Athens, being the base of almost all Greek Charter Yachts, is the most common start/finish point for your Greek Islands Yacht Charter. I always recommend our clients to spend a couple of days before or after their charter, exploring the museums, archaeological places and tasting the vibrant Athens nightlife.
Athens is abundant with excellent restaurants (including several Michelin star establishments), and I would like to clarify that the 3 restaurants I recommend below are just my favorite places! I am into modern, creative cuisine and I adore wines, so wine and food pairing is a priority for me. Most importantly, I highly value personalized service in a restaurant.
Number 1: SIMUL
SIMUL gastronomic situ: A small gem of a restaurant, situated in the heart of the posh Kolonaki neighborhood, SIMUM is steadily in my top favorite go-to restaurants. Chef Nikos Thomas’s creative interpretations of Greek/Mediterranean cuisine uses the freshest local ingredients and as such the menu changes with the seasons. During the summer, I prefer to sit in the lovely little garden.
Number 2: SUSHIMU
Maybe the best sushi place in Athens – Sushimu is a modern day traditional Japanese sushi bar. 12 high stools on one side of the bar, with Sushi chef Antonis Drakoularakos on the other side. While Chef Antonis prepares his nigiris, sashimis, and makis he interacts with his clients … It doesn’t come more authentic than this! The fish is also super fresh, selected by the chef himself every morning!
Number 3: OINOSCENT
My absolute favourite wine bar in the centre of Athens. Oinoscent offers one of the widest selections of Greek and international wines. Most importantly a professional, dedicated and super friendly team of sommeliers who will talk with each of their clients and propose wines according to each one’s tastes. Oinoscent also provides a short, gourmet catalogue of warm dishes, cold cuts and cheeses, so is absolutely fine for light dinner.
Lagoonwas created directly from Jeanneau Technologies Avancees, also known as their competition department. Lagoon accepted unusual requests such as the construction of the trimaran in the film, “Waterworld”. Innovation was deeply embedded in the DNA of these yachts from the get-go.
Between the years of 1987-96 the first line of Lagoon catamarans was born. These yachts were loved by off-shore sailors as much as coastal cruisers. Their iconic wide beam allowed the yacht to be so stable even in rougher seas. In 1996 Beneteau took over the Jeanneau shipyards and handed over the legacy of Lagoon to Construction Navale Bordeaux. It was here when the use of high tech was implemented.
Come the early 00’s, Lagoon was on a roll. With the production of 380, 410, 440, 470, 500, and 570 hitting the market, it catapulted Lagoon to one of the leading Catamaran manufacturers in the world.
Now, Lagoonholds some of the most prestigious awards for their Catamarans in the world. The durable yachts make Lagoons a perfect choice when choosing a catamaran for your charter. They are easy to manage, with state of the art electronics making every moment of you charter special.
We have recently added 30+ Lagoons in Greece, Croatia and the Caribbean from only the most trusted owners. We have carefully selected some of the best Lagoons available on the market, with different variations its never been so easy to find your perfect catamaran! To find out more please contact one of our expert brokershere!
It’s almost time for your Boatbookings crewed yacht charter brokers to attend the annual Mediterranean Yacht Show (MEDYS) in Nafplion, Greece. With 107 yachts on display measuring over 3000m in length, the 2019 MEDYS is going to be the most successful yacht show to date. Today, we will take a look at three of our favourite yachts exhibiting from the 4-8 May 2019.
MEDYS 2019 will showcase the best motor and sailing yachts available for charter in Greece, as well as some of our favourite Greek crewed catamarans. MELITI is a luxurious Lagoon 560 catamaran, accommodating 10 guests in 5 cabins for sailing charter through the Saronic and Cyclades islands. With Captian Stelios at the helm, you will discover tranquil bays, breathtaking anchorages and unrivalled sunsets. Bring your camera!
In addition to catamarans, MEDYS 2019 will showcase the best Greece crewed motor yachts. PARIS A continues to be one of our favourites in the 100-120 feet range, offering five spacious suites, a large flybridge and a great selection of water toys. Furthermore, she has a dedicated crew, as well as a superb chef in Dionisios for summer 2019. We look forward to being dazzled with his creations!
BLISS has just benefitted from an extensive winter refit and is therefore in sparkling condition for the summer 2019 Greek yachting season. Experienced Captain Takis, and his dedicated crew of 8 will show you the best Cyclades Islands Motor Yacht Itinerary with stops in the magical Mykonos and picturesque Paros.
Stay tuned for our full MEDYS 2019 report and continue to follow the action via the Boatbookings Instagram page.
