Peter Sommer Travels Traveller Reviews

My wife and I spent two weeks cruising through the Greek Cyclades Island chain, visiting archaeological site, villages and small museums. We traveled on a Turkish "gulet" (a typical Turkish coastal yacht which in this case accommodated 13 travelers besides us). We were accompanied by Peter Sommer Travel guides Heinrich Hall and Maria Girtzi, both archaeologists, highly educated, communicative, funny and expert in Greek and regional history, archaeology, Greek mythology and, to make them even more valuable, in local restaurants in the small towns of the islands we visited. This was our third trip with Peter Sommer Travel (two earlier were along the Turkish coast). Peter Sommer Travel s emphasizes visiting and understanding the archaological treasures of this part of the world, and that is the intellectual, stimulating part of these journeys. But one cannot avoid the lure of lolling about a beautiful boat, swimming in perfect water after a hard afternoon of walking through Greek and Roman ruins, and the excellent, simple food and local wine served on board the boat, punctuated with trips to island tavernas where, say, the cook is renowned for her zucchini fritters or roast goat or whatever. You get to forgive yourself for being such a sybarite because you also get the intellectual stimulation of learning about history, art and culture from real academics, in the best sense of that word, rather than your average tour guide. These trips attract fellow travlers who are congenial, engaged and engaging, excellent company and fun.

See above. Well run, reasonably priced, excellent guides, efficient, flexible, professional.

It was just the best thing ever. My husband has a terminal illness and this holiday was a chance for us to make great memories and share precious time in fabulous surroundings with our children and close friends.

Peter Sommers were great from initial enquiry to the end of the holiday. We would highly recommend them.

A wonderful trip. Everything was perfect: the boat; the itinerary; the food; local historical guides and our Archaeology Guide Helena Tomas introduced us all to the Greek and Roman heritage of Croatia that is her passion.

Every detail Peter Sommer Travels arranged on the tour was done perfectly.

I have visited the Cyclades in the past , but have never had the luxury of two very experienced guides to bring the history of these islands to life. Every day was a new experience with stunning scenery combined with archaeological treasures to be found at a site or in a museum. There were times each day , however , when we could simply chill out and read a book , or go for a swim in the blue waters of the Aegean which added a balance to the whole holiday . Several meals were organised in Tavernas on shore and our guides made sure that we were served the very best of Greek Cuisine. Add to this , good company , good weather and a fantastic skipper and crew who went out of their way to provide some memorable meals on board , and you have the making of an unforgettable holiday

This was the first time that I have booked a holiday with Peter Sommer Travel , but from the first date of my inquiry the booking was dealt with in a very professional manner - full information regarding all their holidays were received promptly and additional information was provide by the guides , if required. In addition all the guests were provided with back up material on the trip . A couple of itinerary changes were made during the holiday as a result of the weather , but these were carried out seamlessly by the Skipper and guides and it was apparent that the safety and comfort of the travellers was of paramount importance

My husband and I were more than satisfied with this holiday tour.....from the time we were greeted at the airport by our transfer driver to the time we got on the plane to go home. We were hoping for a holiday that could provide us with an appreciation of Crete and its archaeological treasures. Our hopes were fulfilled by the Peter Sommer tour. To a great extent this was due to the superb leaders of the tour, Heinrich Hall and Maria Girtzi. Heinrich is a natural entertainer and, as well, has an outstanding background in the archaeology of the Aegean region and conveyed that knowledge to us in a humorous and intelligent, never condescending, manner. Maria is also an accomplished archaeologist and, as well, did an outstanding job in planning our meals in order to give us a real appreciation for Cretan fare. We have taken many guided tours with commercial tour companies but the Peter Sommer tour was, without question, the best.

The Peter Sommer tour of Crete, lead by guides Heinrich Hall and Maria Girtzi, was incredibly well planned and executed. The guides were outstanding, the food/meals were remarkable and the accommodations were comfortable and often unique. Clearly, the tour operator (Peter Sommer) and staff put an unusual amount of effort into the planning and execution of the tour and the expertise of the people involved was reflected in every moment of the tour. We would not hesitate to take another Peter Sommer tour and we have recommended Peter Sommer Travels to our friends.

