Peter Sommer Travels Traveller Reviews

The holiday was a conducted cruise on a gulet, our two ‘experts’ were both outstanding in every respect and wore their knowledge lightly but clearly had a deep knowledge of the whole area, its history, its place in Greek myth and not least its cuisine. The gulet was very well run with an outstanding master and a very willing, well trained friendly crew. Nothing was too much trouble for anyone and the catering on board very good as well. In sum we cannot rate the whole experience highly enough in every respect - we are going again next season to a different area!

Peter Sommer runs a very efficient, very friendly, very knowleable and very helpful Team. Their pre-cruise brief was also outstanding - very helpful, full of interesting hints and advice and clearly written by those who run the cruises and not some PR rubbish! In our view they provide a unique experience and the cruise was excellent value for money.

This was our second trip with Peter Sommer and was every bit as wonderful as our first. Led by our dynamic expert archaeologist, Heinrich Hall, and our local guide and mythology maven, Maria Girtzi, we examined the marvelous ruins and dined on the beautiful foods of the Dodecanese Islands in Greece. Our boat, the Aegean Clipper was spacious, comfortable and proved itself sea worthy in what was supposed to be a hurricane and cyclone. Our fellow travelers hailed from the UK, Australia and the US and were all well-travelled, engaging, intelligent and fun. As in our first trip with Peter Sommer, we all meshed beautifully, in large measure due to the humor and kindness of our guides. We are already planning our next Peter Sommer adventure.

Peter Sommer Travels is a first-class, hands on, helpful and supportive group of people. We have traveled twice with them, once to Turkey and once to the Dodecanese Islands of Greece and in both instances have experienced the very best travel has to offer. Our guides are educated in more than just what we are seeing, the local food is amazing and opportunities to learn about it are always available. The Turking gulets are comfortable, spacious, elegant to be on and to look at from afar. We have not a single word of complaint about Peter Sommer.

I was drawn into and explored (on wheels and on foot) a wonderful landscape I’d seen only in books and my imagination. In reality the landscape told many tales, signs of which are widespread but whose significance would have remained hidden had our guide, Paul Beston, not pointed out so much detail, explained it, put it in its local historical context and then into the broader context of the Roman and, later, Medieval world. The experience was delightfully enlightening and considerably deepened my word view.

Peter Sommer was the finest of hosts. He welcomed his guests, thoughtfully anticipated individual needs and abilities and made contingency plans to accomodate them, and he was interested in guests’ perspectives and feedback. The tour ran very smoothly because of his earlier research and because of his thoughtful anticipation of guests’ needs and wants. Peter also chose an excellent guide, Paul Beston, with whom he worked to ensure a great experience for guests.

Cruising the Aeolian Islands SAT JUN 24 – SAT JUL 1, 2017 We embarked on the Gulet “Derya Deniz” at the port of Milazzo on the North-East coast of Sicily, 1 hour and 40 miN from Catania airport. During the evening landing at Catania airport we had stunning views of Mount Etna. Spending 2 days in Catania proved well worth while; the sea food restaurants were excellent, the huge variety of buildings starting with Roman remains through baroque to modern, and the tour of Mount Etna provided an excellent introduction to Sicily. Milazzo is dominated by industrial sites, refineries and a power station. The marina is very large and stretches for some miles along the coast. The distance from the bus to the gulet was substantial however the the crew swiftly moved the luggage from the bus to the Gulet. The cabin was as expected, with two beds with space between. The on-suite was more than adequate. Great dinner with, of course spaghetti with clams, traditional salad, fresh fruit and finally lashings of white wine from the Etna region. The enjoyment of the cruise was greatly enhanced by the courtesy and helpfulness of the boat crew, the two ladies who did the cooking and the two guides, Michael and Julia. Each day we visited a different island and somehow managed to fit in a daily swim and events ashore including visits to restaurants, museums, vineyards and castles. One restaurant specialised in grilling a huge variety of meats another the best of modern fine dining accompanied by local wines. In the same way the two vineyards were opposites one old and making classical wines of the island’s the other very new and state of the art using eco-friendly methods to cool the cellars etc. The local museums were stunning, highly focused on the history of the islands. Amphorae salvaged from wrecks on the seabed highlighted the island’s fame for wine in Roman times. Silks and dyes were also sent along over the empire. Constantly on the horizon was the cone shaped island of Stromboli and we were disappointed when the weather suddenly changed and we could not land. However the trip back towards Lipari and Salina in a breeze showed of the captain and the Gulet capabilities in heavier weather. On a reach with a single sail the Gulet is very impressive. We have always found Gulet trips an ideal location for family celebrations with our mature family. Importantly there were a myriad of chances for informal chats not only with the family but with the crew and ever attentive guides not to mention the other guests from all round the world.

