Rina and I are the founders of Insight Travel in Istanbul,
Turkey. I still work for Insight Travel as
a freelance tour guide. The letters below written by clients to Rina about the tours I guided.
---------------
Katie F. -Washington D.C.
Rina and Suleyman.
I wanted to send my sincere thank you to both of you. Our trip was
perfect. Suleyman was a superb guide and we really enjoyed each
day with him. My mom is telling everyone they must visit Turkey
and they must contact you if they do. We were so impressed with
everyone and everything. Ankara worked out well although it was a
little colder. My mom's tour guide was quite ok, but not Suleyman
(in her words).
Anyway, thank you again for all of your hard work and please know
that I will be back.
Katie
---------------
Cathryn K. - New Jersey, USA
Hi Rina,
I wanted to write to thank you and Suleyman for a wonderful time
in Istanbul. It was something I will always remember. Suleyman is
so knowledgeable and it was a real treat to have him for 2 days to
tell me all about your beautiful city. I have been highly
recommending your company to my friends and colleagues that have
asked me about my trip.
Hope this is finding you well.
Cathryn
---------------
John H. - Spokane, WA
Dear Rina --
I share your hope that we might meet sometime. My wife and son and
daughter-in-law had a very enjoyable time with Suleyman, who is a
veritable fountain of information and a model of patience. I'm
very impressed with your operation, and hope you grow and prosper.
If you two ever get to Spokane, I'll give you a tour for free.
John H.
---------------
Dear Rina,
The high point of our time in Istanbul, of course, was being able
to spend a day in Suleyman's care. That was an excellent, and
right sized, excursion, and Suleyman was a delight.
Although we had a day's rain in Istanbul, it really didn't matter
as we had done the city tour the day before in magnificent
weather. The weather during the rest of our stay in Turkey could
not have been nicer, and warm enough that we swam twice in the
Aegean: Dalyan and Kusadasi.
.....
If we do, we certainly will plan to make
arrangements through Insight, and we also will recommend your
company to anybody we know who will be traveling to Turkey.
Sincerely,
Keith
---------------
Nathan and Kristin W. - Chicago
Hi Rina-
We had an absolutely wonderful trip! Thank you so much for the
help in arranging our visit, and in planning the tour at the last
minute.
....
And of course, the best part of Istanbul was our private tour with Suleyman. He was great and we learned an awful lot in a short
amount of time. Topkapi Palace was great.
Overall, our stay in Turkey was wonderful, and we will be sure to
recommend Insight Travel to anyone else who is thinking about
going!
Thank you, Lisa and Suleyman again for all your help and
assistance and for an unforgettable adventure.
Best Regards,
Nate and Kristin Wuerffel
---------------
Rina,
Thank you for your help in arranging our recent trip to Turkey. We
had the
most fabulous time. All of the hotels exceeded our expectations. Our guide
in Istanbul (Suleyman) was delightful and informative and our
driver Mustafa
was a pleasure to be with. The photo in Cappadocia is my favourite
from the entire trip.
Many thanks,
Jenny D.
---------------
Stacy R. - California
Rina,
Please forgive me for taking so long to tell you what a wonderful
time we had on our tours in Turkey. Our guide was amazing and so
patient with our children. He was very knowledgeable and knew
people wherever we went. Thank you for making our trip more
enjoyable than it already was.
Sincerely,
Stacey R.
---------------
Nika & Boris K.
Hi Rina and Suleyman,
My wife and I would like to thank you for 2 great day tours of
Istanbul. We were lucky to have Suleyman as our guide. It is
highly unlikely that we would have seen and learned so much
without your help. Best of luck to both of you. Please, if you
ever need a recommendation, we would love to provide one.
Thank you very much,
Nika and Boris
---------------
Shabnam K.
June 17, 2005
Hi Rina,
My parents has an amazing time in Istanbul. The hotel was perfect
and they really enjoyed the tours with Suleyman. I will certainly
recommend your company to others who are thinking of doing
something similar.
