Turkish Sailing

Where do I even start. This was my first time doing a contiki and travelling by myself and I have to say I don't know how I am going to top this in my next trip. Lets start with the boat. The rooms are quite small but I think they were big enough as you barely spend any time in there anyway. You do have to share the double bed but its quite spacious and you end up normally sleeping outside in the tanning beds. I only slept two nights in my actual beds because the tanning ones ended up being wet by the end of the week. They provide you with two towels in your room and then they have extra towels outside. They also have snorkelling gear and noodles, etc. The food was AMAZING. I cannot emphasise this enough. Before going on my trip I read a few other reviews talking about how good it was, but I just thought they were exaggerating. They were not. The lovely cook is called Mehmet, and doesn't speak any english. He cooked us many healthy, traditional meals. The drinks are not included. Water I found was cheaper at Bodrum. My roommate bought a 5 litre water bottle the first night and we both drank from that the whole weekend. However, the alcoholic drinks are much cheaper on board than in the clubs, especially because they are so generous with it. Those vodka and orange juice were strong. It works on a tap system so at the end of your trip you pay your tap, and you can pay in lira or in euros. The crew was so much fun. Captain Jj and helper Mehmet (yes there are two Mehmets) joined in in all the fun and came and danced with us every time we went out. They truly were the life of the party and one of the reasons why everything was so much fun. The places you stop at are truly beautiful. The water is crystalline and very salty so you float very easily. You normally go to about two or three different places each day. I recommend that when you dock you go on walks and explore. Most of the most beautiful sights I saw were on these walks. I did all the extra excursions and I think all of them are worth it. The mud baths were so much fun, and the guide was really knowledgeable. We managed to see turtles as well. You have to go to the night out in Marmaris, it was by far the most fun night. The visit to the old town was the only one that slightly disappointed me, I was expecting to see more, but it was still quite interesting. You also get the opportunity to buy handmade rugs, that compared to the Bodrum price are much cheaper. Lastly, the Turkish baths were an experience. All I can say is loads of soap, water and very hairy Turkish men. Lastly, the highlight of the week were the other travellers. I don't know if I was just really lucky but what made the experience even better was them. We had people from Canada, Australia, LA, New York, England, India, South Africa and Belgium. Because you spend so much time with everyone you get to know each person really well and by the end of the week we were almost reduced to tears every time someone left. You really do make and International family. Its very hard to convey had much fun this trip was through words. It is a trip I will remember for the rest of my life. If you are considering it I really recommend you do it, you will not regret it. Other tips and comments If you are coming from the airport take the shuttle, its only 10 lira and very comfortable. If you are going to exchange money, do it in post offices, the exchange rate is much better. Turkey is very cheap. The first night I went out for dinner and it ended up being about 2 english pounds.

If you want to UNWIND for a week on the most gorgeous water you'll ever see, this is the trip of a lifetime. I so enjoyed relaxing, swimming, snorkeling, jumping off the boat, sleeping on deck in the fresh air, getting to know the Captain and crew, and exploring places of Turkey only accessible by boat. I absolutely loved it. Every morning I woke up to the sun shining down on me in a new, gorgeous Turkish harbor. Accomodations were clean but cramped and VERY hot. Two people in a very small cabin with a private toilette/shower. Most travellers chose to find a sleepig spot on deck in the fresh sea air. The July temperatures were prime for this. Not many people get the opportunity to do this in their lifetimes, and I really liked it. Each meal was exquisitely fresh and scrumptious. Mostly simple dishes, but they were made with such fresh ingredients that they were really good. Everyone is served the same thing for each meal -- there are no options, so this could be a challenge for picky eaters or people with food allergies. The crew were SO helpful, although they spoke very little English, they kept the boat immaculately clean. There were two party nights on the town, which was great. We found some very enchanting clubs and bars. Highly recommend the Catamaran Club on Bodrum. Otherwise VERY laid-back tour. It was fun having only 14 passengers total. We were like a family. All of our meals were together. If you need, you can find a private space for some alone time, but everyone got along really well and I personally didn't lack for privacy. If you want an action-packed, thrill-a-minute experience, this is NOT the tour for you. But if you seriously need to get away from it all, and not have to plan anything or think about anything except what bathing suit to wear, this trip is AMAZING. Did I mention I really loved it? That said, there are lots of exploring opportunities are available, so you can choose how active you want to be. Would highly recommend taking advantage of the additional cultural and shopping opportunities offered. They're reasonably priced for what you get to see and do. WiFi was available the entire time we were aboard, which was a great surprise. It has a cost, as do ALL of the drinks. Bottled water was $0.30, sparkling water $0.50, soda $2.00, Beer $3.00, bottles of wine $14 - 20.

