Gulet ESMA SULTAN

A few weeks ago, I told my wife I wanted to visit family in the Netherlands. She agreed but wanted to go to another country for half the visit just to see something new. She was thinking Belgium or Germany or? The first thing I did was start looking for a last minute catamaran to charter. We have never done this before and did not know what to expect. I read lots of warnings on the internet about booking from smaller companies, but this was the only boat available in our price range. We were also a little unsure about travel in Turkey, with all the world news lately etc. We are back on the docks after an absolutely amazing time on the water and totally enjoyed the hospitality of the Turkish people we have met on our travels. The people at Aura Charters are excellent to work with and full of smiles and quick to help. I just wanted to send you this message of thanks and appreciation for everything you have done for us.
I wish you fair winds and following seas

Wayne Lakerveld
Canada
lakerveld77[at]gmail.com

Thank you from me and my family for your service. The boat was perfect

and comfortable, transfer and other services were excellent!

We have a lot of positive emotions during our trip from Marmaris to Gocek, visiting

a lot of picturesque places and meeting interesting people.

Vitali, Alena, Alina and Uliana
Ukraine
spamanenado@gmail.com

Tim & Ginny Le Couteur
New Zealand
tglecouteur[at]gmail.com

This was our first sail in Turkish waters, in an area we know little of and also the first time crossing international borders sailing. These, together with the idea that I am dealing with a company of which the reputation can only be gauged through previous reviews, raised many questions. Although all of these were promptly and efficiently answered by Necmi during the months long planning stage of the trip, I was still a little apprehensive about what we would encounter once we got there.

On arrival in Bodrum, we received clear directions to the marina in Turgutreis where all the formalities were handled in a very friendly, yet professional manner by SHY, allowing us to depart on an unforgettable holiday experience. Additional information on custom agents on the Greek islands were accurate, but at the same time could not match the excellent service we received from all the officials and the charter company throughout the trip. Everybody really went out of their way to ensure we felt welcome and without any need to worry about anything. Any problems encountered with the boat were dealt with efficiently and we were refunded for any interim expenditure to get us going again.

Thank you Necmi, for your patience with all our questions and for organising the ideal boat! I am not sure what your involvement was with the organisation of the perfect weather we experienced, but thank you for that too! Also pass on our gratitude to Cigdem Ulu from SHY for her assistance and efforts in making sure that their services were tailored to our needs. Also to Vassilis Kapadakis from the Kalymna Yachting Club and Dimitris Kastis from Greek Yacht Services on Leros, for their assistance with moorings, supplies, custom clearance, immigration and general advice.

From the entire crew of Carmen, thank you all for making our holiday a very special experience. We certainly hope we will be able to do this again in the not too distant future.

Sincere regards
Henk Lourens
South Africa
henk[at]glarch.co.za