessibility to commonly-visited sites, and -of course- cost. I naturally would have preferred a hotel in the Fatih District of the city (where the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are), but as far as a balance goes between the aforementioned criteria, I think its location is fair. You can walk to the historic core in about 30 minutes, or be there by cab in about 10, so for the Istanbul-visiting portions of the trip, the Nidya Galataport makes decent enough sense.

MD Barbaros, Çanakkale: Having only stayed one night at MD Barbaros, it was difficult for me to have a fully formulated opinion on this hotel; however, my experience was generally positive.

The room was impressively clean with a great amount of space. The hotel looked recently constructed or renovated. Included was water, and there was a coffee and tea station in the room. Toiletries such as soap and shampoo were also included.

The reception area was also clean albeit a bit crammed when large tourist buses would arrive. The elevators are small but the porters made quick work of check-in.

The dining room was similarly quite clean, and the included breakfast and dinner buffets were satisfactory.

You’ll only be there between sundown and sunrise with included, so location isn’t massively important; however, it is worth noting there are two pharmacies within walking distance should you need medication.

The only issue my travel companions and I had during our stay was the HVAC was set to heat despite it being an unseasonably warm and humid day. Unbeknownst to me at first, when the key card is inserted into the slot to turn the room electricity on, it automatically turns on the HVAC (even regardless if you had turned it off prior to your last departure). After checking in and freshening up, the room had reached about 25.5 C / 80 F, which meant I had to sleep with the window open to get the room cool enough. This wasn’t a major issue, but the hotel is very near the local airport which (apparently) has flights at very odd hours. Tamer alerted the staff to this oversight about the heat being switched on, and I genuinely take them at their word the setting was switched in error. All in all, this was not a huge deal and didn’t diminish my view of this really good hotel.

İlayda Avantgarde, Kuşadası: I stayed two nights at the Ilayda Avantgarde, which I found an excellent hotel with a great location.

The room was of a good size and was quite clean. The hotel was also recently renovated. The room included water, a coffee and tea station, as well as a couple of complementary soft drinks and a roll of cookies, which I thought was an excellent touch.

The lobby and reception was quite nice (the pass-through, see-through door to the adjoining Starbucks was a bit unexpected, though). The elevators are quite small, but the porter staff made excellent work of bringing our luggage to our rooms quickly.

The star of the show is the view of the bay, either by walking across the street to the seaside promenade, or by viewing from the rooftop restaurant in the morning during the breakfast service. For better or worse, the rooftop pool and bar were closed as I visited just out of season, but I expect that the view is equally great from up there. There are some seaview rooms, as well, but I’m not certain those would be included in the tour package, if available.

The hotel is nearby to lots of shopping, restaurants, and bars (although your dinner is included both nights at a nearby restaurant). ATMs are also a couple of blocks away.

All in all, it was really hard to find a single fault with my stay here.

Adempira Termal & Spa Hotel, Pamukkale: I’m not sure where to start with this one. I’ll give the benefit of the doubt here and say that the management wants to create a wonderful experience for its guests. To do this, it has effectively created a cruise-ship-on-land replete with all the same trappings: pools, the faux indoor terrace-lined courtyard, a massive buffet, evening entertainment, and even the same type of check-in and baggage portering. There is even a very pleasant looking spa with reasonably-priced treatments. But it was obvious to me the size of the operation here (150 rooms), the incredibly high nightly turnover (almost every guest stays just one night), and the fact that these guests all arrive and depart at the same time has overwhelmed management’s ability to cope and corners have started to get cut.

This lack of attention to detail manifested itself in three ways: construction, housekeeping, and the dinner and breakfast meal services. Unfortunately, this made for a health-and-safety nightmare.

First, construction. It was obvious the wing that I was staying in was brand new, and -indeed- everything was fresh and clean. But this was superficial and the incredible lack of attention to detail showed - for example, the two wastepaper baskets and the toilet brush holder all still had the blue translucent protective wrapping on the chrome finish. This is forgivable; however, the dust cover on the smoke detector is not as it renders it inoperative. This is 100% unsatisfactory. There are other signs the management bit off more than it could chew - for example, water would come out of the shower head when the adjoining room would flush its toilet (I really wish I were kidding about that.) As a quick side note, a guest in my party reported that part of the room’s trim was falling off the wall, further calling into question in my mind this hotel’s build quality.

