Gulet Gardelin Review
In this post, you can read an honest review of gulet Gardelin. Yes, gulet has 28 meters and 6 comfortable cabins for guests, but the technical info of a gulet tells only half of the entire story. If you are serious about renting this gulet read this post. It will help you decide if Gulet Gardelin is an appropriate vessel for you and if you decide to rent it, it will show you how to get the most out of your cruise. I cruised on this gulet for 7 days so I experienced everything in person.
13 Facts about Gulet Gardelin You Should Know
1. Check out the video of Gulet Gardelin
As you can see in the video, we visited several stunning locations, gained a couple of pounds, and overall had an amazing time on board. This short video can already give you a very good idea of what to expect.
2. Condition and maintenance of the gulet
If one thing surprised me on this gulet, is how well the vessel is maintained. The paint on the gulet is fresh. The smell on the gulet and in cabins is good (super important). Everything works. The owner takes very good care of this vessel.
3. The food on board
We had a very nice combination of fish, meat, vegetables, and local dishes. The chef made sure he followed our wishes. We had a vegetarian on board and he had his food. We had people on board, who do not eat fish. They were not hungry. We had people that love fish – they had their fair of seafood. We had some people allergic to nuts, kiwi, and gluten. It was not a problem. Every main meal was made of a hot or cold appetizer, a main course with vegetables, and a side dish + dessert or fruit. So the food was great.
4. Bathrooms – Just need to mention the bathrooms
I am a tall person at 6 feet 5 (193 centimeters). The bed and cabins were very comfortable and I could sleep normally. Also, the ceiling was high enough for me to stand inside the gulet normally. But what I really liked was the bathroom. the concept just works. You have more than enough room to sit comfortably on the toilet. The space for the shower is large even for a 100 kg person like me. Also, no smell inside, which is super important.
5. Knowledge of Croatia – Beware
Alen Grdovič (owner of the gulet and a crew member) is a history book. He knows everything and he knows what clients want. But he is not the most talkative person in the world and he likes to stay backstage, making sure everything runs smoothly without throwing himself in front of everyone.
Also, the captain (brother of Alan’s wife) is an amazing skipper who is incredibly skilled. Damir is on the gulet for 7 years. He worked there for 2 years as a sailor and now he is there for 5 years also as a captain.
Clients LOVE HIM.
Alen and Damir make a really good team however if you challenge them to play a board game of “activity” or some other game involving lots of words, you will probably win easily :-). (I mean this in a good way). On Gardelin you can see truly amazing spots, locations, and towns but I think it is important to plan the route, with your booking. Vanessa (the wife of Alen) handles all booking procedures and is an incredibly helpful and talkative person. When you combine the knowledge Alen has and the assistance Vanessa can provide you with along with the smooth handling of the Goolets Sales team, you will come up with an itinerary that will blow you away. You might see places like this in the video below (just one of the bays we visited while on a cruise with Gardelin) What do you think?
Would you imagine yourself staying in this bay? We stayed here for an entire day and it was one of the best locations I have ever visited in my life – and I visited plenty of them.
6. Back end of the gulet
Gardelin has 6 cabins and it can take up to 12 guests if you have children with you. The back side of the gulet has a very good concept and allows you to sit down to meals in very good comfort. If you are 10 or 12 people, you have more room than in any luxury restaurant you visit. Just that this place gives you much nicer views.
7. Water sports
On Gardelin you have a canoe. Gulet has a very powerful dinghy that allows you to have water skiing. They also have an inflatable donut which is very fun for children (or for adults for that matter). A nice range of extra activities to keep you busy if you are more on the “active side”. And it is very good to know, that owner will only charge you for the fuel you will use for the dinghy and nothing else.
8. Sailing! Yes, gulet Gardelin can actually sail
On most of the gulets in Croatia, sailing options are very limited. Gardelin is one of the few gulets that have ALL MASTS and SAILS functional. Both main sails, as well as roll sails, are in the front. Gardelin is not a sailing yacht so if you expect heavy sailing, you might be disappointed. But if you like it, if the weather is good, if you are not scared – this is a very nice plus.
9. Interested in a 10 days cruise? It is possible on Gardelin
For some people 7 days cruises are just not long enough while staying on a gulet for 14 days, is too long. If you are interested in a 10 days cruise in June and September, you can do it with Gardelin without having to pay for all 14 days of charter. If interested in this program and prices, let us know and we will send you more details.
10. Category of gulet Gardelin? Standard or Luxury?
When I first talked with Alen (the owner) several years ago, he told me Gardelin is not a luxury gulet. It is a nice comfortable gulet, with good services and the price you pay matches the services you get perfectly.
I was on this gulet in low season, when gulet was not ready for charter and I made an ultimate sin – I believed him.
After many years since we know each other we finally managed to organize a 7 days cruise on this gulet for Goolets team and after this cruise, I can very easily say.
Alen was wrong.
Gulet Gardelin is a luxury gulet with luxury services and it is one of the vessels, where I can say you will get the value for your money.
11. Languages spoken on board
The entire crew speaks fluent English. Alen (owner of the gulet) can communicate well also in Italian and French languages.
12. Your privacy is 100% respected
The size of the gulet and mentality of the crew enable you 1 very important thing! Privacy!
You can always remove yourself from the other group and find a spot, where you can just relax, enjoy, get away, and have a moment for yourself.
The crew has a similar mentality.
- The chef is there, to make you great food.
- Captain is there to make sure you see amazing places and your trip is safe and comfortable.
