Client Charter Reviews

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Phuket & Andaman Sea, Thailand

Yacht: Bali 4.2

Asia Marine is a good operator. Had the exact same boat (although older) in Tahiti with DYC, and quality of this boat was much higher. Overall spec on the boat was better (better chartplotter, as an example), better dinghy, very comprehensive spares, and the operator seemed to have a top-notch maintenance program.

Would recommend them much more highly than the DYC experience in Tahiti (who weren't bad).

I very very heavily utilized the SE Asia Pilot that was on the boat + Navily for anchorage recommendations. Both I found very accurate. We did quite a big circle. Only place I didn't enjoy was Phi Phi - in retrospect was a waste of time, way too many people. Most anchorages we were the only people (or maybe 1-2 other boats), and we were able to avoid the longtails most of the time.

I had quite a good plan of what I wanted to do, so didn't rely on the operator to come up with a plan for me. Given the SE Asia pilot is really expensive to buy, I'd really recommend people download and use Navily to check out anchorages beforehand

Your servise was great as always, no issues
Guy, USA, December, 2025

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: French Polynesia: the Society Islands

Yacht: Oceanis 41

Our charter in Tahiti with Sail Connections was perfect! Robert provided loads of pre-planning information to ensure we got the most out of our trip. We've used Sail Connections a couple of times now and find the experience better than booking directly with the charter boat companies. Sail Connections has been worry-free, seamless and they have even saved us money. We will definitely use Sail Connections again. Leslie, USA, October, 2025

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Italy

Yacht: Bali 4.4

The boat: Bali 4.4 2024 boat, so all pretty tidy. Came with a water maker, which made life on board a little easier, no need to be extra careful with water use and no need to find on-shore supply. 'Garage' door at rear of saloon and door to foredeck made for a great open space and easy access for all around boat. More space and seating on flybridge so keeps all crew connected. Sailing not a strong point but with light breezes even the mono's were struggling! Overall a great boat for 8.
.
Highlights of the destination: The Aeolian islands are pretty unique, all doable on a 7-day charter. Not many places in the world that you can see active volcanos from a boat. Salina even has a Michelin starred restaurant! Amazing food and the prices aren't too scary if you live in Auckland.

Our service: I keep coming back, so you must be doing something right. Nigel, New Zealand, October, 2025

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Croatia

Yacht: Excess 14

We had an amazing week on Princess Rita. The Croatian sailing adventure lived up to every expectation. I can highly recommend a charter to Croatia it is so well setup for cruising. We would definitely do it again. It was easy to either anchor up, or buy an overnight spot at a marina if you planned ahead.

Robert and Sue did a great job of setting our charter up, will definitely use them again.
Ross, New Zealand, October, 2025

Rating: ★★★★☆

Destination: Tonga

Yacht: Leopard 46 Allize II in Vavau, Tonga

We loved the destination and really enjoyed the sailing, despite the challenges with the condition of the boat. It was fantastic to the the ocean alive with whales, fish, turtles, coral,etc. The conditions were good and the temperature provided a perfect escape from the NZ winter. The locals we encountered were friendly and helpful. We had a great crew and hope to have more adventures like this again in the future. Stuart, New Zealand, October, 2025

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Turkey

Yacht: Oceanis 38.1

Wow what a fantastic time and what a great country, I would highly recommend it to anyone whether they be sailing or just travelling around.

The charter operator was fantastic and could not do enough for us. I could not recommend them highly enough and they were professional yet friendly and the boat was immaculate and in perfect condition.

We headed east from Fethiye which for anyone looking for more of a natural spot versus the busy marinas I would highly recommend. Whilst the gullets managed to turn up everywhere they didn’t stay long and it was serene the remainder of the time.

