BEFORE YOU BOOK
-
The easiest way to book your cruise is through our website. Simply press the BOOK YOUR CRUISE button on the main page and you will be directed to our availability calendar. The process is as simple as booking a hotel or flight. If you are uncertain about which cruise to choose, press the BROWSE ACTIVITIES or VIEW ALL CRUISES on the top right corner and check out the different options.
If you are in Milos, you can pass by our office and book your cruise on the spot. Office hours are from 11am to 3pm and from 6pm to 9pm.
You can always contact us by email or phone. We will do our best to reply within 24hours but due to the high volume of emails if you are looking for a quick reply you can contact Stavros which is always happy to help. His number is +30 6978 248 217 and it also works with WhatsApp.
-
If you are interested in a specific date or if you have a limited period on the island then it is advisable to book in advance, especially if you are interested in booking during mid/high season. Our cruises tend to sell out early during from June to September. Generally we do not advise leaving the cruise for the last day of your vacation, so that we have the flexibility of changing/moving you to a better day if the weather makes it complicated.
If you are staying for a longer period, like a week, then you could contact us on the phone numbers on our website or pass by our office on one of your first days on the island to meet and discuss when the best day to book your cruise would be.
-
Press the BOOK YOUR CRUISE and choose your date. Simple as that!
-
Polco offers a range of services to satisfy every taste.
The two most popular options are the West Milos cruise and the Round of Milos and Poliegos cruises.
The West Milos cruise covers the part of the island that you can’t see by car and is a great paced cruise with long swim stops and the most amazing visit inside Kleftiko and Sykia caves, which are really stunning. The cruise starts with a site seeing tour of all the places of interest in the bay of Adamas.
The Round of Milos and Poliegos cruise is made for those who want to see more of the area in one day. It combines swim stops in the best locations around Milos and also a visit to the island of Poliegos, the largest uninhabited island of Greece, stopping at the Galazia Nera (aka Blue Lagoon), one of the best coves Greece has to show. One thing stress about this cruise is that the distance to be covered is large one so the swim stops are shorter in duration. To break the The cruise will also pass by the most important sites around Milos, where you will have the chance to take photos and listen to some facts about the places. Some of the Klima, Vani, Sykia, Tsigrado, the old sulfur mines and Glaronisia (seagull islands).
You can choose any of the above cruises and sail with a catamaran or monohull. The catamarans are more spacious and offer a better experience and comfort without this meaning that sailing with our monohulls is not enjoyable or comfortable. Besides we never cramp up our boats and we always like to show our guests good fun.
If you are looking for a special experience for you and your loved ones, you can book a private cruise with one of our sailing yachts or our catamaran. Booking a private cruise gives you the chance to arrange the itinerary with your captain, plan the day as you want but, most of all, avoid crowds which makes a big difference especially in high season months when the island is packed with people.
Polco generally advises against half-day cruises for the simple reason that there is no better way to explore Milos than by sea. A beautiful island all-around, the beauty of the west part of the island, the cave of Sykia and Kleftiko are beyond comparison and deserve time. Furthermore, half-day cruises are generally made in large groups which are not in the Polco mentality. But, if time is an issue, we have our motorboat/rib which can take you places fast and let you enjoy them for enough time.
Choose a half-day private motorboat cruise and explore any side of the island you want. Choose our semiprivate half-day cruise and explore Kleftiko and the south or west part (depending on the weather) OR choose a full-day private cruise and explore all the area, Milos, Kimolos and Poliegos and enjoy a magnificent sunset from our rib! A truly unique experience!
-
The level of service on Polco cruises is a high one. We like to take care of our guests. Nonetheless, in private cruises, we will always go the extra mile and make things even more special. If you are celebrating an event, do tell us and we can arrange any special provisions you might want.
Another difference between our semi-private and private cruise is that on a private cruise you can arrange the itinerary with your captain and choose which places you will visit and how long to stay there. Our cruises are normally from 10:oo to 18:00 but we can modify this to some extend.
Booking a private cruise is ideal especially in high season when the island is packed with people, you can adjust the schedule and avoid big crowds at the stops.
-
To secure any booking, a payment is required to be made. All credit and debit cards are accepted during payment process. Upon successful payment you will receive a confirmation voucher within minutes. If you do not receive this then chances are that your payment did not go through for some reason or the contact email address is not correctly inserted in the field.
If you face any problem during the payment procedure, kindly contact us by email or on the numbers on our website and we will try to solve the problem asap.
AFTER BOOKING
-
In order to get permission to sail from Greek Authorities, we require to submit crew lists with valid passenger information. These are the full passenger name, nationality, passport (or ID/driver’s license) numbers and date of birth.
For semiprivate cruises please fill in the respective fields, for private cruises please provide the info at the comment box.
-
Our booking platform, website, company Gmail are secured so they can not be breached easily. Furthermore, after you provide the information, these will be passed to our offline records, and the email will be deleted from our inboxes so that it will not stay on the web for long. Nonetheless, should you still not feel safe providing your personal information we will respect this. The only thing we ask is that you provide this data at least the day before the cruise, so that we avoid the risk of a delay in the cruise departure. You can do this in person coming to find us at our Adamas office or by phone. Do not hesitate to contact us with any concerns. We are always happy to help.