if you're thinking of booking the Turkish Sailing, DO, #NOREGRETS. TURKEY IS BEAUTIFUL. This was mine and a girlfriends first Contiki, we didn't know what to expect but the trip was amazing - so much better than we could have ever imagined! The crew are lovely; there's the Captain, chef and first mate, Mehmet! They're all really nice and willing to help you with whatever, whenever! They all got involved, joining us on our night out in Marmaris, the Captain even got the beer-bong out on Pirate Night (Thursday). They're very laid back and let you do what you want (I was aloud to drive the speedboat!) - but make sure you get them involved because they truly are lovely people! The food is great; its all healthy and consists of a lot of rice, pasta, meat, fish & veggies. There's cornflakes for breakfast alongside eggs, sausages and bread with jams etc. The bar is on tab which you will pay the Friday night before you leave for your last night out. Mine was around 80euros for the week, and I did have a fair few bottles of wine! They also let me pay for my tab in pounds. FYI, there is Wifi on the boat, speak with the Captain and he'll give you the password - 15euros for the week! (which will be added to your tab) But do note that because of the remote location the boats docked at night the Wifi wasn't always working! The boat was bigger than expected, and did have electricity for phone chargers etc. (however the generators are only on for a few hours in the evening, although the Captain will tell you when). The rooms are tiny and all have a private 'bathroom' with a toilet, shower and sink. We slept on the deck every night, because the rooms were so hot and was gladly woken by the breakfast bell every morning! The stars were absolutely beautiful, and luckily due to the diverse group of people - I learnt a tonne; about sailing, stars, navigations etc.! The boat has lots of flippers, snorkels, spaghetti floaties and even a kayak which is available for everyone to use. I'd recommend that everyone does all the excursions available; there was only 5/32 who wanted to do the Village Tour, and personally this was one of my favourite. We were picked up by a local from the Village (Etrim Village) who took us to the local mosque and told us the background of the village and about the Turkish culture. We had tea at the local teahouse, homemade wine and then traditional Turkish pancakes made by his mother, which was delicious! Here we got an opportunity to find out about how Turkish carpets are made and could purchase some at the village shop. It was a very informative trip which I would have been gutted if I missed! FYI, on the first day a lady will come to the boat who will give everyone an overview of the trip, this is when you book and pay for your excursions. Packing; there isn't much room for your bags in the room, so go light! We lived in bikinis during the day, and sometimes even still had them on after dinner! We went 'outout' three times; our first night in Bodrum at the Whitehouse, then a wicked night in Marmaris and again back to the Whitehouse on the last Friday. One thing I will note is to bring good walking shoes/trainers; we went on a hike which was a HIKE, the hill was really steep and rocky and couldn't be done without trainers. It was a mission but take some bevvys with you to watch the sun set when you get up there! Plus, you get to do watersports (jetskis, flying fish, banana boats, ringos at additional cost) on the Friday before you head back into Bodrum! We were always totally oblivious of the time at all times, but that's what we wanted! Honestly couldn't have asked for a better trip and would defiantly recommend this to everyone! We were really lucky to have had two boats going together, we had the opportunity to meet some great people! Worth every penny spent :)

this trip was my third contiki (euro inspiration and big indochina). this is the only contiki that is actually relaxing! your pictures will literally look exactly like the contiki stock photos- the water is perfect. the boat is pretty dumpy, but that's what you get when you're paying $500usd for a week including food. the bathroom is basically in your room.. you'll find out quickly that your room will flood when you take a shower :) the rooms are so small that you can't open the door fully.... BUT NONE OF THAT MATTERS. the water and landscape are seriously paradise. you'll spend your days laying out in the sun and swimming. our cook (mehmet) made us three meals a day and then tea time with coffee and cookies usually. the food is fantastic. there isn't much night life except for when you're in marmaris or bodrum. i wish i had packed way more lounge clothes than going out clothes. i had an exceptional trip and luckily with exceptional people. wish it never ended and we still all think back fondly about it!! if you're unsure about booking this- DO IT!

