Our tour with Vanguard Travel Services, which also arranged our guide, started bright and early at 8 a.m. that day. We were picked up punctually from our hotel in Bodrum (on the coast) by our guide and driver for a day tour of Ephesus and Sirince (about 100 km from Bodrum). Our van was equipped with an icebox of bottled water and towellettes, and there was a Turkish carpet on the floor - a nice touch! It was a pleasure to relax in comfort in the hands of our very safe driver. There were no cruise ships in port, so Ephesus wasn’t as crowded as it can be. We saw the prostitute’s footprint in the marble street showing the way to her house; the rows of marble toilets in the toilet house; the terrace houses with their wall frescoes, kitchens, courtyards, etc., where archaeologists and workers are doing ongoing restoration and piecing together the largest jigsaw puzzle in the world (marble pieces of the walls and floors). Blood-red poppies bloom among the marble ruins, and the breezes still carry the imagined laughter and chatter of Romans bartering with shopkeepers on the marble-covered Curetes Street. Our knowledgeable guide also brought the historical city to life for us with her narrative explanations.

Dear friends at Vanguard - thank you for taking care of my clients on their shore excursions at the end of July. They had wonderful things to say: "Vanguard in Istanbul was really amazing and the guide, Gokhan Alatas, was really, really great. He really went far and beyond the duty of a tour guide, was extremely friendly and helpful.". Well done!

I wanted to forward some wonderful feedback I received from our host on the 29th June - Regent Mariner tour: “Dear Claire, The shore excursion for the group on the Regent Seven Seas Mariner departing June 26 was ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT! The members participating agreed that it was the best excursion they had ever experienced. The guide was outstanding, knowledgeable, articulate and his timing impeccable. The meal was such a wonderful bonus. One guest’s gluten free issue was addressed perfectly with the chef pointing out to him the dishes he should avoid (They were all in the same location on the buffet) and which food was safe (90% was OK for him). The food was amazing and the dancers gorgeous and talented. The excursion was so well organized that the time flew by. We didn’t realize that 8 hours had elapsed when the tour ended. The group members were all favorably impressed with our excursion. Thank you for your organizational skills and timely follow up. You can be proud of the product and promote it with confidence.” This is really fabulous feedback so thank you very much for all your hard work in making the tour such a success.