To Whom it May Concern,

I was a guest aboard the Penelopa for Sail Croatia, 23rd-30th May. I am writing to express my thanks for such a wonderful trip!

The trip itself was good, but what made the experience exceptional for me was the manner in which the crew acted. For the entire week the whole of the Penelopa crew were always pleasant and eager to help when needed, and I can't describe the level of enthusiasm they maintained and the way the strived to make our trip as enjoyable as possible! A few things spring to mind that, in my opinion, were not at all ‘necessary’ but are what made the trip an amazing experience as a whole.
- the meal sizes were always large, and the food was always AMAZING. At the end of each meal we were always asked if we would like more, and if we enjoyed the meal. It is by far the best ‘included food’ I have ever had in group travel.
- although there was a bar tab running for the duration of the week, at times drinks were provided ‘on the house’. This was not at all expected, but definitely added to the atmosphere and enjoyment of the boat when a round of drinks came out for all!
- The continual local knowledge of the crew at all ports on where to go, what to do, how to get there and what to see made the experiences in the towns easy and enjoyable.
- The karaoke party and toga party suggested by Tonci and his crew were not at all necessary or expected, but were so enjoyable and definitely added to the overall atmosphere of the boat! It is my understanding that such things were not allowed on other boats, and hence I feel extremely privileged and lucky to have been on board Penelopa, particularly for such events.
- The general conversation with the crew at all times throughout the trip – it was almost like they were also guests on the boat, and we happy to share their experiences with us.

As well as the above - what was possibly my favourite experience of the week was on a particular night, when all but one other guest and myself had left the boat to go to dinner. As we were the last two remaining on board we asked where would be recommended by Tonci for dinner, and instead he insisted we stay on the boat and eat with the crew – on that particular night the captain had caught and cooked prawns and sea snails – and being invited to eat with the captain and crew was not only a delicious meal, but also a great experience is being able to talk to the about their lives (and the prawns were totally amazing!). This was provided free of charge, and I was totally amazed by their generosity at this, and other times over the week.

I wish I had more time to detail everything done by the crew that was above and beyond their duties. However, I hope this gives a small glimpse of how amazing they made the week for all those on board the Penelopa. Being a ‘backpacker’ as such I was unable to offer a substantial tip, however I would have been more than happy to tip them the entire cost of the trip again, and feel that their service would still be worth more than that.

I would thoroughly recommend Sail Croatia aboard the Penelopa to anyone – and am very grateful to the person who put me aboard that particular ship! There is not a single thing I could fault with the whole experience.

Thank you again,
Megan Rumford