Read our guests impressions; Istion yachting guests comments, testimonials for bare boat, skippered and fully crewed yacht charters.

 

AEGIR Benjamin Brian dropping the spinnaker  Dariane & Pierre chartered in October 2010 IDEA! the Crewed Catamaran Lagoon in Athens
Dear friends,
thank you for such a marvellous week full of beauty, rest, sun and good living. We all had a memorable time and a real energy. We had such a nice week  that you will see us next year!!! Thanks to Venia and Yorgos for this beautiful week...
Dariane & Pierre

CIMG1320  Alejandra & Manolo chartered in September 2010 IDEA! the Crewed Catamaran Lagoon in Athens
Dear Venia,
This has been a wonderful experience. We heard that Greece is a very special place, not because of the history, beautiful nature, green and dry landscape, blue skies and crystal hot waters but because of people like you who had made us feel at home, well taken care of, pampered  and cared for. The most valuable treasure of a country it's people and that's what we've found in Greece. Thank you for being our crew but most important, thank you for becoming our friends.
God bless
Alejandra and Manolo

fghfghfhf  Clive chartered in June 2010 a Lagoon 380 from Athens
I have chartered yachts and catamarans from Athens over the past 6 years  from other Athens based charter companies, but I must say that my whole experience in dealing with Istion and your staff has been  far superior in all matters.From the initial email correspondence, through to arranging meeting the crew at the airport, driving  one member to the local supermarket for provisions , down to the on-site paper work and handing over of the Catamaran. Excellent, well done to all concerned. I had already introduced a friend of mine, Mr Richard Uwins, to your company and he also was very please with his charter on an Oceanis 40 from your Athens base. I will certainly be chartering again from your company during the May/June 2011 period  and this time we may decide to start the charter from your Kos base so as to visit some new islands. I attach a few photos which may be of interest re. our unforgettable holiday
Best regards
Clive

n1200431156 30216157 3801  Dick chartered in June 2010 a Sun Odyssey 49 from Athens
How nice to have met you and the other members of the Istion crew. We, my family and I, have had a marvellous sailing week at the Saronic Gulf. Nice weather, good sailing winds, beautiful anchor places, swimming, nice villages, restaurants etc.etc. We had a lot of fun and the help of all the Istion people made it special. My wife and I surely appreciated the balloons, wine and delicious cake you had put into the boat to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. So, it was even better than we expected. We will surely recommend ISTION to our (sailing) friends. Thans again, all the best and greetings to you and the rest of the team.
Dick

205  Ellis chartered in September 2010 a Lagoon 440 from Kos 
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the whole team at Istion for a wonderful charter yachting holiday.  I was great to have you, Kostantina as my initial contact with Istion, as I found you to be excellent in all dealings from my initial enquiry for prices/quotes all the way through to time of flying to Greece to collect the Catamaran. Kostantina, you always promptly answered all my emails in a most professional manner, which I appreciated.  Once I arrived at Istion Base at Kos Marina I was greeted with the brothers who managed the branch of Kos. Both were very polite and helpful in all aspects of understanding the charter, assisting with all required maps of the various destinations we planned (as far north as Samos, down to Rhodes and across to Turkey (Marmaris etc).  Prior to departure we were met by Istions’ boat/harbor manager, who went through every aspect of handling the boat, leaving nothing to chance. A few of the small items that were missing from inventory, they quickly replaced or bought new ones to the boat promptly. Due to 9 persons on board with our charter we asked for a portable esky, which they also arrange at time of embarking.  On returning two weeks later at the end of our charter period, we were greeted by the brothers again who managed Kos Branch. They were very quick to inspect all on the boat and then effected the sign off in a very professional manner. I spent a lot of time researching many different charter companies. I believe it is a difficult choice to make and when you do decide, it is hard to know if you have chosen the right company when first booking a charter (especially if you live on the other side of the world , being in Australia). I can honestly say I was extremely pleased with my decision to go with Istion and would not hesitate to highly recommend this company to anyone seeking to take on a charter in their region of operation.

