Hotel scam in Istanbul - Sailing A B Sea (Ep.070)

In this episode of Sailing A B Sea a spur of the moment trip gets us involved in a hotel scam in Istanbul and we realise that in a city of 15 million people there are going to be very long queues for the popular attractions.
We should've read the reviews before we booked the hotel, a number of people had left scathing reviews mentioning the hotel scam and even the fake story line that was used on us when we arrived to check in. As hotel scams go it's fairly simple and we wonder how many unsuspecting people have had their holiday ruined by this.
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[@SailingABSea]

If you're not already a subscriber to Sailing A B Sea click on the 'red subscribe' button now and remember, if you want to be notified when we release a new video you need to click on the 'bell icon' too. This is one of the fastest and easiest ways you can help to grow our channel. Thanks guys and girls.

[@LindaMimoza]

Why on Earth did you decide to stay in Kumkapi?? It’s a very poor area, mostly populated by gypsies, Africans and Pakistanis. The Sultanahmet area is only a 15 minute walk away (I lived there for 4 years) and there are some lovely boutique hotels where you can get reasonable rates.

[@omermahmood1118]

Love how you both work together and don't get stressed and are so calm. Great content

[@SailingABSea]

Thanks so much! 👍

[@mattemre6524]

Honestly as a person from Istanbul The old city and the taksim area is the worst place to be. Very shady people they only care about money. They’ve gotten used to ripping off Arab customers so they try to do it to everyone

[@SailingABSea]

There are good and bad people in every big city, in every country. We'll probably go back to Istanbul in the future, but be more careful of where we choose to stay.

[@RenataPereiraTV]

Thank you very much for your video. OMG, I could imagine the frustration. We are looking at visiting Turkey and I am glad I found your video.

[@SailingABSea]

Glad that you found it insightful and helpful. Cheers.

[@judebug329]

I love it that you didn’t let the scammers get away with it! You were surely exhausted already from the day of travel, but stuck to getting them to make things right. Well done! Can’t wait to see the city in your next video. I never made it to Eastern Europe, so am looking forward to your guided tour. I’ve never been to Eastern Europe, so can’t wait!

[@SailingABSea]

We were glad to have been 'forewarned' by the reviews and Barry very stoically persisted, as a matter of principle. We've just finished Istanbul Part 2 and we think you'll really love it!

[@LindaMimoza]

Istanbul is not in Eastern Europe 😆😆😆 Greetings from Bulgaria (which is)

[@stuegor]

Its so unfortunate that the world has these scammers, glad it worked out for the best.

[@SailingABSea]

Sadly it's always been that way Mr G. We hope our exposure of this incident prevents others from being preyed on.

[@christrinder1255]

Thanks for the heads up for anyone travelling to Istanbul! I sailed up to Kusadasi Marina (opposite Samos,) and then drove an ‘ on holiday bought car’ for a family member through Europe and back to U.K. Was very happy to fly back out to Dalaman Airport and be back on the boat again and a peaceful life!

[@SailingABSea]

That sounds like a long but epic drive. 👍 We don't intend for people to judge all of Istanbul because of the actions of this particular hotel owners/management, there are always good people and bad people, we just have to learn how to deal with them. Peace. 🙏 🍻 😃

[@ΕλβρΓκαλαργκα]

Your experiance really discourages me to go there. Thank for sharing.

[@priyankamehta6595]

Thank you very much for this . I was about to book the hotels for my upcoming holidays in Istanbul and came across your video.

[@SailingABSea]

Hey Magic, if there's one thing to take away from this video, always read the TripAdvisor comments before you book anything. Cheers.

[@julesp1669]

I have been to Istanbul twice and never gotten scammed. All i can say is do your research and readings prior to getting there (or for other countries for that matter) and be mindful of your surroundings. Good luck.

[@brendafuller1806]

You guys are so sweet and went through a horrible arrival. Blessings to you both

[@SailingABSea]

Thank you Brenda.

