Impact Z

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

We really loved sailing in Turkey and everything was very professional. The boat was excellent and in fine conditions and the skipper was technically, as far as we can evaluate, very good. In the first day we change the itinerary that was initially (Marmaris – Bodrum) agreed with no problem and we did a bigger course and went to marvellous places and paradisiacal bays. We were so lucky that we even saw two Dolphins and one sperm-whale!!

Patricia Aguiar
Portugal
patricia.aguiar[at]db.com

Our recent two week holiday with Captain Cevat, Hassan & Bulent onboard Yildizhanlar 11 with 3 other couples from Australia, I would describe as a wonderful life experience that was thoroughly enjoyable with lovely memories!

Where to start? The scenery from Bodrum to Gocek was incredible, the swimming in such clear tranqual waters amazing.

The food Bulent cooked was absolutely devine, always varied and obviously lots of preparation and thought put into each meal, we ate like kings and queens! The chips in the morning omelette, the fresh fish and chicken dishes were a real hit!

Captain Cevat was a delight, his knowledge of the areas we travelled, his expertise sailing and handling his gulet was obvious and reassuring, we felt very safe and looked after. We appreciated that Captain Cevat took the time to accompany us on some of our excursions, we obviously learnt more about the surroundings by having him with us to ask any questions and knowing where to go to get the best view.

But the real hidden treasure onboard Yildizhanlar 11 was Hassan, his gentle, obliging manner to our every whim was just amazing. Hassan made a point to remember what each of us liked to drink upon waking, he would have a lovely cup of turkish tea, coffee or apple tea ready for us. All throughout the day, Hassan made sure we were comfortable, well fed and watered (including the best “knock your socks off” gin and tonics!) he took care of “all” our domestic duties. Hassan did this in a very unobtrusive and professional manner, it was an absolute delight to of met him. (His smile is priceless!)

I could not fault our trip, it was just what we were looking for, lots of relaxing, reading, eating, relaxing, sleeping, eating, drinking, sleeping!

I hope other Australians take advantage of this wonderful adventure and have a wonderful trip on a gulet like us.

Russell Harrison
Australia
harro[at]omninet.net.au

Thank you very much for arranging our Turkish Gulet holiday in July, 2009. This was our second boating holiday with Boating Turkey, and we absolutely loved it! We chartered the Miriam Sophie, a 28 metre luxury gulet with two other families, and cruised from Marmaris, through Turkey, to Symi and Rhodes. Our captain and his family, who were the crew, were very amenable, and did everything they could to make our trip fantastic. The food was superb, you really wonder how they can whip up such great dishes on a boat! The coves and islands we visited were all gorgeous, and the highlight I think was our 3 nights in Symi, the harbour was just gorgeous, with Italian colonial architecture and brilliant cafes, then the following 2 nights were spent in little coves with the most magnificent blue water to swim in. The captain also took us to his home port in Turkey, Green Village, which was delightful.

The itinerary was very flexible, and crew happy to accommodate our choices. The boat was immaculately maintained, the cabins were large and roomy, the bathrooms were spacious and had a proper shower and toilet. There was loads of deck space both up front with sunbeds for all, and at the rear, which was enormous. We loved to sleep on deck, falling asleep with the stars at night. The captain was very skilled, we were amazed how he could manoevre such a large boat into tight spaces.

All in all, we had a brilliant experience. The booking and organization process was extremely simple, easy and smooth, and Necmi was very patient with us as we changed plans several times during the booking and departure period. The drinks etc were all pre-ordered via the net.

If you want a truly relaxing holiday, the sun and breeze in your face and not a care in the world, you can't beat this. No TV (they did actually have TV but we didn't tell the kids that) no phones, no worries.....

Fiona Vandernagel
Australia
fionaofarabia[at]yahoo.com.au