We've bought tickets through the Intourist operator not once, but twice. It just so happens that the travel agency we choose our tickets from works with this tour operator.

The first time we bought a ticket was in 2020, just before the pandemic. We were choosing and planning our trip in January, hoping to get an early booking. Everything went smoothly, we chose and paid the deposit. We were supposed to leave in May.

Then they announced the pandemic, and the flight program was closed.

A little while later, our agent got in touch with us to offer alternative dates for the trip. At that point, I was still really happy with the Intourist operator, because they offered us good conditions. They moved our trip from May to August, to dates that were convenient for us. And, as it happens, I've been meaning to sing their praises 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 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 excited when the Russian government announced the launch of a flight program to Turkey. I had already booked a tour with Intourist, and I was looking forward to a well-deserved break with my family. But little did I know, the excitement was short-lived.

When I checked the Intourist website, I saw that flights were supposed to start on June 22nd. But on June 22nd, there was no information about our tour on the website, 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 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 were going to 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 things 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 information. 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 lie. I had been following the hotel's Instagram account, and I had 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 had 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, a region with a well-developed infrastructure, but they moved us to the Konakli region, where there's no infrastructure at all and the nearest shopping center is 4 km away from the hotel.

The distance to the beach in Justianino is 50 meters, in Noksin - 100 meters, which is a big deal when you're traveling with three kids.

The distance to the airport is also 23 km further, which adds about 40 minutes to the travel time. As a result, we didn't make it to lunch on the day of arrival, and we were let in late for dinner because the hotel was just overcrowded. So, three kids were left standing hungry, waiting to be let into the dining hall.
To make matters worse, we spent the entire vacation standing in crazy lines for food because the hotel was overcrowded.

I'm highlighting the negative aspects because I'm still shocked by the way they treated us as tourists. In the end, we still managed to relax, get some sun, and have a good time. I always come with a positive attitude and don't let minor issues get to me. But in this review, I'm being completely objective.

Overall, we returned from our vacation and I decided to write a complaint. In my opinion, moving us to a different hotel wasn't equivalent 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 in correspondence with my travel agent for four months now, and she's still not sure if she's interested in helping me. I'm pretty sure she is, though, since I've been pestering her.

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 received any response yet. The travel agent even contacted the quality control department, but they ignored us too.

I'm planning to request all the necessary documents and send my complaint in writing via registered mail with a receipt. And then, it's off to court.

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

Airport transfers.

We didn't have any issues with transfers on either of our trips. We were met at the airport and taken to our hotel right on time.

You don't have to wait around for long - about 10 minutes and the bus would be heading to the hotel. The drive to the hotel 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 just fuming about this - I don't get why a huge organization like this just ignores the concerns of tourists. Why do they allow themselves to cancel tours at the last minute? And on what grounds do they take 200 euros from you? For me, this is now a matter of principle - I'm determined to get my money back.

I get it, pandemic, the tourism industry is struggling. But to charge an extra fee for myself when the hotel didn't even bill me? I'd have swallowed the cost of changing hotels with just two days' 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 just hate being taken advantage of and treated unfairly. I'll be fighting for my rights.