Name: Sail in Greece adventures
Address: International House, 36-38 Cornhil, London, Islington
Rating: 4.49

“Do not believe the fake reviews- no one in their right mind would give this company anything over zero. Wish there was a minus option! Firstly, the add on - 10 hours on a ferry from Athens to Santorini after a stay in a very seedy hostel, no one explains what time the ferry leaves or any other details, horrendous organisation from the very beginning. Some people missed the ferry and had to buy expensive tickets to a fast ferry on the day as no details had been given. Arrival into Santorini: you are advised to meet in the new port and you sit around and wait in a crowded cafe for a couple of hours until the tour guides get their stuff together. Then they charge you 20 euros to take you to see Santorini sunset, and then, at around midnight, like illegal immigrants, in complete darkness they start loading people on the boats docked in Perissa in the sea. The luggage and people are put into inflatable motor boats and are taken in the dark to the boats where there is no one to allocate a room. One of the skippers was missing on a smaller yacht. There were more people than the boats could fit, some people including myself were "upgraded" on the spot to small yachts that are not meant for a week's sail and have tiny toilets, no proper shower, forget toilet paper (byo), breakfast, aircon or wifi, promised in all marketing materials. I refused to stay on the boat and went back to the shore at 1am with another couple who were lucky enough to get a refund after half an hour of screaming and bargaining with the owner. Others were not that lucky and had the owner of the company screaming abuse at them between 1-3am, refusing to refund or part refund and hanging up a few times. At 3 am I was finally hosted by a couple on a large boat who had a quad room and they had originally been placed in the same room with a honeymoon couple who had paid for a private double. The whole week is unorganised to say the least. Safety is non-existent so do take out good health and life insurance. The speedboat tour was not booked in advance and neither were the quad bikes. Do not go with Sail Greece recommendations for quads as you will be charged twice what you would pay if you went on your own. The staff drink with the customers which I believe is unacceptable and unsafe (did Sail Croatia last year and it was a major no-no for the staff on board). None of the tour leaders speak to each other or know exactly what's going on at any point in time. It did look most of the time the leaders were there for a fun holiday. Due to the weather conditions we could not sail to one of the islands so a lot of people were stuck on the boats without access to food or water and no option has been offered. Due to strong winds that happen in August, the sail from Paros to Mykonos should not have even happened on these boats and yachts, and at some stage it was mentioned that we would be placed on fast public ferries and offered accommodation in Mykonos but it never happened - again the obvious money saving at the expense of risking customers' lives. We started sail in incredibly rough and dangerous conditions, and mind you there was never any safety briefing. The larger boat that I was on went under a wave and tables were flying around but thanks to the captain who managed it the best way possible, it made it in one piece to Mykonos with emotionally traumatised customers. Some of us refused to stay on the boat for one more night and there was no offer of compensation or accommodation, or even transport to the accommodation we had organised last minute. One of the smaller yachts that I was originally supposed to be on was not that lucky and their engine died in the middle of the stormy sea and they started sinking. Neither our boat nor the coast guard could get close enough for a while to rescue them, and people lost their luggage and documents which could not be saved as battery acid leaked into the water and it was dangerous to rescue them. There was no compensation, meals, drinks or anything else offered at any stage of this disaster week. Aircon does not work so yes you will be sleeping on the deck and ending up with a cold like most people. Wifi does not exist either. Warm shower is only available when the boat is moving which is not a lot so prepare to shower off the side of the boat after a swim stop. Breakfast is dry bread and nutella (on the main boat) and nothing on others. Drinks that we had purchased disappeared from the fridge which caused a fair bit of drama and tension as drinking and chatting to people is the only thing that keeps you from going crazy during this trip. I am hoping to see this company go into insolvency before they kill anyone as at this rate it is completely possible. No safety, no customer service, no idea about basic hospitality - when you stuff up, do apologise profusely and compensate in all ways possible (water, food, monetary refund) and never scream at distressed customers at 2 am in the morning or hang up on them. Hire professional and ethical staff. Maybe do Sail Croatia for an educational experience on how to run a successful sailing experience and not rip people off and rob them off their holidays that they have earned and paid for and instead have got the worst experience imaginable.”

Helpful Report

“I have chosen the yolo cruise and ended up on great boat! The other passengers were very friendly and very proactive about our needs. Kostas our guide was super knowledgeable and very approachable in all our questions. I'll be back again for sure!”