All the best,
Shabnam
---------------
Robert W. -Indiana
Dear Rina and Suleyman,
Thank you so much for all your help in planning and making our
trip to
Istanbul pleasurable. Rina, Thanks for all your help in planning
the hotel, pick ups etc.--it made the trip free of worry. Suleyman,
Thanks for all your insights and tidbits on our tour on Tues. We
will recommend you to anyone going to Turkey and will probably be
back so will have you help us again in the future.
Thank you again!
Bob
---------------
Biraj & Suruchi M. - Foster City, California
Dear Rina,
Had a great time, really enjoyed our stay at Istanbul, I am still
craving for all the good food we had in Istanbul, all credit goes
to you and of course our handsome guide Suleyman. Will be looking
forward to do another trip to Turkey sooner than later.
Thanks a lot,
Biraj & Suruchi
Tokyo Unity Church Group
Some other comments from the same church group from Tokyo who
did a Biblical Tour with me:

"Sulyeman the Magnificent": Thanks for all your
great info and fun-you really made Turkey come alive. Best Wishes, Wendy
Thank you Suleyman. You have a wonderful country with so much
history, friendly people and beautiful sights. Now I want to
continue to learn about ancient history thanks to your
inspiration! Sally
Suleyman the Great! Thanks for all the
lecturing, the hikes, the cultural "B.C." immersion! It's been a
great experience. You've been great and the best guide ever. Best Wishes. Sagulun. Jean
Suleyman-san: We appreciate your
excellent introduction of your great country to us. Thank you very much. Jui & Keiko H.
Extremely happy and satisfied with our first trip to Turkey!
Appreciate the coordination you and Rina had with the Thomas
family get-together! The guide makes the
difference- and Suleyman-san, you were great in encouraging and
coaxing us into valleys, caves, ruins and sacred places! Thank you
for the eye-opening adventures. Best Regards, Preman, Sajeeve, Anish, Preethi & Sarah Thomas.
Thank you for everything. You're the greatest guide. I really got to know
Turkey and I appreciate your help. I'll never forget you. Kauru
Suleyman the Magnificent Guide! Thank you so much for making my
first trip to Turkey so wonderfully memorable. Thanks for
representing your country so beautifully. May
Dear Suleyman, I would like to say thank you very much for your
help. We
would not be able to enjoy this much without your help. I am still looking for the Iznik tiles! Nabuko
To Suleyman: Tesekkur ederim. Sayenizde iyi zaman gecirdim. Masako
Dear Suleyman, You are just great. May God bless you. See you in
Tokyo. Suresh
Suleyman-Thank
you for the wonderful introduction to Turkey. Wish you and Rina the very best in your future business. Best
Wishes, Anna
Thanks for
your patience, your generosity, and especially your sense of
humor. It has
really been a pleasure, and who knows, maybe we'll do this again
when I'm at another church. And thanks as well to Rina for all her
help in preparation. Craig H.
---------------
I Pauline W. -
California
Eastern Turkey Tour
Hi Rina,
I had a wonderful trip; the accommodations en route and in
Istanbul were very good. I loved seeing Ararat the bald ibis, the
"Garden of Eden" and every single ruin, fresco, cave and mosque
and I don't
think we passed anything older than yesterday that Suleyman was not able to discuss.
There was a congenial atmosphere in the bus attributed in no small
part to Nihat's and Suleyman's easygoing way. I had a lovely time
and have passed your brochure on to some friends.
Take care, Pauline
---------------
David and Susan C. - Victoria, BC, Canada
Istanbul Tours
Hi Rina, we enjoyed our tours very much and will recommend your
company to others. Murat was a great guide very friendly and
professional and he certainly new the area. We also especially
enjoyed meeting Suleyman and appreciated his vast knowledge and
easy going approach.
If you plan on visiting Victoria, please look us up and we would
be happy to show you our city.