Second, housekeeping. I will say the room itself was very generally clean and the linens and towels were, as far as I could tell, laundered and replaced. But two little things stuck out to me: first, the coffee carafe still had about half a liter of water in in from the previous guest (two very small bottles of water and coffee satchels are provided per room). Secondly, and way, way, way more importantly, the sliding door to the patio was slightly open when I checked in. Why wouldn’t it close, you ask? Because there was a wasp nest in the door frame. Owing to it being the beginning of winter when I visited, thankfully the nest appeared abandoned but -full stop- it should not have been there to begin with. If this were summertime and I were allergic to wasp stings, I’d potentially be in real trouble.

Lastly, the meal services. These are an absolute health-and-safety nightmare. The buffets feature no sneeze guards of any kind, serving utensils are incredibly limited and not routinely cleaned or changed out, chilled foods were left in the open air, and the trays of hot food were inadequately heated in their chafing dishes. Normally, this wouldn’t be a massive issue with sufficient pass-through, but -as I pointed out- the vast majority of guests arrive at the exact same time just before the dinner service and depart at the exact same time early in the morning just after the breakfast service. This effectively means all 150 rooms-worth of guests eat at the same time, thus compounding the problem. The staff looked also incredibly overwhelmed; as proof of this, during the dinner service no one from the wait staff came by to ask if I wanted a drink in the 30 or so minutes I was there.

Fez Travel / Encounters Travel: I implore you to reconsider lodging your guests in the Adempira Hotel until these matters are discussed with the hotel management. If nothing else, the lack of a functioning fire suppression system is completely and totally unacceptable. Additional health hazards such as wasp nests and underheated food should give you further pause.

Gamirasu Cave Luxury Hotel Cappadocia, Ayvalı: This is a fun hotel, and I really enjoyed my two night stay! Undoubtedly, you will consider this hotel one of the highlights of your Magic Carpet / Anatolian Adventure tour. After all, it’s not every day you can stay at a hotel with its own Atlas Obscura page.

For the sake of transparency, there appeared to be two types of rooms at this hotel: true cave rooms, and what I’ll call “cave-resembling” rooms. We were housed in the latter, but this didn’t make the experience any less great and these rooms are significantly more accessible than the former. With that out of the way…

My favorite feature of the hotel (beyond the kitschy room decor you can see below) has to be the wide number of patios and overlooks where you can enjoy sunset or have a drink. As mentioned, I went early winter but the staff had a lovely fire-pit on the patio adjacent to reception.

The tour included two dinners and two breakfasts in the hotel’s lovely cave restaurant. All four services were lovely. Be aware: the breakfast omelet doesn’t mess around in terms of size!

As far as the location, you are deep in a remote valley a good distance from the “core” tourist sites in Cappadocia. During our day tour around the area, we passed through two of the major tourist hotel “hubs” and I was grateful we were staying where we were.

Rooms include water, a coffee-and-tea station, shampoos, and soaps. As each room is unique, your layout may vary; my room was cozy but in a welcome way.

Food and Drink

It is a long trip, so I’ll try my best to cover everything succinctly. Generally speaking, the food you’ll be provided (all breakfasts, and all dinners outside Istanbul) is excellent, of high-quality, and fairly diverse. The choices Tamer made for lunch stops were also excellent and reasonably priced. I don’t often speak about comments made by others in their reviews on other websites, but one review from a previous traveler criticized the number of “rest stop” lunches on their tour. I found this accusation to be completely unfounded (although I recognize the possibility of Fez Travel having taken this critique to heart), unless you consider two lunches at a gas station canteen two-too-many. Here’s a quick breakdown (included meals italicized):

Day One: Dinner at the Istanbul restaurant of your choice.

Day Two: Breakfast buffet at the Nidya Galataport Hotel, Istanbul; lunch on-the-go in Istanbul; dinner at the Istanbul restaurant of your choice.

