Carl Siegel – USA

Hido was a great joy as our guide. He has a great personality – bright, cheerful and fun. He has also a fountain of knowledge about Turkey, Istanbul and Ephesus. We recommend him highly.
Carl Siegel

Rich & Leslie Kramer – San Jose, CA

To our new friend, Omar. We are looking forward to your visit to the U.S. with great anticipation. Thank you so much for making our holiday so special. You are definitely a “world class” guide. Please keep in touch.

M. Hoplamazian – Chicago – USA

To Dearest Omar: Thank you for giving us memories to treasure for a lifetime!
Fondly, M. Hoplamazian / C.E.O of Hyatt Regency Hotels.

Laura Kohler – Kohler – USA

I would like to tell you that Mr. Omer Elkay, our Tour Guide with Oba Tours, took our Famliy (19 people) on a once in a lifetime experience. We traveled to Istanbul during the summer of 2008.. to spend 2 weeks exploring a culture very different from our own. We are all living in the United States. The adults are busy executives who have traveled the world extensively. We wanted to share a Turkish experience with our children…9 of them ranging from ages 4 to 14. Omar was able to manage all of our interests thru a very active and exciting itinerary. Many times he added personal stories or experiences to our travel to make the trip more unique and feelings less like a “tour”. We do not like the feeling of a packaged tour and Omar certainly delivered an experience daily that just took our breath away. He never tired..even when we collapsed on the bus between locations. Omer entertained the children with stories and hikes and then engaged the adults in the historical and cultural discussions of Turkey. You have an amazing talent in Omer and I encourage you to offer more customized trips with multiple dimentions as Omer is a guide who can deliver a high quality experience. I also encourage you to use him when a group is designing the trip. He has an ability to assess what a client is looking for very quickly. I would recommend Omer and Obatours again and again.
We will remember this trip always.
Sincerely,
Laura Kohler

Tom (& Mary) / Miami – USA

To Onur: “we would love to have you visit, just let us know when! it is unfortunate that i have no more time available to take off from work until january 2008, but you are welcome to visit us anytime! i definitely want to visit turkey again, but first i must make sure tom gets to visit his dream spot of australia…he has always wanted to go to australia, and i promised him it would be our next big trip. but i feel there is still so much more to see and do in turkey, we will definitely come back, i still want to do more in istanbul even! we love you, too, we feel we were so very blessed to have you as our tour guide…there could be no better guide in all of turkey! i am so glad we got to meet you and hope we will continue to keep in touch!!!”

Bridgette (bethune) – Florida – USA

“hi Serkan! not sure if you remember me, it has been a few months now…sorry, i am terrible about keeping in touch, even my mother says so…my husband chris and i were in Turkey with you at the end of march/beginning of april this year, and we loved having you as a tour guide!! i just wanted to say hello and see how your are doing…i am wearing a shirt today that i bought in Turkey, and it reminded me of how much i loved Turkey!! we definitely want to come back again, but it will have to wait a while, since we just bought a new house, so money is kind of tight…  i hope you are well!!! te shakkur!! (i am sure i spelled it wrong)”

Nancy Freedman – NYC – USA 

“Dear Erkan, What a nice surprise to hear from you. Even though you might not remember me, we (my husband and friend, were so lucky to have you as our guide. You helped my husband in Istanbul when he got a bad cough (you stopped the bus and got him medicine at the pharmacy.) But we NEVER forgot what a wonderful guide and person you are! I was the “short” lady with the dark hair (Nancy) and we tell everyone about you. WE LOVED your compassion and intelligence about your country. I tell everyone you could answer any question (without even looking at a book) in a “second”. My husband’s name is Steve (Freedman) and friend Michael Early constantly tell people what a great time we had in Turkey and mostly because of YOU. Are you going to be in New York city on this trip? We would love to see you again. In in case, please call us. (973-743-2091). Have a good trip and take care!”