David and Susan C.
---------------
Lisa, Rina and Suleyman. We finally got home after a wonderful
trip and I
am now rested enough to reflect back on the wonderful tours you
provided for
Marilyn, Kay and me in Turkey. All three of us are mentally ready
to head
back to Turkey and experience more -- alas, our bodies demand
rest.
.....
Our day with you, Suleyman, was "the icing on the cake"! We had
such a
wonderful time! We especially appreciated your openness in talking
with us about almost everything we could think of concerning
archeology, history, culture and religion in Turkey.
......
Through an agent's message board, I have been asked for your
company
information and will be posting it. Hopefully I can send some more
business
your way and you can get that house finished. Please keep my name
and
e-mail and feel free to contact me if I can be of any help to you.
Hopefully, we will do business again in the future.
Bea
---------------
Linda J. - Oregon, USA
Western Turkey Tour
Rina,
I thought I would follow up since we returned last night from our
adventure!
Thank you for your promptness in answering questions, making
suggestions, etc. Your website and email proficiency were the
reasons we booked the tour with Insight.
We thoroughly enjoyed the walking tour with Suleyman
in Istanbul, and of course he was professional and a very
well-informed guide.
.....
We all loved Turkey. It is such a fascinating place for so many
reasons and we all felt that the Turkish people were so friendly
and helpful. We had two wonderful lunches at Turquoise Cafe near
your office and a couple of us had a wonderful Turkish bath at the
place Suleyman recommended. Istanbul is such a great city and
quite a contrast to Athens, which besides the ruins and Olympic
sites, hasn't got much charm.
Regards, Linda
---------------
Dear Rina,
This is to say a big thank you to you and your company for
organizing
our tour and how beautifully everything went. Suleyman and Nihat
were
great! and we all enjoyed their company a great deal. It was so
nice to meet Lisa also. One of the highlight of the trip was
seeing your Ottoman house. It was delightful and made us
completely envious.
With regards,
Myra E.
---------------
Liz and Margaret H. - Arizona
Aegean and Mediterranean Tour
Dear Rina and Suleyman,
We truly had a fabulous trip with you and have not, will not,
decline from
mentioning our trip to friends and acquaintances. So far, everyone
loves
the small, personal tour option to the Big Bus Bang. This was the
part
that appealed to us as well.
Hope you are both healthy and happy and we wish you a joyous new
year.
Take care-
Liz and Margaret
---------------
Karen C. - New Zealand
Istanbul Tours
We had a wonderful time with our guide in Istanbul, Suleyman. He
was well organised-we did not have to queue for tickets and things
went smoothly. He shared lots of personal info about his culture
we thought ending our trip with this tour made this trip special
because we would have been completely lost with the short amount
of time and would have only seen half of what we did. I don't feel
finished with Turkey and would love to see more.
Take care,
Karen C.
---------------
Barb D. - Prague International School
Dear Rina,
Sorry I haven't written sooner but I have been doing surveys of
the students and teachers that were on the trip and I wanted to
get the results before writing you.
Let me say firstly that we were very much impressed with the
service that
you gave us. Rina you were very accommodating and flexible and
gave us the
trip we were looking for, for the right price.
The students loved the trip. It was packed with great sites and
gave them
some insight and perspective of Turkish culture and history. They
found
the museums a bit boring but really enjoyed the other sites.
Overall they
rated the program very highly and thought the trip was fun. They
thought
hotel was good and the transportation excellent. Most of them said
they
would do a similar trip again.
The teachers
thought you and your guides (Suleyman and Erol) did an outstanding job and the program gave them great
coverage
of the sites in Istanbul.
Rina, thanks again for a job well done and I would recommend you
highly
to anyone that is interested in touring your fascinating city.
All the best and I hope we can work together again.
Barb
---------------
Lauren R.
We had a wonderful time. We will definitely recommend you to
friends in the future. Thank you so much for a great experience.
