We've bought tickets through Intourist not once, but twice. Our travel agency works with this tour operator, so it's a no-brainer for us.

The first time we booked a ticket was back in 2020, just before the pandemic hit. We were planning our trip in January, hoping to snag an early booking. Everything went smoothly – we picked our dates, paid the deposit, and were set to leave in May.

Then, out of the blue, they announced the pandemic, and the flight program was shut down. I remember feeling pretty bummed out.

But our travel agent got in touch with us a little while later to offer alternative dates for the trip. At that point, I was still really happy with Intourist because they offered us good conditions. They moved our trip from May to August, to dates that worked for us. And, as it happens, I've been meaning to give them a shout-out ever since, but I guess it wasn't the right time.

For more about our trip to Turkey last year, in Kemer, click here.

This year, I was choosing a tour again through early booking. Nothing seemed to be going wrong, when another wave of COVID hit and flights were quickly shut down.

But this time, everything went wrong from the very start. The prices this year were super high, even for early booking, and we're a group of five – two adults and three kids. So, the trip was going to be a bit of a stretch for us. I spent ages choosing a tour, again for May, because the prices there were more reasonable. I finally found a suitable option after a couple of days of searching.

I wrote to my travel agent and asked her to book it. I transferred 5,000 rubles to her. A few days went by, and there was no confirmation. I started getting worried and sending her messages. The tour operator wasn't confirming the booking. We were waiting for them to sort out our booking. They eventually cancelled our booking without explanation. My travel agent was in touch with the tour operator, trying to figure out why. In the end, after a week, they confirmed our booking, and we were over the moon. We were waiting for May.

And then, out of the blue, flights from Russia to Turkey were closed again. I was devastated, feeling sad and apathetic. I spent half the flight in a state of limbo, not even noticing the beautiful summer days. There's nothing worse than uncertainty.

The tour operator kindly offered to let us choose new dates. But this time, things weren't so rosy – we had to pay an extra 200 euros. And that's what became the sticking point.

Finally, the day arrived when the borders opened. Our flight was supposed to be on June 23rd, and the flight program opened on June 22nd.

I was beyond stoked when I heard the Russian government was launching a flight program to Turkey. I'd already booked a tour with Intourist, and I was counting down the days until my well-deserved break with the family. But little did I know, the excitement was short-lived.

When I checked the Intourist website, I saw that flights were supposed to kick off on June 22nd. But on June 22nd, there was nothing - no info about our tour, no confirmation. I had to spend the entire day calling and messaging my tour agent to figure out if we were actually going or not. It was a total nightmare, to say the least. I was on edge the whole day, and it completely threw off my work schedule.

And to make matters worse, we still didn't know if we'd make it to the airport on time. We had to leave the city on June 23rd, but we still hadn't received confirmation about our tour. And let's not forget about all the other stuff we had to take care of - getting our documents from the tour agent, taking COVID tests, and packing our bags.

Time was ticking, and my tour agent was nowhere to be found. I was getting anxious by the minute. And then, out of the blue, she sends me a message on June 21st saying that our tour wasn't cancelled after all!

But of course, we had to fight for this info. We had to call and email Intourist multiple times to get confirmation. And even then, they told us that we wouldn't be staying at our original hotel, the Justiniano Deluxe Resort 5*. Apparently, it wasn't ready to receive guests yet.

But I knew that was a total lie. I'd been following the hotel's Instagram account, and I'd seen plenty of photos and videos of happy tourists enjoying their stay.

As an alternative, we were offered two options: either choose a tour based on the current prices, or stay at the Noxinin Deluxe Hotel 5*. I was shocked, to say the least. How was I supposed to explain to my kids that we weren't going to the beach for the second time?

Since we couldn't reschedule our vacation (our employer had already approved our leave), and the prices were twice as high, we had no choice but to agree to the alternative hotel. To be honest, I was more concerned about making sure my kids had a beach vacation than anything else.

But what really got my blood boiling was that we'd already booked our tour, and yet they were offering us a new option. It felt like they were leaving us with no choice.