Day Three: Breakfast buffet at the Nidya Galataport Hotel, Istanbul; lunch at the Shell gas station canteen, Gelibolu; buffet dinner at the MD Barbaros Hotel, Çanakkale.

Day Four: Breakfast buffet at the MD Barbaros Hotel, Çanakkale; lunch at Kervan Pide, Bergama; fixed dinner at Marvista Restaurant, Kuşadası.

Day Five: Breakfast buffet at the Ilayda Avantgarde Hotel, Kuşadası; lunch at Cici Şirince Mutfağı, Şirince; fixed dinner at Marvista Restaurant, Kuşadası.

Day Six: Breakfast buffet at the Ilayda Avantgarde Hotel, Kuşadası; lunch at Kismet Pide, Nazilli; buffet dinner at the Adempira Hotel, Pamukkale.

Day Seven: Breakfast buffet at the Adempira Hotel, Pamakkule; lunch at Mevlevi Sofrası, Konya; fixed dinner at the Gamirasu Cave Hotel, Ayvalı.

Day Eight: Breakfast buffet at the Gamirasu Cave Hotel, Ayvalı; lunch at a Cappadocia Shell station; fixed dinner at the Gamirasu Cave Hotel, Ayvalı.

Day Nine: Breakfast buffet at the Gamirasu Cave Hotel, Ayvalı; lunch at the Belisırma River Restaurant, Belisırma; dinner at the Istanbul restaurant of your choice.

Day Ten: Breakfast buffet at the Nidya Galataport Hotel, Istanbul.

Some really quick notes about these restaurants: All of the included breakfast buffets were of exceptionally high quality (the breakfast buffet at the Adempira notwithstanding, because I chose not to eat it) and featured a variety of bread, cheese, hot dishes, and often made-to-order eggs. Top tip: at the Ilayda Avantgarde Hotel buffet, use the fancy coffee machine on the far right.

The Gelibolu Shell station lunch was actually a very delicious and hygienic hot order line - if the eggplant is available, I definitely recommend it. As for the Cappadocia Shell station lunch, we just grabbed sandwiches, chips / crisps, and drinks for the most part.

As for the fixed dinners, the two at Marvista Restaurant were four generously-sized courses (ask about the crème caramel), while the two at the Gamirasu Cave Hotel were four more moderately-sized but equal quality meals. Both restaurants were excellent.

Kervan Pide and Kismet Pide both specialize in, well, pide so definitely consider ordering that or a kebab platter to mix it up; these are both smaller meals, but since they are sandwiched between two larger included meals, I don’t think you’ll mind. Cici Şirince Mutfağı features many Turkish lunch staples; I had a kebab sandwich which was just enough lunch for me. Mevlevi Sofrası is excellent, I recommend saving room in the morning to try both a lamb dish and the okra soup. Lastly, the Belisırma River Restaurant features Turkish lunch staples, many of which are cooked in their giant open brick oven.

Most of the restaurants had bar service with dinner, although -as mentioned- the staff never came around at the Adempira Hotel. As far as I can recall, only the Nidya Galataport and the Gamirasu Cave Hotel had accessible stand-alone bars that were open. If you want a drink in Kuşadası, I recommend walking across the street to one of the stands set up along the sea promenade.

Transportation

This is a driving itinerary, and even if you opt to take the flight from Cappadocia back to Istanbul you are going to be spending an incredible amount of time in the tour vehicle. Our vehicle was a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 170 Extended with fifteen seats. Only about half of these were filled during our trip, which I only bring up as I am certain my experience with the vehicle would be dramatically different if each bucket had a butt in it.

The seat comfort and legroom were both quite good. There are a couple of wheel well “hump” seats near the back, but the majority of the bulge was intelligently nested underneath a seat and, thus, wasn’t much of an inconvenience. Thankfully, all the windows all had curtains.

The vehicle featured very strong and very reliable WiFi, which was much appreciated. There were no power outlets, as far as I could tell, so please consider bringing a battery pack if your devices are prone to draining.

The luggage storage was adequate in the rear of the vehicle, but I anticipate it becoming a bit tight if each seat were filled up.

The van had a small refrigerator which had available bottles of water inside. A nice touch!

