Traveling on a boat has got to be one of the most freeing and exhilarating experiences in the world if done correctly. If not it could be one of the worst as so many things can go wrong. So one of the most important things to do is to choose the vessel and the crew very carefully. One needs to ensure that cost and maximum function meet in the middle. It is very important to know what to look for and what to ask for in order to avoid disappointment small and large disasters and ensure a wonderful trip.
First thing one needs to know about gulets is that there are many of them and they are all working over time during the summer months which is when they maximize their profits for the entire year. When choosing a Gulet age of the vessel is crucial. The boat should not be more than three years old. If older you will get into a gray zone and unless you go see the boat and live on it for a couple of days you will never know how well it functions and how comfortable it is going to be. Many boats will say the year it was built and then it will tell you when it was refurbished. The date of refurbish in most cases is irrelevant as you will never know what extent of refurbishing has been done to the boat. It could be very minor and there is no way to verify unless you try the boat yourself. For this reason it is best to stay on the safe side and stick to a relatively new boat
The second thing one needs to pay attention to is the crew. This is extremely important as it will make or break your trip even if you have a great boat your enjoyment on the trip will diminish greatly if the crew is not up to par. One thing that you should insist on is that they all know English fluently. This is important as it lends them to have more professionalism and ensures they understand all your wants and needs and act accordingly. Also I recommend that at least two crew members in the front of house be woman as they tend to be gentler and better at providing good service. The captain is also very important that he speaks English to ensure smooth sailing and to ensure that he will communicate what is needed and give the correct advice to make sure that the sailing time and distance is pleasant and accurate.
There is one thing that I found extremely shocking from observing many Gulets docked in the marinas is that many crew members never sleep in their quarters but rather outside on the boat. This seems to be the prevalent culture and the done thing on gulets. This practice is terrible and very unprofessional. I am nor sure as to why this is but I will guess that the crew quarters must be very cramped even more so than on normal sail boats or yachts. This is a very disturbing and ugly practice and you should ensure that the boat your renting has the proper size quarters for the crew and the crew actually sleep in their quarters.
Food
It’s very important that the chef on board the boat is good and that all the produce are bought fresh and sourced locally. You should also ask that fresh meat, fish and vegetables are bought every day or every other day to ensure maximum freshness and taste. If this comes at an extra cost it will definitely be worth it. It is also important to have an idea of what your preferences are and what you would like to eat. I also recommend having a half board menu for either lunch or dinner so that you can try restaurant in the area to sample the cuisine on the Turkish coast or the Greek islands. This also gives you a chance to visit the areas and to see more of the people and culture.
Sailing Routes
Sailing routes are very important to ensure a fun and picturesque holiday. I recommend that you spend as little time as possible in the port of Bodrum. It is crazy crowded super loud with stray cats and dogs all over. The best thing is to start your cruise in yalikavak which is on the other side of bodrum and is a quiet picturesque beautiful port with great places to eat. You will find Zuma Nusret and many more all in the bay. I would go from there to kindos which is an old heritage sight and it has a beautiful restaurant over looking the port. I would end my trip in kindos or close to that and just sail back early Saturday or Sunday morning back to bodrum depending on when you end your trip. This way you will ensure you are not spending time at the bodrum port.
Here are some of my favorite spots:
Macakize hotel in Turkbuku and the turkbuku strip
Kindos ruins and restaurant. Stunning right before sunset
Datca a magical little city. Super Kitsh but just beautiful with cute little restaurants on the beach. Go before sunset and see the magic. Try Kikke restaurant on the beach. It’s lovely.
Symi Port is a stunning picturesque port across Datca. it is a stunning little port and worth a visit. Petalo restaurant is unmissable. An out of this world setting. Make sure again your there before the sunset. Sit back relax and breath it all in.
DMaris Bay and Hotel. This is a super stunning and picturesque Resort. It is so well made and is the epitome of what a great resort should be. They have a special yacht services department that look after all guests arriving by boat. The hotel is not close to anything so the only people at the hotel are either guests at the hotel or guests on yachts docked in the hotels bay. The hotel has 7 world class restaurants some with stunning views especially at sunset. They also have a night club and a water taxi to take you back and forth. The trip back to the boat late at night on that tender is pure magic. You see all the stars in the Milky Way and you just wander at the beauty of this earth. They even have a hotel tender that can collect you and drop you back to your boat whenever you like free of charge.
Patmos is a wonderful Greek island and where Moses received the Ten Commandments.it is beautiful and extremely picturesque.
Most of the places I listed above can be done in one week crushing an average of four hours per day. So speak to your captain ahead of time and communicate what you would like to achieve on your holiday.
List of things to ask for prior to choosing your boat
Turn down service and room cleaning daily
Soap/Shampoo in the rooms
Clean towels daily
Clean beach towels daily
Proper music system
Good WiFi
Working TVs with satellite
Water sports to be in good condition
Ask to put the sails up it’s really wonderful to glide silently on a body of water. You must try it at least once.
Coffee/Capuccino Machine Nespresso or the like with good quality coffee
Crew to be professional and well turned out
Gulet rating and prices and choosing a good agent
Most gulets have a rating system. There are five categories. Each category the price will differ and the overall service and boat quality as well. There is always room to negotiate a better deal. You should definitely do that but making sure you ask for all the above to manage expectations and to ensure you let the boat owner know the type of level of service you are looking for. If not you will haggle and get a great price and because of that corners will be cut on the type of crew the service the food and where to dock. So you must be careful that you play it somewhere in the middle to get the best of both situations. When choosing an agent it is crucial that he/she is on the ball and is knowledgeable and is quick at getting things done and understands the way things work.
The best way to get a good price and have a good rating boat is to ask specifically what you want and have the agent get you a boat that fills the criteria that you ask for.