Cruising the Dodecanese Traveller Reviews

This was my 2nd gulet cruise with Peter Sommer Travels, since the first (in 2023) had been excellent; and now I very much want to take a third! That really says it all. On this Dodecanese cruise the gulet was splendid, the crew superb, the itinerary an excellent mix of major and more quiet minor islands and archaeological sites, the leaders/managers exceptionally knowledgeable and also very very good at bringing people happily together, the food and wine delicious. Everything was taken care of; participants could simply relax and enjoy themselves. On a Peter Sommer cruise (I judge from the two I have taken so far) the individual participants also tend to have a number of similar interests and so to be a great group to travel with; and together on this cruise we all talked a lot, learned a lot, and laughed a lot. I'm already happily anticipating that third cruise in 2025!

Professional, efficient, friendly, people-oriented, excellent at detail, no hassles, thoroughly knowledgeable. Group leaders/guides/managers are handpicked for knowledge and for professionalism without sacrificing the ability to mix well with everyone and to lead skillfully--and they all have a good sense of humour (probably essential when leading tours!). Everything is worked out in advance in detail; and when unpredictable problems occur (as, on this cruise, a sudden Greek government edict that we had to leave Greek waters immediately, with one third of the trip still to go), excellent solutions are speedily found and implemented. Truly impressive.

My 22 year old daughter and I joined the Peter Sommer June 9 - 23, 2024 Cruising the Dodecanese tour. I can't think of a better way to see and learn about this area of the world. We were with a small group of 12, pampered by 12 crew members and guides. With a small group, there was flexibility. For instance, during the days that were very hot, we cruised during the heat of the day, and moved the walking tours to earlier or later in the day. The food was absolutely delicious and healthy, with fresh produce, wines, and protein obtained from the local islands. There were a variety of ages on the trip, from 22 to 82, and all were well accommodated.

Peter Sommer Travels was very responsive via email, phone calls, and text. The guides were not only experts in their fields (PhDs) but superb storytellers. Impressively, most of the other passengers were repeat customers of Peter Sommer Travels. We are planning when we can take another Peter Sommer Travels tour.

This is the perfect balanced vacation for those who love to adventure and learn about the places they visit. On a comfortable wooden Turkish Gulet a small group of us thoroughly enjoyed 15 days of blissful cruising among the islands of the Dodecanese in Greece set in the magical Aegean Sea. Highly competent crew including an amazing chef took excellent care of our physical needs and amazed us with absolutely excellent, varied healthy food. We had two highly knowledgeable archeological experts aboard who elevated and enhanced this trip in every possible way. They lead us through the history of these islands from Prehistoric times to present day coherently and fluently. They never failed to engage, entertain and inform us and demonstrated perfect time management skills.. As a highly seasoned traveler I would rank this trip as one of the best vacations I have had over the years

From beginning to end Peter Sommer Travel took the best possible care of us. All staff including Peter Sommer himself were accessible to us to answer questions both before and during the trip. They made sure we could be well prepared by providing relevant information about what we might expect together with a thoughtful outline of the itinerary. I would describe them as absolutely outstanding in all aspects of customer relations and support.

The gulet cruise to the Dodecanese (Greek) islands was marvelous. The boat was comfortable , the guides were very knowledgeable, and the itinerary was well chosen. And, the Turkish chef was accomplished, and who could pass up the wonderful Greek food?

Peter Sommer Travels has been operating these archeological trips for years, with great success, and many returning guests.

We cruised many of the large and small Dodecanese Islands - as well as Samos - examining both BC and AC archaeology and listening to the good historical summaries provided by the experts committed by Peter Sommer Travels. The captain of the gulet was also excellent and we enjoyed the chef on board and the restaurants off the boat selected by one of our expert guides. The size of the group is very important when we are travelling to learn, and a gulet means that the experience is shared with between 12 - 20 others which is perfect. A fabulous way to experience this area of deep historical significance to the world.

Everything was arranged easily and on site in Bodrum we had the mobile of one of the experts from Peter Sommer who was not only a field expert but also available to assist us as needed. It's also wonderful having your 'hotel' travelling with you - no packing and unpacking constantly.

Our second gulet cruise with Peter Sommers. They continue to live up to our expectations. An excellent and varied itinerary and our two expert leaders/guides were exceptional. the chartered gulet was high quality and crew competent and very friendly and helpful

All dealings with 'head office' were very good.

Two-week gulet tour of the Dodecanese islands with excellent guides and great food.

Peter Somers attracts highly educated tour guides who care deeply about their clients and the quality of the excursion. As a result, the clients they attract are themselves highly accomplished and interesting and flexible to the vicissitudes of international travel in this region.

This was my second experience of a Peter Sommer small ship sailing trip with a focus on the history of ancient Greece and Turkey., and its quality was, again, excellent. So much of the pleasure in this experience is created by the expertise, organizational abilities, and story-telling talents of the onboard guides--in this case, Drs, Michael Metcalfe and Nota Karmaouna. Over the course of the trip, they help you to build a sense of what made this area of the world important--intellectually, artistically, and historically and challenge you to debate and interpret what they show you. The small number of guests, and authentically-local shared meals together--both onboard and in lovely small family restaurants onshore--are a source of good conversations--and, indeed, future friendships. I am still engaged with interesting people that I met on the first trip and now this one. What more could you ask? I recommend these unique experiences whole-heartedly. . .

The Peter Sommer Travel staff offer an efficient, interactive, highly personal service.

My blogs on the trip can be found here, https://johnelkington.com/journal/page/2/, running backwards - from 13th June to 29th May. The guides, the crew, the visits, the food, the weather were all near perfect, though am not entirely sure we can credit the Peter Sommer team with the weather.

The flights were not bundled, as they are with some other operators, but overall our experience exceeded our expectations. We certainly intend to travel with Peter Sommer again.

This trip was wonderful. We saw a lot, we learned a lot about the islands and their history, we had great meals both on and off the boat and we had time to explore both with the group and by ourselves. Our guides were exceptional, the captain and crew looked after us extremely well and I hope to travel with Peter Sommer Travels again before too long.

The trip was very well organised and we were sent a detailed itinerary before leaving. I felt very confident that they would be on hand should there be any problems. Much recommended as a tour operator. Both efficient and great to deal with on a personal level, which for me is important.