As mentioned previously, the vehicle had a minor mechanical issue part-way through our journey but our driver, Cengiz, was quick to have the matter remedied and it imperceptibly affected our journey.

The Driver

Cengiz was an excellent driver throughout the entire trip. He also had an incredibly positive attitude and always had a smile on his face. Despite speaking limited English, he was more than happy to small-talk with the guests which helped him feel more connected to the tour experience.

We were always on-time wherever we went and I always felt in good hands. His handling of the Sprinter’s mechanical issue was also excellent.

The Guide

Tamer was a superb guide who filled every moment from sun up to sun down with making our experience the best and most informative experience it could be. In particular, I want to highlight his handling of a medical situation encountered by a traveler during the trip. I won’t go into details for reasons that should be obvious, but Tamer made sure every facet of that situation was coordinated while simultaneously not interrupting the tour program for the remainder of the guests. Lastly, I want to highlight Tamer’s expert knowledge on particularly historical and cultural topics - his previous experience as an educator definitely shined through.

Logistical Considerations

What to Pack

I think the packing list provided by Encounters Travel, in my case, and by Fez Travel generally covered the requirements of this trip. There are no special considerations about this trip which require specialized equipment or clothing. If you’re the type who is inclined, certainly consider leaving extra space for gifts and goodies as there are quite a few shopping opportunities on this itinerary. Lastly, fair warning there are no great places to have clothing laundered along the way, so you’re going to have to pack a full trip’s worth of clothing.

The only two things I can think of off the top which I would encourage you to bring with you are a small roll of toilet paper (since you may need to use a toilet that doesn’t have an adequate supply) and a battery bank for charging devices in the van.

Breakdown of Additional Costs

I did my best to annotate my costs throughout this trip, although I’m certain I missed a few things here-and-there. This list does not include expenses such as tips or souvenirs. Here is a breakdown to help you budget:

  • Day One - Arrival: 135 TYR coffee at airport; 110 TYR lunch kebab in Istanbul; 315 TYR dinner in Galataport.

  • Day Two - Istanbul: 10 TYR for simit in Istanbul; 50 USD Bosphorus Cruise; 550 TYR dinner in Galataport.

  • Day Three - Gallipoli: 100 TYR at gas station; 385 TYR lunch; 50 TYR coffee on ferry.

  • Day Four - Troy and Pergamon: 70 TYR morning coffee; 280 TYR lunch; 200 TYR beer with dinner.

  • Day Five - Ephesus: 235 TYR lunch.

  • Day Six - Pamukkale: 200 TYR lunch.

  • Day Seven - Konya: 300 TYR lunch; 50 TYR coffee.

  • Day Eight - Cappadocia: 110 TYR gas station lunch.

  • Day Nine - Ihlara Valley: 300 TYR lunch; 165 USD flight from Kayseri to Istanbul.

  • Day Ten - Departure: No expenses.

I’ll also elaborate on the costs associated with the major shop stops we made on our trek: the carpet weaving store, the leather goods store, the jewelry store, and the pottery studio. The carpet weaving store has a wide range of prices, but I think at a minimum you’d find yourself spending at least 200 USD, and perhaps anywhere up to a couple thousand USD if you wanted a full-room rug. The leather goods store primarily specialized in jackets, which ran from at least 200 USD to upwards of 700 USD. I didn’t really pay much attention at the prices in the jewelry store, but the prices seemed to be in line with what you’d expect them to be. Lastly, the pottery studio had small pieces for as low as 30 USD, with larger pieces upwards of several hundred. I only bring this up to say again: if you anticipate purchases at any of these stores, please bring a Visa card instead of cash.

The Tough Questions

What Did You Like Most About the Tour?

I think the itinerary is as jam-packed as it could possibly for a tour of this length, and I think the pacing was quite good. Tamer provided an incredible amount of detail and context to those sites we visited -particularly the historical sites- and Tamer and Cengiz structured the stops and comfort breaks in such a way that it made our 1,000+ mile / 1,600+ kilometer driving adventure go by rather quickly and effortlessly. While I may not have 100% agreed with all the stops we made on this itinerary (more on that to follow), it was unrealistic to think any trip was going to, and I think the stops we did make catered to the tastes and interests of as wide a variety of travelers as they could.

