Side Pamukkale Dagstur & Sala Lake Besøg

Many organizational and technical deficiencies: Breakfast was booked. The tour guide did not know that. The clarification took up almost the entire breakfast break. We booked a German-speaking tour through a drop-down menu. The tour guide could not speak German. The bus was very old. There were many rattling noises (the tour guide was often barely understandable), and the seat belts did not work. The air conditioning failed, and the return trip was only possible with open windows. It was very loud and windy. My suspicion: The air conditioning has been defective for a long time and is no longer suitable for extended operation. At least the driver knew that. Lunch had a limited selection of meat. Overall, the trip was only partially enjoyable, and 2 stars would probably be more accurate.

First of all, don’t book this trip unless you are willing to spend 18+ hours out. The timings are NOT correct as this is advertised as 14-15 hours. We were picked up early hours of the morning. We were the only native English speakers on the trip so most of the information was in Russian for 20-30 minutes and we were lucky if we got a 5-10 minute explanation. There was no information about the order of events for the day and you will see why as I continue this review. First of all, you do not stop for breakfast at Korkuteli city. The breakfast is now added onto the Lake Salda part of the trip which cuts into the allotted time there (1 hour). We didn’t have any breakfast as this was extra money and it didn’t look up to much. We were not shown where the lake was and just pointed in the general direction, by the time we got there we only had 15-20 minutes before having to get back on the coach. There was oils and the like for sale and when the guide asked if I was buying any and I said no, he said “I think you’re making the wrong decision”. Lake Salda itself was very picturesque. Next we went to a stonemasons which sold onyx and jewellery. We didn’t buy anything as it was very expensive. There were “no exit” signs everywhere so you couldn’t go out until they decided (aka when you bought something). Next we stopped for lunch which again wasn’t great but we were starving at that point so did eat a little bit. Then onto Pamukkale. The guide told us to leave all of our personal belongings on the coach as we wouldn’t be needing them? I’m glad we didn’t listen as it was a blistering hot day and we needed suncream and something to cover our heads - you could have easily got severe sunburn or heatstroke if you had left your stuff on the coach as there was no shade except in the restaurant areas. The natural pools themselves were beautiful and warm but just very busy. We did not go up to the amphitheatre at Hierapolis as the heat was too much. When we arrived back at the coach at the specified time the driver wasn’t there so everyone was huddled under one tree for shade until he came back a few minutes later. There was then an unscheduled stop at a pomegranate winery (my mum cannot drink alcohol due to health reasons) so we didn’t want to take part in this and wouldn’t have booked if this was on the itinerary. This also added unnecessary time onto an extremely long day just to get you to spend more money. There was no drinks other than beer available on the coach so I asked if I could get off to get a cold drink, the guide then tried to make me go in for the wine tasting and when I refused and said I just needed some cold drinks as my mom was still on the coach he very begrudgingly let me go and get a drink. There were 3 children left unsupervised on the coach with us while their parents were inside which is dangerous. We then went for dinner which was inedible, the chicken looked undercooked and the food was in metal trays not under any heat to maintain temperature and not covered so there were flies everywhere. We didn’t eat any of this. We then asked the guide how long it would take to get back to our hotel as my mom has to take time dependent medication and was told it would be at least another 3 hours (keeping in mind it was 5.45pm and the trip is meant to end at 6pm). When I explained this, he was sat counting his money and just shrugged his shoulders. Then back onto the coach for 3+ hours, the guide was hinting heavily at tips saying put tips in the box for the driver or “you can put money straight in my hand”. There was another stop for a five minute toilet break which ended up being 15 minutes so they could smoke 2-3 cigarettes back to back. My mom was feeling unwell at this point as she was nearly 2 hours late with taking the medication and when she said this she was told to “just sit down”. We were eventually dropped off at 9.30pm two streets away from our hotel as apparently there are “too many parked cars and the coach cannot fit down the road” although everyone else was dropped right outside their hotels and we’ve been dropped off via coach outside our hotel in the evening as well as seeing coaches going down the road at various times of day and night. When we got off the coach we were trying to get our bearings while the guide was saying “BYEEEE” sarcastically and when we didn’t reply straight away as we were trying to figure out where our hotel was he said “OH MY GODDD” in a rude manner and got back onto the coach. Overall, Lake Salda and Pamukkale are beautiful places but do not book this company unless you want to spend more than 18 hours (most of it on the coach), inedible food and a rude host.