[@fafa.m4900]

I am sorry about your sad experience. Great adviser for us. Thank you for sharing with us. you're sad. Happily, the good person helps you.

[@voicesrilanka1356]

cant believe its been 4 years since this video has been published but didn't come across this scam at all even though I have been visiting Istanbul often. Thank you.

[@ipad2clippssppss]

Super LIKE from a new subscriber in Lebanon. Looking forward to enjoy your upcoming Vlogs!

[@SailingABSea]

Welcome aboard!

[@nirvanaramdin9811]

Thank you very much for such an awesome and informative video. The advise helps future travelers.

[@SailingABSea]

Thank you for your feedback Nirvana.

[@abdulmajeedhasan5135]

Thank you for your useful information, & advises, wish you all the best 🌹

[@SailingABSea]

Thank you too.

[@murraywestenskow2896]

Ah... that bridge is the Galata Bridge... I remember it well.

[@SailingABSea]

You are correct Murray, that is indeed the Galata Bridge. 👍

[@ShujaKidwaiMasauliwala]

WOW!! Love your video. You guys seem like seasoned travellers who don't get all worked up about the screwups but take it in your stride. KUDOS!!

[@SailingABSea]

Thank you Shuja. 👍

[@ahmudiahmad8853]

Good Job Mate! Thank you so much for this information about the scam Hotel. Much Love and God bless from Bombay.

[@SailingABSea]

Thanks Ahmudi.

[@Troya11]

It was educational for me To watch this video since expedia is also my favorite site to book trips from . I have a similar situation in the Dominican Republic But Expedia customer service came through and solved the problem for me in couple of hours. I still trust the site happy travels and be safe thanks for the video

[@SailingABSea]

The lady I spoke to at Expedia was very helpful.

[@cengizsogutlu]

im so sorry for this scams as Turkish big city too many scams. Istanbul is historical but in fact a industrial city i should recommend you visit better turkish coastal areas with all inclf option it is best and cheapest option

[@SailingABSea]

Big cities all over the world have people who try to make a quick buck. Where we are living at the moment in Kaş everything is wonderful. Very friendly and welcoming.

[@simondeguara7801]

Glad you're pointing it out. Visiting Istanbul really gave me the wrong impression of Turkey. It's just a massive jungle.

[@searfezal4921]

Thanks a lot for sharing this information please give us more information about Istanbull

[@SailingABSea]

We will try.

[@augustovlogs]

Great video! Were you guys on a Silversea cruise this past may? You look familiar!!

[@SailingABSea]

If Silversea picked us us up in Turkey... then nope. 😀

[@augustovlogs]

@@SailingABSea No, I was at a North Europe trip with SS.

[@gillsnotlora]

I just find your channel sooo great

[@SailingABSea]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@rizwanakazmi2444]

Very helpful. Thanks

[@SailingABSea]

We're glad you found our video helpful.

[@bobbiemooser7417]

Loved your video. What an experience you had to find a hotel. Great information. New sub.

[@SailingABSea]

Thanks for the sub and welcome aboard Bobbie. 😀

[@paullinos820]

Terrible. Scary and very stressful. Apparently, scams for everything there. I will never be there

[@SailingABSea]

Stressful but not scary. 👍

[@nikolailu]

Many hotels use this scam, i experienced it in several other countries

[@nextworld9176]

Thanks for this important story.

[@SailingABSea]

Hey NextWorld, thanks for watching and commenting.

[@hakan126]

I would always advise you to go with the reputation hotel so that you are not trapped in. Cheap hotels have alot of issues and scams.

[@SailingABSea]

That's good advice Hakan.

[@MS-nm2kt]

As a turk this saddens me I’m sorry for the troubles you went through

[@SailingABSea]

There are always a few bad guys in big cities around the world.

[@abbasalichinikamwalla7958]

@@SailingABSea There ary many bad guys waiting to take advantage of your helplessness...

[@jaskiratsingh2014]

Very informative for traveler ....thanks happy traveling

[@SailingABSea]

Thanks for watching Jaskirat. 😀

[@skyeblue5669]

WOW.. NOTHING BUT SCAMMERS

[@SailingABSea]

Sad but true.