Overlooking the Bay of Biscay is home to one of the biggest shipbuilders in the world – Dufour. Dufour is unrivaled in its quality of yacht building, from hand lamination to their meticulous yacht assembly. Italian designed, but 100% French made, Dufour has the style and sophistication you would expect by these two style orientated countries. Dufour works closely with Umberto Felci, world-class naval architects, who together have created yachts that deliver elegance, performance, and comfort – a truly luxurious yacht.
Due to Dufour`s comfortable sail, and easy maneuverability, Dufour’s are very popular in the Mediterranean especially in Greece and Italy. Dufour`s are no stranger to winning awards and regattas. Amongst the many awards and nominations, the Dufour Grand Large 520 was awarded the 2018 Boat of the year by Cruising World. Besides the obvious beauty, the Dufour`s distinctive design sets them apart from other yacht designers.
A Dufour yacht is characterized by a well-balanced hull ensuring she`s stable even under sail. Dufour has reduced its wettage surface (area below the water line) to increase her performance but not compromising on her comfortable sail. It`s small design ideas like this that attracts sailing enthusiasts from all over the world to charter a Dufour.
We have some of the newest Dufour’s in the Mediterranean. With 2019 yachts based in the best sailing areas in the world such as Greece and Croatia be sure to get in touch! To secure a booking for your summer charter simply enquire here!
An in depth sailing itinerary by someone who lived the route.
Day 1 – Lefkas
Arrive at Lefkas marina for 5 pm ready to board your own private yacht! The first evening will be spent in the marina where you will receive a handover of the yacht and some local information. Preavasia airport is a convenient 40-minute journey to the Marina which is roughly 25-30 euros.
Once you arrive at Lefkas Marina, you will then be taken to your yacht and the handover will start. There is a supermarket located in the marina where you can find basic necessities – look out for their figs, the owner of the supermarket grows them! The supermarket will also deliver the provisions to your yacht for free if you wish.
There’s also a Lidl located about a 20-minute walk (or 5-minute car journey) from the marina which offers a broader range of provisions which inevitably is cheaper. Collect a token from the harbor office (10 euro cash deposit) to enjoy onshore showers – really good, clean facilities. One shower costs around 80 cents, even for ladies!
Lefkas is a vibrant, busy town located a five-minute walk from Lefkas Marina. Here you are engulfed by various restaurants, bars and don’t forget the incredible ice cream shops! The ice cream parlous even have sugar free options along with a range of vegan options. In the square, central to the town is home to some of the best Pizza you can get!
Day 2 – Lefkas to Kalamos
Start early and get out of the Marina! The first day of your holiday! Head south, bear in mind it takes about 40 minutes to get out of the channel. Keep a look out for the larger yachts, they have a tendency to motor up in the middle of the channel, don’t let them bully you! Stay within the buoyage areas as the channel is dredged and it shelves off to under a meter in some places. Once you are out of the channel it’s time to get some sails up! It’s a wide-open span of water so perfect to get the feel of your yacht. The winds normally around force 1-2 in the morning and reaching F3-4 in the afternoons. This makes for relaxing mornings to your first lunch spot.
Over your port side as you head SW you will go past Greek mainland, various sheltered anchorages with good holding. As you travel down to the stunning Island of Kalamos get ready to anchor stern to or raft bow to stern. George, the unofficial harbormaster will come out and greet you on his white motorboat! He’s a really great chap who owns George’s Restaurant at the back of the town quay, great fresh food, locally caught fish. Can get fairly busy in high season, so best to call ahead or get in early and make a reservation.
This town quay does get fairly busy, flotillas come into the quay as well. It’s also possible to free swing near the entrance, which provides good holding. However, best to check the winds as the wind can funnel down through the bay. Limited provisioning here in this small town. You have a small bakery which is on top of the hill with the most incredible bread! Send someone fit and healthy as it’s a 15-minute walk with a very steep incline! Great views over the Ionian and across to Kastos (Kalamos’ sister island).
Wake up fresh and rejuvenated! Grab some fresh bread from the bakery and set the yacht for another incredible Ionian sailing day. Travelling NW, you will come across a beautiful little anchorage called Port Leoni, there are no tavernas only a small church in the hill which locals look after. Port Leoni was hit by an earthquake in ’53 and was deserted. As a result, it has left a quiet, stunning lunch spot with some of the clearest water. Really great holding here, very sheltered and can even be used as an overnight stop.
Come the afternoon the wind picks up so time to shake out the sails and get going! Head up to Meganisi, to the town of Vathi, nicknamed Little Vathi, as not to be confused with Big Vathi on the island of Ithica. Great provisioning in the town, with some of the best Gyros in Greece, only 2 euros! Restaurants and bars line the harbor wall with a great vegan restaurant. On the port side as you enter Vathi a sunken airplane is just below the water level which is great to snorkel around. Water and electric available on the town quay.