All in all a superb time and we loved every minute of it. Julian, Australia, July, 2025

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: French Polynesia: the Society Islands

Yacht: Bali 4.2

Great trip overall. The Skipper was fantastic! He was knowledgeable and knew the islands and the snorkeling to visit which saved us a lot of time given a short trip
Sail Connections - Sue and Robert were a blessing. They attended to EVERY question and inquiry we had. They went above and beyond our expectations. Even communicated our request for the qualities we wanted in our Skipper. This was highly valuable because the person chosen to be our Captain, Alex, was excellent and made our adventure a wonderful experience.
One location not to be missed: Snorkeling with sharks
Nazir, USA, July, 2025

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Koh Chang, Thailand

Yacht: Island Spirit 38

The Koh Chang Base is in a beautiful place and getting there was part of the adventure. Even though Koh Chang seems hard to get to it really isn’t. The  transfers were really easy and also the ferry.

The boat was adequate for the area and the type of sailing required. It was perfectly presented and everything worked.
Highlights: Koh Rang & Koh Kut. These island were a stand out although everywhere was pristine and perfect. The food was amazing. Raymond and team at Island Spirit Koh Chang were amazing, Friendly and super helpful.

Daniel, Australia, January, 2025

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Turkey

Yacht: Bavaria C42

We really enjoyed Turkey as a destination. The people are fantastic and very rewarding to get to know, particularly when you can get off the main tourist locations. Plenty of variety in options to stay overnight, whether it is small local towns, restaurants in bays, or finding a beautiful bay with a reasonable chance of having it all to yourself - probably dependant on the time of year.

Time of year was a very pleasant surprise. The weather was good the whole time we were there. We expected it maybe a little on the cold side on the water given it was October/November. But in truth it felt like the PERFECT time to be there based on the weather we had for the 2 weeks. Any hotter would have been hotter than ideal, and any colder and swimming etc would not have been nice. It was still pretty busy, but I think there were signs of things winding down for the season. I think the week we went out, the operator said it was their busiest week of the season with all boats out. Though some places were winding down with restaurants in the final week / weeks before the end of the season etc.

The operator went the extra mile to help with recommendation for itinerary given it was our first time. When we had minor breakdowns (ie the auto pilot stopped working), that I would have thought would be fixed after our return, they were VERY keen to come out and meet us for repair, which they did. Matthew, Australia, January, 2025

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Greece

Yacht: Lagoon 42

Boat was fantastic - was it's first charter so perfect condition. We sailed around Ithica and Kefalonia - both islands were beautiful. Sail connections was easy to deal with. Kurt, Australia, July, 2024

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Italy

Yacht: Bali 4.5

Well, back home now, but what a fantastic trip we had! Two weeks is way better than one, plenty of time to relax and enjoy what the Cilento coast had to offer. We went as far as Isola di Dino, just south of Maratia.

Everisto from Star Sail was most helpful in giving us the heads-up on the best spots to go, and even booked a restaurant at Marina di Camerota for us for my wife’s birthday! In my opinion way better than the Amalfi coast, fewer people, and fewer tourists. There are many beautiful bays and grottos with clear, clear deep-blue water.

The marinas tend to be pretty small, so not a lot of space, but at this time of year we could get in everywhere we wanted. (Marina) prices for the Cat ranged from E200 per night, to E125. Marina di Camerota has a free tourist wharf for 48hrs.

There is a lot of national park along the coast, with marine reserves. You can’t anchor in them, but they provide mooring buoys for use. All in all a great trip, and one that I would recommend.

October 2024 Nigel, New Zealand, October, 2024

Rating: ★★★★☆

Destination: French Polynesia: the Society Islands

Yacht: Bali 4.2

Review of the boat: the Bali 4.2 was 1 year old and very comfortable and well suited to island cruising with shallow draft. It had plenty of room for 6 people, having 4 double cabins and their own en-suites. Main cabin very comfortable. Fridge freezer adequate good. The rear of main cabin opened like a large garage door allowing space even when rain was around. Cooking was good, with stovetop, oven and outside bbq all used.

Highlights of the destination: anchoring off Ile Mahaea, Tahaa over 2m sandy bottom, beautiful for swimming and fishing. Mooring at Taurere, Piti Aau, Bora Bora was the highlight, with breathtaking scenery and beautiful swimming. Mooring near Anapa Pearl farm, Raiatea, beautiful snorkelling and the Pearl farm tour and more snorkelling was worthwhile.

