Esma Sultan 2

An absolutely cool and overall very successful tour for us. With Erkan, Ali and Muharem again and again. Like: The entire support and organization (which unfortunately lasted for more than 18 months due to the Corona restrictions) by the agency around Erkan Ari's team shone with flexibility, speed and creativity. The team always had a suitable solution for all requirements and wishes. It doesn't matter whether it's a transfer, a day trip or special drinks, Erkan had not just one answer for everything, but always the right answer at a fair price. More is not possible!
I (we, 6 men in the best age between 50 and 60) can only sing the same praise about the crew on board. Starting with Captain Ali, who had excellent local knowledge (on water and on land) and always took us to the best stretches of coast and bays at the right time, taking into account our desired route. And all this in a very "calm" tone with his team and a very courteous speech to us.
The "Boat Boys" did their job with speed and skill to everyone's satisfaction. Were almost invisible when there was nothing for the boys to do and very accommodating when it came to canoeing or dinghying across the sea.
Special mention must be made of Muharrem the cook... "Godfather of Cooking"!
In 1936, the definition for awarding Michelin stars was established. It is time to revise this definition, assessment and criteria. I don't want to offend any of the star chefs, ..... what Muharrem ALONE conjured up in a galley of less than 2 square meters, on a gulet in rough seas, every day (several times) cannot be rated with stars. Whether fish or meat, from the pan or oven or from the grill. Whether side dishes, vegetables or dessert. The level was always very high. With the design of these culinary works of art, all others of this guild should only be in the one star category;-)
Since we have a little experience from the fifth gulet tour, not only in terms of galley art and in "country life" one or the other star chefs have been visited, we allow ourselves to speak this verdict: For one of the best Kitchens, "is worth a trip" - 3 stars Dislike: The Esma Sultan II is showing its age. The entire appearance has also changed, no longer light blue but everything in gray. The pictures on the internet are no longer quite correct as the boat/ship is shown, or you can see the small "abnormalities".
Carpets, doors and furniture in the cabins have suffered a bit. Also the bathrooms could do with a little renovation. Hot water for the shower was a matter of luck and the "throne"... well. Unfortunately, the ship itself does not have a permanent internet connection, although according to the description this is included. However, the captain helped out (privately) with data volume. The hi-fi system mentioned consisted of a 2 watt Bluetooth speaker and the advertised flat screens in every cabin......? We couldn't get one to work.
Although the ship falls under the category "Luxury" (we didn't put too much value on it), it can no longer meet this requirement without significant renovation work. So if you have high expectations of the boat and are not willing to make compromises, you run the risk of being disappointed. However, due to the overall package (space, crew and kitchen), we were able to overlook various things. Personally, I would wish for a fully automatic coffee machine on a ship of this size and class.
04.10.2021

Dear Sirribir,
I would like to tell you that the cruise was very beautiful, professional crew and excellent food.
The best thing was to stay in port in Bodrum last night. If we had no parking we will not be off the gulet and we could not visit the city.
Regarding sun bed was comfortable but Annalia would have preferred the classic one with no stairs.
We’ll remember for next time.
My friends would like to rent a gullet for next summer but are interested in Croazia. Do you have anything in that area?
Thanks of everything
Best regards
Ivana
02.09.2013