08/09/2016
“No Frills Ephesus Tours - Wonderful! Wonderful!”
We booked a private tour to Ephesus through No Frills because all ship tours were required to stop at a "cultural" center for rug weaving and leather making demonstrations. In other words...a shopping tour. When investigating private tours we were faced with the same problem...unless we were willing to pay exorbitant fees to drop that portion of the tour. Other companies were obnoxius in their replies to our inquiries. Not so with No Frills! What a great company to work with! They responded immediately to inquires; modified the tour to fit our interests and the price was very reasonable for the four us and within the price the ship had quoted for its basic tour/shopping excursion. We took a chance on a service unknown to us and were greatly rewarded. We expected a driver with limited English skills in a little sedan...but wanted to see Ephesus this time to specifically take photos instead of being rushed through a tour. We were so surprised to see this beautiful van waiting for us with a driver and our own tour guide....all to ourselves! Our driver quickly left the dock to get ahead of the bus loads of tourists so that we would have time in Ephesus to take pictures clear of tourists. Our guide, Verdi, was in manner an elegant man with sparkling blue eyes of Turkish Austrian descent...knowledgeable about the history of Turkey, the development of Ephesus and the surrounding areas. He explained the meanings of sculptures, reliefs, decorations, sewer systems, water systems etc. He guided us around little visited sections of Ephesus to point out the ingenuity of Roman city planning and architectural features that made Ephesus a prominent and vital city. When we visited the Terrace Houses, Verdi pointed out the significance of each fresco or mosaic, how rooms were arranged, how heating worked, and how the plumbing worked for the delivery of fresh water and waste elimination. He explained cooking preparations and the manner of entertaining. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!! All entrance fees to Ephesus and the Terrace houses were included and we did not have to wait in lines. Then we were off to Selcuk for lunch and a late afternoon tour of St. John's Basilica. We stopped by the No Frills' office to meet the co-owner and to rave about our tour, guide, and driver. This was our second trip to Ephesus and the difference in content and quality between the ship's tour and the No Frills experience was the difference between night and day. If you want to actually see and learn about an area's ruins and history...book with No Frills. If you want a demo and shopping excursion then book your excursion with a ship. Personally, I can't understand why anyone would travel half way around the world and spend thousands of dollars only to be shoved along like cattle and end up sitting in a paddock of demonstrations. Thank you, thank you, thank you No Frills for such a meaningful experience and beautiful day. We will return to Turkey and book again with you... there is so much more to see. We wish you all continued success, good health, and happiness. Patty and David Scharlach. September 2015
Visited September 2015
www.nofrillsephesustours.com -www.ephesus.co
No Frills Ephesus Tours, Selcuk, Ephesus, Turkey - Rated Excellent on TripAdvisor & Top Choice on Lonely Planet 2016 - Ephesus Tour Options from Kusadasi or Izmir ports - Ephesus Tour Options - Private Ephesus Tour Options - Tour Ephesus hassle free.