Helpful Report

“Do NOT book with this company. From the start of the trip the company misrepresented themselves, provided poor customer service and even hung up on multiple distraught guests who called when at 11pm at night on the day the trip started we still had not boarded as they had too many guests vs. spaces on board and one of the skippers hadn't turned up! Once we eventually made it onto the boat, no one was there to explain who was in what room (luckily we found a list and sorted it ourselves at around 1am!). Even worse, no one ever gave any safety instructions - e.g. where life jackets were, etc. which should have been extra important in Greece given the rough waters between islands (especially on the way to Mykonos - see below for more on that - the coast guard had to assist!) We booked and paid for their 'new' boat yet ended up on an older boat, which they claimed had the same amenities anyway (it did not - our AC in our room did not work for starters). However, even worse, some other guests were 'upgraded' to smaller, less equipped yachts. When they boarded, those smaller yachts did not even have food, water or toilet paper on board - the crew had to buy them that night! At no point through all the difficulties sorting boats did any of the Sail in Greece crew offer anything to the guests (not even free water! though given it was 11pm at night and we were still standing on the dock, I think what everyone really needed were a bunch of shots...). I and a few other guests all tried to call the 24 hour customer service line at this point to understand what the issue was and if they planned any reimbursement for the fact that Day 1 was almost over and we were not on the boat. They hung up mid conversations on each of us. Once on the boat, we left Santorini late the next day as they had too many guests vs. spaces on the boat. When guests called the Sail in Greece 24 hour helpline, they kept insisting that the boats held the number they placed on them, even when the boat's captain said otherwise. Further, even if it did hold the number of guests that Sail in Greece claimed, there were not enough life jackets (a detail they were unconcerned with). Finally we set sail - and who was the first one drunk that day? One of the Sail in Greece crew! Highly unprofessional. Further, throughout the trip, we were given updates and information last minute. Some day trips/tours did not happen as they didn't book them in time. We never had our free beer pong, the BBQ was a mess - one of the crew offered up our alcohol to other guests saying it was 'free' which caused tensions. To top it all off, on the way to Mykonos, one of those smaller 'upgrade' yachts started sinking and needed to be rescued by the coast guard. All in all, Greece itself is beautiful and sunny and a great time but do in on your own (ferries/flights) or with a different company! I've never seen such disregard for safety, customer service and simply living up to your promises/obligations.”

Helpful Report

“I joined the Hera Boat on the 29th July and can comfortably say it was comfortably the worst standard of organised tour I've ever been on. So much lacking in terms of organisation, communication, standard of accommodation/ transport i really wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Day 1 - you meet at a cafe nowhere near where the boats are and wait for 2/3 hours whilst they allocate you a boat and meet your guide and then charge you a bus fare to take you to your boat. A complete waste of time. Why not just meet at the boat? Arrived at boats which would comfortably hold 16 people. They got greedy and crammed 25 including some people having no bedroom and sleeping on the deck. Most bedroom windows wouldn't open or were broken and the smell downstairs was unbearable. Sewerage and heat as they 'air con' didn't exist, nor did the wifi. Kostas our tour leader didn't really communicate anything to us, the 'board' was never updated so we spent most of the week guessing when we were sailing and what the plans were. The trips weren't ever explained and it was again guess work to decipher what the plan was. We initially had a captain who wasn't cut out for the job and left after 2 days and replaced with a grumpy abusive captain who shouted at me for swimming at the one allocated 'swim stop' of the whole tour. To go on a sailing trip and have such limited options of swim stops is poor and the itinerary should be looked at. I would use sail Croatia as a benchmark of how sailing trips should be done. The breakfast was stale and the same everyday so again an area for improvement. We also had no running water for 2/3 days so only shower option was outside in full view of everyone. Never heard an explanation, apology or any comms from kostas on this matter. Only shining lights of the trip were Zidane and the group of people also on the boat. zidane worked non stop around the clock serving us drinks, cleaning up and doing everything he possibly good to ensure we had a great week. Believe the reviews people, sail in Greece really are a bunch of imposters who are taking backpackers money for a really poor service!”

Helpful Report

“So happy with my experience here in Greece. The whole trip was phenomenal. I've also met different people and made some new friends. Great party! Our tour guide has a huge part of making sailing fun. Thank you very much. Be back next summer!”

Helpful Report

“I really enjoyed this tour and met some amazing people. It's similar to the hostel experience as your living and partying with like minded people and you get to go to the famous party island of Greece. So happy with my whole experience! The rest of our group were great people and we might join next summer again.”

Helpful Report

“wonderful experience, a week sailing to the most beautiful islands that I have ever been. Value for money, clean and big our boat with friendly crew. I had the best experience here and found amazing views all over Greece. Thank you.”

