Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
»
Often concentrate on a particular cruise niche, such as luxury or activity-based adven-
ture.
»
Don't expect a pool, spa, large cabin or plethora of dining options.
CRUISING INDEPENDENTLY
Yachting is an amazing way to sail the seas, offering the freedom to visit remote
and uninhabited islands. If you can't afford to buy a yacht, there are several other
options. You can hire a bare boat (a yacht without a crew) if two crew members
have a sailing certificate. Prices start at €1700 per week; check out
Set Sail Holi-
days
(
www.setsail.co.uk
)
. If you'd rather have someone else do the sailing for you,
Trekking Hellas (
Click here
)
offers a fully crewed, fully loaded yacht that sleeps 10
gers, allowing you to be as involved as you like in the sailing. Prices start from
€840/1280 per single/double per week.
Hellenic Yachting Server
(
www.yachting.gr
)has general information on sailing
around the islands and lots of links, including information on chartering yachts.
The sailing season is from April to October, although July to September is most
popular. Unfortunately, it also happens to be when themeltemi(dry northerly
wind) is at its strongest. This isn't an issue in the Ionian Sea, where the main sum-
mer wind is themaïstros,a light to moderate northwesterly that rises in the after-
noon and usually dies away at sunset.
Itineraries
International cruises tend to visit Greece in combination with ports from other countries
- usually Italy, Turkey and Croatia, often beginning at one port and ending at another.
Greece-based cruises usually focus solely on ports within Greece and offer round trips.
These cruises are often much more destination focused, with one or two stops each day.
The crew are usually Greek, adding to the feel of authenticity, and cuisine and entertain-
ment is more locally based with a bit of international flavour thrown in. Some Greek-
based cruise lines worth checking out include:
»
Golden Star
(
www.golden-star-cruises.com
)
»
Louis Cruises
(
www.louiscruises.com
)
»
Variety Cruises
(
www.varietycruises.com
)
»
Windstar Cruises
(
www.windstarcruises.com
)
