Seafarer Cruising & Sailing Holidays Avis 

As a returning guest it’s good to see everyone I recognised from last year. The seafarer staff were very encouraging especially the new manager who helped me revise putting windsurfing kit together so that it suited me . Not having the area for sun beds in the shade and only in the beach was something which may affect my choice to return next year however sadly .

Amazing 2 weeks on the Kefalonia Flotilla in July sailing Loukia with a brilliant lead crew Alma , Julia and Dylan taking us to special places , keeping us safe and helping making our time so fun ! They work so hard and always with a smile - a big thank you to them all ! We travelled with our 21-23 year old kids and felt this company was perfect for us as a family with a great mix of beach party / group meals and our own time - in particular our 2 day free sail between our 2 week flotilla was incredibly special having been given great advice from lead crew of perfect bays to anchor in overnight we swam , caught fish and cooked aboard enjoying being off grid , food , drink and games - perfect ! Loukia was gorgeous and well maintained , beautifully presented for our arrival and a great check in / check out process too. We feel so lucky to have seen Turtles , Tuna and Dolphins during our trip and have made wonderful memories and met some lovely people to enjoy the experience with …. Already booked again for next year on the Lefkas route this time …. Again the booking team was so helpful and patient with all my queries ! Counting down the days !

The whole process was great. From the sales/customer service team to the on site yacht brokers.
But to top it off, we had a fantastic flot crew of Joe and Tay from the skopelos base.
Of the 13 flotilla's we have done with various operators these guys are at the top.....

A perfect balance of help, advice and companionship when you want it mixed with independent sailing and the freedom to choose quieter places to anchor

The lead boat crew, the destinations, the support, the quality of the boats, the social engagement, great weather, steady medium strength predictable winds

The team on the ground (water) were first class. Great boats, great routes and a superb holiday.

Seafarer have got the flotilla holiday right. They have the right amount of engagement without being over controlling. We have found their selection of lead skippers and their support to be excellent. Very helpful in the booking stage and the boats have all been good.

Start to finish was a great experience. From talking to Suzie in the office when booking it, and she really did make that easy, to having fun with the Lefkada lead crew, Alex and Daisy that looked after us so well.
Already booked for next year!

Helpfull and frendly staff both in senter and at booking stage.

As alwas the staff and instructors at Nikiana beach clud were ecalent. Also the bar staff and cleaners at the taverna and hotel were spot on. See you there some time steve.

The most rude, noisy and respektless, very British, group of people with no sailing skills. Emptying their holding tank at the shore etc. They are ruining it for everyone else who wants to sail in the Mediterranean.

Two things were unfortunate on this trip out of Naxos. Both seem related to that Seafarer are in practice largely just a booking agency rather than yacht owning enthusiasts. The first was the condition of the boat. From fuel fumes that made sleeping impossible, leaking hatches/portholes, to a tender with unreliable engine the boat was old and not the best maintained. Apparently this boat is well known amongst staff for being problematic and has been for years - so why do Seafarer keep booking it from its owner year after year? Other guests on this trip actively complained seeking compensation - I don't know the outcome.
The second is treatment of their skippers. As well as the boats, these are hired season by season - hence why I say Seafarer are in essence a booking agency. They are expected to work week after week after week with no days off, the switch over day being as busy as any other in preparing the next trip. Skippers working 3, 4+ weeks without a break must keep profitability higher, but must also raise safety issues. The skippers do everything from sailing to entertaining. They are the ultimate life blood of the company, but are seemingly treated less than might be. From pay to providing support the talk is not positive about Seafarer. It seems Seafarer are so dependant on a few boat owners that these owners dictate how much, and usually how little, gets done to maintain boats or to support staff. Their captains do not expect Seafarer to step up when boat owners become difficult. Again, it is difficult to see how this is optimum. For me, the quality of boats, and the active support skippers have are important in ensuring a safe and happy trip. Along with the two guests I know complained I make 3 out of 5 guests on this trip who were unimpressed.
Essentially, if everything goes well and there are no issues everything is great. But if anything goes amiss all is down to the Captain who may not have the means to resolve issues and who will not always be backed up by the office.

LAST OF SUMMER WINE GO SAILING
We as four older men booked a week in Iononian Islands. Our skipper who is 80 plus years refreshed his qualifications in the week prior to departure. Unfortunately on the last day the gangplank tipped him over and he had to go home because of cuts. Seafarer got us a skipper within 24 hours who turned out to be fantastic. He was extremely competent and a very nice young man who fitted in very well. His name is Vitek if anyone needs a skipper try for him. He looked after us really well. The rest of the staff looking after us were great.
The boat was as we expected, it was 15 yrs old but in very good order clean and everything worked.
Very happy to give my recommendation to this company , the office side were thorough, friendly and efficient.

