Aug 29, 2017 - Option 5 - return flights to Rhodes (Greece) & ferry to Fethiye. Sounds crazy BUT ... holiday on the
Turkey sailing trip – August 29th – 5th Sept Flights have jumped up a bit already (average ~ £200 return) but are still much less than other cruising locations in the Med. As most people know you can’t get return summer flights to many places in the Med for under £150 (unless you fly mid week) One of the decision processes was around flight costs/flight Options (i.e. multiple airports) and in fact some of the other locations which were in the mix for this years trip (Croatia, Corfu) are already £300+ for return flights PLUS compounded by the fact that they only have a single airport Option. Below I have listed 5 different cost effective Options to joining the starting location (Gocek) • •
4 of these Options were used by our crew last trip (Oct 2014) with great success only Option not tested by us last trip was Option 3 (Antalya)
The early bird gets the worm as they say, so those who delay sorting out flights will pay more. We always say to people “Book, your flights and then worry about the other things later “ (i.e. transfers, accommodation pre/post yacht trip, buddying up with transfers, etc) One of the great benefits of Turkey is that it is far less expensive on the incidentals (food, alcohol) and eating out in the evenings. Based on a normal week, boat food kitty usually comes to around ~£100 per person + dinners out (anywhere from £100-200). These numbers can be 1/2’ed for Turkey vs Western Med from experience, meaning you will end up with at least £100 more in your pocket versus other sailing locations. The other option for those culturally minded is that you have some amazing Options should you choose to fly into Istanbul, Rhodes or Bodrum instead of direct to Dalaman (the closest airport).
Option 1 (Best and easiest) - Dalaman airport 25 mins transfer - Dalaman to Gocek is one of the easiest and cheapest transfers to any sailing marina in the Med. You are bound to be on same flight as a number of other crew members so shared transfers will be organized even for the late flights that land at 1:55 a.m. (Monarch) and 4:55 a.m (Thomas Cook) on Saturday 29th morning (Turkey time)
Option 2 - Bodrum About 2 hours by transfer and a great backup option. Bodrum is a fascinating cultural city if you want to spend a day or 2 there before joining us. Transfers are simple and frequent and can be booked online. Pending how many people fly to Bodrum, we will look to organise a group transfer to make it easier and cheaper Option 3 – London to Antalya A 2.5-3 hour transfer but we are sailing that way and would be closer if you were not to join the boat until Sunday. A back up Option to Bodrum I would say and probably a last resort. Option 4 - return flights London to Istanbul + internal flight from Istanbul to Dalaman This gives you the option of spending the weekend in Istanbul - and for those who haven’t experienced it, Istanbul truly is one of the great cities on earth. If you go via Istanbul i.e. depart on the Friday evening from Dalaman, I would strongly suggested doing a weekend in Istanbul (3 of us did this last trip) and get 2 holidays in 1 :-) Wonderful AirBnB apartments are available in the heart of Istanbul for £20/room/night Airlines that fly London to Istanbul - Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, Luthansa Airlines that fly Dalaman to Istanbul – check Skyscanner.net (between £40-60 return) Option 5 - return flights to Rhodes (Greece) & ferry to Fethiye Sounds crazy BUT Rhodes is very close to Turkey and ferries run to Fethiye. travel time is 90 mins. A great adventure for those who believe half the fun of travelling is getting there. We can pick you up at Fethiye on Saturday evening (or jump a bus/taxi to Gocek – 20 mins) Tony can vouch for the process being very easy and enjoyable (and Tony is always the Litmus test for low hassle ;-) Again the option to spend 1-2 days at the back end of the trip to have another holiday on the Greek island of Rhodes and discover where 1 of the 7 wonders of the ancient world used to stand (The colossus of Rhodes) Ferry details below. http://www.bluecruisesturkey.com/Ferry_Schedules/Ferries_RhodesFethiye.html http://www.alaturkaturkey.com/index.php?view=fethiye---rhodes-ferry
