The Sultan’s Yacht (14 days)

Including a Drive along the Turquoise Coast
All the way to Antalya
All in 14 Days

Private Touring & Private Mediterranean Cruise. Escape to Istanbul, Bodrum in the Turkish Riviera. Join a Mediterranean Yacht cruise hugging the Turquoise coast then change your mode of transportation as you drive along the coast all the way to Antalya, of course with your own private chauffeur.

We will provide the Captain! Isn’t this the escape you really want? You’ll cruise aboard a comfortable, romantic gulet, the traditional wooden sailing vessel used for centuries along Turkey’s pine-fringed Mediterranean coast. You’ll also spend some time in exotic Istanbul to see its imperial palaces, world-class museums, chic restaurants, bazaars and boutiques. Your accommodations? An Ottoman-style mansion inn. We’ll even drive along the Turquoise coast with your own private chauffeur, in your own private air-conditioned vehicle.

Day 1 – ISTANBUL / Izmir / Kusadasi
Our local representative meets your international flight at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport and escorts you to your connecting domestic flight. Domestic air fare is included to Izmir in economy class with tax. Ticket issued & delivered in Istanbul. In Izmir you will find your private air-conditioned vehicle and private chauffeur waiting for you to drive you to Kusadasi and your hotel. For boutique style hotel lovers we suggest Kismet Hotel, or for a more contemporary style, Korumar Hotel.

Day 2- Kusadasi – Ephesus – BODRUM (BL)
After breakfast we head for Ephesus, always with your private guide, and tour this most impressive ancient city on the Mediterranean. We continue to the fine Ephesus Museum, then on 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 your hotel – the Marmara Hotel. Lunch is included enroute in a charming local restaurant.

Day 3 – Yacht (Gulet) (BLD)
We drive 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 4 – KNIDOS & MERSINCIK (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. Sailing south and east around the peninsula, we reach the mouth of the Dalyan River, where we board a motor launch for a voyage upriver to the Roman ruins at Caunus. The sheer rockface overlooking the river is pierced by Lycian rock-cut tombs dating from 600 BC. We return to our yacht and continue our leisurely “Blue Voyage” to Mersincik, where we drop anchor for the night.

Day 5 – ÇATI, YEDI ADALAR & INGILIZ LIMANI (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 6 – SEDIR & ORAKLAR (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 7 – Disembarkation – Check-out from the Gulet: Drive (B)
Sail to Sogut and Marmaris
Wonderfully refreshed by our voyage, we bid farewell to our captain and crew, we drive to Kaunos and Fethiye. Check in at your hotel: Ece Saray Hotel.

This afternoon is your opportunity to explore this charming Mediterranean paradise on your own. These coming few days of driving along the coast are designed to allow you more flexibility with your program with the private air-conditioned vehicle and private chauffeur at your disposal. Yet we would like to suggest the following route. If you have any other suggestions, we will be happy to explore with you and custom tailor your tour.

Day 8 – Fethiye (B)
These are independent days, yet the vehicle and driver are at your disposal (cost included in our rate). Today’s drive covers the Blue Lagoon,. Patara, Xanthos, and Kalkan: Patara Prince Hotel (where we spend the night).

Patara, birthplace of St. Nicholas. The Roman theater is worth your attention, and if you wish to linger on the long, deserted beach, Xanthos, and beyond to the Saklikent Gorge. Adventurers from the world over come to scale its walls and hike and raft its waters. You might choose to sample an adventure yourself…

Day 9 – Kalkan (B)
These are independent days, yet vehicle and driver are at your disposal (cost included in our rate). Today’s drive covers Kas, Kekova, Myra, Demre, and Finike: Di Presa Hotel (where we spend the night).

We’ll set out after breakfast, with your driver and private vehicle and the travel books we will send you. You’ll continue to the port of Kas, favored by sailors ancient and modern. Follow the course of the Demre River. You may wish to stop and cross a small bridge on foot, proceed through fields, and come across what looks like an ancient apartment building. It’s actually one of the surprises of Mediterranean Turkey, Lycian tombs hewn into the rock face. We’ll reach the sea again at Myra, where yachts and Turkish sailing vessels gently bob in the waters. You ‘ll give in to temptation ??? …. 🙂 and embark on a sailing trip to the island of Kekova, passing the remains of castles, tombs, and arches, ample proof that the ancients knew the best places to settle. Again this is on your own, and additional cost locally to be paid by you. Then it’s on to the little harbor of Finike to spend the night and, if you wish, to explore nearby ruins.

