If you do your research, spending time on a Gulet in Turkey could be one of your most relaxing holidays ever.
Starting Out
Our first experience on a Gulet could best be described as a leap of faith with a soft landing of ignorance. That said, we've been coming back for more almost every summer. Research is key to ensuring you have the best experience that fits your needs however you will find there is a scarcity of useful reviews or information about specific Gulets, operators or the process itself. This post aims to demystify things a bit for those who haven't had this kind of holiday before.
The following is focused more on smaller Gulets tested with a family of four however most of the information is applicable across the board. If you are bringing the children, the success or failure of this adventure is going to relate, at least to some extent, on their age. E.g. bored, grumpy teens on a boat for a week might not be everyone's idea of relaxation. One option is to throw money at the problem by bringing a friend, specifying motorised water sports etc. Of course the best thing for everyone is to lie in the sun and read a book but hey. With most Gulets designed to accommodate multiple parties, it's a holiday well-suited for a larger group of friends or family provided you can survive a week together in close quarters at sea.
Ceylan, a good example of a 3-cabin, 20 metre Gulet (photos that follow are of Ceylan)
What is a Gulet?
A traditional Turkish Gulet is a hand-built wooden motor sailing yacht, typically with ketch or schooner rigging with 1-3 foresails. They range in size from about 15 metres to 50+ and are designed for cruising along the coast or further afield ("blue cruise"); usually at around 8 knots (which is not particularly fast). While rigged for sailing, the vast majority of time is spent cruising with the motor however many will unfurl the sails on request or if the captain feels like the conditions are right. Gulets operate predominantly in Turkey, Greece, Croatia and to a lesser extent, Italy. The large, rounded aftdeck area usually houses comfortable seating and dining areas while the foredeck has a large area for sun loungers, shade sails and deck area. The larger Gulets have many other comforts such as jacuzzis, multiple seating areas, water toys etc.
Cabin Charters
For many people, a cabin charter is what comes to mind when you say the word Gulet. This is where you have one of the cabins on a shared yacht with other people. This is either your worst nightmare (mine) or your idea of the best week of your life. The obvious problem / opportunity is that you have no control over who your fellow passengers will be. If this is your thing, great - but I'm sticking to having the place to myself.
Interior
Given the near-perfect summer weather in Turkey you probably won't want to spend a lot of time inside. However, it does pay to take careful look at the photos of the cabins in particular. Unless you prefer to eat inside for whatever reason, the main salon area isn't the most important part of the boat but take a note of when the boat was last refitted to give you an idea of likely wear and tear on the cabins. The photos are often from when it was freshly refitted so if it's say 8-10 years ago you can expect it will be a little tired. There are three main areas this can manifest in:
Bathrooms - e.g. partially working shower heads, general cleanliness, smells etc. We take our own small cleaning kit as the daily cleaning by the crew is perfunctory at best.
Air-conditioning - can be noisy and/or ineffective.
Cabin equipment - you might find things that haven't been fixed (e.g. audio systems, lights) that are not essential but nice to have.
If you are very squeamish about bathrooms then it might pay to book a higher spec boat. But equally, looking out the porthole to sparkling blue sea every morning might make up for it.
Photo: Goolets.net (Salon)
Cabins
Depending on the boat the cabins will be in slightly different configurations. For the master, the best position is probably aft as you get the full beam of the boat but that means you are usually next to the galley. Other boats have all the cabins at the front which means the master will narrow at one end and may split the beds. Otherwise, expect a lot of polished timber and often a fridge which is handy (see below).
Photo: Goolets.net (Master Cabin)
Air-Conditioning
Most charters will specify air-conditioning can run for a maximum of 8 hours per day. The crew usually have a schedule they work to but you can ask them to vary that within reason. Unless you are in port with shore power the electricity comes from the diesel generator which is fairly noisy and is switched off around midnight when you are anchoring in a cove with other boats. The cabins do get a bit stuffy at night so some people prefer to sleep on deck. It's warm enough to do that comfortably with a Turkish towel but spray on the mosquito repellent first.