The only way to start this review is to say this trip was the best experience of my life so far and you need to do yourself a favour a book this tour!! Honestly you spend 8 days sailing around the Aegean Sea drinking, eating, tanning, sleeping and swimming. You get to just switch off and relax, no phones, no WiFi (although you can buy it onboard but why would you?) and no distractions. You never know what time of the day it is until the bell rings for meals. First the boat is incredible and i love that you are on a traditional Turkish Gulet. You share a room and bathroom with one other person, the rooms are small and you do share a double bed but everyone used the beds to put their luggage and stuff on and everyone usually sleeps up on deck on the tanning beds which is a amazing experience to sleep and under the stars. Although a few nights i slept inside due to it being quite cold and i got sick on the boat (Contiki Cough). The food on this trip is INCREDIBLE thanks to the lovely Mehmet. You get 3 meals a day and afternoon tea which is biscuits/cakes and tea or coffee. The food was my favourite part of the tour, its all fresh and incredible healthy but tastes delicious. Drinks you put on a tab that you pay for at the end of the trip. In my opinion the drinks were quite cheap but cheaper in stores on land. It was 50c for a bottle of water and a beer was 3 euro. I ended up only spending 55 euro. The places we went to were incredibly beautiful and the water was always crystal clear and turquoise blue although very salty. Defiantly go on land when we dock as we saw some amazing ruins and the walk up the hill to watch the sunset was spectacular although the hill to get up and down is bloody hard and everyone ended up with scratches and bruises. I defiantly recommend doing all the extras as i regret not doing them all. I regret not doing the mud baths as everyone who did it on my tour said it was really fun and they saw some turtles. Defiantly do Marmaris as its a really fun night out although i felt horrible the next day. Hungover on a moving boat is not the best idea. The turkish baths was probably my favourite such a awesome experience, defiantly pay extra for a massage. The crew were another favourite part of the tour Captain JJ and the two Mehmets were so much fun and always eager to join in and go out with us at night even though they do this tour every week for 26 weeks straight! They didn't speak much english but were always up for a conversation and to play card games and drink with us. The people i meet on this trip were amazing and you really get to know each other as you spend so much time together. The others in my group were from England, Germany, Canada, Australia, NZ and USA. Altogether this tour has been a highlight of my travels this year and i would defiantly do it again.

This trip was easily one of the best weeks of my life. We had 15 people on the trip plus 3 crew members. Everyone was incredible and we bonded so well. We had a range of people from ages 24 – 32 with some who partied hard and others who were more low-key. The crewmembers were fun and joined in on all of the action with us. They even did a midnight jump into the water with us! ALL of our meals were included, and delicious, which made the trip affordable and so easy. The weather was nothing less than PERFECT. While the views from the boat were amazing, every time we dropped anchor we saw essentially the same thing. The optional day trip to the Mud Baths and Turtle Beach and the night trip to Marmaris were SO WORTH IT. It was a full day out, but after spending so many days just hanging out on the boat, it was great to get out and see some historical sights. The nightlife in Marmaris was incredible and unexpected. Don’t forget to try some waterpipe when you are there and grab a late night Doner Kebab! What to bring: DON’T pack a large suitcase. There’s little room for “extras” on the boat. All you need is bathing suits and a few “going-out” outfits anyways, so you don’t need too much. Make sure to bring a towel, sweatpants/sweatshirt (it can get cool at night, especially if you sleep up on the deck like we did), and sunscreen. A great mix on your ipod is good too – the boat has speakers! I would recommend tacking on a few days in Istanbul before or after the trip as the city is not to be missed. I had the greatest week ever and I am already planning my next Contiki! I only wish I discovered these trips in my 20’s so I didn’t get aged-out so soon!