Lauren R.
---------------
Steve B. & Pam F.
Aegean & Mediterranean
Dear Rina and Suleyman,
Thank you for all the effort it took to plan and organize our
just-completed tour. We very much enjoyed Turkey. We visited, ate
at and stayed in many places which would not have been thought of
by any other company. It was a fascinating trip, we got a great
deal out of it, and our travel companions were the best. You and Suleyman do an excellent job.
Best wishes for a successful summer.
Steve and Pam
---------------
Robert G.
Both Suleyman and the driver were great and very nice to be with
on tour. Please give our regards to Suleyman. We of course will
recommend your company to anyone we think would be interested in
your services. Thank you once again for your help.
Robert G.
---------------
Rachel P. and Ricardo R.
Dear Rina and Suleyman,
Thank you for your message. We were just about to write to you to
let you know what a fabulous time we had in Turkey. Overall, the
trip was among the best holidays that we have had. Our time in
Istanbul was fascinating and we were very happy with our
accommodations. Your recommendations of places to visit in the
city and Suleyman's tour were excellent and we learned a great
deal.
MARK RATAY
Vice President
Travel 'N' Tours, Inc.
5160 Tchulahoma Road -Southaven, MS
Reference:
Last year when planning an inspection trip of Istanbul, I came
across Rina's web site on the Internet. My business partner and I
wanted a private tour of Istanbul and its environs, and the
Insight Travel web site seemed to offer what we were looking for
in the way of a tour. I contacted Rina and explained what we
wanted, and she replied promptly with a tour proposal and quote
that we found very acceptable.
As it turned out, the private tour was conducted by her husband, Suleyman, who was extremely excellent as both a guide and a
person. The tour was conducted in a late model car with a
wonderful, safe, and courteous driver. We were very pleased and
impressed with the tour, and as previously arranged we ended the
tour at the offices of Insight Travel where we held a meeting with Rina and Suleyman to discuss how we might work together in
promoting tourism to Turkey.
Since that meeting many months ago, Rina and Suleyman have
developed a unique Christian itinerary through western Turkey that
we are promoting to our data base of more than 700 churches and
clubs. We are a small, custom tour operator, and we enjoy working
with other smaller operators who provide us with personal
attention. Based on this new itinerary, we created a multi-page
color brochure, which is being mailed to our data base, and our
web designer is incorporating the tour into our web site.
Throughout this entire process, Rina and Suleyman have
demonstrated to us that they are prompt, professional, and very
competent at what they do. And since Rina is an expatriate
American, there does not seem to be the language or cultural
"confusion" that sometimes occurs when dealing with foreign
operators.
Personally, I have no concern about making deposits with Insight
Travel. We will do so whenever we have a group tour to Turkey, and
while there are no "guarantees," I feel confident that Rina and
Suleyman and their staff will deliver as they have promised. Their
offices are located in a Sultan's mansion that they restored in
the historical Sultanahmet neighborhood just a short distance from
The Blue Mosque.
Should you have the opportunity to use the services of Insight
Travel, I don't think you will be disappointed. If there is any
other information I can share with you, please do not hesitate to
contact me.
Sincerely,
Mark Ratay
---------------
Fern S. - Florida, USA
Hello Rina,
Greetings from the USA. I hope you remember me for I purchased 2
of your tours last year in October. I haven't had a chance to to
write to you saying I enjoyed both tours until now. I must say
that your tours are different...case in point, the Blachernae
Palace and dungeon. I'm almost positive that no tourists on other
packages go to the dungeon.
I would like you to keep me on your mailing list. I am definitely
going back to Turkey again and when I do, I am going to Bodrum and
Antalya next. I would love to go back this year but I have already
booked Italy and the Cayman Islands. So, in 2006 for sure!! Would
you recommend going to Bodrum and Antalya in May or September?
Thank you for your time and let's keep in touch. From sunny
Florida, bye for now.
Fern S.