Bob & Nada – USA

Hello Ayse! I wanted to express to you how grateful and thankful Nada and I [Bob#1], were to have had the pleasure of meeting you, on our recent trip to Turkey. You made our time in Turkey very meaningful with you vast and SUPREME knowledge of your country’s history and it’s heritage. I would certainly recommend you, to anyone touring Istanbul and surrounding area, with the “highest” level of confidence! On a personal basis, I hope that you are doing well, and that you have a very sucessful 2009!
Sincerely, Bob#1
RLGTravel Club www.rlgtravel@hargray.com

Tone Brekkhus / Norway

“Hello Yusuf, It’s 2 weeks ago since we visited Istanbul and learn to know you and your city. First of all I want to say thank you from all of us for your capability to involve all of us in the history of Istanbul and islam. Because of you, we had a great time and learn to know Istanbul in a very positive way. Your recommendation was a success, and the way you followed us and made sure we hade a good time was above our expectations. We will never forget you sense of humour that matched us right in our hearth. Enclosed you will find some pictures of the time we spend with you. If you ever planning visiting Norway don’t hesitate to take contact me.”
Best regards

Gwenda Jeffrey” Australia

“Hello Kaan! I wonder whether you will remember Phillis and me. You led the APT tours of Istanbul in mid-June, and we thoroughly enjoyed your enthusiasm, your knowledge and your command of the English language. You were even able to help us find a bottle of Tonic Water, which, until then, had eluded us! The Turkish floor mat, worked in silk, arrived home before I did, and is admired by all who see it. Thank you for your tours; they made Istanbul even more interesting and fascinating than expected. Phil and I had a meal at your favourite shaslick place on the last night and were well looked after. By the way, Phillis isn’t home again yet. She’s in England with grandsons and friends. Now – I wonder whether you can tell me what (written on a woven book mark) means. Is it the name of a place, or is it some sort of message? There are donkeys, ridden by laughing riders, in the picture on the book mark. I hope you can tell me because I’m giving it away, and I’m sure I’ll be asked that question. Thank you again for your excellent tours. You may use this letter as a reference if you want to do that.
Kind regards,

Jim Ciotoli – NYC”

“To: Jerry Kayhill
President
Carnival Cruise Lines

Mr. Kayhill:
It is not very often that one encounters someone providing a service that is so much over and above the call of duty that you would rate him “gold”. Omer Elkay, a tour guide in Istanbul, Turkey is just such a man.While cruising on the Carnival Cruise Ship Freedom, September 3rd, 2007 our tour group, Black 8, was given a great tour of Istanbul and its best sites by Mr. Elkay. I do not know what company he worked for but his email address is: info@obatours.com  Omer took charge and had genuine concern for our welfare in this city full of mystique. We felt safe and secure, while at the same time having the freedom to check things out, including the Grand Bazaar. His speech and directions were very clear, concise and informative. The only thing I would change would be to add a few hours to the tour. I continue to have contact with Omer from time to time and he always takes a moment to answer my emails. By the way, I had a great time on this August 29th cruise and continue to tell others about the great deal that Carnival has to offer.

Sincerely,  Jim Ciotoli.

Kathryn Koch

“To: Ummuhan & Nihal,

I wanted to make sure and write you about our outstanding guide on my recent trip to Turkey on Holland America – In Istanbul we had Kemal. He was just excellent! He was not only on time, I think he was early to pick us. Up. From the moment we met him we knew we had a fun and interesting day ahead of us. You may remember my husband and I were with 3 clients and they thouroughly enjoyed the day. As a guide, he was clearly in love with your beautiful city and proud of being a Turk, He gave us dates at each stop but not so much. That it became boring. He inserted stories and humor and facts the entire day. Being we were a small group he weaved us in and out of stops very conveniently and creatively. By the end of the day we were all friends and all felt we had been treated to the best you had to offer. I’m hoping you can make sure the appropriate people get a copy of this email.”