Our group was made up of 13 passengers (accommdates up to 16) and 3 crew members. The ages ranged from 19-31 but everyone got along great and we quickly became a family. The crew was great. Some review said that they have limited English. Yes English is not their first language but they are very socialble and it does not stop them from talking with you and joining in the activities on and off the boat. Transfers with Contiki are not included and upon arrival I luckily met up with two other Contiki travelers and we shared a taxi to the pier. It is about a 40 min taxi ride and a flat rate of 110 Lira for the one way. There is also a bus that runs from the airport to the bus station, which is 14 Lira. The bus station is about 5 block from the ship. Most of us didn't know about the bus so didn't use it on the way there but used it for our transfer back to the airport. Upon arrival it said to look for the Barbados booth. None of us found the booth however while wandering the pier we were met by a local who asked if we were from Contiki and led up to the boat. The boat has a contiki flag and the walkway a contiki sign so I recommend just looking for the Conitki signage. I flew in the day the tour started and flew out the day the tour ended. If you have the time I would highly recommend extending your trip and spending an extra night in Bodrum. Most of our group did extend their stay in Bodrum and it was sad to be one of the only ones departing and leaving our family. Borum has a number or ruins and a castle to explore. I have also been told that jewelry shopping is best in Bodrum, better than Istanbul. Not the tourist market but actual stores. The tourist market is the same as in Istanbul. Don't know that the about the actual jewelry stores since I didn't have a chance to go shopping. Meals on board the ship are DELCICIOUS!!! We never have left overs. Memet, the chef, is AMZAING! Always a variety of dishes to try. Excursions - The Mudbath was the best part of the day excursion. After doing it, I don't know I would do it again. I would have rather spent the day enjoying the sun on the boat. The Marmais night is a definate must. It was amazing. The club they took us to, The Arena, was fantastic. Just outside the club is a place that has amazing kebobs for cheap, a great snack before heading back to the boat. Everyone on our ship went on this excursion and loved it. Packing - I completely overpacked! We pretty much lived in our swim suite so I really only needed a couple swim suites, a pair of shorts and a tank top or two, clothes for our two nights out and warm clothes for at night (as it does get cold) and in case of rain. Space is really limited so if you have a large suite case it makes getting around in your cabin quite difficult. One thing that none of us packed is Aloe. I definately recommend packing some as if the weather is nice you will need sunscreen and aloe. I can't say anything bad about this trip. It was so amazing. I would definately do it again. It was so relaxing. The perfect way to unwind after 10 days of traveling throughout Turkey.

My days consisted of sunbathing, swimming, reading, playing card games, Listening to music, drinking beer, eating and REPEAT for 8 days!! This tour is so laid back We were very lucky as we were a double departure so our boat was massive!! Three stories high. We had a tour guide on our trip to keep us under control but on the smaller boats you don’t usually get one, its just the crew. Make sure you do all the option excursions because its nice to get off the boat and do something a little different. Clubbing in Bodrum is lots of fun. Big tip!! There are buses that leave the airport for Bodrum for $10 Turkish Lira. I asked around and they said the buses weren’t running that day so I paid $150 Turkish Lira for a one way taxi.. I got lied to and ripped off. Apparently there is a sign but myself and a few others didn’t see it. I was a bit confused where to meet my Contiki tour. Basically Bodrum is a small sea side town. The boats are all lined up in one area. Just walk along the waters edge and wait until you see a huge Contiki sign you can’t miss it!! The food on this tour is amazing! You defiantly won’t go hungry. Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Dinner, Dessert, Snacks.. You name it!! They even come around with Ice-creams for you to purchase. Drinks are really cheap too and there pours are very generous!! I made friends for life on this tour!! Such a huge mix of people ( South Africans, Canadians, Kiwis, Aussies, Americans, English) This is a must do trip!!