If you are deliberating/pondering about cruising with Seafarer around Tahiti and the French Polynesian islands my advice would be … BOOK IT NOW. I have just returned (June 2026) from a wonderful 11 day cruise with Seafarer and I can honestly say, with hand on heart, it was way beyond my expectations. The excursions are well planned and diverse. I snorkelled with manta ray, sting ray, black tipped sharks, turtles and an array of beautifully coloured and diverse species of fish. Went drift snorkelling through coral gardens and drank coconut water from freshly harvested coconuts - prepared by the market gardeners along the Faaroe River which we reached by outrigger canoes (motorised). Our ship’s tour guide Elliot subtly used a drone and an underwater camera to capture us all in action and set up a Whatsapp group for us to share our photographs and videos. The Panorama II is well equipped and the crew worked their socks off to ensure our holiday of a lifetime met our expectations. The food on board - three meals a day and everything cooked and served to perfection. Does this review sound a bit over the top? I do hope so - please do not hesitate any further. Book your dream holiday now and extend the cruise by a few days staying on Moorea or maybe Huahine.

We had two weeks at Nikiana beach sailing dinghies. The team at the beach Giles, Michelle, Ben, Dylan, Iri, Luke, Tom were knowledgeable, helpful and professional which made the sailing experience great. They were always cheerful and happy to help and advise as appropriate. The Taverna also have fantastic people, eg Dora, Paris, Desi and the service was friendly and food good. For family reasons my wife had to travel home before the end of the two weeks and Nevena (based in UK) sorted out flight options and transfers and again was so helpful. We have already booked again for next year. Phil and Sarah

I attended a rusty skipper weekend course through Seafarer Sailing
The course was provided by Theo Bailhache in his yacht Pandora from the Southampton base. The course was excellent and tailored to my needs. Theo was an expert professional and patient tutor. The water around Southampton, Solent and Isle of Wight provides multiple challenges and seemed to me to be ideal for training. Highly recommended,.

My husband and I booked a package holiday with Seafarer Cruising & Sailing Holidays on December 2nd 2025 and paid £2380.00 (35%) deposit on that date.

On December 12th 2025 my husband unfortunately contracted sepsis resulting in a lengthy hospital stay followed by time in rehab and has been left severely disabled with continuing post-sepsis syndrome. His medical consultants have advised him not to undertake such a holiday. Their medical reports are available but have not been requested.

I cancelled our holiday with Seafarer Cruising & Sailing Holidays on February 9th 2026 and requested the return of the deposit. They refused to return the deposit telling me that this was stated in their “Terms and Conditions” and also that they had already paid out non-refundable costs to their suppliers.
I then asked how the cancellation costs had been calculated and how the retained deposit amount related to any costs they had incurred especially as the cancellation was made more than 15/16 weeks prior to departure. They have not answered this.

I would really appreciate understanding how the retained deposit reflects the costs that arose.

My wife and I have just returned from Mykonos in the early hours after Sailing with Nils on the Blue Marlin and had another great experience. He was very open and informative on all aspects of sailing, and was a thoroughly nice chap throughout the week's sailing. The weather was a little breezier than last year, which was great for us, as we had the sails up 5 out of 6 days.

It was also good to see Denis the skipper from the Christiana VII that we met up with occasionally in the various marinas around the islands. Denis remembered us as well, which was nice as he must see hundreds of people over the year Sailing. He was also a great help to Nils with sharing his experience of the area and various marinas.
Although we have sailed around some of these islands before it didn't seem like as did some of tem in a different order and some new ones.

On board we had 6 people, 3 who had sailed before and had varied experiences ( from none to quite a lot) to 3 completely new to sailing and was up for a new experience, and Nils looked after us all very well.

You are always a little anxious prior to meeting up on the first day, but you're likely to meet people like yourselves, a little adventurous and willing to try something new. We made good friends and had some fun times and lots of laughter.

Leaving the marinas a little earlier and pulling into a quiet and sheltered bay fairly close by and having time to swim before breakfast and then sailing on to another new island was marvellous, We also saw a couple of pods of dolphins that swam around us on some days of the sailing.

All in all, we loved it and are already talking about doing it again next year for a 3rd time.

First time to Nikiana Beach Club.
The whole atmosphere was so relaxed and very friendly.
I met numerous people who were repeat travellers to Nikiana and some first timers who were recommend by friends. Can't be bad if they return year after year,huh? Met some fabulous people.
I had a wonderful week and will definitely be going back next year. Food was great, staff were exceptional.Roll on next year !!

After two flotillas with Seafarer, our overall experience has been excellent. The team were attentive, friendly, and genuinely helpful, and the holiday was perfect for us—well-planned arrangements, a lovely yacht, and supportive staff throughout. The lead crew were cheerful, engaging, and wonderfully considerate, with a great sense of humour. The boat was in excellent condition and clearly well maintained. On this second trip the crew’s support felt slightly less visible than on our first and than suggested by the marketing, but we still felt well looked after and had a fantastic time.