A Week's Escape on a Mediterranean Yacht

8- Day : Istanbul and the Turquoise Coast

Including a Mediterranean Gulet Cruise
and Air fare from JFK

A Week's Escape on a Mediterranean Yacht
Suggested Itinerary

DAY 1 - DEPARTURE - from JFK ( Add-on is available from other major cities ) Friday, or choose your own arrival date (subject to boat(s) availability. We board our flight in New York : Lufthansa , Turkish Airlines , British Airways or similar , bound for Istanbul. Air fare add-on available from major USA cities . For West Coast passengers : you need NOT to fly via JFK, your flight will be non-stop to London, Paris or Frankfurt then on to Istanbul

Day 2 - ISTANBUL - BODRUM - Board your Gulet - Group Cruise - Saturday (D)
Our staff meets your international flight at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport and escorts you to the domestic terminal for your onward flight to Bodrum. Known in ancient times as Halicarnassus, Bodrum was once the capital of King Mausolus, whose elaborate tomb, the Mausoleum, gave its name to all grand tombs which followed. Our staff drives you to the waterside Castle of St. Peter, built by the Crusaders in the early 1400s, where your yacht awaits you, moored beneath the castle walls.
Step aboard and enjoy a welcome cocktail as you meet your captain and crew, after which they'll prepare the first of many delicious shipboard dinners for you. Settle in and relax: you're a l-o-n-g way from any cares or worries here!

Day 3- KNIDOS & MERSINCIK Sunday (BLD)
Weighing anchor at sunrise, we sail south through Gokova Bay, passing close to the Greek island of Kos (Karaada) and around the Resadiye Peninsula to Knidos, famous in ancient times for its superb statue of Aphrodite sculpted by Praxiteles. We drop anchor in Knidos's ancient harbor and go ashore for a tour of the ancient city ( on your own . We return to our yacht and continue our leisurely "Blue Voyage" to Mersincik, where we drop anchor for the night.

Day 4- ÇATI, YEDI ADALAR - INGILIZ LIMANI Monday (BLD)
We continue our meandering route through these classical waters, stopping at peaceful Çati cove, at Yedi Adalar (the Seven Islands) and at Sedir (Sidera) Island. On Sidera we explore the Roman theater, ruined Byzantine monasteries, and Cleopatra's Beach, a gift from Marc Anthony to the Egyptian queen, with sand said to have been brought from Egypt. Onward, we head for Marmaris, where Lord Nelson's fleet took shelter as it prepared to attack Napoleon's forces at Abukir in 1798. For us, "Green Marmaris," as it is called because of its surrounding pine forests, is a welcome shore excursion with a wonderful bustling bazaar, a long palm-shaded waterfront promenade, and a fortress that's now a museum. We return to our yacht for dinner, moored at Ingiliz Limani (English Port).

Day 5- SEDIR & ORAKLAR Tuesday (BLD)
Today is filled with the pleasures of sun and sea: swimming, reading, relaxing, and enjoying a lazy shipboard lunch. Your yacht has everything you need for water sports: facemasks and flippers, sailboard, canoe and fishing tackle. We drop anchor at Oraklar for a calm night aboard, gently rocking in the pellucid waters of the Mediterranean.

Day 6- BODRUM & ISTANBUL Wednesday (B)
Wonderfully refreshed by our voyage, we return to Bodrum harbor and tie up beneath the castle walls. Bidding farewell to our captain and crew, we drive to the airport for our flight to Istanbul, where we'll be staying in a charming Ottoman mansion inn.

Day 7- ISTANBUL Thursday (BL)
Let us show you the City of the Sultans! In the morning we tour the top sights including Topkapi Palace, Sancta Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Byzantine Hippodrome. After lunch, come with us for a shopping spree in the labyrinthine Grand Bazaar, with its 4000 shops. In the evening, use your Lonely planet guidebook to bone up on Turkish cuisine, and to locate a good little restaurant near the inn for a romantic candlelit dinner.

Day 8- RETURN HOME Friday (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home, completely refreshed, and with memories to last for years. What a difference a week away can make!

RATES per person

BODRUM OR MARMARIS?

Yachts may depart from either Bodrum or Marmaris, depending upon availability .Please see our sample Marmaris Yacht Itinerary.

Yacht masts at sunset in Bodrum... Turkey Home Page - Private Gulet / Yacht

Your Mediterranean Yacht Escape Includes...

• International airfare from New York (JFK) to Istanbul , in economy class and return, including all taxes (normally on Turkish Airlines, British Airways or Lufthansa, but we reserve the right to use any IATA-approved international airline)
  
• Domestic airfares within Turkey in economy class , including all taxes
  
• A 5-day (4-night) cruise aboard a Turkish gulet, staffed by a licensed captain and crew
  
• Two nights' accommodation at a four-star Ottoman-style inn in Istanbul, including tax & service charges
  
• All meals aboard the yacht, and other meals as listed (cB = continental breakfast; B = Breakfast; L = set-menu lunch; D = set-menu dinner).
  
• All transfers in Turkey (between airport, hotel, yacht, etc.), including portage
  A full-day sightseeing tour in Istanbul, including lunch and admission fees
  
• Travel guidebook to Turkey.

What's not included...

• Turkish Visa Fee , payable in cash upon arrival at the airport in Istanbul, or contact the Turkish Consulate near you
  
• Travel Insurance. To participate in this cruise-tour, we must require you to provide proof of medical and travel insurance. We will be happy to send you information on how to purchase these policies if you do not already have them. Please contact us for details, we'll be glad to mail you the flyer
  
• Gratuities to , guides, drivers, captain and crew (at your discretion)
  
• Personal expenses , such as phone calls, faxes, room service, laundry etc.
  
• Meals and drinks not listed above
  
• Yacht / Gulet shore excursions, we'll be glad to add them if you wish for additional $$$
  

More Choices :

• Click here for the private edition .

• Compare with Arriving Istanbul on a Thursday

• The 11 day edition ,  or the 14 day with a stay at a sea side resort

• Compare with one week sailing the Mediterranean Gulet Group cruise departure

• The 10-day group departure on Fridays .
  
• Turkey Home Page .
  
• When you reserve your cabin on one of our Turkish gulets, you will share the yacht with other travelers who have also reserved cabins. If you'd rather have a yacht all to yourself, we'll make it easy for you.
  
• A PRIVATE YACHT FOR GROUP
  Organize a group of four travelers, and we will provide your group with a private gulet exclusively for the four of you--no other passengers will be aboard. You'll love the extra room and privacy !
  Also, you can plan your departure for any day; it needn't be on a Friday.

Sample Gulet / Yacht cruise programs:

• Dodecanese Cruise of the Greek Isles : Marmaris – Rhodes – Symi – Kos – Datça – Loryma – Marmaris

• Southern Dodecanese Cruise : Marmaris - Rhodes - Symi - Datca - Hisaronu - Bozukkale.
  
• Northern Dodecanese Mediterranean Gulet Cruise : Bodrum - Kos - Leros - Patmos - Kalymnos.