018  Paul chartered in July 2009 a lagoon 380 from Kos
Yia sas from Sydney, Australia

We had the pleasure of sailing with Istion in July (from Kos to Samos) and thoroughly enjoyed the experience - one of the best holidays ever. I sincerely hope we can do it again in the near future. Please give our best wishes to our wonderful Captain -Stelios!kala hristoyena kai eftihismenos o kenourios hronos
Paul on behalf of the Hayllars, Kleibers and Lynches

Untitlyuted-4  Daphne chartered in July 2010 Skiathos
We had a wonderful time on the Tamelos boat cruising around Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos for one week. Stefanos was absolutely wonderful! He gave us a good tour of the boat for check-in and was super-responsive when the sail ripped on our first sail over to Skopelos. We returned back the next day and he was ready to have the sail fixed within a few hours. While we were not so happy that we had to make another trip back to Skoleplos, we were very impressed how fast he got it done even though he was so busy with other boats as well. Stefanos was always reachable, and we very much appreciated his call too when a storm was coming in. So, please make sure he knows how much we appreciated him – and hopefully he can get a good bonus! Before we arrived, we also communicated with Kostas who was also very friendly and responsive. What could be improved – it would be nice to get more information and tips about the islands – what nice destinations are, where to anchor, where not to anchor, etc. I understand you don’t want to send everyone to the same spots but a little guidance would have been helpful, maybe an annotated chart or a small brochure. Also, on other boats we have chartered, people kept a log/guest book. It is always fun to read what about adventures from other folks on the same boat, and sometimes they also share valuable information about the boat or the area. Just some thoughts…
Thanks again for a great adventure for our family!
Daphne

Brian chartered in August 2010 an Oceanis 43 from Athens
Hi,Just a note to pass on my thanks and congratulations on a thoroughly professional company. Our communications by e mail were always dealt with promptly and the financial transactions easy. The briefing by Fotis was comprehensive and thorough and he was at the end of the phone all week if needed. The yacht was excellently prepared and looked after. Particular thanks to Petros at Athens who was extremely helpful and professional.
You have all been a great team.
Many thanks. Brian
GRECE JUIN 2010 078  Helmut chartered in October 2008 a Sun Odyssey 36i from Kos
Good morning Mrs. Lutz,
at first I would like to apologize for being so late with my response. As you know, time is always running out. But now I’ll do my best! Now, your service was really satisfactory and it was exactly that we expected. Your question how you can improve your quality. What shall I say? Of course yachts have to be maintained in an excellent way. But I think the crucial point is never to forget that the time people invest in sailing vacations is always a precious one as time is at all times a possession of great value and nobody would like to waste just an hour  of it. So, allow me to say. Help your customers always to create their valuable sparetime in  the best possible and efficient way and allow me to say keep always all your promises you give whatever the troubles and expenses will be. In our case we were very happy to experience how Mikola it did. Thanks very much. Excuse me please being so frank and open! Now 2009 is on the agenda and we won’t „hesitate“ to contact you very likely in December 2008. Wishing you a nice time, regards to Mr. Sudzum and we’re looking forward doing a new deal together.
Helmut

web91 Krist family chartered in August 2008 a Lagoon 420 from Athens
Petros,
Attached please find the pictures of our family with Angelo that you requested.We were truly blessed by the Greek Gods to have Angelo as our skipper and Istion as our charter company. Thank you for making our trip to Greece a unforgettable adventure for us all.Be assured that we will be telling everyone about Istion and our very special skipper.
Regards, Dave. 

028  David chartered  in October 2008 an Oceanis 43 from Athens
Dear All,
Just a line to thank you for your organisation and preparation of the Beneteau 43 'Elena'. The vessel was well prepared and present and everything was as described. The short holiday we had was enjoyed by all, and even thoughg we did not go far the weather and temperature were fine. As I explained I spend four months of the year on my own vessel, so was not that worried that we did not do too much sailing.The trip to Poros and then a couple of ports and Aghina(?) were fine. If you wish to use my name as a reference feel free to do so.
Best wishes.
David
Krist Family with Angelo, Istion's Skipper.
Lior chartered in October 2008 a Lagoon 380 from Kos
Hello
My best thanks for Kostas and Christos from Kos. I met really great people and a perfect service from everybody. It was a pleasure to chart the yacht from you. next time when we come to greece we will contact you for sure to get an offer. Thanks again and greeting from Switzerland
Lior

