Review of excursion on 11th August 2026 to Side, Aspendos and Manvagt The pickup from our hotel was scheduled at 8:30 am but was 20 mins late with no information provided. When we (family of 3) got on the minibus we found there were only 2 seats. One of the staff members gave up his seat to allow us to sit. Around 2 km down the road, we were moved to a bigger coach, which had non-functional air conditioning. Throughout the day inside this bus it was 40 C with 98% humidity. Then for the next 2 hours the bus picked up passengers from several hotels until it was really crammed and unbearably hot inside. There was no scheduled toilet break, we had to force them to stop at a petrol station to use the toilet as we were desperate. When we got to Side, the first point on the excursion, the English speaking guide Kevin who had been silent throughout the journey so far announced that he had a "bad knee" and would not accompany the group on the sightseeing. Kevin gave us a 2 min brief on Side and then we were asked to follow another guide who spoke Russian only. Kevin's lack of effort and energy made the trip a real misery. He is barely capable of explaining anything in English and kept repeating his "bad knee" story. We were walking by the Roman and Greek ruins like clothing shops without any commentary. More of the same at the Aspendos site as well. Interestingly Kevin the guide didn't bother to do any headcounts and kept asking the paying attendees if everyone was back on board when leaving each stop. It's shocking how shamelessly unprofessional and disorganised this guide was. On the way back again we had to change to a minibus for the final 2 km from the coach which roasted us throughout the day with no air-conditioning or ventilation. My wife was feeling really ill as a result of this suffocating heat inside the bus! What is the point of going on a guided tour of a bunch of historical sites with no commentary or information on what we are looking at?
We are sorry to hear about your experience. However, we do not understand the claim that the vehicle was 40°C inside, as this would be extremely unlikely. We would also like to clarify whether you are saying that you had to travel standing, as this is not possible and all passengers are provided with seats.