David, Peter and David”

“Dear Onur, just to say many thanks again for being a brilliant guide and “bodyguard” to the three of us. We had a wonderful time in your beautiful country and did some great filming. I’ll certainly be back with the wife this time to enjoy more of it and will contact you then. We hope and pray that you prosper, especially with lovely American ladies, and do contact me if ever you are thinking of coming to London and / or Rome. God’s blessing on you and please pass on our thanks to Jermin (please excuse the spelling). 

Malcolm the Pastor whom you named.” U.K

“Dear Omer, I write to express once again my sincere delight and pleasure in the tour guide you led for those of us on board Hebredian Spirit last week. Your knowledge of the places and sites visited was truly amazing and I am convinced that we could not have obtained a better guide for our travels throughout the length and breadth of Turkey. I hope that next year when I return on board Hebredian Spirit next year we shall have the privilege and pleasure of having you as our guide. When I left you at Izmir Airport to return on our flight to Britain I said that you were the most beautiful man with such a caring nature. I hope that you will always retain this and your wonderful sense of humour with or without Raki!

Take care of yourself

Penelope Hamlin & Ronald Zarter (Mr & Mrs R..R.. Zarter) of El Paso, Tx

“Ali was a tour guide for us for two trips to Turkey. The second trip included my 10-month old granddaughter. He planned and delivered wonderful experiences. Ali was able to meet our expectations and then some. His knowledge of the country, its history and the people is superior. He and our driver, Dogan, took us to many special out of the way places while still seeing the “highlights” of Turkey. The accommodations and food were always excellent. Do visit Turkey with Ali!”

Julia Rogers – Freelance Tour Manager , U.K

“I have worked with Mr Omer Elkay doing tours in Turkey with groups of British holiday makers. My experience of him is that he is a thorough guide, always reliable, very informative and with a good sense of humour. He has an excellent command of English and is always smartly presented. Of utmost importance is his ability to get on well with people from all walks of life and to do a first class job of caring for his customers.”

Leopold G. Koss, M.D / Professor and Chairman Emeritus, NYC

“Umit was my guide in Turkey several years ago. He guided me through the mainland Turkey and through Asia Minor in an expert fashion. He was exceptionally knowledgeable about the places and sites that we visited. He was a delightful companion whose English skills were remarkable.”

Caren & Bud Zisson, Florida

“Sedat made our trip to Cappadocia so very special! He seems to know everybody there, and we were able to meet people, go places and do things that other guides cannot offer. He knows Turkish history, politics, and all the best places to visit, eat and shop. He even gave us great information and even contacts about other areas in Turkey that we visited after our week in Cappadocia! He is the best and most memorable guide that I have ever had in any country. You can’t go wrong with “Sedat the Magnificent”!”

 Joe Helmkay of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

“In 2001 my wife, myself and our two friends had the pleasure of touring Turkey with Omer as our personal tour guide. Although our tour had an set itinerary, Omer was extremely flexible allowing us to alter several stops maximizing our time in places that we wished to spend a few extra moments. Omer was not only very knowledgeable about Turkey’s history, he was also able to share an enormous amount of knowledge and insight about modern day Turkey. Omer gave good advice on how to honor local customs, he gave excellent advice on how much we should have to pay for certain souvenirs and he always made sure that we were having as much fun as possible. We really got to do and see everything that we went to Turkey, to do and see; Omer was a big reason why.”

 Vera Schwartzbord and Her Group of 8 Friends, FBI Travel, Melbourne, Australia.

“We are a group of 8 friends, who decided to travel around Turkey together. We didn’t want to rush through the country and after doing a lot of reading, we decided that we wanted a personalised tour. All we needed was an excellent guide, to make it as interesting as possible, and of course to make it run smoothly. We found Omer Elkay and all our expectations were met and surpassed. Omer knows his country well and also knows how to make travellers feel at ease and have a great trip. All our group still talk about our time spent together with Omer and we still say it was our best group holiday ever. Thanks Omer for being such a great ambassador for your country and for being the perfect guide.”