[@johnnyjesus8]

Love the video. Thanks it was informational. Be safe God bless.

[@SailingABSea]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching Johnny.

[@mrsporty9669]

Thanks for sharing experience and information

[@SailingABSea]

There are bad apples in all big cities, we actually enjoyed our time in Istanbul and will visit again.

[@kahina0791]

Thank you for this share, i didn't even think that hotels can scam us too

[@SailingABSea]

It happens all around the world, unfortunately.

[@sodangdelish]

I love Istanbul! My husband and I stayed at a Hilton property in Bomonti then an Airbnb in Istiklal. The Airbnb was our cheapest, but most satisfy stay. Made our trip so easy to get around the fun tourist and historic attractions. So sad this happened to you guy!

[@SailingABSea]

From yours and many other comments it seems that the Airbnb option always gives good results. 👍

[@ThePallidor]

@@SailingABSea Not always. Plenty of dodgy listings on Airbnb Istanbul now.

[@Nadaram_tarsi]

you guys just saved me subscribe earned well deserved thank you

[@SailingABSea]

Thank you and welcome aboard.

[@Harta23]

Hello dear friend good afternoon thank you for great sharing ❤️❤️😚 Greattng from MACAU

[@SailingABSea]

Thanks for visiting.👍

[@starphase1623]

It's sad that there are so many dishonest people in the world . I'm happy though to see you both found a decent Hotel . Very nice room. As far as long lines go .NOPE . I don't do them .I move on to something else .😻🌹

[@SailingABSea]

With our temporary Turkish residency we were able to buy a 12 month museum card which means not having to queue for tickets. 👍

[@alijan1329]

Thanks for the update 🙂

[@SailingABSea]

No problem 👍

[@jzk2020]

OMFG... I can relate. Got on the bus from Bulgaria at 11PM (almost missing it because the Turkish driver wanted to chat up the person working at the desk). I ordered and paid for my tickets ONLINE, but for some stupid reason the bus driver would not accept my virtual ticket on my smartphone so I had to wait for the driver to finish chatting to the girl... run after her - because she decided to follow the bus driver out to the bus for some reason... man I can just go on and on about how fucked up the journey was, then I had to wait from 5AM to 10PM at the fucking central bus station because I didn't have a local sim card and the Vodafon store didn't open until then.... and then my battery was dead so I had no ways of finding a place to stay.... because the 5 or 6 AirBnB places I had booked and contacted simply decided not to accept my booking..... so I went to 1 side of Istanbul to meet with 1 guy... only to find out his place doesn't have water, internet or electricity so I had to sign up for that stuff in my own name when I'm not a local resident... (took me like 2 hours to get there btw). So then I decided to go to AirBnB again and filtered to find places that had "instant approval" - booked a place, took 2 hours to get to the OTHER side of Istanbul and of course my battery was dead ... had a shitty taxi driver.... just a fucking head ache.

[@krisb-travel]

yer i arrived to my airbnb last week in istanbul, looked beautiful online but was literally in a slum building... it was terrifying outside and im NO disney traveler. Airbnb refunded the whole thing thankfully and i got a much nicer place.

[@yasirawan3335]

Thanks for the video. But even with all my smartness , watching reviews which was 9.2 ( later turned to be fake) I have been ripped off. I am unable to understand that why the local government is not taking any action. What the locals are not understanding that they might earn the Black money by this but they are loosing their credibility and respect.

[@SailingABSea]

Agreed Yasir. It is very short term thinking.

[@Miki-So]

For more than 1.5 decade or even more, they have a pretty usual scam in Turkey, where first someone try to talk with you, becomes friendly and invite you for drinks, and then you are ripped off with big bills, Local govt. Or police has never take any strong action against them where this scam has been shown in many videos. So you think govt. Actually care to stop all these? I don't think so

[@ageofechochambers9469]

Ignore the rating just chose the lowest rated comments, those are the ppl that will tell you what the establishment is really like .