How was our service? Sail Connections were very helpful, particularly facilitating the switch from troubled New Caledonia to French Polynesia. We worked out our 8 night itinerary but it would be good for Sail Charters to have a suggested itinerary. The Base Guide did have suggested stops but no sample itineraries, with simple chart. Phillip, Australia, October, 2024

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Croatia

Yacht: Elba 45

Ultra's 2024 Fountaine Pajot Elba 45 was the ideal catamaran for our party of 4 couples plus a skipper. Excellent living spaces and upper deck lounging areas, well-equipped galley with outdoor barbecue plus good sized cabins each with their own shower and toilet. Even with 9 people on board there were plenty of places to go for quiet time. The galley layout was well thought out for food preparation and cooking plus two fridges and one freezer made the whole eating on board experience a very enjoyable one.

We loved having the use of the tender to explore our various anchorages and the two paddle boards we took as an extra were a great addition to the charter. Initially we had thought to skipper the boat ourselves but decided to pay extra for a local skipper and it was a great decision. Not only did we all get to enjoy the charter equally but Marijan's local knowledge of quiet anchorages and moorings, weather patterns and dealing with marina authorities was invaluable. He was a superb addition to our charter and we would highly recommend anyone chartering for the first time to use a skipper.

Highlights of the destination:
Favourite mooring was on Scedro Island off south coast of Hvar. Mooring buoy in cove in front of Tavern Kod Ive. Tranquil, rustic, beautiful with man in skiff selling local wines and taking orders for fresh croissants from Hvar bakery which he delivered by skiff the next morning.

Borova, Prezba Island (north west of Lastovo) where we anchored with stern lines tied to the rocks. Isolated, crystal clear waters for swimming and paddle boards.

Komiza, Vis - mooring buoy in the harbour in front of village of Komiza. Beautiful village to explore on foot, fresh fish from local fishmonger.

Exceptional service! Sail Connections had been highly recommended by friends who had used their services previously. Robert's vast experience and recommendations on what boat would best suit our needs, tips on a proposed itinerary, practicalities of skippering and provisioning the boat plus explaining the terms and conditions of the contract was invaluable. Thank you to Brian and Sue for their excellent service dealing with the finer details of the contract, plus liaising with the charter company on our behalf.
Paul, New Zealand, October, 2024

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Greece

Yacht: Lagoon 55

Boat had plenty of space for the 7 of us. The sleeping cabins were well appointed and clean as were the communal areas.

The skipper Socarates took us to pristine beaches and bays that were not overrun with other boats. Loved being able to sail during the day and then visit the local towns at night. The skipper always gave us recommendations and asked what we would like to do each day. Crew were totally there to make our trip comfortable and to experience the beautiful Greek islands

The booking experience with Sail Connection was good would recommend to friends wanting to charter a boat. Anna, Australia, October, 2024

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Croatia

Yacht: Saba 50

The boat (Fountaine Pajot Saba 50 - crewed) was perfect for our needs. Maintained well.
Vis island (was a hignlight -) day trip on scooters visiting cliff beach, town and winery.
(Your service was) great. Very knowledgeable and good recommendations for us being first timer on a charter.

Daniel, Australia, September, 2024

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Italy

Yacht: Bali Catspace

The boat was in excellent condition - only a couple of years old. All equipment and facilities worked faultlessly.

I would not choose to see the Amalfi Coast any other way than from the sea - especially during the busy season. The scenery was truly breathtaking, and the number of people travelling to and from and around the major towns was remarkable.

We chose to seek out the quieter spots for anchoring, and they certainly exist, allowing for public beach access via our tender to visit and explore at a more leisurely pace.

For the most part everything just seemed to line up as planned. With a long lead time to our holiday communications sometimes fell a bit quiet - but that's because there was not much to say. The wheels all turned, the boat was ready and waiting and lived up to our expectations. Nothing was overlooked, and our trip ran very well indeed. David, Australia, September, 2024

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Croatia

The boat was excellent. Beautifully maintained great public spaces for our group.

We particularly enjoyed visiting Star Grad and Pocisca. In hindsight we wished we had visited more of these smaller towns. We also very much enjoyed anchoring in little coves and swimming off the boat.