Untitled-dfsf1  Enrico chartered in August 2008 a Bavaria 49 from Lefkas
Hi Sylvia,
We really had a beautiful time with your company in Greece. The Boat was very good and we also sailed a lot with very good wind! If you want, you can put the attached picture in your web site.
Bye, Enrico
fghfghfhf Chris chartered in May 2008 a Lagoon 380 from Athens
We had a great trip!  We had great service from everyone in your company and would highly recommend you to anyone sailing in that area in the future.  One minor issue we did find while sailing was the lack of water hose connection options on the boat (I think this was due to the boat coming from another area, though).  We look forward to sailing again with your boats in the future..
Thanks,
The Schaul family
Michael chartered in July 2008 a Nautitech 475 from Kos
Dear Madam or Sir,
from the 19th of July to the 2nd of August we were sailing the Nautitech 475 "K1",homeport Kos. I would like to thank the "Istion-Crew" of Kos for beeing helpful,very friendly and qualified. I΄ve chartered a lot of boats before,but they are remarkable!
Thank you very much!
Best regards Michael
180  Arthur chartered in April 2008 a Lagoon 500 from Athens
Dear Sylvia,  Very nice to hear from you.  I speak for all of us on the charter and  I am most pleased to report that everyone has stated that this was one of the most fantastic adventures they have ever experienced.  It would be difficult for me to find anything to complain about.  In every respect, the Istion staff,  vessel owner's and support personnel were helpful, friendly and most competent.  The Lagoon 500 and all of it's appointments was superb.  Having chartered before, I must say my experience with your service far exceeded my expectations in every respect.  You have developed an excellent formula for operating a charter service and I cannot think of a single thing you should change. Indeed, since our return we have had the opportunity speak with many people about our experience and I am impressed with the interest being expressed by folks to try chartering.  Most would probably prefer using one of your Captains, since few are qualified themselves, but interest is high and I most certainly recommend your service. We took many photo's and my wife has developed a video montage of the high points of our trip.  I would be happy to send you a DVD and short description. With many thanks for your excellent service and looking forward to chartering with you again,
Arthur M

DSC02289  Ender & his crew chartered in July 2008 with Skipper the Belize 43 from Athens
Dear Kostas,
Already at work, after an unforgettable week spent in Greece, excellently organized by Istion. I would like to thank to the entire Istion team in the name of the whole our group that participated to the catamaran trip of last week. We had really great time, relaxing and at the same time full of excitement, we all enjoyed every minute of the trip. We would also like to thank to our skipper, Alexandros for his standing -he is as good as skipper as he is as fisherman (see picture!), and guide. He brought us to wonderful, unspoiled places, he proved also to be an excellent sailing instructor and racing skipper - he won once a race for the only place available in the Ydra port! We will gladly return to Greece and sail with Istion next holidays, and be sure we will recommend your company to all our friends (and we have plenty!) for an exquisite vacation.
Many, many thanks,
Ender & Romanian crew
P.S. Meanwhile I became interested in purchasing a boat, maybe through your programme of boat purchase & management, or perhaps a second hand boat from you? May I please ask you to provide me with some more information on these possibilities? Thanks again.
Untitled-9  Susan chartered in June 2007 a Beneteau 57 from Athens
Dear Iannis,
Looking at our photos brings back the wonderful memories or our charter earlier this month.  We loved the boat (Beneteau 57), loved the islands we visited, but best of all we liked our skipper and hostess.  He was a superb skipper.  He was such a competent sailor, helped us improve our own sailing skills, gave great recommendations of what we should see on each island, and even was a gifted Greek historian!  I felt my family was in the best possible hands.  Milena was so much fun and served us the best food we had in Greece -- and we like Greek food very much.   I have attached a few photos -- hope you are able to open the file. Again, thank you for a charter that exceeded our expectations.  I have told all my friends about our experience.
Best regards,
Susan

L2 Oliver chartered in May 2006 a Lagoon 440 from Kos
Dear Istion Crew,
thanks for a good charter, we spent a wonderful sailing holiday on "Speranza". Your support and all charter handling was very relaxing and the tech crew  made a good job. Attached you find one picture expressing relaxed holiday on your  Lagoon 440 (Taken on mooring in Porto Vathy, Astypaleia). I remember this holiday  as perfect and would repeat going with Istion any time.
Kind regards
Oliver

IMG 0068 3 Florian chartered with her girlfriends in 2006 with Stelios, Istion's Skipper.
Dear Iannis, a short notice to thank you and your team for the unforgettable holidays
you offered us once more. Stelios is great skipper, he is getting better and better!
it is now the fourth time he is join us. Dodecanese and Kos base is finally the best.
For the last 3 years we were sailing the Cyclades and the Sporades, so we missed
the Dodecanese (Patmos, Leros, Marathi...), the next one will be from Kos again.
All the best and meet you soon!
Florian and crew
Sylvia chartered in May 2006 a Lagoon 380 from Kos
Hallo Istion Charter, we are back from our wonderful sailing trip through the Greek Islands.
Thank you to make it happen so smoothly. The Skipper Yani was very professional and
took us to little islands we have not been yet. He was very pleasant to the whole crew
and made our whole trip great.
Sylvia

