Failed attempt — be careful. Cancelled my booking. I had booked a dining package with Mr Mustafa at Cappadocia Life Travel. Our conversation was originally great and flowed well. He even suggested booking with him directly as it would be cheaper, so I felt we had built up some trust. I later learned that GetYourGuide charges suppliers a significant commission, so I could understand why booking directly was suggested. Everything was confirmed and booked via WhatsApp. I asked a few further questions, but after a few days I received no response. I messaged again specifically asking whether he needed anything further from me, including payment. He replied that nothing further was needed, the booking was confirmed and I could pay directly. This became particularly frustrating later because, when the situation deteriorated, he then used the fact that I had not yet made payment or received a separate formal booking confirmation to say that I did not actually have a booking. This directly contradicted what he had previously told me on WhatsApp. I had proactively asked whether payment or anything further was required and was specifically told no — everything was confirmed. I had also asked if I could see photos of the setup, as the various photos online showed different setups. I wanted something more local, perhaps cushions rather than a table. I also asked whether we could have a simpler setup with fewer props and decorations. These questions went unanswered. One day I visited his website and noticed that the WhatsApp link took me to a different number, while the Instagram link on his website directed me to another agency. I wondered whether the business had changed hands or something else had happened. I contacted the company linked from his own website and asked whether they had availability, expecting them to say they were fully booked, at which point I was going to explain that I already had a reservation. From this point, Mustafa’s attitude changed considerably and the conversation became quite rude. Initially, I assumed there might simply be a language barrier. I again asked for some form of booking confirmation — even just an email rather than relying entirely on WhatsApp. He questioned why I had contacted another company. I explained that his own website had directed me to what appeared to be a sister/other agency. After I pointed this out, within approximately 15 minutes the website links were changed: WhatsApp directed back to him and the Instagram link was also corrected. At one stage, while I was simply trying to explain that I was only seeking confirmation of my booking, he even asked whether I was threatening him. I found this particularly strange because nothing I had said was intended as a threat. I was actually trying to do the opposite — I wanted reassurance that our booking was secure and still wanted to go ahead with the experience. He then told me my booking was cancelled. This happened just before we left to fly to Turkey and almost ruined an important part of our holiday. Thankfully, with help from my hotel and Özge from TripExpert Travel, I managed to arrange a replacement dinner — and in fact ended up booking two alternative experiences. The hospitality from Özge, Atreus Travel (host Asim) and Travelux Cappadocia (host Sadegul) was brilliant. They came to the rescue and ultimately provided excellent alternatives. What is most disappointing is that all I was asking for was an email confirmation of a booking I had already been told was confirmed, and whether the setting could be made a little more elegant, simple and luxurious. Looking through the photos on Mr Mustafa’s own website, listing and social media, I noticed that some of the dinner setups included a lot of props, neon signs, teddy bears and decorative clutter. Personally, I felt some of these looked dated and weren’t the style I wanted for a romantic dinner. I was simply asking whether our setup could be made more timeless, elegant and luxurious — less is more — allowing the location, food and scenery to be the focus. I wasn’t demanding a different setup; I was simply asking whether this could be accommodated. I want to be fair and make clear that I had nothing negative to say about Mustafa or the actual experience itself before this happened. From everything I could see, he appears to have a great product with excellent reviews. That is exactly why I chose it, and even after the initial confusion I genuinely still wanted to experience the dinner. Unfortunately, I never got the opportunity to experience the actual product, so my criticism is not of the dinner itself. My issue is entirely with how my booking and the subsequent communication were handled. Until things escalated, I was prepared to put the issues down to confusion and a possible language barrier. Unfortunately, what should have been two very simple requests — written confirmation and asking whether a slightly more minimal setup was possible — escalated into my booking being cancelled and me being asked whether I was threatening him. I was then told that because I had not paid or received formal confirmation, I effectively had no booking, despite previously being explicitly told on WhatsApp that the booking was confirmed, nothing further was required from me and I could pay directly. From what I can see, Mustafa has a great product. Unfortunately, the way this situation was handled was very poor. It was interesting he took my feedback immediately about wrong whats app and instagram they instantly fixed he was "updating his website". Thankfully, the experience ultimately led us to discover two other fantastic Cappadocia dining experiences that understood exactly what we were looking for and provided beautiful, elegant alternatives.
We would like to state very clearly that this review does not reflect an actual experience with our Romantic Dinner service. The person who posted this review NEVER PARTICIPATED in our Romantic Dinner experience and NEVER RECEIVED this service from our company. The reservation was cancelled before the activity took place. Therefore, presenting allegations about a service that was never experienced as though they were based on an actual customer experience is both unfair and misleading. We fully respect genuine criticism, whether positive or negative, from guests who have actually used our services. However, there is a significant difference between legitimate feedback and making claims about an experience that never took place. No Romantic Dinner service was provided to this guest. For this reason, we strongly reject any statements that create a false or damaging impression regarding the quality or delivery of this experience. We believe reviews should be based on genuine, first-hand experiences and factual information. Publishing negative claims about an activity that the reviewer never attended can mislead other travelers and unfairly damage the reputation of a business. For complete transparency, we would therefore like future readers of this review to be aware of one simple and verifiable fact: **this guest did not participate in or experience our Romantic Dinner activity.** Cappadocia Life Travel