The Captain's “excursions” to masonry school, beach bar and the deer were all enjoyable.

The service. On the boat was impeccable, Susan in particular did a mighty job.

Derek, Australia, September, 2024

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: La Paz, Mexico

Yacht: Bali 4.1

Excellent! Everything was perfect. Great set of islands - we enjoyed everything. Our guide Carlos was extremely knowledgeable -- we learned so much about aquaculture. He pointed out whales and turtles, and gave us a lot of info on flora and fauna. He made our trip phenomenal!!! Kerrie, USA, August, 2024

Rating: ★★★★☆

Destination: Italy

Yacht: Lucia 40

The boat was as expected for a 2018 catamaran. The only issue was with one of the two toilets.
Amazing place with so many anchorage options. A great 2 weeks with nature and small villages. We loved it!
(Your servise was) Perfect as usual! I can't wait for us to work again together for another destination. Your advices and reliability are priceless :) Thanks again to Sue and Robert! Eric, Canada, August, 2024

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Greece

Yacht: Bali Catsmart

(The boat was) perfect for our family of four. Only slight negative is that the helm position has a fairly large blind spot and there is no shade.
Favourite spot ... Sarakiniko Beach, Ithaka. This beautiful spot offered good anchorage, a local taverna and easy access over the hill to Vathy.
(Your service was) excellent. Dimitri in particular was very accommodating and nothing seemed to be a problem.
Stephen, Australia, July, 2024

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Greece

Yacht: Lagoon 46

The Lagoon 46 was the best catamaran we have chartered. There was plenty of deck and seating space and all the bedrooms/ensuites were a good size.

Preveza was a great starting point and we enjoyed travelling south to Ithaki and north to Paxi. Kalamos was a highlight we tied up to a pier next to a taverna for the night and it was a lovely spot.

We had very good service from Robert and Sue at Yachting Holidays and dealing with an NZ company gave us peace of mind. The service from Fyly in Greece was also excellent. We really appreciated being able to board the boat early and our skipper was also very friendly and easy to get along with.

Our skipper Adrian Dimitru was keen to get away on Saturday afternoon so we headed south and got a day ahead which was great. .he cruise was excellent and Adrian got us to some of his favourite spots so we were very lucky.

Ithaki not to be missed. Craig, New Zealand, October, 2023

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Koh Samui, Thailand

Yacht: Lagoon 400

There was a good range of islands to visit, from busy to quiet and the Thai food was always amazing. There was usually a good morning breeze that kicked in fairly early and then seemed to drop off in the afternoon.

Our favourite destination was Ko Tao as the water was so incredibly clear. The national park was also good: not clear water but the night time phosphorescence made up for that. We loved finding the hong inside the northern most island in the national park too.

The Lagoon 400 S2 was an incredible boat! Easily the best choice for a family with kids. Comfortably slept all 9 of us and was very easy to manouvre. We'd definitely like to use her again in the future.

Great communication, good organisation. All went very smoothly. Incredible holiday, sailing amongst the islands surrounding Koh Samui, all organised by the team from Sail Connections. I highly recommend them! Nicholas, Australia, August, 2023

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Turkey

Yacht: Sun Odyssey 410

The boat was excellent. We were the 2nd charters so it was effectively new. The Jeauneau 41 is a great boat for3 couples in a family. Easy to handle, enough performance to get where you want to each day, good facilities, good size cockpit etc.

SK Yachting were excellent at checkin and checkout. Friendly service, helpful and knowledgable. The checkout process on our arrival back was a well oiled machine. We sailed to the West of the base in Marmaris and the coast and villages were not as good as a previous charter out of Gocek. Perhaps if we had gone east it would have been better.

Bruce, Australia, July, 2023

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Montenegro

Yacht: Lagoon 46

The boat was in good condition and everything worked.

I have done 21 bare boat holidays all over the world and rate Montenegro the best destination we have been to.

Service was very good. Very impressed with the provisioning. Our list, and what was not on the list, was questioned - demonstrating they had given thought to what we ordered.