[@samis9010]

Better to check google reviews also

[@ianwilson3206]

Looking forward to more vids on the bul as we will be there in September. Keep up the great work you are making us envious of your amazing adventures.👍👍👍👍👍

[@SailingABSea]

Hi Ian, next week's video of Istanbul is a lot more fun as we explore the ancient attractions. Cheers

[@anuonggiay9803]

I hope you and Wife great travel. Thanks share your broblem

[@SailingABSea]

Thank you. 👍

[@leonidasspyropoulos849]

Very useful and fun to see video, thank you.

[@SailingABSea]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@bobbybaldeagle702]

I'm so sorry those people tried to take advantage of you kids like that. It shows just how dishonest some people can be and they get keep on getting away with their scams. One of these days they will do it to the wrong type of person and that person will send them to the hospital or the morgue... Well I happy that God tendered that mans heart and he gave you kids a nice room... Be blessed... BBE...

[@SailingABSea]

Thanks Bobby. We were glad we'd been forewarned, so weren't surprised when it happened. We think when things like that happen, it's an opportunity for us to become more aware. Let's hope these guys learn through conscience rather than violence ... if they learn at all. 😕 We were very grateful that we found the nice hotel with the sympathetic receptionist eventually (with the assistance of another hotel's helpful staff along the way). Persistence and trust in a favourable outcome won through! xxx😉🙏

[@Ojeramup12]

There are mean and arrogant people in every country. We have met very generous and friendly people as well on the street, hotels,train stations, and airports. If they help you THANK THEM because we sometimes forget.Good luck on your future trips.

[@SailingABSea]

We have found that the Turkish people are welcoming, friendly and helpful. It's a wonderful country to visit and explore.

[@donyab.e4767]

Another scam is installing a few cabinets and a kitchen sink in the room and calling it a studio or a deluxe apartment. You will be charged a lot of extra money for a Hotel apartment. However, when you get there, you'd realize that there is no hob, no utensils, or anything else that makes it a kitchen. Unlike the good experience of this couple with Expedia, the customer service of the website I had used to book never answered my phone calls or messages. In fact, they could have even offered me no room at all and still charge my debit card.

[@SailingABSea]

Thank you for sharing that Donya.

[@LuminosoDePuebla]

Thanx for Sharing guys

[@ras-qu5pp]

Small hotels cancel your advance booking a day before your arrival on one or another excuse and let out your rooms to walk-in guests at higher rates.

[@SailingABSea]

Yes, but we think it is only a small percentage of hotels - in every major city - not just Istanbul, that do this sort of thing.

[@johnlord7854]

Have been through Dalaman Airport several times now, on my way to and from Marmaris :) Far out, that would have been stressful dealing with those boys :( Glad it worked out in the end, and looks like you got a beautiful room :) That was a long cue !!!

[@SailingABSea]

Hi John, there's still a ton of remodelling construction work ongoing at Dalaman airport, but it still functions like clockwork. Cheers.

[@pavanpeswani3878]

Thanks for sharing video in Turkey many more scams.

[@SailingABSea]

There are scams in all big cities around the world unfortunately.

[@ParleX]

Thank you for the video! Except this situation, was it safe in general? I mean street or restaurant scams, your personal experience

[@SailingABSea]

Yes we felt 100% safe in Istanbul and throughout the rest of Turkey. 👍

[@saarangslt3327]

Thank you I learnt a lot from your video

[@SailingABSea]

Glad to hear that!

[@aryanscience]

We had stayed at a hotel in London (Ealing) called The Boston Manor and it was fine,,I read the reviews AFTER we got home and couldn't believe all the negative reviews!

[@SailingABSea]

Reviews can be manipulated by rival businesses, discernment is the key word when reading other people's opinion. We find the same situation with certain online anchorage websites, where sailors leave their opinion of the anchorage, they are generally more concerned about what's on shore than the actual physical attributes of the anchorage. This is one of the reasons we launched our own collection of videos called The Anchorages Series. Short videos detailing the depth, the holding, the prevailing wind and any services that may or may not be available. Cheers.