And to make matters worse, they still expected us to pay the additional 200 euros for the original hotel, even though we were being moved to a different one. So, I ended up paying the extra 200 euros, or else our booking wouldn't be confirmed.

When choosing a hotel for our vacation, I had certain expectations about comfort. I wanted a hotel that was close to the airport, in a good location, and had all the amenities we needed.

The location of the hotel is a crucial aspect of any tour package.

We originally booked a hotel in the center of Alanya, which has a pretty sweet infrastructure, but they ended up moving us to Konakli, where it's basically a ghost town with no amenities in sight. The nearest shopping center is a whopping 4 km away from the hotel.

The beach is literally right there, though - 50 meters away in Justianino and 100 meters away in Noksin. That's a total game-changer when you're traveling with three tiny humans.

The airport is also a bit of a trek - 23 km further away, which adds about 40 minutes to our travel time. As a result, we ended up missing lunch on the day of arrival, and we were stuck waiting to get into the dining hall for dinner because the hotel was completely overcrowded. So, three hangry kids were left standing, waiting to be let in.
To make matters worse, we spent the entire vacation stuck in crazy lines for food because the hotel was just too full.

I'm highlighting the negative stuff because I'm still blown away by how they treated us as tourists. In the end, we still managed to chill, get some sun, and have a good time. I always come at things with a positive attitude and don't let minor issues get to me. But in this review, I'm being super objective.

Overall, we got back from our vacation and I decided to write a complaint. In my opinion, moving us to a different hotel wasn't even close to the one we were originally supposed to stay in.

Here's the link to my detailed review of the hotel and the video.

I've been going back and forth with my travel agent for four months now, and she's still not sure if she's interested in helping me out. I'm pretty sure she is, though, since I've been bugging her nonstop.

I've written an official complaint, and the travel agent forwarded it to the tour operator through her personal account.

This was over a month ago, and I haven't heard back yet. The travel agent even reached out to the quality control department, but they completely ignored us.

I'm planning to send a formal complaint via registered mail with a receipt, and then it's off to court. I've got all my ducks in a row, and I'm ready to take on this challenge.

I wanted to mention a few more things about the tour operator.

Airport transfers.

We had a smooth ride to and from the airport both times. We were met right on time and taken to our hotel without any issues.

You don't have to wait around for long - about 10 minutes and the bus would be heading to the hotel. The drive takes a while, though, because you have to stop at 5 or 6 other hotels along the way. During the ride, the guide gives a tour and shares some interesting facts, which is pretty cool.

Every trip to and from the airport involves a stop at a convenience store. They sell drinks, ice cream, and other stuff, but the prices are inflated by at least double.

You can buy water on the bus, and it's reasonably priced. The water is actually really cold, which is a nice touch. The Turks always say that tipping the bus driver - they call him the 'captain' - is appreciated.

The guide on the bus tells you when to meet the hotel guide, and that's exactly what I'll do.

Hotel guides.

The hotel guide is useful in that they recommend some excursions, but also kind of annoying because they take up a lot of your time. And to make matters worse, the prices for the excursions are inflated by at least double.

The hotel guide speaks great Russian, but they're also super pushy about booking excursions through them. They'll tell you not to book anywhere else, but we never listened and always booked our excursions elsewhere - like this one, for example, about a boat tour.

The bottom line.

I'm still fuming about this whole experience - it's just not right that a big company like this can cancel tours at the last minute and then take 200 euros from you without any explanation. I mean, I get that the pandemic has been tough on the tourism industry, but that's no excuse for taking advantage of people like this. For me, it's now about principle - I'm determined to get my money back and make sure I don't get treated unfairly again.

I'd be willing to swallow the cost of changing hotels with short notice, but 200 euros is just too much to swallow. That's half the cost of a single ticket, and I'd rather find a way to use it than lose it. Honestly, I hate being taken advantage of and treated unfairly - it's just not right. I'm going to fight for my rights and make sure I get the outcome I deserve.