Helpful Report

“29th July. We began our cruise aboard Sailin greece's Hera yacht. Upon entering the ship we were given a speech regarding expectations and basic itinery. Our guide was friendly and helpful. However we were given no instruction on safety procedure. Upon entering our room (near the engine room) we immediately noticed an odd smell. Due to the heat, we enquired about air-conditioning (as listed on the advertisement and information package. This emitted room temperature air. Later, we asked about the wi-fi, attempted to, but were unable to connect. Also listed on info pack. At this point we were understanding, as it is a yacht after all. The first night we slept in our room, but found the heat and fumes were intolerable. *a mixture of engine fumes and sewerage best describes the scent. To this point we began to get a little inconvenienced. The remainder of our trip was spent in and out of the room as quickly as possible as to avoid the fumes. And we slept on the deck sofas, where we witnessed crew members sleeping with guests and later abusing guests verbally. (This made our decision not to tip, an easy one - regardless of the advice by one host on day1 "to tip at least €20). Moving forward both my partner and I began to develop nausea, vomitting, headaches and a chesty cough. All of which are common symptoms of being exposed to the aforementioned fumes, however, yet to be determined as the exact cause by a medical professional. We were anchored outside of Paros on Day 2 as our Captain was unable to dock due to a lack of space at the Port. So that gave us one less day of exploration of wonderful Greece. For two days we were out of fresh water and were unable to use our showers, basins. Instead, a hose was connected to a partnering yacht and we hosed ourselves under cold water in full view of all guests (easy during the day, a little more challenging on a windy night). On the final day we were set to enter Santorini, but were unable to dock at the port and instead had to anchor along the south coast where dinghys were used to transfer people to land (land nowhere near the hub of Santorini). At this point a number of the guests, including myself, decided to pay for additional accomodation and stay in the town. We were transferred to shore, luggage being wet in the process and had to find transport (a 45 minute trip) into town. But boy were we glad to be off that boat - unfortunately we couldnt leave the chest pain and headaches on it. So far we wasted £600 pp on Sailingreece, an additional £90 on extra accomodation, not to mention the medical costs we may incur and the cancellation of sightseeing we were due to have post-sailingreece (as we are too ill to commit). I would urge anyone thinking about booking with this company to use ferries to travel and stay in hostels instead (to meet the great and wonderful people to share your travels with). I was fortunate to make new friends. Im sorry I didnt get to spend time with you, as I was too busy hugging the toilet and coughing up blood.”

Helpful Report

Dear Todd, Thank you for your email and we feel sorry to hear that you did not have the best experience with us on board. Looking back on our weekly check reports, there has been no report of any deficiency on our boats and in particular in Hera, the boat that you were on. On top of that there has been no incident report from any of our guests for health problems while on board. We followed up with our tour manager, kostas, and he also confirmed that there has been no report during your week. We are aware that there can be days that ports can be full and our boat needs to wait, but this is our of our control. In Paros, this was the case and our crew with the orders of the Port authorities waited until a place was available. Regarding Santorini, we clearly state on our web site that due to lack of port facilities in Santorini, we anchor along the coast and transfer our guests on the shore with our dingy. We do understand that it is not ideal, however this is a situation out of our control. Thank you

“Our tour guide Ben was very nice and super knowledgeable. The wonderful accommodations, scenery, snorkeling, food, safety, and great group of passengers made us sad to dock on the last day. We WILL do it again! next so summer.”

Helpful Report

“Wat a great experience! Hands up to Sail In Greece for having us on board for our Greece getaway. Say me hi to Ben! Be back again soon for another amazing experience.”

Helpful Report

“We had the best week of our lives. Without there positive attitudes and enthusiasm the week may have turned out very differently! Ben was always around to help with a questions. Great places, fun experience, nice people. Highly recommend it!”

Helpful Report

“I made the right choice of going into this place. Heard about Sail in Greece in college and was determined to go. Finally went this summer. Unbelievable experience! It was a great mixture of all over the world and Greeks too! Super fun and memorable!”

Helpful Report

“Greece is always part of the lists and had the chance to sail with my group few months ago and it was a great experience. Calm seas and less people was just perfect for us. Excellent service and well organized cruise through out. Highly recommended!”

Helpful Report

“I would say, this was one of our best experiences. I was lucky to have an amazing crew and my sail Greece reps Yorgos and Ben were amazing, always on hand to advise us and became friends to us all. A big thanks to all staff on the Party boat for making my experience and the rest of the passengers' experience a truly memorable one!”