 Peter Wardle, Australia

“I arrived in Cappadocia in January. It was absolutely beautiful the snow covered the ground. Muruvet and her driver met me for lunch and then showed me some of the region during the afternoon. We spent all of the next day together savouring the delights of this ancient land. Muruvet was fantastic. Her knowledge and love of the region was delightful. I had a great time.”

 Danny Levy, Seven Seas Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA

“There are many ways of visiting a historic country like Turkey. And then, there is a way of experiencing a country like Turkey. That is what we got to experience on our trip to Turkey, thanks to Omer. Getting to see what most tourists would never have a chance. While driving through the country we would get to stop by different markets, shops, restaurants, and historic homes to visit what seemed like old friends. It seems like Omer has a friend in every block of each city, that could show us something interesting, and of course offer us some tea. His knowledge of the country and its history was impressive, he had some information about everything we saw. We all had a great time, thanks so much to Omer and our wonderful driver.”

 Rhona Rombro / Rainbow Travel – Orlando

To our dearest guide, Burcu: “Your country is wonderful! Istanbul is exotic! The Blue Mosque is breath-taking! Hagia Sophia is absolutely superb! Topkapi is so interesting! But the most memorable part of our Turkish journey is our charming, delightful, kind, knowledgeable, helpful, and great-sense of humor guide. How fortunate our group was to have had such good luck in obtaining the best guide in all Turkey!! You made our stay wonderful, and we shall always have fond memories of you & Istanbul. I hope our paths will cross again one day.”

 Betty and Don Hammell, Miami, Florida

“Our Turkish tour was probably the most interesting of our eight trips abroad. We would place it ahead of the others because of the content, especially the ancient ruins and the varied landscape, so unusual. Our enjoyment was no doubt enhanced by Omer as our guide. Being a native Turk (his English is excellent) he was able to add so much color to everything with his decriptions and his sense of humor. It also helped as he seemed to know the best restaurants in every town. We would recommend him and his tours without hesitation.”

Morgan Price & Ron Thomas, British Columbia, Canada

“We count ourselves very lucky to have had Omer as a tour guide for a week in Turkey. His personalized service and knowledge was extraordinary and the tour was a highlight of our many travels. Omer took us on little side trips, evening walks in small villages, and arranged a visit to a local family which gave us experiences we would not have had on a commercial tour. He took care of all the planning, entrance fees, driving, and other details which freed us up to just enjoy the country. He and Turkey were a delight!”

 Steffi Weisman, Pfizer – NYC

To my wonderful tour guide, Yorgo: “Being a single woman and traveling alone for the first, I was very nervous about my plans for a 3-day tour of the Cappadoccian region in Turkey. I had also never done a ‘private’ tour before. From the first moments of being picked up at the airport in Kayseri, I started to relax. Ahmet was warm, kind, and very respectful to me. As for the tour, he was extremely knowledgeable and I loved his relating the sites to the history of the country. He offered far more interesting tidbits of information than a ‘standard’ tour guide. Ahmet can be your friend or just an excellent tour guide, but I am happy to say I consider him my friend.”

 Doni Morrison, High School Teacher, Los Angeles, CA

““TURKISH DELIGHT”, best describes our trip with Omer. My friend and I spent three weeks in Turkey with Omer as our personal guide. Omer called us his two “princesses” and we referred to him as our “prince.” We were treated like royalty. Omer creates only the best for his clients and shares not only his expertise but also his heart. We were introduced to family, friends, shopkeepers, a nomad family, a goat herder, a headmaster of a village school and danced with school children. In addition to the highlights of Turkey, we experienced the mystical whirling dervishes and luxuriated in the Turkish bathhouses (a must!). Our trip was an intimate experience with the beauty of the country, the warm hospitality of the Turkish people, the excellent and healthy cuisine, and new friendships. I can hardly wait to return.”

