Greece: Sail & Swim

It was a pleasure to have a more low-key and relaxing sail in Greece. The crew looked after us really well, and the standout was our Tour Leader, Nikos. He made the experience all the more better with his great conversation, support for everyone and his warm hospitality. He went out of his way to ensure we were all looked after and most importantly safe. The food onboard was delicious and ensured we didnt go hungry. The cooking class with Katerina was a highlight, highly recommend! Only feedback I have is that the itinerary of the trip on the Top Deck website/app doesn't match the actual itinerary of the trip, which caused some confusion but other than that it was an enjoyable week!

Was thoroughly enjoyable. Sail to an angelic swimming destination and swim for 3ish hours before being fed delicious Greek luncheon. Then Sail to the island of the night, visit around town, dinner in delicious restaurants, picturesque towns, information presentations, before the evening to connect with your fellows into the evening. For those early birds a couple hours in the morning of the same town before the day repeats onto a swim spot and next island. Did not want it to end. Relaxation on a beautiful boat in paradise, would recommend.

I recently did the Sail & Swim Greece tour and while there were some amazing highlights, the whole experience felt a bit undercooked especially compared to other Topdeck tours we’ve done. 🏝️ Swim Stops & Downtime The swim spots were beautiful and relaxing, and it was great having time to unwind. But if you’re someone who likes to stay active, it can drag. Most of the time we were just sitting around reading, with paddleboards and floaties provided. I bought a ball and the vibes, and a friend had a deck of water proof cards. But there wasn’t much initiative from the crew or guide to make the most of the downtime. One stop had a cool cave; more things like that would’ve helped break it up. 🎟️ Lack of Optional Activities There was just one optional activity across 8 days, a cooking class (which was fantastic). But surely one of the islands offers something like jet skiing, kayaking, hiking, or even a cultural tour? It felt like a missed opportunity to not include more. Also, although it’s advertised as 8 days, we started around midday on Day 1 and finished by 10am on the final day, so really, it’s more like 6.5 days. 🧭 Guide & Organisation Our guide was nice but felt a bit green. Orientation walks mostly involved reading info off her phone. Following this pinning us locations to a pharmacy, ATM, beach, or gelato shop not much local insight or history, and what there was, could’ve been sourced easily. A few times we were delayed waiting for bridges or for the guide to wake up, one morning we were told to be back on board by 10am, but the guide slept in and didn’t reappear until 10:40, only to leave again for a coffee. That’s 90 minutes we could’ve used exploring. 🎉 Vibes & Socials The social side was disappointing. The vibe was left entirely up to us. One night we had a “boat party,” but there were no decorations, no real effort put into setup, no theme, just overpriced drinks (€7 vodka sodas) and not much atmosphere. We weren’t allowed to BYO, even though wine on land was €2.50 for 500ml, which made it feel like a bit of a money grab. No ice-breakers, no games, no planned bar crawls, even the beer pong night was something we set up ourselves. My wife found a great bar one night that saved the evening and our guide and crew had no idea it even existed. That sums it up: the group was putting in more effort than the people running the tour. There’s so much potential for easy wins: dress-up nights, scavenger hunts, trivia, welcome games that turn into drinking games… even a simple pub crawl like every other Topdeck tour seems to offer. 👫 The Group Made It That said, we had a fantastic group and met some genuinely wonderful people which has always been our experience with Topdeck. It’s the people that made the trip memorable. ⚖️ Overall If you’re happy to relax and switch off completely, this is your trip! But if you’re hoping for more activities, better organisation, and a bit more energy from the crew and guide, it might not meet your expectations. With more effort put into planning, guiding, and group engagement, this could easily be a much better experience.