Was told the trip would take 3 hours from side.. it was 5 hours on the coach. Instead of going straight to where we wanted to go we were taken to 2 detours where we were pestered to buy things made out of stone.. another place where we had to sit through a seminar about wine and oil... when we eventually got to pamukkale we were told we only had 2.5 hours to see everything so it felt very rushed. If we wernt taken to the other places we would of had an extra 2 hours to see what we actually paid to see. Also we couldn't go into the cleopatra pools as it was getting a refurbishment.. the trip cost us £225 for the food and coach trip and another £130 admission fees when we got there. We wasted a whole day on a coach which felt like for nothing and paid a fortune for it. The guide was rude and just felt completely rushed... I booked through trip advisor so assumed it would be safe as its a credible company.. wont book through trip advisor for excursions again.

The trip was absolutely fantastic, it was really well planned with several different stops before the main attraction to stretch the legs. Long bus ride, but the various exciting stops along the way were gold worth and the bus was great with air conditioning that worked. We experienced so much on what felt like no time, that we were completely high over the trip - when we came back to the hotel. Pamukkale which was the main attraction was more beautiful than one could even imagine. Really a huge experience and in our opinion a “must see”. In general, the food was under the standard of what you are used to at the hotel, but we took it all as part of the experience. It was exciting from the bus to see how one also lives in Turkey up in the mountains away from tourism. We had breakfast at Sala Lake, was past a stone mower which was very impressive and for wine tasting which really was also delicious. And then we spent most of the time at Pamukkale the white terraces, which is absolutely adventurous! Our guide was a good narrator and really sweet. The only thing was that the sound was a little loud.

The journey was really long, maybe about 5-6 hours from Side to Pamukkale because we need to collect/pick up other guests from different hotel. Going back to Side, approx. 5 hours drive and the seats are not really comfortable. The breakfast was included on the tour as per itinerary but the Guide said that they never give free breakfast, only lunch. It was a long journey and tiring so we did not argue about that. Sala lake was closed apparently during our tour, so we did not go there. The lunch was okay, but the drinks are not included and you have to pay for it. Most of the tour we've done before drinks are included. No one inform us about it, we were surprised when we're almost finish with our meal that we have to pay for it. We only spent 3 hours in Pamukkale. I don't suggest for others to do this trip if you're staying in Side because you will lost a lot of time just for travelling back and forth.

As indicated on other posts, the site became medium, only the concrete basins were filled, the rest is dry and gray, ancient site top. Otherwise supported ok, 4h40, return 22h. Meal medium but included, guide very well.

It was a very nice and pleasant experience overall. Ibrahim was very friendly knowledgeable and thoughtful the entire way and very enthusiastic and entertaining. And eric was very nice to book everything. Also, thanks to our minibus driver who keeps us safe.

Great tour from start to finish, even though it was an early start we got time to take naps in between learning about the history of Turkey provided by our great guide Ibrahim and curated by Eric.

Very worth the 3am start. What a fantastic trip! Honestly if you have to go on just one tour then I suggest this one. The private mini bus was comfortable. We stopped for breakfast which was a nice place. Disappointed that we didn’t get to swim in the Cleopatra’s Pool as it was under renovation but the Cloud Castle made up for it. What a beautiful place. Water was warm. Loves it! The Ancient City of Hierapolis was also very interesting esp the amphitheater. A lot of instagramable photos to enjoy. And of course our tour guide Ibrahim made the tour even more interesting. We learned a lot from him and he was very nice. The only let down was the restaurant at lunch time. Hot food was not very hot and toilet was disgusting. They should make an effort especially with all the tourists that stops there. We spent a lot of money buying from the Onyx shop to the shops at every stop but at the end of the day it was part of the experience and did not regret it. It was a long day but very worth it!

The tour is very good and very informative. Ibrahim is so friendly and easy to chat with. Very knowledgeable and witty. I will definitely recommend him for a tour guide and the company he is with.