---------------
Yvonne G - SAS Airlines, USA
Dear Rina and Suleyman
Just a quick note to thank you for a wonderful trip you put
together for my
husband and I. We absolutely fell in love with Turkey. The people,
sights,
sounds, food, culture, history, religion....everything was
amazing!
......
As for our tour guides and drivers... Let's start off in Istanbul. How
could we go wrong with Suleyman and Hazim? Suleyman was
informative and led us to each sight with good timing. Hazim was
the nicest and most
professional driver.
I guess we are not done with
Turkey
and need to come back again! Isn't that wonderful? I'll get to
deal with
you again then. Thanks for all your help Rina. You can be rest
assured
that I will always recommend you and your company to anyone who
wants to
visit Turkey!
Sincerely,
Yvonne
---------------
Frank R. - UK
Rina/Suleyman,
Thank you very much for the email. I really enjoyed both tours. My
favorite was the Byzantine tour on Sunday. As I told Suleyman,
Byzantine history is one of my favorite areas of historical
interest.
Best Regards,
Frank
---------------
Noel M. - Australia
May 24, 2004
Hi Rina,
Thanks you for your email. We leave Istanbul tomorrow for
Australia. Had a great time, but wish we had booked through your
company for the total tour. Next time. We have been recommending
you to all we come across and will continue to do so in Australia.
Thank you once again and kindest regards to Suleyman.
Noel Milner and the group
---------------
Judy A. - New York
Hi Rina and Suleyman....
So, this was definitely a calmer week....nonetheless infused
intermittently with ongoing memories of our time with you both,
and especially with Suleyman. I was wondering if Suleyman was
available for "group management" on behalf of our contingent. We
are equally unruly in the U.S. as we were in Turkey. As a matter
of fact, it appears that we are grossly unmanageable in the world
as reports would have it, although our family seems somewhat more
benign.
The first thing that comes to mind is that I am almost out of
Ibraham's apricots. My co-workers think I'm crazy (which is not
always debatable) as I manage my stressful moments by reaching
into my black backpack for a dried apricot or two. It works better
than valium and only has a few more calories. Please tell him at
your convenience that our time with him was very special....
really not ever to be forgotten and his graciousness made us feel
so welcome. We wish him well. While we have a few pictures that
developed well at his hotel....we have a great picture of Suleyman
managing a smile about ten minutes after balloon lift off.....and
simply adorable pictures of our sweet time with Mustafa and his
dear family. Mustafa was a hard act to follow but Nihat was so
warm and considerate managing always to be at the right place at
the right time. Rina, you and Janie look as great on the pictures
as you behaved in person....loose, balmed and American style
Turks.
So what shall I say....from the little sweet hotel in Izmir where
we fell in after 24 hours of flying, dinner in Kusadasi where we
had to learn about how to be more of a group and less of our
individual selves in order to fit in to our "new culture".
