Life on Your Private Gulet

Private Gulet holidays are the easy way of luxury holiday. Relax on your private, fully staffed gulet and enjoy the beauty of Turkey’s south west coast and Greek Islands from the sea.
Excellent cuisine, private bays to moor in and a swim off the boat to relax. Also there are too much privacy you have on board when you compare even with the luxury hotels.

Your Day on a Gulet:

If you have never been on a gulet before then you will have quite a surprise, these stately schooners are less sailing boat and more sumptuous wooden built yacht!
As a group of friends or family you can book your gulet depends on your group size and budget.
Life on gulet is taken at a fairly slow pace; on waking up you may find that you are no longer in the bay where you fell asleep, the Captain has moved the boat
to yet another pine clad bay where there is little but the sound of goats from the hillside and the lap of water against the boat.
As soon as you arise coffee and tea are available, this is the best time for a swim, the sea is pond like at this time of the day, there’s hardly a ripple to be seen and
hardly a soul to share the clear blue waters with, peace, quiet and the promise of a great Turkish breakfast to reward your exertions. Once everyone is assembled then
breakfast can be served – all meals are served at a splendid, shaded large table situated at the aft of the boat. Breakfast is a delicious selection of Turkish cheeses, olives,
tomatoes, eggs and…. where on earth did the Captain find fresh bread in the middle of nowhere?
By the end of the week you’ll have seen the enterprising souls in their speed boats from local villages who deliver to all the gulets in the areas. In the afternoons they deliver ice creams too.

The rest of the day ahead of you there are some hard decisions to be taken….should you read a book on a sun mattress at the front of the boat or curl up in the huge cushioned
area at the back of the boat? Should you be active and take one of the toys – kayaks and wind surfs and paddle/speed
across to the other side of the bay or should you take a lilo and simply float around. As veteran Blue Cruisers
our mornings are spent enjoying swimming and snorkelling, kayaking and fishing until lunch time. There’s competitions, best dive, fastest kayaker etc.
Despite the breakfast, probably due to the fresh air we are all starving by lunchtime and
once again we are presented with a delicious selection of Turkish specialities. Meze dishes, stuffed peppers, savoury pastries and salads, crisp white or rose wine,
fresh fruit and then for us….. it’s quiz time and we rarely leave the table before 4.00pm when the heat of the day has passed and it’s time for more swimming, snoozing, curling up with the book etc.
In some bays there are antique ruins, unexcavated and often overgrown with sweet smelling thyme and oregano and the Captain will run you to the shore in the tender boat.

You will dress for diner.Yo will take a lovely hot shower, and change out of our swimwear, note….you hardly need any clothes at all on a Blue Cruise,
a good selection of swimwear, cover ups and a couple of outfits for evenings, there’s no shoes allowed on board so as well as being the best holiday ever it’s the easiest holiday to pack for.
You will be meet back up on deck for sunset drinks followed by an exquisite dinner, and again you can have some organised fun; one night you can make a party on board,
another night you can play cards etc. The only consideration is not to make so much noise that other yachts in the bay are disturbed!
The great thing about a gulet trip is that the entertainment is entirely up to you, as little or as much as you prefer.
Depending on the route one night you may “eat out” – it might be a beachside shack offering freshly grilled red mullet or your route may take in one of the larger sea side towns like Datça,
Bozburun,Marmaris,Gocek,Fethiye where the Captain will advise on the best local restaurants.
You will wonder how you are so tired at the end of the day when you have literally done nothing. Your cabin awaits but sleeping on deck on calm, starry nights is an experience not to be missed.

The Route of Gulet: While you are booking your private gulet, we will disscuss the route with you. On a day to day basis the Captain will consult you as to the options for that day.
As you have the private gulet we are flexible about the route. If you like tos tay more in the bay you like that is possible
or if you do not like the place you go. Just say to our Captain and he will offer you the alternative bays. Flights for arrival and
departure should be considered as embarkation usually takes place on a Saturday lunchtime and therefore you may need an overnight stay beforehand.
Disembarkation is generally after breakfast on Saturday – so you may need to arrange to spend a few hours before your departure flight.

Food & Drink: You will have very delicious Turkish foods during your gulet holiday. Depends on your menu or wish, our chef will prepare your foods. Every gulet has a full time cook on board
who is used to producing 3 home cooked meals per day and a varied menu over the course of your cruise. Food and drink is not included in the price
it is charged as an “extra”, but unlike the hotel system you will pay only the cost price for the supplies. Preparation and service of the food is included.
The Captain and his crew will provision the boat before your embarkation and you will have been consulted with regard to special diets, likes and dislikes, birthdays,allergy etc.
It’s the same with beverages, you indicate what drinks you would like to be available on board we can buy and prepare them before you come to your private gulet.

Crew on Board: Depends on the boat’s size and price there are 3 to 8 crew are working on board. The Captain and his crew will probably end up being friends for life.
Of course they “live” on-board with you but are never overly conspicuous. All Gulet Captains speak some English
and you will probably find the crew does too. They will not expect to sit down at the table with you or to be offered drinks etc.

Clothing: You will not need many clothes; swimwear and cover ups by day and a couple of outfits for evenings. If you are travelling early and late in the season do bring socks,
trousers, a sweater and a jacket; evenings can be cool. You will not wear shoes on board but may need trainers for exploring on land.
Bathroom towels, beach towels and hair dryers are provided. It is best if you use a soft bag for your travel as this can easily be stored in the cabin.
Air Conditioning: Gulets offer air conditioning in different time lines; varying from none to full 24 hour. It’s important to determine the air conditioning ability and policy in advance,
and to specify how important it is to you and to choose the right yacht accordingly. Many people love to sleep on deck under the stars, or prefer not to have the generator operating during the night.

Technology: In most bays there is very good mobile phone signals. All the gulets have i-pod sound and charging facilities. Many have Wi Fi, TV’s and DVD in saloons and luxury gulets have this facilities even in each cabin.

Toys on Gulets: All gulets are equipped with snorkelling and fishing equipment and a tender boat that can take you to land. As the size of the gulet increases so do the toys.
It is usual to find kayaks on board and on the larger boats there can be jet-skis, water ski and wakeboard equipment. Fuel for toys is charged as an extra.

Tipping: It is usual to tip the crew approximately 5% to 10% of the charter cost.