Naxos Sailing Tours — Attraction in Aegean

This will be a long review so those considering understand what this excurion is and isn't.

We booked a few weeks in advance. A few days before we were informed our trip was rescheduled to another day. That still worked with our itinerary but be aware rescheduling can happen. Also be aware that the sailing route is not guaranteed and decided on the day based on wind conditions.

You will not be enjoying exotic swimming locations all day. The actual cave/lagoon swimming portion of our trip was under 45mins combined. Pool noodles are provided for safety but you should be a strong swimmer as you need to cover a good 10 metres across sea waves from the ship to the cave. So this tour is likely unsuitable for anyone below high school age. Snorkling in Tripiti Cave was the highlight but over quickly. Afterward a light snack and soft drinks are provided.

There is a washroom on board and a shared waterproof storage bag for all passenger items. You can access your items during stops but not while sailing. There are small mesh pockets in front of you for storing items like sunscreen or water bottles for quick access. Keep them in front of you and not in storage. All footwear is kept away in buckets until you're on land.

The majority of the tour was a 3 hour stop in Piso Lavadi for lunch and a local beach swim. You are brought to a restaurant and the tour provides some local wine. The restaurant tried to charge me for three items we did not order so pay attention to your bill.

Please be aware that this is not a calm, relaxing cruise you may have experienced elsewhere. The return to Naxos was a harrowing 90mins. The entire front half of the boat must be cleared as the nose dives into the waves and bounces like a carnival ride. You will be soaked like splash mountain every couple minutes. George seemed very experienced and competent but the irrational part of your brain might still be nervous. Life vests are on board for emergencies but you won't be wearing one. Be advised: cyclades wind and waves are strong and this excursion is likely not for everyone.

George and crew were excellent guides. George was friendly and checked in with everyone repeatedly. If George ever seems curt, chalk it up to language barrier and genuine concern for passenger safety. I can't imagine the frustration of dealing daily with tourists who ignore safety instructions.

I wouldn't recommend this trip for those who want a calm relaxing cruise, nor those most interested in exotic swimming locations. However, if you really enjoy adventure that comes with wind and waves on the open sea, you're probably the right candidate. Ultimately, this was a birthday present for my adventureous teenage daughter and she seemed to enjoy it the most out of anyone...

**UPDATE After 4 years: Planning for next group trip for 2023 and had a flashback on the Naxos Sailing tours incident that still is shaking us how this company really scammed us/ himself Captain George verbally promised us a full refund for our group and we have received nothing... $0 dollars & not even a response.

What a customer service there is, good luck if you run into problems! Please anyone reading this if you have any issue with them locally, get your money before you leave Naxos- sadly this was the only service company that scammed us. We booked directly as well with so many other local companies for many services and all went as booked, not a glitch. We had tours/ferries/hotels/flights /trains etc. This was very awful and to promise the money and not comply Mr George is a shame and dishonest! I feel i let the group down on this one as everyone paid and did not receive the tour! **

Past review: BEWARE! Captain George is Dishonest and a Liar! Good luck in getting your money back if you encounter a problem with naxos sailing. Captain George has no shame and integrity. Mr George you promised to refund our money back in full for our group of 10 including 2 kids.

Not only we did not sail but what a CROOK, you conned us well by kicking us out of the boat and promising a full refund. You arrogantly shamed and put my niece in tears, shame on you. If you have any character and pride in your company do what you promised, it's over 2 months and we are still waiting for the charge back on our credit card.

This was our first time in Greece. Our customized 11days trip went perfectly without a glitch, except this naxos sailing, what a huge disappointment on Aug 14th and highly regret booking it with this company.

And believe me we did a lot of travelling which began in Athens, Meteora , Thessaloniki Santorini and Naxos booked hotels, train, buses, ferries, tour in Athens , tour in Meteora which was breathtaking, eight of us went horse back riding in Naxos with Naxos horseback riding club ( an unforgettable experience and a must if you're in naxos),flights etc... all as planned ,but the naxos sailing a disaster. My kids and family were so excited for this yacht experience but instead of smiles we got tears and no money back yet...

Very much agree with the previous recent reviews.

Personally wish we had booked through another operator, as while the destinations were great, the overall experience for the cost of 80euro each was disappointing.

George, while was sometimes friendly and charming, mostly was grumpy and rude to the guests. Feels like he has been doing this tour for too long and isn’t particularly interested in the enjoyment for guests.

For example: as previously stated, we were welcomed by asking us for an extra 5euro due to a PayPal fee. Not sure why this isn’t just baked into the original price. George was unhappy we didn’t have cash on us then unhappy when we got 20euro out at ATM as he had to give change George is too pedantic about the cleanliness of the boat. If someone dropped a crumb of food, it would be made into a big deal which made everyone fee uncomfortable George told everyone there was only 1 restaurant we could eat at at the lunch stop due to the others closed because of COVID. As it turns out, they were pretty much all open and when guests asked to go to a different restaurant (the one George made us go to was expensive) he argued with them and said if they did, they would have to wear their COVID mask the whole way back on the boat. Which honestly made no sense.. Seems he was protecting an agreement with the restaurant. When you pay 80euro for the tour, you really don’t want to pay another 30euro for lunch. This was probably the tipping point where I really regretted booking the tour. George arguing with the guests and trying to dictate where they ate and spent their money was simply too far. He was often rude to guests when they didn’t understand him or asked a question he had already answered. Again making us all uncomfortable.

Some positives: definitely felt safe on the trip drinks were provided as well as cheese pie snack

I really wanted to enjoy this trip and I think if you had George on a good day, it could be a great experience but unfortunately this wasn’t our experience. Sadly I recommend people avoid it and book through...