 Charles J. Skuba, Washington, DC

“I had the good fortune to visit Turkey several years ago with some friends for a grand tour of Istanbul and the Aegean Coast. For several days we joined Paris and a small tour group in order to get the lay of the land before setting out on our own. As a veteran traveler I generally prefer the adventure of being my own guide, but I must say that I would have missed a great experience without Paris. I’m a student of ancient history and am reasonably knowledgeable about the many civilizations of Turkey, but Paris knows his stuff and made ruins come alive. Not only is he a knowledgeable and professional guide, he works very hard to ensure that his visitors enjoy their tour. Our group thoroughly enjoyed his warm sense of humor and genuine concern for our vacation pleasure. I’m delighted to recommend Paris to help you enjoy the wonderful country of Turkey.”

 Shirley Meyer, New Mexico

“Being a lover of adventurous world travel especially ancient historical sites, the idea of visiting Turkey seemed to be calling to me especially after meeting Paris our enthusiastic guide with so much love for his country. His English was excellent and his heart honest and true to his promises. Needless to say we were overwhelmed by the sites, good food, friendly people, history, beauty and adventure. Because of this trip I have been in awe at Turkey and its change for peace through the leadership of their amazing historical leader “Ataturk” (1920’s) giving the people their independence and self respect. It can be done. We felt so safe at all times. Thank you once again for your caring and helpful ways.”

 Tony and Pauline Bottrill, The World Bank, Washington, DC

“On our trip to Turkey, Tunc was always concerned to see that we experienced everything and enjoyed it all – whether it was climbing up into Christian churches in Capadoccia, down into the underground city, enjoying night club belly dancers, marvelling at Whirling Dervishes at a caravanserai, bargaining all afternoon for carpets, or cheering the Turkish soccer team on television with a crowd of excited fans at a roadside restaurant. Tunc was the man for all occasions.”

 Ravneet Chowdhury, Standard Chartered Bank, Kenya

“My family and I visited Turkey in 2003 and were fortunate enough to have Omer as our tour guide. Omer was with us in Istanbul and also travelled to other regions to help us out. Omer was very impressive with his knowledge of the history of Turkey, its buildings and mosques and historic palaces. But then any good tour guide would know that! Omer distinguished himself by helping us with places to eat (with authentic Turkish food), places to shop and shows to see in the evenings. He went out of his way to devote his personal time to make us comfortable and explain everything in the minutest of detail. Indeed our Turkey trip would not have been half as good without Omer. We strongly recommend him to any other group.”

 Laraine Sammler, Yale University, New Haven, CT

“My husband is a Yale Professor in the Arts. My adult daughter is a professional photographer. I am a culture and history buff. We love to travel, each in search of new understandings-often constructing our tours as independent adventures. Because of the language and its vast historical sites, I was reluctant to undertake Turkey on our own. It was the best decision of our lives. Paris met us as we departed Istanbul and graciously led us through the country’s Cappadocian region. He more than satisfied each of our quests explaining the unique nature of the geography and the history that effected the evolving culture as he guided us through a most beautiful land. He included stops in local towns, meals in fine restaurants well off the tourist trade, and invited us to visit a friends’ unusual home in a village where the houses incorporated early cave dwellings. He addressed my daughters search to include a profound understanding of the land in her photography and patiently waited as she captured Turkey’s marvels with her camera. Her work has been exhibited in several galleries in the States enabling her to share Turkey’s special magic.”

“Turkey is the first destination that I recommend for any traveler who seeks an adventure in understanding. I recommend Turkey with Paris to not only enhance the experience but to truly make the trip a joy. I have never encountered a better guide.”

 Malcolm King, Hebredian Spirit Cruise Line, U.K

“Dear Kostas, I write to express once again my sincere delight and pleasure in the tour guide you led for those of us on board Hebredian Spirit last week. Your knowledge of the places and sites visited was truly amazing and I am convinced that we could not have obtained a better guide for our travels throughout the length and breadth of Turkey. I hope that next year when I return on board Hebredian Spirit next year we shall have the privilege and pleasure of having you as our guide. When I left you at Izmir Airport to return on our flight to Britain I said that you were the most beautiful man with such a caring nature. I hope that you will always retain this and your wonderful sense of humour with or without Raki! Take care of yourself Malcolm the Pastor whom you named.”