Gulet Larin Su is a supremely comfortable crewed classic-style gulet with lots of outside space for up to 16 guests.

Based in Fethiye and built to a traditional design in 2007, she is 31 meters in length runs with two powerful engines as well as having a full complement of sails on two masts.  She was refitted in 2020. Expertly managed by her crew of 4-5, she plies the Turkish Riviera between Fethiye, Marmaris and Kekova,  and her Captain knows every port, village,  inlet and bay in-between.  The crew is made up of the very experienced Captain, an excellent Chef, Steward and Deck hand/s.

Larin Su has 8 cabins with three twin/triple and five double cabins (the triple cabins consist of one double and one single bed), air-conditioning, a cupboard, small dressing table and an ensuite bathroom (shower only).  All cabins are above the waterline on the same level, with most towards the bow, and three towards the stern. The forward cabins and one of the aft cabins have portholes and the two other aft cabins have windows facing the rear of the gulet. Rooms are made up every day and towels and linen are changed twice-weekly.  Prices aboard Gulet Larin Su are the same for all the cabins, although they vary slightly in size and shape.  We operate a first-come-first-served cabin allocation policy and offer a choice of all remaining cabins to each client at the time of booking.  Cabin numbers cannot be absolutely guaranteed as sometimes we may need to make changes for operational reasons, but we endeavour always to give each passenger their first choice, subject to availability.

The gulet has an extremely spacious main deck, with 16 sunbeds, a dining area and a separate seating area forward which is our favourite place to be when the gulet is underway.  The aft deck has a large dining table where most meals are served, and a spacious rear seating area with comfortable cushions for lounging or reading on. The whole of the aft deck is shaded by an awning.  A few steps down from the main deck is the indoor saloon which has banquette seating as well as an indoor dining area and bar.  Cabins are reached via a short flight of steps running down to the aft or stern portions of the boat from either end of the saloon.

The yacht carries a selection of assorted snorkelling equipment, two kayaks and two paddleboards which can be used by guests to explore the shoreline.  There aren’t many fish to be found so the equipment is just for fun – anyone who wishes to snorkel frequently or who requires a particular size may prefer to bring their own equipment.  There is a tender boat which the crew use to take guests to and from the shore when moored in a bay.   The water is usually extremely clear, with visibility down to 20m or more, so swimming in the sea in this part of Turkey is one of the very great pleasures of a gulet holiday such as this.  The crew hang a ladder from the side of the gulet once the engine is switched off for guests to access the water.  The sea warms up throughout the summer, from a rather bracing start in June to a very pleasant finish in September.  The gulet is usually moored in fairly deep water so swimmers will be out of their depth when swimming near the boat, however the sea water is very buoyant and there are usually quite a few foam ‘noodles’ carried on board which make keeping afloat absolutely effortless.

Cabin layout

Food on board
All meals (breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner) are prepared freshly on board by the gulet’s fantastic chef, and the healthy Mediterranean cuisine makes much use of seasonal fruit and vegetables.  Breakfasts consist of fresh local bread, cheeses, olives, yoghurt, boiled eggs, jams and fruit. Lunches are often a selection of beautifully prepared vegetable dishes such as stuffed vine leaves okra in a tomato sauce, bean salads, aubergine in yoghurt and so on,  plus bulgar wheat/rice/pasta and bread.  A simple afternoon tea of Borek, cake or fruit plus tea and coffee will refresh guests after an afternoon on shore, and then dinner will usually consist of grilled meat plus a wide selection of vegetable side dishes, salads and rice/orzo/bulgar wheat followed by fresh fruit.  Meals are included in your tour price, but drinks are not. The bar keeps a tally of your drinks consumption over the course of the week and you pay your bar bill at the end.

Vegetarians and Vegans will find themselves well catered-for with a variety of vegetarian dishes served at each mealtime (although please note, vegan cheese or meat-replacement products are not widely available in Turkey so the chef cannot prepare alternatives to some dishes), and with advance notice the chef can also adapt the menu to accommodate most allergies or food intolerances.

Celiac/gluten free bread products are not widely available outside of Istanbul so we recommend bringing any essential replacement products from the UK – especially for breakfast. However,  typical Turkish cuisine does not rely on wheat-related products or use flour etc in preparation of sauces so there will always be several non-gluten containing dishes at each meal time.  Where pasta/bulgar is served the crew will always be able to serve rice instead. Turkish cuisine makes very little use of flour in sauces or  the menu contains very little

A note about fish: Turkey has been extensively over-fished as until recently there was scant regulation of this industry, so fresh fish is actually rather scarce and expensive along the Turquoise coast, with fewer than six commercial fish species now found, down from 30 a few decades ago. In a bid to combat this, most large-scale commercial fishing is now banned in the summer months to allow breeding fish to replenish the dwindling stocks.  The best fish are now to be found in Istanbul but and much fish sold along the coast is actually pre-frozen, imported fish. For this reason fish does not commonly form part of the daily menu aboard the gulets, but we endeavour to serve it at least once during the week subject to availability.

A note about gulets in general
Gulets are traditional Turkish sailing vessels, made by hand in the boatyards of Southwestern Turkey from teak and other high-quality, durable timber.  Evolving over time into extremely comfortable passenger boats with many of the mod-cons found on modern day luxury yachts, gulets generally have either a large rounded stern  or a higher, squared off stern,  and are fitted with ketch (marconi) rigging or  schooner rigging with one, two or three forsails.  Gulets range in size between 15 and 55 meters and the number of cabins varies from 3 to 12. Modern gulets are fitted with engines and sail only occasionally, due to the distances that need to be covered on most of their charters,  but there is a cup held at the end of the season each year in which many of the gulets race by wind power alone. Winning the Bodrum Cup Regatta is a matter of great pride for the captains and crew of these gulets and the competition ensures they keep their sailing skills sharp despite not being required to use them on most of their charters.

A note about air-conditioning
Air conditioning requires electricity or fuel so when moored in a bay this means using the generator, which is a little noisy. For this reason we generally put the air-conditioning on for a few hours before bed-time and again for an hour or so first thing in the morning to keep cabins cool when needed for sleep. Air conditioning is not run throughout the day and there is no air-conditioning in the public areas of the yacht as these are not able to be sealed.

We have been operating gulet tours and gulet charters in Turkey for over 20 years so there is very little we don’t know about the gulets and the coastline.   Please contact us if you have any queries about life on board, the yacht itself, or the logistics of travelling by gulet along the Turquoise coast.

Private gulet charter
We can arrange private gulet charters using yachts of a variety of sizes and standards in Turkey, Greece and Croatia.  As well as this lovely gulet there are a whole host of alternatives, which we recommend to clients based on their group size or individual requirements.  Some are small and simple, some are incredibly luxurious.  As we’ve operated charters and tours in this region for such a long time we know which boats have the best chefs,  the most knowledgeable captains, and most amenable stewards, which helps when so many of the yachts look wonderful in the pictures that you can’t choose between them.    If you have a private group of 6 or more, a gulet charter is a luxurious and surprisingly economical way to explore the Greek Islands, the Turquoise or the Dalmatian Coast.  Fully crewed and catered, and, with none of the usual ‘added extras’ associated with yacht charter elsewhere, we can create a bespoke itinerary to suit your interests and even source guides or an expert lecturer to join you if desired.   Contact Alice in our tailor-made team at alice@templeworld.com for more information or a quote.