Helpful Report

“It was a blast! I cant thank them enough. We chose the yolo cruise and we had the best trip. The boat was perfect, the captain was very friendly. Food from the kitchen is amazingly delicious, everything from top to bottom was clean. Everything is just perfect, we had seen beautiful places. Thank you so much for the good experience.”

Helpful Report

“It was a great experience, sailing around Greek islands ( Mykonos to Santorini). The captain was also very friendly, he gave us a brief summary of the place, it was a very interesting trip because we had so much fun. The food and the alcohol is there, we had the best meal. Thank you.”

Helpful Report

“Sail in Greece is one of the best tour company. I thought sailing would be a lousy thing to do, but after the experience. My perception had changed a lot. With the help of Kostas, I've learned so much. Even if, we were together other races, he made an extra effort to make the experience more meaningful and joyful. You did well man!”

Helpful Report

“Do not use this company! Firstly, they overcharged me for an add-on, for which I had to fight to get my money back. Was promised a boat with WiFi, air-conditioning, rooms to accommodate the amount of people they hold and got none of this. The WiFi on the boats never worked, the power was never turned on even whilst the boat was docked (where they had access to power). I had to share a tiny room with a couple and was not comfortable sleeping in so had to sleep outside. The ensuite to the room had a shower that never had hot water and no working toilet, I had to go eat at a restaurant to use their bathroom. From the first day the boat stank like faeces, this did not improve throughout the week. Due to weather, was stuck in Ios for most of the trip and the company provided us with no update as to whether we would make it to our final destination. Upon finishing my trip and reading up online this is not the first time this has happened, they try to coerce people into not posting negative reviews! DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!”

Helpful Report

Dear Amy, Thank you for your time to share your experience with us. We feel sorry that you did not have the best experience with us. We do understand that due to weather conditions your itinerary had to change, however this is out of our control and we tried out best to make everything possible to make alternative arrangements according to our contingency plan. As for our vessels, all are equipped with private bathroom, a/c facilities and wifi on board. Please bare in mind that as you are on a boat there always be space limitations, if you compare your cabins to that of a hotel. Thank you

“I honestly had a great week with Sail in Greece. I know many things didn't go as planned, the schedule one day had to change because of the weather but this things happen and you have to make the best of it. I stayed at Hemera, which I believe was the best boat. We had a really nice and helpful clue and our guide was Ben, who always kept us informed of the plans, and was nice and fun. I met amazing people on the boat, visited four Greek islands, did really fun activities in them (the day tour in the quads is a must!) partied all week and would definitely recommend it!”

Helpful Report

“Problems experienced onboard - shower flooded bathroom, reported it to Ben and one of the cabin crew "fixed" it when I complained that it still didn't work I got told there was nothing they could do, had to shower on deck for an entire week and had to wash my hair in a basin - we were not allowed to flush toilet paper and were instructed to put it in the dustbin which was cleaned once over 8 days , this is extremely unhygienic -bed was used by another couple and upon asking for new sheets I was told there were none and I'd have to sleep in that bed, again unhygienic. I was forced to sleep above deck for the duration of the trip . - a room that was paid for was unable to be used due to the above mentioned reasons, so what did I pay for ? -the promised air conditioning never worked, nor did the wifi , I was told we were on a sail boat what do I expect? I expect wifi especially when I am able to get it while flying - the two "tour guides" Nate and Ben were never anywhere to be found , when they were around they were either sleeping or on drugs -the trip is called sail in Greece not motor in Greece, as a result of motor in Greece the rooms were filled with carbon monoxide which resulted in a number of individuals with respiratory infections, and again making the rooms uninhabitable - we were stuck in Ios for 4 days due to being unable to sail because of weather, this is understandable, however what isn't is why we were not put on a ferry to santorini, instead your "tour guides " told us to get our own accommodation and transport there and only when there were minimal people left on the tour and it became financially beneficial to them did they arrange ferry tickets and accommodation for those left. - false advertising , illegal drugs and unsanitary and living conditions hazardous to our health were just some of the issues on the trip .”

Helpful Report

Dear Bianca, We feel sorry that we did not achieve to offer you what we strive to be the best week of your life for most of our guests. We would like to express our apologies for joining us on a week that due to severe weather conditions we had to deviate from our published itinerary and as a result not able to enjoy swim stops and sail, however this is out of our control. We would like to inform also, that according to our T & C's we have offered public ferries and accommodation from Ios to Santorini, to our guests that did stay with us. In addition to that, we have checked our weekly health and technical reports for our vessels and there hasn't been reported any deficiencies on our boats. Please understand that the amenities offered on board, such as wifi, a/c or toilets although they operate under excellent conditions, they are not similar to standard hotels. Thank you

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