[@mfaiz859]

Hey there.. apart from the scams at the hotel, did you faced any other scams on the streets coz ill be visiting turkey on dec.. thanks

[@SailingABSea]

Apart from the carpet sellers trying to lure you into carpet shops we didn't encounter anything else. Enjoy Turkey.

[@mfaiz859]

@@SailingABSea thank you sir for the information and prompt reply.. cheers

[@AsifAnsari-vn5bh]

Thank you

[@SailingABSea]

You're welcome. 👍

[@ToquzOghuzKhaganatekhan]

Protect rich men as bodyguard at all cost bro , cheers

[@walidguettai9572]

As travel agent in Qatar I faced same problem with Turkish hotels in istanbul. Antalya or many other hotels even with 5 star hotels. The problem for us is not money because we guarantee refund if such things happen but our problem is reputation because the client trust us to provide the best service and correct informations about the hotel at the end for better service guest shall book at a known hotel... scams and racism in Turkey will destroy their tourism

[@michaelhazen8658]

I know this is a while ago, I stayed at Marmara guest house in sultanahmet and liked it very much. you do pay the higher sultanahmet rate and the rooms are plain and small. but the staff are very nice and patient. the rooms were clean and cleaned daily. Going back I might save money by staying in one of the 'koys (kadikoy or katakoy) but I also wouldnt hesitate to go back to marmara guest house if I needed to

[@SailingABSea]

Thanks for sharing that recommendation Michael. 👍

[@broerymarantika853]

I had once booked a hotel thro Agoda just few metres away from Topkapi palace, confirmed and paid. I planned to stay there for two nites upon my return from Romania. When I arrived by taxi from airport and showed the man my booking, he said in halting english,"No room!" What ? I was tired and it was 8pm at night I wanna rest and sleep. After much haggling, they said they have a sister hotel, just bhind the Blue Mosque. So i had to drag my bags along the piazza to the 'other' hotel. When we arrived they showed my a tiny triangular room, next to a staircase, which I refused. So back to the hotel I was booked and he insisted, No room, despite showing the 'Confirmed Booking and reference number'. I called another hotel I had stayed bfore i went to Romania, luckily they had reserved a room for me, also just behind the Blue Mosque. So thats where I sepnt my 2 nites. I did asked for a refund from Agoda. I had forgotten if Agoda did refund me. Same thing also happened to me in London, scammed when the door code they gave me couldnt open the door, and I was standing there in the cold nite 8pm...called them, w some difficulties, they gave me another code, which also didnt open the door ! In the end I had to book another hotel elsewhere. I called Agoda again in disgust. The guy said they wld reimbursed me. The hotel operator even reported to Agoda that the Maid who came the next day reported to Agoda that I didnt show up! Didnt show up MY FOOT. Its called LONDON APARTMENTS , ITS REALLY A SCAM !

[@SailingABSea]

Wow! That's really crazy, thanks for sharing.

[@ageofechochambers9469]

I am in Turkey right now , expose these ppl

[@krisb-travel]

what a nightmare checkin, glad it worked out... i travel a lot too and its always that one moment you let your guard down (dont check the reviews) when things go wrong lol. Im instanbul atm, booked a month here, really not enjoying tbh, im sick of getting scammed everywhere, even the KFC we went to on the high street scammed us

[@SailingABSea]

There's lots to explore in Istanbul but it is not representative of the rest of Turkey.

[@snacklofter]

Enjoyed that. Thank you.

[@SailingABSea]

Hey snacklofter, thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers.

[@ToquzOghuzKhaganatekhan]

Elder American couple with big money is their main target , stay strong brother 💪💪💪

[@vlogbabiesoz1976]

We are in Turkey now and I literally saw that guy with same coat this morning at that hotel yet unfortunately we got scam at different hotel( Huxley hotel) for 7 nights !

[@SailingABSea]

It's crazy the damage these people are doing to Turkish tourism.