What Should Fez Travel Improve About This Trip?

There are two things I’d certainly improve about this tour: one is pretty significant (and if you’ve made it this far in this review, you know what it is already), and one is a strong recommendation. Do not let these critiques take away from the fact that this was an excellent tour and these criticisms shouldn’t come back on Tamer or Cengiz - these comments are for the management and organizers of this tour within Fez Travel.

First: as I’ve mentioned, please reconsider use of the Adempira Hotel until you’ve had a conversation with management about the health-and-safety issues I encountered there. I won’t rehash them in total (you can read about it above), but -to stress again- the fire suppression system not functioning is a real problem that needs addressing.

The second matter (again, this is a strong recommendation vice a complaint) concerns the last night’s hotel location. I recognize Fez Travel probably has a strong relationship with the Nidya Galataport Hotel and probably receives a discount on volume for accommodating their travelers there. That said, departing Istanbul Airport at 9PM to trek across Istanbul 45-minutes to Galataport just to return to the same airport in the morning makes little-to-no sense. There are plenty of excellent hotels in close proximity of Istanbul Airport (Villa Siesta comes to mind) which would obviate the need to make an additional round-trip journey into the city. I recognize there may be people who opt to extend their vacation by doing additional sightseeing in Istanbul, but I think there should be an option for an airport hotel stay for those who don’t wish to return to downtown.

But What About the Shop Stops?

If I had it my way, the trip would have had fewer or maybe even no shop stops - that is, the stops at the carpet shop, the leather goods shop, the jewelry shop, and the pottery shop. For better or worse, these stops ate into time I could have spent exploring new sights or sights more thoroughly. I'd trade the carpet shop for a visit to the nearby House of the Virgin Mary or more time in Şirince, the leather goods store for more time in Pamukkale, and the jewelry / pottery shops for more time seeing Cappadocia’s landscapes. Normally, yes, I would have thrown this category into the “What Should Fez Travel Improve About This Trip?” category above, but since my tour companions seemed to enjoy these stops and collectively bought goods at each of them, and since I plan on exploring Turkey at some point in my life in greater depth, I’ll give it a pass this time.

I want to make clear, however, that my opinion on such stops is and always will be negative: while I can order goods from these stores from the comfort of my home and have them shipped directly to me door whenever I please, I cannot just wake up one morning and, say, decide I want to visit the Fairy Chimneys in Cappadocia that day. And before you play the “cultural experience” card, in this case I’d say the pottery studio has the right to make that argument, maybe even the carpet shop, but the leather goods shop and the jewelry shop need to be called out for what they are: cash grabs.

If You Organized This Itinerary, What Would You Change?

To be clear, these aren’t criticisms of the tour, these are just changes I’d make to align the tour more closely with my personal taste. In no particular order:

While I realize ANZAC Cove is the star of the show, some time at Cape Helles in Gallipoli would have really rounded-out my understanding of that campaign more completely.

As mentioned, I would have liked the opportunity to have visited the House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus. I would have also loved some extra time in Şirince to do some wine tasting by stopping at the Artemis Temple first so we weren’t on as strict of a “schedule” needing to stop at the temple before sundown.

I probably would add a few extra photo stops in Cappadocia, with Love Valley and Pasabag as essentials and Rose Valley and Red Valley high up on the wish list.

… And, yes, probably put the kibosh on the shop stops.

Would You Recommend the Magic Carpet Tour / Anatolian Adventure Tour?

Yes, absolutely, particularly if you have a strong interest in the classical and modern history of Turkey as I’ve mentioned before. What makes this trip great is that it is an excellent primer to Turkey. Unless you have a specific desire to see a sight not specifically listed on the itinerary or you’re the type of traveler who likes to take their time, this is one trip you won’t regret booking. If you are lucky enough to have Tamer as your guide and Cengiz as your driver, even better!


I’ll certainly update this page if I think of anything else to add, but that’s about it for now. If you have any specific questions, or if you have been on the Magic Carpet Tour with Fez Travel or the Anatolian Adventure Tour with Encounters Travel and have more feedback, please reach out to us at hdhuntphoto@gmail.com or drop a comment below!

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