Cheaper than a villa – and with a bigger pool! The joys of sailing on a gulet holiday in Turkey
Cheaper than a villa – and with a much bigger pool! That was the promise to MARY LUSSIANA before she left for a gulet holiday off Turkey’s spectacular coast. So did it live up to the billing?
Vacations on a gulet seemed to be the height of fashion in the 80s and 90s – then they disappeared from the ambitious radar. But in 2003, Peter and Jenny Cooke (he’s a sailor; she’s a fan of vacations that don’t involve shopping or cooking) bought their own, the Salamander. Now it is part of their fleet of classic wooden sailing gulets that they charter for trips along the pristine Turkish coast.
‘At one point,’ says Peter, ‘I felt that gulets had lost their way, with many focused on the gold tapping point of the market. But we offer something authentic, a holiday that is cheaper than a family villa, with a much larger swimming pool.’
We’re aboard the Ya Selam, which would be ideal for bringing an extended family together in style – sleeping 12 in six cabins, each with en-suite showers and toilets.
As we head out of Bodrum towards blue horizons, we guests, along with the crew of a chef and two sailors, listen to the captain’s briefing, and he emphasizes that if we have a particular interest, for example in archaeology, he will explain the route to accommodate.
As I settle into my cozy little cabin, I have no premonition of what awaits me in the morning – or how the wind would pick up.
Mary Lussiana boards the Ya Selam gulet (pictured) for a cruise around the pristine Turkish coast
Floating along: The ship departs from Bodrum, pictured, taking passengers to ‘blue horizons’
That becomes abundantly clear as we board the dingy and float to a small bay.
I obviously picked the wrong seat as each wave gives me a decent soak, before we reach shore, dry off and head inland to a village to watch a weaver at work on a carpet.
Back on board, our captain, Gurol, explains, ‘The weather prevents our visit to Knidos, where a guide would show you the remains of this impressive 4th century city.’ Then he rolls out a map and maps out the new route. It will be a good mix of playing in the clear water with the toys from the boat and visits ashore for Turkish culture.
Mary (not pictured) says Ya Selam is ideal for ‘bringing an extended family together in style’
Turkish Delight: Above is a meal made by the chef on board at Ya Selam
Weather prevents Mary from visiting Knidos (pictured), where a guide would show her the remains of an impressive 4th-century city
The boat’s captain, Gurol, pulls out a map and shows Mary his favorite places, including Cleopatra Island (pictured)
The next morning I wake to the clattering of the anchor and push open the small window above my bed to see the blue sky. I go out on deck for coffee before a breakfast of deliciously warm cigar bureks – flaky phyllo wrapped around feta cheese. Fellow passengers Adam and Kate are discussing their sailing lessons, and before long we’re laughing at another of us who appears to have the paddleboard upside down. I then slide into the sea and kick to shore.
I enjoy the rhythm of these days: swimming, long lunches, visits to the coast and drinks under the stars.
At some point we pull down the map again and Gurol shows me his favorite spots. There’s Cleopatra Island and English Harbour, where British naval ships secretly sheltered during World War II.
Both were on our route before the wind picked up. They will have to wait until next time. And there will be a next time. A gulet vacation is wonderfully tempting.