Cruising the Lycian shore of South-West Turkey, from Gocek to Antalya and back, and calling at all the major and some minor archaeological sites on the way. A superb tour, most professionally organised and most expertly led.

Peter Sommer Travels is a small family business with the time and expertise to care: the tour itineraries are invariably superbly and imaginatively compiled, most expertly led with every detail covered and based on immaculate and most professionally run gulets. If you ever had reservations over travelling this way, put them aside now. You will go to places of which you may not have heard, but they will amaze and delight.

Take an elegant gulet manned by a smiling and attentive crew, spacious cabins impeccably maintained, on the table a cornucopia of fresh, tasteful dishes, for exercise daily swims in the silky waters of secluded coves, for the eye a coast peppered with fishing villages nestled below towering mountains.

Add a tour leader who, for more than two decades, has honed his conversance with the cultures of ancient Lycia, on foot, hands on site, through books, and in his imagination; an expert who delights in sharing his passion. Combine the sailing, the leadership, a seamless organization, a rich selection of explorations and the excitement of literally touching centuries of history, that is "Cruising the Shore of Ancient Lycia" with Peter Sommer of Peter Sommer Travels. Two weeks that seem too short and enough memories to last for a life time. That is cultural tourism at its very best.

The trip was a relaxing gulet cruise from Bodrum in Turkey through a selection of Aegean islands off the Turkish coast to see some of the amazing archeological sites on these islands and on the mainland. There can't be a better way to see these beautiful islands, some of them very small and all of them beautiful, and their wonderful sights than to be taken around them by the Peter Sommer Travels' archaeological experts who are both friendly and superbly knowledgeable. Coupled with the very comfortable accommodation onboard, the friendliness of the fellow passengers, and the good food both onboard and at well-chosen local restaurants, this made for a perfect holiday. There were also plenty of opportunities to swim off the boat, and to take yourselves off to do your own thing while on land (no visits were compulsory).

Peter Sommers Travel manage to be both professional and very friendly. Having been on several of their trips, I can say with confidence that their priority is make sure that everyone has the best possible time and everyone's needs are catered for. Not only do they ensure that absolutely everything is arranged satisfactorily, but they are always happy to go the extra mile to provide helpful advice, even when it is beyond their remit. Their onboard experts are true academics and experts in their fields, and share all meals, etc. with the customers, so that you get to know them really well along with the other passengers during the trip. The Turkish crew on the boats has also been excellent on the trips we've been on.

Cruising to the Cyclades was a delightful experience. We were accompanied by 2 professional archaeologists who ensured that their expertise informed our experience of Greek culture at every site we visited. There were 15 people in our group. No request or question was left unattended to or unanswered. The daily programme of visits was exceptionally well designed with the additional bonus of delicious local cuisine during many of the island visits ( not forgetting two Dionysian wine tasting sessions at vineyards in Leros and Santorini). Arriving in sun-drenched Greek harbours by gulet (yacht) is a unique experience and one which we shall never forget. The cuisine on the gulet was excellent too and was also based on local fresh produce.

As a company, Peter Sommer Travels is professional and very easy to deal with. The website is well designed and the description of the holiday we took matched our actual experience ( in truth it surpassed our expectations). Queries about the tour were handled promptly beforehand. Besides being exceptionally well qualified, the archaeologists who accompanied us throughout the tour were very friendly and took care of the personal needs of the the group very efficiently. Every detail of the holiday had been worked out before hand; however great flexibility was also evident in dealing with individual requests. Attention to detail and quality of provision came through in every arrangement both on the gulet and on the islands. We would happily travel with Peter Sommer again.

The mix of exceptional archeological site visits with truly knowledgeable experts, cruising the delightful waters of the Aegean and the Greek Islands on a Gulet accompanied by a great group of very sociable and fun people is hard to beat.

This is our second Peter Sommer trip and they have both been excellent.