RSD Travel

dustysandals

Anyone been on one of these out of season cheapies? What hotels are used? Already booked, but I've read a couple of "£*%^ hotels style reports. However, it's cheap so not expecting the promised 5 star rated hotels.

Any personal info would be nice, I've already trolled the internet.

Thought ... If it's cheap ..... there must be a catch?

LutonGirl

I've just returned from one of these tours to Turkey and must say, like you, I was looking for the catch at every opportunity. Was most pleasantly surprised and wouldn't say no to another one.

The flights were on time in a new aircraft. The hotels were generally very good. The worst one was the first night, but we were only in it for 5 hours so it didn't really matter. It was clean and the breakfast buffet was amazing. The downside was it was a little tired and shabby, the lifts were rubbish and we were cold in bed, but a second duvet put that bit right.

Remember that the star rating won't be UK star standards.

We were told that the evening dining package was to be an extra £110 per person, payable on the first day. What they didn't tell us that there would be an extra £85 for lunches, entrance fees etc. Initially we were a bit put out but for what we got, I've no complaints. It was tremendous value.

You don't have to pay it, you can go it alone and pay for your own lunch every day and your entrance fees to the sites, but to be honest, out of season there's not much else open and we enjoyed the communal meal times.

Of course, it could have been a very different trip without the group of people we had on our coach and without the tour guide we were assigned for the week. A certain amount of pot luck was in our favour, thank heavens.

netty_sland

Hi there, Luton girl, just noticed you had a post on here about these tours.I have just received a leaflet in some other paperwork about these trips and find maybe they are too good to be true. As you say you have completed one can you give me any more details please. E.G flight times and departure airports from UK. travel time to Cappadoccia once there. Accommodation and a rough idea of how the tour works. The one I have is ' An 8-day 5-star Cultural Tour in Turkey.' Any info would be grately appreciated.
Cheers
Netty S/Land

SallyD

I have booked "on the trail of Alexander the Great" with RSD at their "bargain price". I have booked on the recommendation of a friend that toured with them last April. Although flight info is not sent until a few weeks before departure I have checked our Trip Adviser and they are heaps of good and bad comments. There is a lot packed in and a lot of travel between sites. What I have gleamed from Trip Adviser is Manchester flights are long. I have checked all flights from Manchester to Antalya and the connections in Istanbul to Antalya seems to be the problem, up to 5 hours waiting. But hey, we might be lucky and not arrive at hotel at 3am and be up and out on the coach by 6am! My friend paid the £110 you know about when you book and the £85 lunch and extra's package you are later told about. This will bring tour with everything all in, trips, extra trips, breakfast, lunch and evening meal to £400. I tend not to have lunch and the sales adviser told me you can just pay for the extra's on a "if you want to do it" basis. An extra boat trip is £20. I have looked up on the boat trips own website and the cost is £15. I am more than happy to pay the £20 to guarantee a space, and not have to queue. My pal, advised me the hotels were fine, food was plentiful, guide knowledgeable. Like a lot of Trip Adviser comments the carpet/jewellery visits are a bit of a bind, but all the tours I have ever been on generally take you somewhere like this. I am happy to have a scoot round and take myself off for the duration of the stay at the factories. All the tours I have been on seem to generate moaning people and I always take it in my stride. I am looking forward to going on this trip - I have stayed in some dives and if my friend was happy with her accommodation then I am happy. If the trip is the pits, I will post my findings. I am paying £200 for an 8 day coach tour including flights. £110 dinner and trips package then there is the extra £85. Could I get a flight and transfers for that?
I have roped a pal to come with and we intend to make the most of it, especially seeing the wonderful sights........it will be an old gals adventure.

dustysandals

Just an update:

It was what it said. The hotels were comfortable, the food adequate to good.

The sights were great, the extra trip down to the Amphitheatre ( not an amphitheatre, but a theatre ... sorry semantics!) can be done using shared taxi or bus for a few Euros instead of 10 minutes, and a price of ten squillion euros charged to the unwitting. Get loads of travel books from the library, and plan your own tour a little bit!

Out of 10 9.9!!!!! :T

SallyD

Thank you dustysandals for your update.....appreciated. I have booked the Footsteps of Alexandra the Great Tour. I too will post my finding upon my return but not going until November.

terryw

Thanks to all the posters above.

I have booked for my wife and I go early next year.. There are lots of threads on TripAdvisor The consensus is tthat the trip is good value even including the alleged optional extras of £195 plus another £20 for the last day. But I would really like to see a few opinions from MSE peeps.

At the moment I think the cons outweigh the pros. But I still have an open mind.

We still intend to take the actual flight but the main worry is lack of sleep to undertake the tour. If necessary we will opt out on arrival in Antalya and stay there in a cheap hotel and rejoin at the airport for the return flights.

Please keep updating and giving thoughts. Thanks

SallyD

There are now four of us going, paid the balance today! Little bit concerned about the Freebird flights. There are a lot of TripAdviser posts regarding the long wait in Istanbul for connecting flight to Anatalya , maybe we will strike lucky and get a through flight, ha ha.

One TripAdviser post was unhappy that he paid the £85 lunch and entrance fees package and claims only one of the sites they visited actually charged an entrance fee.

I will try and refrain from reading anymore of the TripAdviser posts and just look forward to our jolly jaunt.

At least everyone reports the planes turn up, the coach meets you at the airport and whisks you away to your hotel in the middle of the night and they all come back alive. It will be fun.

SallyD

Noura Old 23-10-2014, 9:49 PM
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Default RSD Travel cheap coach tour to Turkey
Just got back yesterday from this week tour "In the Steps of Alexander the Great". Very exhausting programme with early starts, long coach journeys and late hotel arrivals. However, all hotels clean and reasonable quality; food a bit bland but plentiful; guide Cigil excellent; driver Hasan safe and highly recommended; chances to relax nil; sites visited and information/photo opportunities/frequent loo stops/ all top marks. Value for money definitely but you need strict Olympic training before you go to survive! Flight time out from Gatwick fine but return flight at 5.30am dreadful. Total cost around £429 all in with all food, entrance fees included, only half of this payable before you go, the remaining £200 payable when you arrive in Turkey. Only took £100 spending money to cover just drinks and a couple of souvenirs and could have brought change home. Will definitely try another tour with them while I have the energy. Recommended for the energetic and historically interested but not the faint hearted, decrepid or those wanting an easy week near a pool etc



Sorry, never seem to "quote" properly, but above is a report from
Noura who got back recently from one of RSDs coach tours.

dbusfield

Just got back yesterday. Tiring but generally good value. Flights from Manchester to Antalya. Outward didn't get to hotel until 4am but coming back much better timing. Hotels are OK - and anyway you don't spend much time there. Food was plentiful and satisfactory though not very inspired. Guide and driver fine. Lots of driving but regular stops, though soon got sick of the tourist stalls at the service stations. Biggest bone of contention is that the Explorer package (lunches and some additional trips) is not really optional. We had decided in advance to take it but some others hadn't budgeted for it and it wasn't really practical for them to opt out. Didn't like the rather hard sell at the carpet, leather and jewellery factories but I suppose these visits subsidised the trip which is pretty cheap for what you get! The same trip is marketed in different ways - we were supposed to be on "The Christian Monuments along the Lycian Coast" but others were on "The Footsteps of Alexander the Great"! We'd go with them again.

SallyD

dbusfield, thanks for your report. I am off tomorrow, flying from Manchester 18.50 pm arriving Anatalya 01.30...I guess we will be getting to the hotel nearer breakfast time! Better get some sleep now. Will post my findings. Weather forecast is good.