[@joecucch8261]

This is why I am very happy to never travel to Istanbul wherever that may be.

[@SailingABSea]

Oh don't let the actions of a couple of people put you off from visiting Istanbul. As you'll see from our next video (#071) we absolutely loved the place. It is a wonderful blend of old and new cultures and a very interesting and beautiful city.

[@joecucch8261]

@@SailingABSea I am happy you enjoyed your stay, however it's the long lines for cards that turned me off. We have plenty of corrupt people here in America and it is easy to pick up on their play.

[@kidocq]

Good you realized early enough to get out of it… Lesson learned, I will also pay more attention to review before I book a hotel !! Enjoy Greece 🇬🇷 Yamas 🍻

[@SailingABSea]

Hey Michel, we are enjoying Greece, we're hiring a car tomorrow to explore Samos island. 👍

[@emrexxx89]

Oh wow Sorry about what you guys have gone through

[@SailingABSea]

Hey Justin, this kind of stuff happens in big cities. Just happy to get a refund, learn a lesson and share with others to make them aware.

[@kristinadjurdjanovic484]

Oh man... I wish I reas the reviews for Milano Hotel.... They stole 550 euros from my purse while we were in the spa...

[@SailingABSea]

We are sorry to hear that you had a bad experience Kristina.

[@ToquzOghuzKhaganatekhan]

Since my travelling my mustache grew thicker than Turks

[@walking1988]

Very informative video I making my plans to travel Istanbul . Thank you

[@SailingABSea]

Glad it was helpful! 👍

[@Hispandinavian]

I´m really not in a hurry to go to Turkey at all. I had an overnight layover in Istanbul airport going to South Africa. Even in the terminal, where only ticketed passengers should be, you got to be wary of thieves and scammers. 2 guys that said they were from Algeria told me a bullshit story about needing $200 for a ticket. In retrospect I should have informed security.

[@SailingABSea]

Thanks for sharing that story. 👍

[@shelleyelder7847]

Well that was a bit of an adventure

[@SailingABSea]

Just a bit Shelley, just a bit. 😀😂

[@elnaferreira8418]

Thank you! And I do miss Istanbul !!!!!

[@SailingABSea]

We'll be visiting Istanbul again in 2021. Fascinating city.

[@anuonggiay9803]

Great travel

[@hbrhbr7113]

usually they pay for good reviews so i allways sort the comments to check only the bad comments because obviously no one pays for bad reviews :D

[@SailingABSea]

That's a good tip HBR. 👍

[@ishowspeed8165]

Another scam, you book but they don't take the money and cancel 9 days before your holiday, because they can book it for more.They pretended our credit card was declined,we called our card company who said no transaction was attempted, we had booked 3month in advance, the hotel is call 3rd floor old city

[@SailingABSea]

Thank you for sharing that. 👍

[@vikaskapoor2727]

thanks for information👍

[@SailingABSea]

You're welcome.

[@gustavoreacts7206]

Please, What kind of recording camera are you using if you don’t mind me asking.

[@SailingABSea]

In the hotel we were using a Sony action cam HDR AS300R amzn.to/3t7AJpW A list of all cameras and microphones that we use are in the description of every video.

[@filthybryan7981]

DERYA HOTEL AND HOTEL METRO ISTANBUL USE THE SAME SCHEME!!!!! DON'T EVER GO

[@SailingABSea]

Thank you for sharing that information.

[@ceceliabarfu2736]

All i can say is WOW!!!

[@SailingABSea]

It happens in all big cities. ☹

[@normanboyes4983]

Interesting story about the hotel.🤔

[@SailingABSea]

Agreed Norman, but life would be dull unless there were a few challenges here and there to keep us on our toes. Cheers. 👍

[@lauralamont814]

Great video..... I’m so scared this is what will happen when my boyfriend and I visit!!!