I would have liked a bit more info re the marinas prior to the trip.

Although English was a bit of an issue every WhatsApp we sent with a query during our trip was answered promptly - the best support we have had.
Giam, Australia, June, 2023

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: French Polynesia: the Society Islands

Yacht: Saba 50

The Saba 50 was an excellent choice. Extremely comfortable and spacious, equipped with everything we needed.

Our skipper Hugo and his lovely wife, added considerably to our enjoyment of the charter. The only discomfort for me was the foam cushions. Everything else was great.

We loved the snorkeling, fishing. Swam with reef sharks, rays and fish everywhere. Highlight was the coral garden in Raiatea and of course Bora Bora with its magnificent waters.

Your service and the advice given by Sue and Robert was excellent as that given by Tahiti Yacht Charters and our great crew.
Sydney, Australia, June, 2023

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: Whitsunday Islands

Yacht: Oceanis 48

A very commodious boat, especially since there were only 3 of us. Easily short-handed. We didn't do a lot of sailing (either too little or too much wind during our charter) and what we did was under jib alone where we were able to maintain a solid 7 knots. The systems all worked, though at times the freezer was too warm and the refrigerator too cold. The fold down swim platform is a very cool feature of this design.

Nara Inlet and Butterfly Bay were beautiful, and the cave paintings at Nara were fascinating. Border Island was going to be a lunch stop, but we liked it enough to stay overnight. Border had the best snorkeling of the trip, even with stinger suits and poor visibility, although the overnight anchorage got a little rolly in the wee hours. Our last stop was Sawmill Bay with a nice hike on shore, though no swimming due to recent shark attacks.

The service staff were great, and provided everything we needed, and nothing we didn't. The twice daily VHF check-ins were cheerful and informative. Our travel schedule required us to arrive too late for a same-day briefing so we had our first night in the marina. It would have been nice if the provisioning service could have loaded the boat before our arrival, instead of making us wait until the following day, but that is our only very minor complaint.
Tom, USA, March, 2023

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: St Martin, St Barts, Anguilla, St Kitts & Nevis

Yacht: Dufour 520

Was fun to visit five islands but checking in/out of customs each time and the distance we needed to cover (~220 NM) made for little down time.

The wind blew hard all week and we sailed for more than 5 hours each day (and one 9 hour day). Our allocated skipper was great. The mega yachts in St Barts were fun to ogle and the French culture in St Martin and Guadeloupe was great to experience.

(Sail Connections was) easy to deal with over email and responsive to initial inquiries. Got us a good deal on the boat! Bit of a black hole in comms after payment made and before charter voucher received, which was a bit unnerving, but this all happened over the Christmas holidays, so understandable!
Karl, USA, February, 2023

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: French Polynesia: the Society Islands

Yacht: Lucia 40

The Lucia was great. we had a lot of fun and she did not let us down. There is one big complaint though and it is how hard the tender is to pull up on the Davits. I was able to do it but it was extremely heavy and if there was older or less fit people on board they would have had a terrible time.

Bora Bora and Huahine were amazing. On second thoughts everywhere was amazing.
Daniel, Australia, January, 2023

Rating: ★★★★☆

Destination: Whitsunday Islands

The design and layout of the boat suited us as a group of 4 very well.

Weather was perfect although not much wind for sailing but that suited us fine. The whole Whitsunday area is a great cruising ground.
Your service was very good especially all the changes that were made over several years due to Covid. I would definitely use you again.
Ralph, New Zealand, September, 2022

Rating: ★★★★★

Destination: French Polynesia: the Society Islands

Yacht: Lagoon 52

The boat was amazing. We did have an issue with the water maker which couldn't be fixed on the run, but DYC happily reimbursed us for water that we had to buy and in addition compensated us more than fairly for the inconvenience.

The scuba diving and snorkelling was amazing. Being able to pull up the boat wherever you want on these amazing sites was also fantastic.
The boat sailed like a dream and we made great time on all our inter-island passages (it helped that the wind was on our side too!)

Your service was in line with the rest of the holiday. Trouble free, professional and a pleasure to deal with. Dean, Australia, January, 2020