....ruins, caravansaries, camels, sheep and their shepherds,
foods, whirling dervishes, shopping, pit stops, skies,
disappearing lakes, palaces, mosques, people....such lovely
people, hot potatoes on a rainy day, Janie on a donkey, caves,
tunnels, food, more food, perfect hotels, drinking before dinner,
fabulous Cappadocia and all it has to share with us, ballooning,
exhaustion, exhilaration, wonders three times a day, mountains, my
wonderful piece of pottery which did not disappoint me when I got
home, that cheese and pastry thing that I even went running around
the airport for the day we left...and found it!, meze, I'm now
hooked on yogurt...(every day), your office and and sweet home,
the tiles (great pictures coming for your friend), unbelievable
space and beauty in the mosques for me and God, unique time with
our children that we have been lucky to find once in our lifetime
which could never happen in the same way again, coupons, white
cliffs and hot springs, a lady and her family with whistles and a
colorful spring, lunch way up somewhere in a school, the people
who had lunch with us, the school kids on Childrens' Day, Konya,
the WEDDING!, those lovely synagogues which preserve our history
and of course, getting lost in the taxi in Istanbul, the bazaar,
spice market, cistern, Topkapi palace, tea and Turkish coffee
behind the palace, great lunch in that interesting school building
where we filled up on great food and bought the local wine so that
there was no chance of our ever having of a sober evening, always
running into someone who loves either one of you or both of you,
David's sword, the Bosphorous/ferry/museum, understanding more
about the sultans' history and a million others things that we
learned (sometimes despite ourselves), having all of the Bible
stuff fall into a meaningful coming together of history, a perfect
vase in that museum on the Bosphorous that was thousands of years
old, and then.....there is Suleyman.....how you managed us with
patience, just enough rope, not too much or too little,
gentleness, perseverance, sharing of so much knowledge....fun,
flexibility.....we feel much affection for you both....Rina
...asking the right questions....and planning this wonderful
experience.....and finally spending time with us making us feel
like family.....the words "thank you" don't do it ....but I guess
it will have to suffice... please stay in touch...keep us
posted....take good care of each other... and know that we all
keep you close in our hearts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Judy
---------------
Augustine F. - Bahrain
Dear Rina,
Thanks for the message. We did have one of our best tours in
Turkey. It was great to meet your husband Suleyman who was a great
guy. We appreciate the very personalized way he guided us during
the tour. Our kind regards to him. Hope we get a chance to meet
you again.
Kind regards,
Augustine
---------------
Merrie S. - USA
Rina,
I am still smiling about my trip to Turkey. I really had the trip
of a lifetime and enjoyed everything so much! I do look forward to
another visit in the future going to central and east Turkey and
will continue to spread the word about how terrific my trip was.
In addition, I will recommend you to anyone who asks and yes, you
can give my name as a reference if you'd like.
Thanks again for helping me plan my trip. And, please tell Suleyman that all the presents were a big hit - but, I do wish I
had bought more leather bags and fish bowls. ;-)
Take care,
Merrie
---------------
Francine B. - San Francisco
Hi Rina and Suleyman,
I was getting ready to write you when I opened your e-mail.
My thanks to you both for making my second trip to Turkey a trip
to remember. I can't stop talking about it and telling people that
I recommend your agency most highly and would never use anyone
else when I plan my next trip. You care about each individual
client and it shows. Please do keep me informed as you plan trips
to other areas of Turkey. A trip to the Mediterranean area sounds
perfect. I climbed steps I never would have climbed, I walked
paths I never would have walked and saw things I never would have
seen. Suleyman, you proved that my short legs can get me anywhere
people with long legs can go - as long as someone gives me some
leverage and a helping hand. Thanks again for going the extra
mile.
All my black and blue marks are fading (they were proof of all I
did). I'm now back on California time but wish I was still in
Turkey. There is so much more to see and the people are so nice
(at least the ones I met).
Sincerely,
Francine B.
---------------
Rachel B. - UK
Dear Rina and Suleyman,
Thanks for your e-mail. We had a really great time in Istanbul.
The two tours we did with you were the best days of our holiday.
What was really good about them was that they took us to some
fascinating places we would not normally have been able to get to
easily. We thought the restaurants chosen to eat in were excellent
too. Suleyman was a very well informed, patient and friendly
guide! His real enthusiasm for Turkish history shone through.
I shall use your services again when I am next in Istanbul and I
will certainly be recommending Insight Travel to my friends!.
Hope your winter won't be too cold and wet. It's like that here
already........
Regards.
Rachel
---------------
John H. & Donald P. - NY
Dear Rina,
We had such a wonderful trip. Thanks so much for helping us at
every step along the way.
we were captivated by the contrasts and textures of the city. The
walk we did with Suleyman (looking for obscure mosques and
churches) gave us a good feel for a part of town we would have
missed otherwise. And we took his advice and spent the evening
across the Horn, ending up in Taksim. So we experienced the
crumbling conservative quarter and the ultra modern European town
in the same day.