OK so I'm a Canadian who lived in London (UK) for a year and a half, and did a lot of travelling in my time there. (I've now returned to Toronto, this was my last trip) This trip was definitely one of my favourites, if not THE favourite, for so many reasons. Turkey was definitely NOT what I expected... I guess I didn't expect anything -- call it geographic ignorance, I just had no idea that Turkey was so beautiful. I had no idea what to expect as to Turkish food and Turkish people -- and let me tell you that both were phenomenal. Let me share some memories with you.... THE BOAT: - so good. good size for the number of people we had (15 + 3 crew), basically everyone slept on the deck every night, we ate every meal as a family at the dinner table at the back of the boat. you get partnered up for a twin room (2x people per room, 1 bed) that has a bathroom with toilet/shower/sink. hot water was available from 20 minutes after the engine starts, until it runs out for the day if you're anchored down. so basically all the time, with the exception of when we docked for the evening/night. THE CREW: - really really nice. JJ the captain is hilarious, and made sure that everyone had a great time on and off the boat. Suat was the bartender but he did everything on the boat, and took turns with JJ when accompanying us on our nights out to clubs and out on the town. Really cool guy, probably speaks the best english out of the 3 of them. Memet the cook - we all wanted to bring him home. He rarely said anything, he understands english but doesn't speak much. His cooking though... which leads me to... THE FOOD: - the food on the boat is AMAZING. Memet and his cooking skills are the best. A lot of us actually lost weight on our trip because we were eating regular meals that were HEALTHY -- breakfast was generally a table of eggs, some kind of meat (sausage / ham), sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, bread, jam, tea/coffee. lunch and dinner were a feast of healthy salads, pastas/rice, meat/fish dishes, etc. we always had tea time as well -- when that bell rings for meal time, you haul ass out of the water for food every day lol. THE DRINKS: - are not included, unfortunately. but bottles of water is cheaper on the boat vs outside -- 0.35 euros per bottle. we went through lots of them lol. cans of beer (not tall boys) are 3 euros per can, which is more than what you would buy at a convenience store. but they don't allow outside drinks on the boat, and the crew get in trouble if you sneak them in. few of us snuck in big bottles of water and some bottles of vodka from time to time, but generally drank lots of beers on the boat. there's a paper tab set up for each person at the bar, the crew will write a tick next to your name for whatever you had and you settle the tab at the end of the trip. i ended up paying a 70 euro tab at the end -- which wasn't as bad as some of the boys lol. THE WATER: - is SALTY AS HELL. i haven't encountered such salty waters besides when I was in Croatia. You can basically float by just being in the water because there's so much salt in it. so make sure to hose down with fresh water after each dip, otherwise the salt will cake on your skin/hair and it's not good for you. THE FAMILY: - so basically during your 8 days on the boat, you become REALLY CLOSE with everyone on the boat, as you spend so much time together. we were the first time that this trip had to have 2 boats because there were so many people -- my boat had 15 people, and the other boat had about 12 i believe. the 2 boats travelled together most of the time but we didn't really hang out with the other boat. as Contiki is an Australian company, there were tons of Aussies -- the other boat was actually 12 Australians. our boat was (thankfully) more diverse --- we had 5 Canadians, 4 Australians, 3 New Zealanders, 2 South Africans, and 1 British --- age 19 to 35. such diverse group of people made for some really interesting life stories and "never have i never" games ;) DAILY LIFE: - basically you don't know what time it is or what day it is.. which is exactly what most of us wanted. you wake up in the morning with the gentle shining of the sun while laying on the deck beds, birds are chirping, the boat is moving so you're hearing all the water lapping around you... the 2 South Africans that were with us brought guitars/ukeleles and would gently strum music all the time - so imagine all that happening basically all the time. it was incredibly relaxing, you basically do whatever you want -- nap on the boat, jump in the water (when the boat is stopped/anchored), go snorkelling, walk around the village and sit at a cafe for wifi (if available), play cards, drink, etc CONTIKI COUGH: - is real. basically it's a viral cough infection (lol) that gets spread during Contiki trips because a lot of people do back to back Contiki tours -- when you're spending so many days in a boat / bus / plane with so many people, when one person gets sick - you all get sick. and then you carry that to your next Contiki trip and spread it there, and so on and so on. i didn't catch it until probably the 3rd last day of the trip, so that wasn't too horrible. it's a wet cough, and will last about 2-3 weeks after your trip. not nice. stock up on vitamins and barroca (vitamin tablets) on the trip so you can try to keep your immune system up. (and i'm exaggerating, not EVERYONE gets sick) EXCURSIONS: - personally, i wouldn't bother with the mud bath one -- which is 50 euros (a lot of money). you get on a bus, go to this little park area where there's tons of other tourists, you go into a small pool of muddy water that stinks of sulfur -- in blazing sun by the way, i thought it would be shaded or in a cave or something -- and then you shower that off, go into a hot springs water that smells equally bad, then go to a shitty restaurant for some mediocre buffet-style food. - the turkish bath is INTERESTING. i won't tell you more, it's a once in a lifetime experience... lol. MAKE SURE TO WEAR YOUR BIKINI/SWIMMING TRUNK TO THE SPA. no matter what that weird travel guide girl tells you (who randomly comes on the boat from time to time), make sure you wear a swimsuit under your clothes. i went in a beige coloured thong and immediately regretted it as soon as i was in a room with 4 hairy Turkish men with buckets of water in their hands. i'd recommend it, mostly for the stories lol. TIPS: - you can buy things like sunscreen / bug spray whenever you dock in a town, which is every couple days, so don't worry too much about that. - there are wasps EVERYWHERE when you anchor near land or when you dock. at least they were when i was travelling in the beginning of July. they stung a couple of us, so if you get stung, use a credit card to gently scrape off the residue and put some cream on it - speaking of cream, bring some antihistamines, heat rash cream, medicine for diarrhea/stomachaches, pain killers, band aids, etc. There's so many more, I posted a bunch of pictures and tagged locations on my instagram so might be worth checking that if you're interested in the trip! IG: @kokoberries

Hands down amazing trip. I'll start with the crew: they are so kind and very helpful, really knowledgeable about the area and even happy to swim/dance/stay up talking with us all. On our tour we had three, which I think is probably standard (Captain, first mate, chef). The Captain even shared some basic star gazing and easy navigation tips with us (because you never know). They were fantastic! The Food: Excellent, The chef was constantly outdoing himself. Lots of different dishes, always had a salad available and hot food options at every meal, lots of eggplant :D. The Bar was always open but don't expect a huge variety. There was Beer, Vodka, Gin and Raki. The small amount of Rum that was available was gone by the third day. But there were tons of soft drink/juice options for us to choose from. The boat: I won't lie... you're sharing a small room with someone you've never met (unless traveling in a pair) and it gets pretty hot. Sleeping on deck is a great option, bring warm pjs because it can get pretty cold at night (We went in May so I'm not sure how it is at night in July!) If you're sleeping on deck take your blankets/towels in for the day because I noticed things would get really damp in the evening so you may end up with wet blankets! They give you a thin blanket, wool blanket and a towel but it's good to bring your own towel because they don't like theirs to be used for swimming (plus you don't want to constantly be using a wet towel). Swimming: You're allowed floaties, and they have flippers/snorkels/masks on deck for your use, and it's really awesome exploring the water so definitely check it out! Outings: You stop at a few sea side towns that are pretty cute. They were a bit dead the time of year we went but I'm sure they're a little more bustling in the summer time. When it comes to the paid outings I had my heart set on going to the mud baths but we needed 10/16 people on the boat to agree to go, so it didn't happen. Don't get set on going on one of the outings just in case it doesn't happen, that way you won't end up disappointed! We did go to the Turkish Baths which was ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING YOU SHOULD NOT MISS! If you don't get to do it with Contiki just go do it, it was a really great experience. Boat life: I brought earplugs to sleep in, this is really helpful because you never know who will be up and different people have different schedules. The earplugs did not manage to block out the call to prayer on the first and last mornings while docked in Bodrum, but it was interesting to hear... for the first 30 seconds. There is a plug in each room and a power bar by the stereo, bring your international plugs converters if you're not already from Europe! I severely over packed for this trip, like I said earlier the rooms are small. I found it cramped and I only had a carry on, and my roommate had a backpack (lost luggage). Luckily my carry on fit under the bed, but I didn't need half of what I brought. We spent most of the day in bathing suits and put on lounge clothes in the evening. If you're cool with it just bring a small amount of lounge wear and rewear it. No judgement, we all did it. You'll need two outfits for going to the bar if you're into the nightlife but other than than bathing suits with a bathing suit cover were fine for all the seaside stops (unless they weren't and I was secretly just being indecent ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) We had an amazing group, I feel incredibly lucky to have met all the people that were on our tour and I absolutely recommend this trip!! I would go back tomorrow if I didn't have a job or need money.. sad adult life. I hope this was helpful! Enjoy your Contiki experience!!!