Exterior
This is the reason you are on a Gulet in the first place and hopefully where you will spend the bulk of your time. The aft deck almost always has a large seating area perfect for lounging with a cold drink at the end of a day in the sun. There is also a dining table with shading from the sun where you will take all your meals unless the weather is really terrible. At the front of the boat there are sun loungers arrayed across the flat areas usually covered with a sun sail.
Photo: Goolets.net
Swimming access is via steps that are lowered when at anchor or just driving off the bow sprit as my children loved to do. The boat usually supplies some basic kit like flotation noodles, snorkels, flippers etc. however we found it better to BYO snorkels. (Tip: Decathlon (in Europe) sell excellent full-face snorkelling masks which are far easier and more enjoyable than the traditional set-up).
Itinerary
This is where personal preferences really come into play. If you are working with a good charter agency they will help you build an appropriate itinerary tailored to your preferences. You'll confirm everything with the Captain before you disembark on the first day but you can always make changes during the journey. Most Captains have their standard routes and favourite bays to spend the night in but if you're not happy with something just ask even if it might be a little awkward.
Some people (e.g. us) prefer to spend the vast majority of their time on the boat and on the water. Others like to mix it up and eat in local restaurants, visit ports for shopping (e.g. Marmaris, Bodrum, Gocek), visit nightclubs etc. Even if you are spending most of the time at sea, it is nice to have a break from the boat even for a few hours a couple of times during the week. For the last few charters we have started from Fethiye which is not as flashy as Marmaris or Bodrum but a nice enough town that has a good marina with a supermarket (see Provisions).
Marmaris Marina
Insider Tips
Charters typically start at 4:00pm so depending on flight timetables you may have to arrive the day before (usually the case from the UK). If time permits then spending one or two nights before the charter in a local hotel/resort is a good way to ease into things. Typically, you'll board around 4:00pm, talk things over with the charter agent and captain, get settled in and head off in the early evening to anchor off for the night.
If in Fethiye, we've stayed at the Yacht Classic Hotel several times. It's not the Four Seasons but charming in it's own way. However, it does have fantastic pools, a beautiful breakfast terrace on the water and a great swim-up bar / restaurant which serves family friendly food (not a bad idea when making your kids eat local Turkish food for a week).
On your last night, your crew will probably be keen to take you back to port and overnight there. Resist this if at all possible. Spending a night on Gulet in port is very hot (no breeze), noisy and usually right next to two other boats. We ask to anchor in a nearby cove and head into port early in the morning. Check-out is 10:00am so there's plenty of time for that unless you have a really early flight to catch.
Provisioning
Your charter agent should ask you to submit a preference sheet as part of the booking process. This is your chance to specify any specific requests regarding the food in particular. We're typically happy to leave it to the chef which means local Turkish dishes including fresh fish, barbecues etc. and it's generally delicious. You may get (or ask for) a sample menu and you can knock out things you don't like. For example, we said skip the Chinese night (we'll save that for when we're in China), go easy on the deep-fried options and no hot deserts.
Depending on your preferences for snacks, you may need to be quite specific or supplement with your own even. Let's just say that the preference sheet can be more of a guide sometimes so if something is particularly important to you it's best to make that really clear or bring it yourself. For example, both my children are big cereal fans however getting milk (even long-life) has been a bit of a challenge. It's not easy to figure out at the supermarket either (some things that look like milk are not what you'd expect) so if this is important, it's probably a good one to specify.
Drinks
Clearly a very important area in a yacht charter. You can take a hands-off approach here and add it all to the provisions list or, as we've done for the past few years, do a bit of pre-departure shopping. In Fethiye, for example, there is a decent supermarket in the marina where you can stock up on your own preference of drinks and snacks and they can deliver it to your boat. Other ports have wine stores where you can pre-order and have delivered to the boat.