-
Cyclades are blessed with amazing weather. Rain is very rarely a problem. ‘Bad’ weather for us means very strong winds. But even those will not affect our excursion to the point that we have to cancel the trip, except in very rare cases. We can, however, modify the itinerary so to sail the protected side of the island and avoid sailing in rough seas. For example, during summer months, strong north winds can blow all over Cyclades (we call them meltemi). In this case we prefer to sail the south side of Milos, which is protected. No waves, no risk of sea-sickness and there are plenty of beautiful places to visit including Kleftiko and its’ caves, which are magnificent even in the strongest north winds. Furthermore, Polco team consists of competition sailors…we like wind and we like to open our sails and show our guests a true sailing experience. So don’t worry you will be in safe hands. Finally, we will always inform you about the route we will follow a couple of days before the trip, after taking into consideration the weather conditions.
-
In case of extremely strong winds or other unforeseen circumstances, which make it impossible to sail we might need to cancel the cruise. We will always try to inform you the earliest possible by email or text. Then we will look at our options; firstly if we can transfer you to another available day. If this is not possible then you will receive a full refund of your payment.
-
Our cancellation policy for reservations made through our website can be found below:
· Cancellations made up to 7 days before the cruise date can be made free.
· For cancellations made less than 7 days prior to the cruise date 50% of the total amount paid will be charged.
· For cancellations made less than 48 hours prior to the cruise date 100% of the total amount paid will be charged.
· Change requests are available up to 7 days before the cruise. No extra fee applies. Nonetheless, should there be a positive price difference between the services, the customer will be imbursed with this. All change requests are subject to availability
· The company reserves the right to change or modify the route of the scheduled cruise or to cancel it due to inclement weather or for reasons it deems that it should not ensure the safety of the customer. In case of cancellation on our part, the full amount paid will be refunded.
OTHER QUESTIONS
-
Sailing with Polco is a carefree trip. You only need to bring your personal belongings; swimsuit, towel, sunscreen, hat and glasses to protect from the strong Greek sun, your cellphone/camera.
Our yachts are fully equipped with snorkeling gear but if you have your own mask and flippers you are welcome to bring them.
Early or late in the season, a light windproof jacket might help to warm you up when the sun starts dropping.
-
Your personal belongings will be kept inside the boat at a common area. We have never had an incident of lost or stolen property. However, if you want to store your stuff in a cabin without access you can just ask your crew. In any case, Polco sailing does not hold any responsibility for loss or damaged personal belongings.
-
This basically depends on the person and what water temperature you are accustomed to. Mediterranean waters never get as warm as the tropics, but neither get super cold like many ocean coasts. On a nice sunny day water temperature will be almost the same as outside temperature and you will see that you will get used to the sea pretty fast. Click here for a very nice article on Cyclades weather.
-
If you are arriving to Milos by ferry, you will be arriving at the port of Adamas. This is where our boats are also anchored, at a distance no more than 100-200 meters from the ferry pier. If you are getting to Milos by plane, then a taxi will be required to get to the port. This is a short drive of around 10 minutes. If you arrive on the day of the cruise, just before departure, kindly inform us in advance.
-
No. Hotel transfer is not included in the cruise price but can be arranged if you require. We co-operate with a mini-van service, which uses excellent vans, professional drivers and offers competitive prices. Payment will be made directly by you and you will get the Polco price. We would like to stress that we do not take commissions for transfers. We just want to help.
-
Firstly, if you are a bad swimmer then you can use the lifejackets and floating devices available on our boats and swim safely. If you don’t want to dive from the boat in deep water, you can still cool off during our stops as there are beaches on our stops, smaller or bigger, that you can just walk in and spend time in the water. Nonetheless, you do not have to swim if you do not want to. Generally our boats are very spacious for you to stay on board. Hammocks and shaded areas give you the chance to enjoy your time staying on the boat without having to swim.
-
Our boats are fully equipped with lifejackets of all sizes. Floating devices are also provided.
-
The photos and videos taken on the day are sent securely within the group using Dropbox. At the end of the cruise, the crew will ask you for your email address and will sent the photos to that email. Please make sure you type your email correctly. Photos are usually sent the following day, nonetheless do allow for 3-4 days especially in high season where the size of the files to be uploaded is larger. In case you do not receive within a reasonable period or for any photo related issues, you can reach us by email and we will look into the issue asap.
-
Our prices include food, drinks, and snacks throughout the cruise. Everything is homemade and of excellent quality. Snorkeling gear is available for you and we also have underwater cameras which we use to take pictures, both under and over the water. This set of pictures will be sent to you by email later or we can transfer them on a USB stick if you prefer.
-
We will be happy to accommodate your food preferences. Fruits and salads are provided in our meals but further than that you should inform us beforehand and we can arrange some more options for you.
-
Unfortunatley not! Nonetheless, infants under 2 travel free.
-
Absolutely! All our yachts are equipped with bimini tops, i.e. tents, that cover the cockpit/rear sitting area area. Additional shade is available, in the form of tents rolling out of the boom, that can cover up to half the boat. Depending if you prefer sun or shade we deploy a part or whole of them. Since our cruises are done in small groups, we won’t have difficulty getting your opinions and covering your preferences.
-
No! Sailing cruises are dependant on wind conditions and weather is not in our hands to control. Any change made to the itinerary is done with your safety, comfort and pleasure in mind. That is why we price all our sailing boat cruises or the catamaran cruises the same regardless of the choice of itinerary.
-
All our sailing boats comply with Greek safety rules so we are fully equipped with a first-aid kit that has treatments for light injuries or even more serious incidents. Furthermore, all our skippers have undertaken a first-aid course and will be able to provide assistance if needed.