Day 4 – Meganisi to Kioni
Slip the lines and head SW to the most beautiful island in the whole Ionian! Ithica, a beautiful lush green island that sits next to the famous Kefalonia. Head straight onto the town quay, or long line to the port side of the bay for a quieter evening. Kioni is a tiny little village littered with fishing boats and stunning restaurants. Kioni provides great holding, there can be some deeper patches on the sea bed, so our advice is to motor in and find a good depth to anchor.
Kioni does have the tendency to get windy from 6 pm but dies off towards 8 pm. Do make sure that if you’re long lining that you have both port and starboard tied off and anchor are set properly. The wind is caused by the NW prevailing wind that funnels between the hills around the village. The water around Kioni is some of the best around this island for several reasons.
It’s really clean and clear, so great for snorkeling and discovering shoals of fish, come the evening you can expect to see phosphorescences! As you disturb the water on your midnight swim underneath the stars you will notice sparkles, this is the Algae, they emit a glow whenever they are jostled!
As you leave the stunning bay of Kioni, why not pop round to the island of Kefalonia. The famous Fiskhardo town filled with high-end shops and upmarket restaurants. There’s a bay just south of the town called Foki bay. A stunning inlet where tall green ferns grew, we named it Little Canada when we visited! Once you’ve moored up you can either go to the small beach or explore the disused limestone mine which is home to a labyrinth of tunnels. Takes shoes and a torch, no flipflops as your feet will slide everywhere! You can access the caves by dinghy, or you can swim. Foki Bay can be used as an overnight stop but is exposed to easterlies.
Head North to Vassiliki, a popular destination for windsurfers due to the anabatic winds. It is our advice that you get onto the quay before 2 pm or after 3:30 pm. The prevailing winds travel from west to east and can affect your mooring on the quay. It has been known to reach F6. within 10 minutes. If you are wanting to explore the land, we can recommend going to Porto Katsiki by car, or day charter from the harbor.
Poto katsiki provides blue warm waters with bright white cliffs offering dramatic landscapes for miles. This side of the island is very exposed to the prevailing winds, so our advice is to not sail around there but to go by car or ferry instead.
Day 6 – Vassiliki to Sivota
Why not start the day off with a walk along the sandy beach of Vassiliki? Don’t forget your swimming costume! The water is so warm on this coastline due to a large sandbank that retains its heat. Stop off on the way through town and pick up a freddo cappuccino at one of the many town quay coffee shops.
Crossing anchors in this harbor can sometimes happen, keep a look out on any unusual vibrations or strain on the windlass. Head out and travel NW. There are some lovely anchorages on the east side of Lefkada island, all providing great shelter and supremum swimming opportunities, head past Sivota to the next bay around – Poros for a swim and a spot of lunch. Head back around to Sivota, a hidden town up in the hills. Sivota is a small town with a row of restaurants, be sure to pop into the Pirates and 12 Gods, one of our favorite restaurants with great service. They also have a quay which has water and electric for free if you eat there. They also have onshore showers for free! Phone beforehand because they do get busy! There’s also the opportunity to free swing in the bay, but it does get busy.
Leave Sivota and head across back to the western side of Meganisi to explore the incredible Papanikolis Cave! It’s too deep to anchor here, so someone will have to say on the yacht. Go in by paddleboard or dingy, watch out for the bats! Do not sail into the cave, although it looks big enough it isn’t!
As you come further north you will come across the island of Skorpios, keep well away from this island! It is privately owned, and there are armed guards that patrol the grounds and the surrounding waters. The channel between Skoripos and Sparti is blocked off and is also out of bounds. Up along the coast, you have various points of anchoring, one of which is the town of Nydri.
Nydri is prone to being busy during the high season which can affect anchoring space. Inland Nydri is host to a collection of natural waterfalls that can be accessed by car or tour bus. Surprisingly Nydri has a brilliant Chinese restaurant that is well priced on the quay wall! This town is great for trinkets and gifts for those at home.
Keep traveling North up the channel and you are back where you are started! The channel can get busy with Sunsail yachts, as their base is in Lefkas harbour. The flotillas and bareboats are normally filled up with diesel at Lefkas fuel quay by 5 pm. Once you are in the harbor, head over to Portos Cafe for a refreshing drink and talk about the holiday! Lefkas also has a fantastic laundry department which iron, clean and fold 1 load for 15 euros. Head into town for the last dinner and enjoy the last moments of your Ionian holiday!
Check out our Lefkas bareboats if you would like to experience all of the above!
