Private Luxury Sailing Trips to Dia Island

Nice, but mor like a bus tour - no sailing by the wind

It’s a lovely day out, but don’t expect any proper sailing with the wind in your sails. You’ll most likely be taken to the island by the engine. The mainsail was only up for show. So it’s more like a very pleasant bus ride. I have an inland sailing licence and wanted to show my friends what sailing feels like, so we took a private tour. But we were taken to the island by the engine in an hour, stayed there for two hours (swimming, eating a fish dish, drinking a bit of Prosecco) and were then shuttled back again. There was a light breeze, about 2 Beaufort, and I asked the skipper if he could switch off the engine and sail. With two or three tacking manoeuvres, we’d get there easily. But he didn’t want to, because the wind was too light (haha) and he had nor foresail. In October, there were a handful of other boats out and about doing the same tour. None of them had a foresail either. The skipper told me that he runs the tour twice a day, seven months a year. In peak season, there are 40 to 50 boats out on the tour, all anchored side by side in the bay. All in all, the tour happens as advertised (in high season in a crowd) – just without the sailing.

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Unbelievable day!

We had such an amazing time onboard with Ilias and Nikki. The sailing trip was unbelievable, from start to finish. We booked a private 4 1/2 hour afternoon trip and were welcomed warmly onboard. The boat was spacious and felt very safe for us and our children. Drinks were available throughout the trip. After sailing over to Dia, we jumped and swam in the sea, snorkelled and tried some fishing. We could paddle board and snorkel, with masks and flippers provided. We had an excellent lunch prepared onboard which was very tasty and fresh. We had time for some more swimming and fun after lunch, and then set sail back to Heraklion during sunset which was magical. Ilias and Nikki were incredibly knowledgeable and were lovely hosts, to both us and our children, both clearly enjoying their jobs onboard. They were amazing to spend time with even letting our kids have a go at steering the yacht, which will be a memory they treasure forever. Thanks once again for an amazing experience!

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re so happy to hear that you had such a memorable day with us. It sounds like you made some wonderful memories on the water! We’d love to welcome you back onboard!

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Lovely private half day trip to Dia

The 4 of us went on a private half day trip in the morning (aprox. 09:30 -14:00 hrs). We met Denis and Elias, the crew, at the port of Heraklion. Travel time to the island took about 1hr each way. The island itself is uninhabited and a protected national park area. We got to a nice little bay where we stayed for 2/2.5 hrs. Seems this is the main hotspot for sailing trips as there were many other boats there, but it is full season in mid August. Here you can snorkel around in its crystal clear waters, paddle-board (SUP) or a quick visit to the island (little church, fisherman’s hut). The crew prepared a plentiful and delicious snack for us, which we ha pre-ordered separately (greek salad, sandwiches and an enormous bowl of fresh sliced fruit). Kids had a go at fishing and then a last splash in the sea before making our way back. We didn’t do much sailing as the wind was not in favour, but can’t do much about that. The staff were extremely courteous and friendly for the whole trip and pampered after us throughout the whole trip! Thankyou Denis and Elias!!

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for your kind words! Denis and Elias will be happy to hear your feedback—they loved having you on board. We hope to welcome you again for another sailing adventure soon!

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Amazing Private Boat with 3 children to Dia Island

Wow, what a day to remember. I travelled with my three children aged 14, 11 and 7. We really wanted to do a boat trip & snorkelling, and after seeing hotel excursion prices, I found these guys online with wonderful reviews. We booked a small sailing boat, private trip for the four of us, which worked out cheaper than joining a larger group excursion from the hotel. I was worried as my youngest Son has egg allergies (for the food) and also can not swim yet without a float. So worried it would he wouldn’t be able to join in. I needn’t have worried at all. The food was incredible. We ordered two lots of sandwich and two of the chicken menu options. Wow! This day was fantastic from start to finish. The hotel transfer was arranged for us, the captain and co-captain were amazing. The whole trip of 4.5 hours was just out of this world. We all loved every minute of it and can not recommend this highly enough. Upon setting anchor at Dia island, my youngest was into the sea with his float, snorkeling, seeing fish and paddle boarding. My boys absolutely loved it (as did I). And not one moment of not being able to swim hampered the experience for my youngest. It has given him even more confidence in the water. The bay at Dia island was fantastic - the water crystal clear. It is deep to start with - but you can see the bottom of the water and my son with his swimming float was the most confident I’d seen him swim :) The food put on for us was amazing! So much of it! Felt awful not being able to finish it all because it was so good. Honestly I can not speak highly enough about the experience from start to end. I trawlled review after review worried if it would be ok for young children - and didn’t see many reviews mentioning young children, so definitely wanted to add this one for anyone considering in future. I just want to say a massive thank you to sailingtrips.gr for making this one of the most memorable days of our lives 😊 amazing!!!

Response from the operator: Dear Darren, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience in such detail. It truly means the world to us to know that our efforts bring joy to wonderful guests like you and your lovely family. We’re grateful you trusted us and shared your story for other families to read. We’d be delighted to welcome you and your boys back anytime. Best regards, Sailingtrips.gr Team

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Top notch ⛵️

If you are heading to Crete and fancy a boat trip, we would highly recommend sailingtrips.gr ⛵️ Their service was top notch, they even offer a door to door service 🚐 we had an amazing time 💖 We were extremely lucky to have seen dolphins 🐬 and a sea turtle 🐢 on our trip. Big thank you to Captain Denis & Mike for their hospitality and for giving us a day to remember 🍾🎂

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re thrilled you had such a fantastic time and that you were lucky enough to see dolphins and a sea turtle – what a treat! Captain Denis and Mike will be so happy to hear your kind words. We hope to welcome you back on board for another unforgettable day soon!

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