Due to a last minute change of plans, we could not join this sailing trip ourselves. Instead, our close friends went, and since we fully trust their judgment, we are sharing their experience here with their words.
This was, without a doubt, the worst sailing trip we have ever experienced. The couple running the boat were friendly on the surface, but they are far from professional and not suited for this kind of business. For so many reasons, we would never recommend this trip:
• Food & Timing: We were charged €25 per person per day for meals, but the quality and timing were terrible. On the first day, dinner was served at 10:30 PM, even though everyone had just arrived tired from traveling with no consistency or planning. Lunches were served at completely random times, sometimes at 3 PM, sometimes at 1 PM.
• Dietary Needs Ignored: No one asked about dietary restrictions or allergies in advance. When we mentioned we don’t eat pork, dinner that day turned out to be pork. Instead of preparing something else (they had all day to buy something else), the captain caught three tiny fish and said, “This is your dinner.” It was not nearly enough, so after asking, they got plain pasta with half an eggplant. We paid the same as everyone else who ate pork.
• Hygiene & Water: The drinking water container had algae at the bottom. Dishes were washed with seawater, so everything tasted salty. The kitchen and utensils were far from clean, and the boat itself was messy.
• Random Schedule: Everything was done according to the crew’s convenience, not the guests’. Even when we needed rest or had an early ferry, we had to wait until the couple finished eating or drinking with their friends.
• Route & Stops: On 3th day, we sailed for 4.5 hours straight, passing beautiful islands full of boats, only to stop at a place with nothing and it was 7pm when we arrived so we couldn’t do anything there. The next day, we sailed 3 hours just to get back to Poros.
• Docking Issues & Extra Costs: When returning to Poros, Sabine and Patrick refused to dock at the marina, even though they had picked us up from there earlier. Later they admitted they didn’t want to pay the €17 docking fee. Because of this, both us and other couple had to take separate taxis to get to town, and over the course of the trip we ended up taking three taxi rides (€25 total) just to reach town and ferries. It wasn’t the money itself but the unprofessionalism, they should have dropped guests back where they picked us up.
• Alcohol & Safety Concerns: On the last night, instead of returning us to the boat early so we could pack and rest for a morning ferry, the crew spent hours drinking with their group of friends. We had to wait until midnight to return. By then, both the Sabine and Patrick and their group were heavily drunk, barely able to stand. Still, six people were taken on a zodiac back to the boat in dangerous conditions. After dropping us off, the crew went back to continue partying with their friends.
At the end of the trip, when asked for feedback, we explained all of these issues. The response was, “But you never told us you don’t eat pork.” Our answer was simple: “You never asked.”
On the very last day, when we were finally alone with the other couple who traveled with us, they also shared their experience. Since both they and the crew were French, they mostly spoke among themselves during the trip and everything seemed fine from the outside. But once we spoke privately, they admitted they were just as unhappy as we were nothing met their expectations and they had the same complaints. Unfortunately, because they booked this trip through a friend, they cannot leave a review here.
In summary: The food, hygiene, comfort, route planning, and professionalism were all a complete failure. While the couple may seem nice, they should absolutely not be running this as a business. It felt like they were sailing for their own pleasure, while guests had paid good money to tag along as an afterthought. More than €1,000 was wasted, along with time and energy. Absolutely not recommended.