Once again, many thanks for all of your services. Best wishes to
you and Suleyman and Emre.
John (+Don)
---------------
John and Maria C. - Sydney, Australia
Dear Rina and Suleyman
Just about "resettled" back into my working routine. I was
seriously tempted by Buzz and Sue to extend the trip and hear all
about the joys of retirement.
The trip was fantastic - really loved Suleyman's relaxed approach
- as I said to him on departure that he not only performed as a
Guide but also shared himself with us all. This has given us a
very personalised and real
experience of Turkey and the local culture. We have many memories
which will last for years to come.
Our enthusiasm is "rubbing off" a number of people who have
expressed a desire to visit Turkey. We have no hesitation in
recommending Insight to these people.
Great to have met you both thanks again for your attention. If you
ever are thinking of coming over to Sydney we would be more than
happy to show you around.
Regards
John and Maria
---------------
Dave B. - Livermore, CA
(A letter to Frommer's Guide)
My wife and I have just returned from a three week vacation in
Turkey. We started out with some degree of anxiety, what with the
international climate in that part of the world and the fact that
our original plans were to be sailing the northern Greek Islands.
The cruise was canceled, so we had 17 days to fill and no idea
how. We decided to keep the flight to and from Istanbul and figure
the rest out when we got there.
As we later found out, we crossed paths with several entities that
you had covered in your book, and I want to say that each was well
worth your recommendation. To start with, we decided to get some
planning help in Istanbul so a person in my office sent us the
name of Rina and Suleyman Tirosoglu at Insight Travel. They
listened to our dilemma and objectives and helped us put together
an absolutely fabulous experience.
... I believe you talked about Insight Travel, and they are the
best! We didn't know what we really wanted, nor anything about
Turkey other than it had ancient Greek ruins. They took real
interest in helping us see where we were and what our options
were, then made a series of wonderful suggestions, leaving the
three days in Selcuk for us to work out.
Sincerely,
Dave B.
Livermore, CA
---------------
Paul S. - San Francisco
Hello Rina,
Thanks for the email. I had been meaning to write you a quick note
too after returning home, but got caught up in all the details of
coming home and taking care of things that happened while we were
away. At least I got to the unpacking and the laundry!
We had an excellent visit to Istanbul and are so happy to have
chosen your agency for a couple of tours. Suleyman is so
knowledgeable and easygoing, and that made us feel very
comfortable. If we weren't so jetlagged on that first all-day tour we might
have learned much more.
You can be sure that I will recommend Insight Travel to any future
clients I have going to Turkey. Thanks for all your help.
Paul Svedersky
Now, Voyager Travel
---------------
Tatyana S., Yakov L., Liana and Vladimir Z.
Dear Rina and Suleyman!
We would like to thank you both for the wonderful time we had in
Istanbul and for the excellent service provided. Thanks to you we
fell in love with your magic country. We will definitely recommend
your service to all our friends and will post a recommendation on
Frommers website.
Hope to see you again soon. Thank you again.
Tatyana, Yakov,Liana,Vladimir
---------------
Andre G. - Arkansas, USA
Dear Rina,
We made it back just fine, arriving yesterday, with memories of
our wonderful "whirlwind" visit to Istanbul intact and cherished.
Meeting you and Suleyman, and visiting with you was a highlight of
our stay; what a wonderful, beautiful time in your lives this
is--building a life together that is rewarding, and doing it in
one of the great cities of the world.
The photos of John taken at the Galata Tower restaurant, alone,
were worth the trip!
Our very best to you both, and please extend our deepest gratitude
to Suleyman for a first-class introduction to your incredible city
and its people (I've been fantasizing about returning, and
spending a lazy afternoon at that incredibly beautiful area, on
the Asian side, where Suleyman took us to enjoy the spectacular
view, high above the city--sipping tea and visiting with whomever
happens to be there).
