Elounda: tour guidato in barca del Prof. Spinalonga con barbecue + nuoto

A very nice way to start your holiday in Crete. We stayed in Elounda so could walk to the pick up spot. On the boat there was plenty of shade, you have to like pop songs that are equally loud at the beginning but you don't hear them anymore once you are sailing. There are quite a lot of people on board, but there was plenty of space to sit. Staff are very friendly. The explanation of the program of the trip was clear. First stop was snorkeling. Nice, clear water and there were some fish to see. Bring your own diving goggles. On board you can buy chips, drinks and ice cream. Water is very cheap! Around noon lunch, there is pork chop by default but you can also indicate on the morning whether you want to eat chicken or vegetarian. Then on to Spinalonga. You still have to pay for admission, but it is free for children and young people from the EU. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and speaks very good English. An impressive piece of history and also fun for the children to run around the island and wander through the old (ruins of the) houses. If you do not want to go to Spinalonga, the boat will take you to a place to swim until the excursion is finished. Around 3pm you are back in port and you have seen a beautiful part of Crete!

Really enjoyed our trip to Mirabello Bay and Spinalonga. The staff were lovely and the onboard bar taking card was a big win. Even in high winds, the ride was amazing—cool breeze and nice, calm waters in the bay. Just a note: Spinalonga entry costs extra and feels a bit pricey. If history isn't your thing, skip the island tour and just stick to the boat and the water—the dip in the sea is hands down the best part! Highly recommend taking this tour.

It’s a very large boat and they pack People in, so if you are wanting a boat with fewer people this is not for you. You get what you pay for - the experience was pretty basic bit crew were nice. Stop for swimming was good. If they could tone down the loud music on the boat it would be better. The boat doesn’t actually leave until 12pm so I have no idea why Viator told us to be there at 9.45,

We did not expect to enjoy this day so much. The staff was friendly, the beach was pretty and the food was good. I did not realize we would have a guide on the island. It was an unexpected treat. The price was more than fair. The only negative comment was that we left almost an hour after we were asked to arrive.

Nice excursion departing from Elounda. The time spent at the beach and at Spinalonga is sufficient. A special mention for the lunch on board, which was very tasty and exceeded my expectations. The boat is large and therefore suitable even for those who are a bit afraid. Be careful at the meeting point. If you do not receive an email or WhatsApp the day before, call Platanos to find out exactly where you need to go.

A magnificent boat ride, discovering a very beautiful beach. Just missing a guide in French for those who do not speak English

Everything it said it was it most certainly was. Good day out would definitely book shsin

We did this boat tour for the second time because we wanted to show it to our family. It was super great again! This time we first swam at the beach, then enjoyed the BBQ, and afterwards we went to Spinalonga. Upon arrival, we were told the story of Spinalonga, a small island off the northeast coast of Crete, in a presentation. Afterwards, there was time to explore the island and gather impressions. It was a truly successful trip and the weather was excellent.

Absolutely fabulous. Perfect amount of time to explore the sea, swim and tour Spinalonga. The boat is large and spacious, the crew super friendly and food delicious!! Prices on boat not too expensive either. Met all our expectations and more. Thanks team!

The information that Viator provided was confusing. We were told by the tour line to meet at Megaro but Viator suggests to meet at Elounda Marina, which is a 10 minutes walk away from Megaro. We suggest going to Megaro, ignore Viator’s advice. From there they will check tickets and guide you to the next stop. The boat trip itself consists of a short journey to a one hour swimming stop at Maribello Bay, which was lovely crystal clear water filled with fish. Then a bbq lunch of pork chop, salad, feta, bread and pickles with either a drink of Fanta or wine. The food was good and prepared and served well but there is limited space to sit to eat so I would suggest sitting in the dining area as soon as you board after the first swim to ensure you can eat easily. The second stop is Spinalonga Island. It costs €20 (in cash only) per adult to enter. We had Mary as our guide, who was well spoken and fluent in English. She helped us to understand the different era’s and infrastructure’s on the island and how this affected its citizens. She was fascinating and we thoroughly enjoyed her as guide. The island itself is a mish mash of Venetian, Turk, Arab and Greek building with a leper colony early in the 1900’s. Overall, Spinalonga is hot, dusty and mostly just very old bricks. You have to be really interested in history and architecture to enjoy the day and without a guide, it has very limited explanation as to what each area was. Also, if you choose not to go to Spinalonga there is a second swim location which we sadly missed out on. Now we have seen Spinalonga, we would recommend staying on the boat. Viator has advertised this as a whole day activity beginning at 9:50am and ending at 18:30pm. This is not true. We departed around 10:30am and were back at 14:00pm. Would I recommend? Yes for the boat, swimming and food. No for Spinalonga and the shortness of the day. The staff on the boat were fantastic. Super helpful and would definitely sail with them again but this tour could have been better.