[@SailingABSea]

Don't worry Laura, the hotel we booked into later was perfect and very welcoming with helpful friendly staff. Book a hotel in a nice part of the city and everything will be perfect. 😀

[@lauralamont814]

Sailing A B Sea I already have a place booked.... I have just heard a few things about hotel scams..... guess I will find out when I arrive!!!

[@SailingABSea]

After your visit to Istanbul please leave a comment here telling us the name and location of your hotel and how your experience was. Thanks.

[@lauralamont814]

Sailing A B Sea Definitely will..... I’m not travelling until October so it is a little ways away!!!! 🇹🇷 ✈️

[@SailingABSea]

We're very patient, so we can wait until October. 😀 👍

[@itssavio]

Booking on Expedia is terrible they always muck about with the dates

[@zebmohammad3776]

Cool video! thanks

[@SailingABSea]

Thanks Zeb.

[@cliffordjamesnirelan]

hope Expedia take them off their list

[@SailingABSea]

Although Expedia were very helpful in getting the hotel to return our monies, we very much doubt that any further action would've been taken against the hotel.

[@mariafelix7932]

Wow what an expirience!!

[@SailingABSea]

Experiences make us wiser. 👍

[@marathonman1924]

You have been helpful and I’m traveling soon to their

[@SailingABSea]

In general Istanbul is a wonderful city to explore and experience. 👍

[@abdulrezzakelmukatterat1453]

I lived in london 40 years l just love

[@SailingABSea]

London is an interesting city for sure. 👍

[@heatherlovu2251]

Wish I had watched this video before coming to Istanbul haha

[@SailingABSea]

Hopefully it didn't spoil your time in Istanbul too much, there are plenty of positives about the city. 😀

[@Benzetha]

That is quite a story

[@SailingABSea]

Travelling is never boring. 😀

[@gordonspicer]

The problem is with reviews generally. My recent experience with Booking was very tireing & problematic Having properly booked a hotel in Sao Paulo recently I arrived at 21h to find no reservation recorded. It appears that without receiving any message they claim I gave incorrect credit card info and booking was cancelled. Thereafter I found another with very positive reviews. How they got such reviews is a mystery. In fact it was dirty, grubby and unpleasant. So you can never really tell these days

[@SailingABSea]

Thanks for sharing Gordon. 👍

[@drahmed5656]

Excellent...

[@SailingABSea]

Thank you.

[@drahmed5656]

@@SailingABSea ready to go Turky.

[@ageofechochambers9469]

Name and expose hopefully you'll shut these ppl down

[@ThePallidor]

There are a lot of fake reviews now as well.

[@SailingABSea]

You make a good point JJ.

[@ongandemirarslan2265]

Scammers are scammers all over the world. Bu Turkish scammers are worst. If I were you guys, try to call authorities to get punishment those buggers...Istanbul uses to be my home town up until 90 (Bagdat cad. Suadiye). But my new home is NY not Istanbul anymore...However, it looks you guys enjoy in Istanbul. The place you visit just classic touristic areas. Next time try to visit locally.

[@ongandemirarslan2265]

Dear Baz, I have already shared your video on my facebook page. Hopefully some of authorities will saw this page. If you want to add something pls. fell free (Page: Frank Iron) Now on you can call me frank, Ongan is my son......

[@SailingABSea]

Agreed Ongan, there are scammers in all parts of the world. After our bumpy start we really enjoyed visiting Istanbul as you will see in next week's video. Cheers.

[@Ojeramup12]

What month would you recommend travel to Turkey?

[@SailingABSea]

Turkey is great to visit any time of the year. Dec, Jan & Feb are the colder months.

[@SaviorGuru]

we are planning to visit Istanbul, can you or anyone recommend a good hotel?

[@ΕλβρΓκαλαργκα]

What those scammers dont realize that now there are social media like youtube, facebook, instagram, Twitter and many more. Also they have reviews sites like yelp, tripadvisor and so on. The scammed people will share their experience and millon people around the world and that will discourage people to get there. Or, if they really visit those places, they will be aware of what they can expect. It's not smart to scamm people in 2020.

[@SailingABSea]

Very true. 👍