Very attentive and anxious to please

This holiday with Peter Sommer Travel really highlighted to me how important it is to have someone with passion and experience to show you around the ancient towns and cities and unlock their secrets making them come alive so that you see the people of ancient times playing and living their daily lives in the streets, shops and temples.

I was at first apprehensive about a cruise with strangers all be it only 11 other passengers but that fear was put aside as we were immediately welcomed and befriended by both the wonderful ,crew and the other passengers. Having Peter as our amazingly patient and knowledgeable guide and Jem handling the logistics and operations in his quite efficient manner made the holiday all the more enjoyable . Our every need and whim was met. So much so that we have already booked next year for another trip

Cruising the Aegean: From Kos to Patmos Dates 26th May 2018 to 2nd June 2018 The trip really began several days earlier when we booked into a small but very beautiful hotel “Su” in Bodrum recommended by Peter Sommer. The staff were exceptionally attentive and the food outstanding. Our cabin on SUNWORLD IX was larger than we expected given our previous trips in Gulets and made life extremely easy. The captain, crew and guides were all interesting and went out of their way to accommodate our every wish. I had been having walking problems and the guides did everything possible to make sure I did not stand too long or walk too far. Michael Metcalfe’s lectures and conversations were a pleasure to attend and Nota Karamaouna, a native of Greece added a sense of fun to every trip. Meal times were an event; the regional cooking was exceptional and occasionally outstanding; cooking of fresh fish perfect. Visits to restaurants and vineyards were unique and introduce us to great wines and some very good fine dining. In particular on Leros we visited the winery Domaine Hatzidakis which makes only a few thousand bottles a year but on site tasted fantastic. Also on Leros Michael gave a very detailed account of the invasion of the island by the Germans during WWII and we visited the Associated Common Wealth war cemetery. As soon as I am fit I will be booking my next trip.

Outstanding concern for clients wellbeing

The holiday was truly wonderful. I was a little apprehensive that a number of the other passengers knew each other from previous holidays but we were immediately made welcome. We thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and how everybody circulated and chatted to each other. There was a good balance of socializing, cultural input, great swimming and daily archeological walks through lovely countryside. Even if you were not mad about archeology the walks were very worthwhile. The catering was excellent and varied introducing us to the cuisine from various regions of Turkey. The crew were very attentive to our every need and really spoilt us. We came away feeling relaxed with a whole bunch of new friends and having gained a new understanding of the history of the region.

Peter has the knack of making archeology and the many layers of history come alive. Cem lent the Turkish reality to every conversation What impressed me the most was their ability to find beautiful places and to understand what the group enjoyed doing most and made every effort to accommodate requests. There was a nice balance of activities and free time. The trip was extremely well organized and the crew very professional. Every person felt that they were special.

Cruising the Amalfi coast on a gulet with a very enjoyable and engaging group of new friends has a tremendous experience of which I speak frequently. Peter Sommer Travels guides offer a wonderful mix of great personalities, unique experiences and knowledge of the areas and sights, and are attentive to each guest's needs.

An operator without peer! Unmatched attention to comfort, access and guiding at tour sites of varied and noteworthy historical and archeological significance by exceptionally qualified and personable guides, the comfort and convenience of gulet travel---such a wonderful mix.

The Peter Sommer Cruising the Amalfi Coast gulet tour was coordinated exceptionally in every detail and led by highly qualified and knowledgeable guides. The tour provided a rich mix of visits to Amalfi Coast cities and sights along with opportunities to leisurely enjoy the Coast's vistas while cruising on our gulet. The gulet staff catered to our every whim, and ensured there were ample opportunities to swim while anchored off the coast. Comfort. Great food and drink. Fun and engaging conversations with fellow gulet cruisers. Highly, highly recommended!

Peter Sommer Travels tours are exceptionally well organized with individual attention to every guest, and trip detail. This is my fourth Sommer Travels tour and all have been most enjoyable, intellectually stimulating, and organized around areas and sites of tremendous interest. Sommer Travels offers an ever broadening mix of cultural tours, gulet cruises and private trips—with each trip led by expert guides, archeologists and historians well steeped in the travel area and sights. Every guest is treated as a long-time friend in a first class manner!

Avoiding high winds from unexpected storms, we sailed to nine different Greek islands, learned about their historical and archaeological importance, sampled the best of their cuisine, and enjoyed visiting small towns, museums and castles.

The trip was well organized and flexible enough to keep us safe in sheltered harbors when high winds were forecast. The pre-trip advice and recommendations were useful. The buses and shuttles we used were punctual and comfortable. The guides were very knowledgeable, and worked hard to keep us happy and well-fed.