Imported wine is expensive and relatively hard to get in Turkey so consider a bit of BYO or pre-order from a wine merchant. Turkish wine is passable but stick to the higher end of the price range. One of the biggest challenges on smaller Gulets is refrigeration. With the generator running for a maximum of 8 hours per day, that's also the same amount of time the fridges are on. Some Gulets are adding solar panels which helps but keeping the drinks cold requires a bit of creativity sometimes. Gulets usually have chest type fridges in the aft deck which can have ice added where possible. Or the small fridges in the cabins often stay colder for longer so we tend to keep a supply in there.
Dining
As mentioned, the default menu options are local Turkish dishes and this is a good thing. The chefs are experienced enough to know that there are some crowd pleasers for fussy children but equally when you are floating in some remote cove with a few goats on the shore for company, there isn't much choice if they are hungry. The most important thing is to carefully think through things you like and don't like and make that clear in the preferences. That said, being overly detailed and prescriptive can lead to misinterpretation and lost in translation moments so my suggestion is to focus on what's really important and take a relaxed attitude to the rest.
Meals are generally eaten at the dining table on the aft deck but one thing that is fairly common in the evenings are wasps and hornets. Some coves are worse than others but this shouldn't be reason for concern (unless you have an allergy) and no-one in our party has ever been stung; but it can be annoying. One of the best ways deal with this problem turns out to be burning small piles of ground Turkish coffee which the crew will likely set up proactively or just ask. It's incredibly effective and even smells good.
Photo: Goolets.net (Aft Deck)
The Crew
On a 3-4 cabin Gulet you will typically have three crew - the Captain, the Chef and a deckhand/steward. The level of English spoken varies but is usually fairly basic however the Captain will generally speak more. It's totally manageable especially with a bit of good humour on both sides.
In our experience, the crew are very respectful of your space and will generally keep to themselves outside service. While most Gulets have crew quarters, these are small and hot so the crew often sleep on deck. If you are also sleeping on deck they will generally relocate to the end of the boat you aren't and will get to know your habits after a few days.
Otherwise, we've found our crews to be incredibly friendly and attentive in general. They do work for tips so make sure you budget that 10-15% at least.
Cruising
Most charters will advertise a maximum number of hours cruising per day (usually 4-8). You can do more but there will be additional fuel costs. Cruising is really one of the most fun parts of a yacht holiday but there can be a bit of wind chop at times away from coastline so if you are prone to sea-sickness it's best to take some precautions and probably best to design an itinerary that minimises a lot of open water sailing.
Depending on where you start from, your direction along the coast will determine your experience to some extent. A good captain will know where to take you to line up with your preferences but here are a few tips:
Ex Fethiye, you can head in either direction along the coast although a typical itinerary might be to spend the first few days exploring in the south easterly direction before crossing the bay to Gocek (which is a bit more international and racy if you fancy a stop-off). The islands around Gocek are nice but popular and busier than many spots along the coast. Our preference is to push on a bit towards Marmaris rather than linger in the Gocek area too long. In a week you won't make it too much further than Marmaris unless you specifically pick a route beyond there at the outset.
Ex Marmaris, you are a little more centrally located which means you can choose to head in the Gocek, Fethiye direction or the other way navigating the Dodecanese Islands. Our experience has been the further you push in that direction, the quieter it is. There is some stunning coastline and beautiful bays either way you choose. Even if you don't start in Marmaris, the marina area is a nice place to stop for a few hours and resupply if needed. If you want to visit any Greek Islands, Rhodes and Simi are the closest to Marmaris but this needs to be pre-planned / pre-booked and will take a while to get there at 8 knots.
Ex Bodrum, you have another set of coastline options I am less familiar with. In a straight line it is a similar distance as Marmaris to Fethiye but a longer journey by sea. Kos is the closest Greek Island and relatively easily accessible from both Bodrum and Marmaris. That said, if you are on a charter for a week there is more than enough to explore in Turkey with the additional time and cost to visit there Greek Islands. Do them justice by making that a separate trip.
WiFi and Cell Coverage
As you are generally near the coast, cell coverage is pretty good most of the time. However, it's worth noting that while most Gulets advertise WiFi, this is 3/4G based and therefore fairly limited. If this is really important for you it may be worth arranging your own portable 4G Hub with appropriate roaming and data allowance or some other option to suit your needs.
