Thank you for booking your holiday with us.
We hope you find this information useful and that it will help you to prepare for your gulet cruise holiday with us.
Emergency Contact
If your family need to contact you whilst you are on the gulet they can call us on the following numbers via WhatsApp or a regular call:
+90 (0) 538 593 5032 Anne Bektas
+90 (0) 537 692 9106 Adil Bektas
email: anne@meridiantravels.com
Please be aware that we have phone service in most bays but occasionally we may be out of service overnight.
Luggage
Aboard the gulet there is limited storage space, please do not bring very large suitcases onboard. We advise you to bring only what you need for this trip. You will also find it useful to have luggage with wheels as you’ll need to carry your luggage the short distance through the marina to the gulet.
To help you to pack lighter you’ll find a hairdryer in your bathroom. Bathroom and beach towels are also provided.
Electricity
European—two round pins, bring an adaptor with you. Electricity for charging mobile phones, cameras, Kindles etc is available when in port (first and last nights) or during the evening when the generator is on. Electrical current: 220v, 50Hz
Currency
The currency in Turkey is the Turkish Lire (TRY) although Euros and Pounds Sterling are readily accepted. You can pay your onboard expenses (drinks, excursions) in Euros or Pounds Sterling so you don’t need to worry about the exchange rate. Of course, Turkish Lire are also accepted.
You will get a much better rate in Turkey than in your home country. Change your currency onboard or at a Currency Exchange Shop in Marmaris or Fethiye or Bodrum.
Internet
If staying connected is important to you please arrange for an international data package with your mobile phone provider in the UK, ensuring you understand the charges you will incur. Wifi isn’t available for you onboard.
Dietary Requirements—if you have specific needs you may want to bring your own snacks/bread etc as they may be difficult to find in Turkey. Please ensure you have advised us of your dietary requirements BEFORE your arrival by logging into your booking.
Snacks—Full board is included in your holiday but please feel free to bring any extra snacks you might like to have. There’s nowhere better than Turkey to buy dried fruit and nuts!
Water & Drinks
Tipping & the Crew
Fiction
Birds Without Wings—Louis de Bernieres. A tragic love story set after the First World War. Based upon one of the villages we visit, the story chronicles the rise of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
The Thread—Victoria Hislop. For the first time a young Anglo-Greek hears his grandparents story of how they had to flee their home in a Turkish village and escape to Greece and further persecution.
Ayşe’s Trail – Atulya K. Bingham. Ayşe Metin – a 38 year-old mother from Istanbul – decides to tackle the Lycia Way in Southern Türkiye. Unknown to Ayşe, as she clambers over the precipices of the Mediterranean coast she is walking in someone else’s footsteps some 2500 years earlier.
Middlesex—Geoffrey Eugenides. An interesting story of how a gene passes through 3 generations of Greeks. The story starts in a Turkish village and follows their journey of a new life in America.
Portrait of a Turkish Family—Irfan Orga. The story of a wealthy bourgeois family in Istanbul in the early 1900’s.
Seven Houses: A Novel Alev Lytle Croutier. From a grand villa in Smyrna to a silk plantation near Mount Olympus, from a little cottage in a dusty town to the indifferent apartments of a modern day high rise, Seven Houses charts the rocky, uncertain course of one family’s ever-shifting fortunes across the twentieth century.
The Janissary Tree— Jason Goodwin. A historical mystery novel set in Istanbul in 1836, written by Jason Goodwin. It is the first in the Yashim the Detective series, followed by The Snake Stone, The Bellini Card, An Evil Eye and The Baklava Club.
Reference
Anatolian Days and Nights—Stocke and Brenner. A travel memoir which is a love affair with Turkey.
Tales From the Expat Harem—Various Authors. A series of short stories sharing the experiences of foreign womenliving in Turkey.
Turkish Reflections—Mary Lee Settle. A cross-country odyssey into history, legend, mystery and myth.
You need much less than you think!
Suncream – Factor 30 or 50 depending upon the time of year.
Hat— ideally one that doesn’t blow away too easily!
Flip flops/soft sliders—shoes aren’t generally worn onboard, but the deck can be very hot in June—September. It is essential they are new and you don’t use them off the boat during the holiday.
Anti-histamine tablets and/or creams—many people discover hayfever type allergies in a different environment, useful for bee stings too!
Insect Repellent—gel with 50% DEET is useful. Sprays are OK but they tend to get blown away rather than go on your skin!
After Bite—an ammonia stick is the only thing to stop the itching after a mozzy bite
Passport
If you are traveling on a British Passport please ensure that your passport will be valid for 150 days from the start of your entry into Turkey. For all other passports please check with your own government.
Visa
With effect from March 2020, British Passport holders no longer need to apply for a visa for travel to Turkey for stays of less than 90 days.
If you hold a passport from a different country you should check whether or not you need a visa https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/ If you plan to visit multiple times or plan to stay for more than 90 days please refer to the Turkish Consulate General for more information.
Travel Insurance
It is a condition of booking that you have Travel Insurance. You are strongly recommended to book your travel insurance as soon as you have booked your holiday.
It is your responsibility to check you have a comprehensive travel insurance policy; for example illness, injury, death, pre-existing medical conditions, loss of baggage and personal items, cancellation, trip disruption, curtailment, emergency rescue and repatriation. Should you not be able to get cover for any of these (or other) situations then you agree it is your responsibility to cover any costs associated with repatriation or emergency health care.
You must provide evidence of your insurance upon arrival at your destination.
If you choose not to have travel insurance the costs associated with any loss you incur for any reason, due to any cause are solely your responsibility.
Flights
By now you have probably already booked your flights. Please ensure you have provided your flight details by logging in to your booking.
Transfers
The airport transfer can be arranged for your group.
Health
If you have limited mobility or have specific needs relating to your health (for example a CPAP machine) please advise us no less than 14 days before you arrive.
Errors & Omissions
We have endeavoured to ensure that the contents of this website are correct. However, we reserve the right to make changes to holiday details or our terms and conditions.