Andre G.
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Cliff R. - Boston
Hi Rina and Süleyman,
Although it is long overdue, I just wanted to drop you a note to
tell you what a wonderful time I had in Turkey. I spent the first
several weeks back getting caught up on my missed work and sharing
my pictures and stories of my travels. Turkey was definitely much
better than Greece and Gerry (who traveled with me and is very
hard to impress) told everyone it was the "trip of a lifetime." For that alone, thank you for making the impossible possible!
Through my bragging and enlarged photos on my office walls, I
found out that one of my employer's vice presidents was just about
to leave for Turkey and that another coworker was also going. As
you know, she got swept up in my tales/pictures and followed my
footsteps (somewhat) with your help. I saw her today and she just
loved everything. Thank you so much for making her trip as
memorable (or more) as mine.
There's an article in the current edition of National Geographic
on Istanbul. In case you haven't seen it, I've scanned text
portion in the attached Word document for your reading pleasure.
Again, thank you for a perfect vacation.
Take care,
Cliff
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Elizabeth K. - Illinois USA
Rina - I did not get the chance to see you on our last afternoon
in Turkey, but I did want to tell you how much we enjoyed the trip
and how much your efforts contributed to a great trip. Please feel
free to refer future clients to me for a reference - I will
definitely recommend you to people I know who express an interest
in travel to Turkey and Greece.
Our last night, we went back to that restaurant we went to the
first night with you and Suleyman. We had another great meal, this
time all mezes - yum! The fried mussels were a real highlight, as
was the restaurant's version of the tomato and pepper paste
appetizer. If they will part with the recipes, we would love to
have them (since its hard to pop over for a quick weekend...).
Anyway - thanks again, and we hope to see you and Suleyman again.
Elizabeth K.
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
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Wayne S.-California USA
October 13, 2002
Dear Rina and Suleyman,
It's been a long time. Hope everything is going well.
My uncle and aunt are planning a trip that will put them in
Istanbul for 3 days next year. They're interested in a private
city tour and whatever else you'd suggest. Of course I told them
all about the two of you and that they could not do better in
making arrangements to see any part of Turkey .
Anyway warmest thoughts from Nancy and I,
Wayne
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Vivian and Miranda T. - San Francisco
Hi Rina and Suleyman,
Thanks again for organizing such a wonderful and memorable tour!
Right now, it feels as if it was all a big dream -- that we were
transported to another colorful world of adventure and excitement.
We truly enjoyed every minute and are looking forward to a second
gulet trip hopefully soon. We very much enjoyed meeting and dining
with you, and would like to thank Suleyman for the inspirational
tour in Istanbul! Please keep in touch and be sure to send us any
updates on Turkey travels.
Take care,
Vivian and Miranda
---------------
Amir S. - Maryland, USA
Dear Rina and Suleyman:
I wanted to thank you for the fantastic and first class service
you provided us during our family reunion in Turkey. We all had a
great time and we will definitely visit Turkey again and again. I
have plenty of your business cards and I have already told my
friends and family about Insight Travel. I hope to bring you much
deserved business in the future. Once again, Thank you and best
wishes.
Best Regards:
Amir S.
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Victoria S. - San Francisco
Hello Rina,
Thanks so much for your email. I have been meaning to contact you
too to
say thank you so much for organizing such a wonderful tour for us.
I think it exceeded our expectations and we were all sad to leave
Turkey.
Suleyman was so wonderful to shepherd us around the first few days
and it
really did ground us and give us a good sense of Istanbul. By the
end, I
really felt like I had a reasonably good grasp of the old town.
.....
Victoria
---------------
Regina FC
Dear Rina and Suleyman,
I simply love the way you organise your individual tours and I
always recommend your agency, when people here ask me about
Turkey. After all Insight Travel did a fantastic job for me twice.
What would I have done without your expertise?! And on top of it
all, it was great fun to travel and work with you.
All the best,
Regina |