Cruising to the Cyclades Traveller Reviews

My wife and I spent two weeks cruising through the Greek Cyclades Island chain, visiting archaeological site, villages and small museums. We traveled on a Turkish "gulet" (a typical Turkish coastal yacht which in this case accommodated 13 travelers besides us). We were accompanied by Peter Sommer Travel guides Heinrich Hall and Maria Girtzi, both archaeologists, highly educated, communicative, funny and expert in Greek and regional history, archaeology, Greek mythology and, to make them even more valuable, in local restaurants in the small towns of the islands we visited. This was our third trip with Peter Sommer Travel (two earlier were along the Turkish coast). Peter Sommer Travel s emphasizes visiting and understanding the archaological treasures of this part of the world, and that is the intellectual, stimulating part of these journeys. But one cannot avoid the lure of lolling about a beautiful boat, swimming in perfect water after a hard afternoon of walking through Greek and Roman ruins, and the excellent, simple food and local wine served on board the boat, punctuated with trips to island tavernas where, say, the cook is renowned for her zucchini fritters or roast goat or whatever. You get to forgive yourself for being such a sybarite because you also get the intellectual stimulation of learning about history, art and culture from real academics, in the best sense of that word, rather than your average tour guide. These trips attract fellow travlers who are congenial, engaged and engaging, excellent company and fun.

See above. Well run, reasonably priced, excellent guides, efficient, flexible, professional.

I have visited the Cyclades in the past , but have never had the luxury of two very experienced guides to bring the history of these islands to life. Every day was a new experience with stunning scenery combined with archaeological treasures to be found at a site or in a museum. There were times each day , however , when we could simply chill out and read a book , or go for a swim in the blue waters of the Aegean which added a balance to the whole holiday . Several meals were organised in Tavernas on shore and our guides made sure that we were served the very best of Greek Cuisine. Add to this , good company , good weather and a fantastic skipper and crew who went out of their way to provide some memorable meals on board , and you have the making of an unforgettable holiday

This was the first time that I have booked a holiday with Peter Sommer Travel , but from the first date of my inquiry the booking was dealt with in a very professional manner - full information regarding all their holidays were received promptly and additional information was provide by the guides , if required. In addition all the guests were provided with back up material on the trip . A couple of itinerary changes were made during the holiday as a result of the weather , but these were carried out seamlessly by the Skipper and guides and it was apparent that the safety and comfort of the travellers was of paramount importance

Cruising to the Cyclades was a delightful experience. We were accompanied by 2 professional archaeologists who ensured that their expertise informed our experience of Greek culture at every site we visited. There were 15 people in our group. No request or question was left unattended to or unanswered. The daily programme of visits was exceptionally well designed with the additional bonus of delicious local cuisine during many of the island visits ( not forgetting two Dionysian wine tasting sessions at vineyards in Leros and Santorini). Arriving in sun-drenched Greek harbours by gulet (yacht) is a unique experience and one which we shall never forget. The cuisine on the gulet was excellent too and was also based on local fresh produce.

As a company, Peter Sommer Travels is professional and very easy to deal with. The website is well designed and the description of the holiday we took matched our actual experience ( in truth it surpassed our expectations). Queries about the tour were handled promptly beforehand. Besides being exceptionally well qualified, the archaeologists who accompanied us throughout the tour were very friendly and took care of the personal needs of the the group very efficiently. Every detail of the holiday had been worked out before hand; however great flexibility was also evident in dealing with individual requests. Attention to detail and quality of provision came through in every arrangement both on the gulet and on the islands. We would happily travel with Peter Sommer again.

The mix of exceptional archeological site visits with truly knowledgeable experts, cruising the delightful waters of the Aegean and the Greek Islands on a Gulet accompanied by a great group of very sociable and fun people is hard to beat.

This is our second Peter Sommer trip and they have both been excellent.

We cruised in a gulet with two exceptionally knowledgeable, entertaining, and caring guides. A wonderful way to immerse ourselves in the history, archaeology, and culture of the Aegean from classical times to the present, with plenty of time to relax, and great food, company, and conversations. We thoroughly enjoyed this second holiday with Peter Sommer Travels, and we are already looking forward to the next opportunity to travel with them.

We have traveled twice with Peter Sommer Travels, and both times have been excellent in planning, logistics, and concern for the guests. Great food, fine lodgings aboard ship, and great guides and company.

An amazing trip in all respects. The guides were knowledgable and fun. The islands were steeped in history, the museums and ruins were fantastic, the architecture and vistas were breathtakingly beautiful, the food was superb with each meal a dining experience. The ship was comfortable and a very much a part of the adventure. Would highly recommend this trip.

This trip was very well organized from start to finish. The pretrip information packet was very informative. Transportation to and from airports was efficient, the ship was very comfortable . The trip itself was very well planned. The guides were knowledgable and very personable. No complaints.

I spent 2 weeks cruising the Dodecannese and Cycladic islands in a small group (less than 20 guests). Our guides were experts in archeology as well as extremely gracious hosts, our gullet was comfortable and the food was fantastic. Every detail was attended to from the moment we stepped on board till we ended the cruise. The educational component was a definite "value added" aspect. Impossible to imagine a better trip at this price range, I am already planning my next trip with Peter Sommer Travels.

Informational, intimate, luxurious travel.

My partner and I had a fabulous cruise, stopping at eleven Greek islands. We are not ancient history buffs and only had hazy memories of high school ancient history and our expert guides made these memories come to life. Ancient ruins and museums interspersed with swimming, a little kayaking and shopping on shore.The excellent food on board complemented by gastronomic forays ashore to sample the local specialities were most enjoyable and all washed down with numerous high quality local wines.We had a highly intelligent and well educated group of international passengers and had spirited discussions on a wide range of issues long into the night over a glass or two. A wonderful experience.

Peter Sommers Travels provided excellent guides, a beautiful and well maintained boat, excellent high quality food, service and attention to detail that would be difficult to fault.

The cruise came up to our very best expectations. We had a very good leader, interesting companions and the food was the best I have ever encountered on an organized tour.

This is our second holiday with Peter Sommer Travels. I have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone interested in a gulet based archaeological tour around the islands of the Aegean and along the Turkish coast.

The variety of the islands was evident in the range of sites we visited including prehistoric to Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman archaeology, extant buildings and museum collections through to the impact of the Italian occupation and Wotld War 11. Combined with the stunning beauty of the islands and their varied social, economic and cultural circumstances, our expectations were well exceeded. There could be no better way of travelling this route than on 'Aegean Clipper'' with Heinrich and Anth our guides, the congenial company on board and the experienced crew.

The high standard of organisation, execution of daily itineraries and meals and the historical information provided was faultless.