I recently joined the Sail & Swim Greece Topdeck tour and had a memorable experience exploring the stunning Greek islands by boat. The swim stops were definitely the highlight; crystal-clear waters, hidden coves, and plenty of time to relax or snorkel. Each island we visited had its own charm, from quaint villages to lively harbors, making the itinerary both scenic and diverse. That said, the tour did feel a bit unorganised at times. There were moments where communication could have been clearer, especially regarding daily plans or changes to the schedule. A bit more structure or guidance would have helped smooth out the overall experience. For example, we were told we’d be able to disembark the boat at certain times of the morning, however the ramp was never down on-time or the boat was unable to dock at the port, cutting short our time to explore the islands. We were also told we were having a ‘boat party’ one night but nothing was arranged, it would’ve been nice for the trip leader to arrange a theme or some fun games. Lastly, the orientation tours could be improved, often we stood in one spot while the trip leader read notes from her phone, it would’ve been nice to walk around the islands and be told info along the way. Despite that, the beauty of the locations and the camaraderie among fellow travelers made the trip worthwhile. With a few improvements in coordination, this tour could easily go from good to exceptional.

Such a fun trip. We were a smaller group (only 7) and it honestly was the perfect amount for the boat. The boat crew were amazing, always willing to help out or join in, they always knew the best swim spots for the day. Maria was an amazing guide, showing us the best spots and restaurants.

The swim and sail was an amazing experience and Maria was very accommodating. The cabins were very comfortable, the swim stops were wonderful and the restaurant recommendations were always on point.

Firstly the places we went where amazing, however when you spend so much money on a holiday you expect some decent level of comfort, firstly the boats water supply was broken and we could only use the water for 30 mins a day, which we had to shower and flush the toilet, our rooms also smelt really bad of petrol, I mean so bad you can’t sleep because of it, the aircon didn’t work in our room and our room got to 30 degrees on a night. I paid a lot of money for this trip and I wouldn’t do it again. Now the good parts, the swim stops where amazing but we all agreed that perhaps it should be every other day or for maybe an hour instead of 2/3 hours as it didn’t leave a lot of time for the different islands. Maria was also fantastic as was Mary.

The trip was great and the islands we visited were beautiful. The crew, cook and tour guide were also amazing and very kind. But there were a few issues with the boat. For example the boat had a water leak which meant that water had to be turned off throughout the day and only could be used for a few minutes in the morning and at night. It also smelled very strong of fuel and there were a few electrical issues. However, the crew and tour guide dealt really well with these unexpected issues and did their very best to fix them. The cooking class was also great fun!! I would definitely recommend the Swim and Sale Greece tour as it was a wonderful experience but the boat issues were a bit annoying and could have been avoided if it had been properly checked beforehand.

The crew were amazing!!!! They catered to our every need! Our tour guide Nikos was so knowledgeable🫶🏽 The swim spots were insane!!!!

This trip was absolutely awesome, even though things went a little wrong as it is living on a boat, top deck and the crew handled everything perfectly. We had issues on our first day with the boat and mechanic needed to fix something, our trip manager was making us lots of “welcome drinks” to keep us from concentrating on that! Even with strong winds the crew still found a lovely place for us to swim for the day. Absolute highlight of the trip was hydra! It was stunning! I would recommend walking as far up as possible early in the morning before the sun peaks over the mountain and gets too hot! *Pictured below*

The tour was great fun. The included meals were incredible, especially breakfast on the boat. The crew seemed very professional and always made us feel welcome. It was a very relaxing week, and so lovely to always have places to stop for swims. A special mention goes to our guide Athina, who was so lovely and always made an effort to give recommendations and ensure everyone was included and she also joined us out for meals- she was excellent. The only point for improvement would be to have more included activities/optional activities, as the only one on our trip was the cooking class which sadly we couldn’t do due to only 7 people being keen (we were told there needed to be a minimum of 8 people for it to go ahead). Sadly due to issues with the port, we had to dock in the sea off Hydra and use the tender to get to and from the boat which meant our time there was limited.

I had the best time on the Sail & Swim Greece tour! It has been the highlight of my travels. A special shout out to Maria and the crew. They were friendly, relaxed, hospitable and fun! Great people.