 

GRECE JUIN 2010 060  Diego & Carlo chartered in August 2003 a Lavezzi 40 from Kos
Dear Sirs, Let us express in writing our appreciation for the excellent job that our skipper, Thanassis, carried out during our cruise of 09.08-23.08.03 on the Lavezzi 40 Catamaran. Thanassis is an outstanding professional and made our vacation absolutely perfect, both at sailing and entertainment (route, ports, bays, tavernas, fishing, etc.) level. We have always felt safe and cared for during every single minute of the cruise. It will be difficult to cruise with other skippers in the future, since this guy has become the benchmark for us now (and we hope that we will be able to request him again next time in Greece!).
Please thank him on behalf of all of us once again and wish him the best of luck,
Diego & Carlo
Mike & Sherine chartered in July 2002 a Sun Odyssey 33.1 & an Ocean Star 51.1 from Kos.
"Hello Virginia I just wanted to say a BIG thank you to your self, Nicolas and Christo for all the effort you put into making our holiday such a great experience. We really appreciated your professionalism and your friendliness - always making
us feel like what we were asking for was no trouble at all!!! We enjoyed our time on Kos 33 but sailing Christiana VI was a real highlight for us all. It was just so much fun and I know we are all wishing we were back in Greece instead of Debs and Rich being in London, Mike in Port Elizabeth and I'm currently in Kenya on business. Anyhow - hopefully it will not be too long before we can come and visit your lovely islands again....and all the friendly people who made our memories so special.
Thanks again for all you guys did personally
Mike & Sherine"
CIMG1320 Richard chartered in August 2002 a Sun Odyssey 37.1 with Skipper from Kos
"Hi Virginia,
Just a quick mail to thank you all ever so much for making our holiday such an enjoyable experience (speaking for all of us when I say that!). Special thanks to the skipper (Stelios)! Once again many thanks- sure you will hear from us again in the near future regarding a similar trip.
Richard "
David & Maria chartered in July 2002 an Elan 295 from Athens
Dear Virginia,
Having arrived back in the U.K. we would just like to say thank you once again for a wonderful month in Greece. We were very pleased with the boat (Elan 295) and the helpfulness of the Istion staff.
Best wishes,
David & Maria
DSCN2371  Volkmar chartered in May 2002 a Sun Odyssey 33.1 from Kos
"Hallo Virginia,
nun hat der Arbeitsalltag schon wieder begonnen hier und der tolle Urlaub ist schon Historie. Wir sind folglich gut wieder hier gelandet und ich war noch ca. 10 Tage mit meinem jόngsten Sohn zum Segeln auf der Ostsee (mit meinem eigenen kleinen Boot). Wir hatten natόrlich nicht so schφnes Wetter wie in Kos. Zu Anfang heftiger Regen den ganzen Tag und Wind zwischen 7 und 9 bft. Aber es gab auch ein paar sonnige Tage, die waren dann aber leider ohne Wind. Kos ist wirklich eine gute Kombination mit Sonne plus Wind! Virginia, nochmal herzlichen Dank fόr Euern tollen Service! Ich denke, ich werde wiederkommen (oder auch einer meiner Kollegen, denen ich von Euch erzδhlt habe). Ich wόnsche Dir und Deinem Team noch einen schφnen Sommer und wenig Δrger mit den Charterkunden. Laί mal gelegentlich von Dir hφren.
Ciao "Volkmar"
CIMG1447 Harri chartered in September 2002 an Ocean Star 51.1 from Kos
"Dear Iannis,
It was the 6th year chartering a boat from you in Kos, and I would like to say that we all had wonderful time once more. Is it possible that You try to arrange us one way sailing, from Athens (or some other place) to Kos, about 1-13 September 2003. We want to look different places between.
Harri."
010  Mr. Meyer chartered in 1999 an Oceanis 461 with our Skipper Steve.
Dear Yiannis,
This is to thank you and your team for the wonderful holidays you offered us! Steve is great Skipper and also spent much time to teach us many things in Navigation and sailing. My wife Linda and our kids Wolf and Marian really love now sailing yachts and look forward coming back next year. Is it possible to book the same yacht with Steve?