The Water
To be completely honest, if you don't enjoy swimming in the sea then this holiday isn't going to be much fun. The good news is for average swimmers like me, the water is very salty and therefore you float like a cork. For nervous sea swimmers there is also remarkably little sea life visible in the clear waters. Mostly schools of tiny fish and a few medium sized ones and if you are lucky, a loggerhead turtle. The Turkish coast has great conditions for snorkelling but in most places there isn't a whole lot to see that's terribly exciting in my experience.
The water itself is generally clear, clean and a near perfect temperature - especially good for the periodic refreshes required after lounging in the hot sun. Overall, mostly benign conditions that should suit almost every disposition.
Typical Costs
In Turkey, you will mostly end up paying for the charter in Euros given the unpredictable nature of the Lira. As you would expect, prices vary a lot depending on the quality of the boat, its size and the time of year. Peak season is July and August but you will save a lot if you are flexible with dates. In my experience, the more research into different boats and operators the better as you begin to get a good sense of relative value and quality. At the entry level (assuming 4 people in 3 cabins) you will be looking at a boat around 20 metres. You can expect to pay from around 5-6K Euros per week at the bottom end of the range to 7-12K+ for something nicer. Larger Gulets go up in price significantly and there tends to be big jump between the 3-4 cabin range and the next level.
Guidance on tips tends to be 5-12% of the charter price (err on the generous side) and full board will set you back around 400-500 Euros per person per week for food and water / soft drinks. Other drinks are additional depending one your requirements. Fuel for cruising is included (up to a maximum number of hours per day) and if you venture into ports outside the home country (e.g. going to Greece from Turkey), expect to pay local mooring charges and other taxes which are not insignificant. Things like jet skis tend not to be included on smaller yachts but you can often specify if required although it's not cheap (around 700 Euros per week for water skiing for example).
So, for a mid-range 3-4 cabins Gulet you should budget the following (prices in Euros):
Base charter cost: 7,000 (mid-range)
Crew tip (15%): 1,050
Food (4 people): 1,600
Drinks: 350
Total 10,000
While you have to add on flights, transfers etc., for a family of four it compares favourably with other holiday options such as a week in a decent resort.
General Recommendations
Book well in advance to secure the best Gulet for your preferred dates. Unfortunately COVID ruined the 2020 season and the majority of operators were unwilling / unable to offer refunds. That meant a large number of roll-over bookings in 2021 and limited availability. It's unclear what impact summer 2021 will have but most places are now taking 2022 bookings.
Research as much as possible for recent reviews on specific Gulets. They are sometimes hard to find but important to get a good handle on reality versus what is advertised.
Find a good charter agency you trust and feel comfortable with. It's worth getting prices from multiple agencies with the same boats on their books and it doesn't hurt to try and bargain a bit on price even for peak times. I don't normally make specific recommendations but I can't fault Goolets.net for their service and professionalism. Yes, its a bit weird to book a Turkish yacht charter from a company based in mostly land-locked Slovenia but they are excellent in my experience.
How does it compare to a super-yacht?
If you've ever had much to do with super-yachts this probably sounds like a dumb question but bear with me. Having worked on a super-yacht many years ago my burning ambition was to one day own one. Despite having failed spectacularly at that thus far, I realised that some of the Gulet experiences are not as far off as you might think. Consider: your own chartered yacht, the same bays, sea and scenery, your own chef and crew etc. 60% of the experience for 10% of the cost seems like good maths to me!
Is it for me?
If you're still with me at this point, the answer is likely to be yes. However, consider the following carefully to see if a Gulet is right for you:
Do you actually like being on boats and at sea?
Is sea sickness a problem?
How concerned are you about small details including bathrooms?
Are you or your family excessively fussy eaters?
Do you enjoy swimming and being in the water?
How are you after a week of heat and being in the sun?
If answering yes to one or more of the above, give it some careful thought. Otherwise, and indeed in spite of that, go with the flow a little and enjoy the sun and sea!
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