- Sailor will help the chef, serve you the food and clean your cabins.
- Alen will make sure technically everything works and that the chef, skipper, and sailor do the job well.
He will also be there for you in the case of any questions, wishes, and needs – but he will not go into your “private circle” and bother you with his life story.
You will have your own private space on the gulet and this is important.
13. Who is this gulet for?
No.1 – If you are 5, 6, or even 7 couples traveling without kids.
Gulet has 6 cabins all with double beds. It has a comfortable deck and at this price, it is hard to find in Croatia a gulet that offers more luxury. It has enough water toys to make you happy. The services are there also.
No.2 – If you have children.
3 cabins have an extra bed. This means smaller kids can share cabins with their parents. It also has 6 cabins, so if you are 3 families cruising together, it is very good. Gardelin has a huge salon which is safe and nice for kids, who can watch TV or play video games while the gulet is cruising to the next destination. The salon is for sure a big plus also
5 Ideas on how to get the most out of the cruise on gulet Gardelin
If I would book this gulet for me and my family and go on a cruise again (hope this happens soon enough :-)), here is how I would organize myself.
I would take half board (breakfast and lunch) and combine it with 3 dinners on board
Croatia has so much to offer. Places as Hvar town, Korčula Town, Makarska Riviera, Dubrovnik, Bol on Brač…. Every single day you could go out of the gulet and explore a new town or port, have dinner ashore, and have some ice cream. On the other hand, you also have amazing bays all around Croatia and you should stay on anchor away from all the people at least a couple of times in a week. So to have a combination of Half Board (breakfast and lunch) and go out and eat 4 or 5 times, and stay on a gulet 2 or 3 nights and just enjoy the dinner on board is very good. You pay for half board accommodation and on Gardelin they charge around € 15 – 20 per person per week for extra dinners. This gives you a perfect combo of seeing lots of things, while also enjoying on a gulet.
I would make a one-way cruise from Zadar to Trogir
Home base of Alen is Zadar. This means he is incredibly good when it comes to exploring Kornati Islands, Dugi Otok, Island Ugljan, and Island Sestrunj (his home place). Those are the places with incredible nature and as they are not as known as other places as Hvar, Brač, Vis, Korčula, and Dubrovnik, they are also not as crowded. So if you make a good combination of the Zadar – Trogir cruise, it means you get it all:
- remote amazing spots which are not very crowded
- famous places and islands such as Hvar island and Brač island.
Also, a one-way cruise from Split to Dubrovnik is very nice and can be done perfectly, as well as Trogir – Trogir cruise. You can check all the private charter routes.
I would invite 3 more families with children to cruise with me. Perfect for families. Or I would have an amazing cruise for 12 people cruising with no children
As explained above Gardelin is incredibly comfortable if you are a group of 6 couples cruising together. (14 people are also okay, but for 12 it is remarkably comfortable). If you have children on board you could accommodate up to 14 guests (or even 16, if you do not mind being a bit crowded). I had a teenager in a group = she loved it. A small kid = loved it also. Several friends that arrived with their girlfriends = loved it also.
I would organize every detail about the itinerary IN ADVANCE and especially notify the crew of what is incredibly important to me
I mentioned above that Damir and Alen make a very good team. You will be safe. You will see amazing places. However, I would still put Vannesa into the equation along with Goolets knowledge and organize an itinerary in advance. This way everyone will be happy and you will get much more out of your cruise. Note in advance what is truly important for you:
- If swimming is super important, note this in advance.
- If history and sightseeing are important, note this in advance.
- If you wish to party the entire week, note this in advance.
The crew will be notified and prepared in advance and you will have the best holidays ever.
I would discuss the importance of water sports and sail in advance
This point can be summed up but a short little story. I inspected one very nice gulet several years ago and saw they have sails and a piece of very good sailing equipment. I asked the captain about sailing and he was very proud to say they have amazing equipment. (gulet was at that point 2 years old, so almost brand new). I asked him, how fast they can go on sails. His reply: “I am not sure. We never used them till now”!!! Gardelin has really good sails and equipment. Gardelin also has very good water sports options. But the crew sometimes forgets 2 things:
- What an incredible experience it is for some people when they are sailing. A memory to remember for an entire life.
- That Clients are most of the time shy and do not wish to bug the crew about water sports or sailing.
(this is a general problem on gulets, so it does not apply specifically to this gulet, I am just mentioning it because this gulet has a really good possibility when it comes to this). As this gulet has such amazing sailing and water sports possibilities, I would talk about this with reservation. Specify how important is sailing to you and book a package for water sports in advance.
Final thoughts. Goolets and Gardelin. Connection.
While we were cruising, there was a nice joke going on all the time. Vanessa and Alen have a 14-year-old son, who will take over the gulet when he comes of age.
We have a daughter, that has 13 years and is very interested in the travel agency business and is keen on taking over when she is ready.
So the only way to look at the cooperation between Gulet Gardelin and Agency Goolets is long-term as the kids should continue the cooperation for the next 25 years. This means several things:
- We need to make sure to send as many groups as possible over the long term.
- For this, we need the best prices and conditions.
- They know they have to make our clients happy to send them even more groups.
We agreed upon all these things. And the rest is history. If interested in chartering gulet Gardelin, all you need to do is fill out the detailed inquiry form on this link, or check out prices and technical info of gulet here and send an exact request for this gulet from there. And Goolets team will make sure (with the help of Vanessa and Alen) that you have the best holiday experience possible.
Mitja Mirtič