Day 10 – Finike (B)
These are independent days, yet vehicle and driver are at your disposal (cost included in our rate). Today’s drive covers Olympos, Phaselis, and we’ll drive along the coast, with its influences from all over the Mediterranean. We’ll pass through Phaselis, a port in Roman times for the export of rose oil, perfume, and timber. A substantial stone aqueduct remains. The little beach town of Olympos. You’ll feel that it’s your own discovery, concealed among hills and orchards. Stay as long as you like. Nearby is a natural flame that burns endlessly.

Day 11 – Antalya (B)
These are independent days, yet vehicle and driver are at your disposal (cost included in our rate). Today’s drive covers Perge, Aspendos, then back to Antalya (where we spend the night): Sheraton Voyager Hotel.

Today you may wish to take time to delve into history in nearby Roman towns. You’ll set your own pace, and in consultation with the travel books we will mail you, emphasize the sites that most intrigue you. You’ll see Perge, from which Paul and Barnabus set out to spread the Gospels. Its monuments include a theater, agora, stadium, and triumphal arch and colonnades. Then it’s on to Aspendos, a Roman trading center with a theater preserved almost perfectly intact. Perhaps you’ll choose to concentrate on Side, with its temples of Athena and Apollo, and recall the romantic meeting of Marc Anthony and Cleopatra that took place here. We’ll return to our lodgings in Antalya for the night.

Day 12 – ISTANBUL (BD)
Fly back to Istanbul and your hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure. This evening your private chauffeur will provide round-trip transfers for dinner at a Turkish gourmet restaurant.

DAY 13 –  ISTANBUL (BL)
Imperial Constantinople in the Belle Epoque (late 19th century), the exotic romance of the “Paris of the East:”

Morning walking tour: We start with our guide in Karaköy where the foreign bankers and shipping companies had their headquarters, then take the Tünel up to istiklal Caddesi; stop in the whirling dervish tekke, and walk past the various old embassy buildings (now consulates), and point out the architecture. Stop for tea and sweets  (included) at the famous Pera Palace Hotel. Walk at least as far as Galatasaray Square, and have lunch in the Çicek Pasaji (Flower Passage); then walk up to Taksim Square and be picked up for the afternoon tour to  Yildiz Palace Park and the Ihlamur Kasri, a mini-palace south of Yildiz, and finish up with a guided  walking tour and maybe a shopping spree at the labyrinth of the Grand Bazaar. . After the Bazaar we break for ice cream and Turkish delight (lokoum)  (included).

Day 14 – RETURN HOME – Istanbul (B)
Our local representative escorts you to the airport for your flight home, completely refreshed, and with memories to last for years.

Your Rate & Yacht Escape Includes

• Domestic airfares within Turkey, including all taxes
• A private cruise aboard a private Turkish gulet, staffed by a licensed captain and crew.
• Hotel accommodation as per itinerary, 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 (private basis) in Turkey (between airport, hotel, yacht, etc.), including portage
• Private Guided sightseeing tours in Istanbul, and Ephesus as listed including admission fees.
• Private air-conditioned vehicle and private chauffeur for the drive along the coast: Day 7 thru Day 11 (there is no guide with you for the Day 7 thru Day 11 drive)

Rate doesn’t include

• International air fare from/to your home country.
• Visa Fee: (procure yours online in advance of travel at www.evisa.gov.tr/en/)
• Trip/travel insurance

The hotels we recommend for the deluxe category are:

• Bodrum: The Marmara Bodrum Hotel bodrum.themarmarahotels.com
• Kusadasi: Kismet Hotel www.kismet.com.tr
• Istanbul: Hilton Istanbul, Conrad Istanbul , Hyatt Istanbul,  Inter.Continental Istanbul or similar

Click here for details, photos and spec’s
Total cost for Charter for one week (exclusive use for you and your party): $10,100 USD – subject to change depending on the season. Half board is an additional $600 USD per person for the one week.

Add a Hamam / Spa Experience to your tour