27Reviews1Q&A
Reviews
Traveler rating
- 26
- 1
- 0
- 0
- 0
Traveler type
Time of year
Language
More
Selected filters
- Filter
- English
Popular mentions
What a superb day out. I chose Valendi because we wanted to go to Balos and Gramvousa and avoid the crowds. As a party of 9 spanning three generations I wanted comfort, space and sun plus the flexibility to decide where and what we did. When booking these trips you will find many choices of boat, speedboats and ribs with minimal shade are quicker but not so comfortable for a larger party or families as the Bay Explorer. We totally lucked out choosing Valendi, we set sail on the Bay Explorer at 9 from Kissamos and arrived at Balos aprox 40 mins later. We had a lovely time diving from the boat and exploring the lagoon. As soon as the first large tourist boats turned up we escaped for Gramvousa and again spent time diving in the crystal clear blue waters and exploring the shipwreck. Larger boats came and went unloading hordes, but we felt relaxed and uncrowded with the boat as our base. The scenery is unbelievable, these are Caribbean style beaches in Europe. The extra you pay versus the ferry to beat the crowds makes the experience extra special. But what I have to say is the welcome from our hosts was just incredible and really made the day. Valendi is a family business; daughter Maria manages bookings and was super-responsive to my many questions and made me feel comfortable. Something that was important to me as our party included teenagers and one elder. I wanted to make sure a large-ish group had their needs catered for, Captain George (sorry forgot the Greek version) and Poppy (Penelope) made this a gold-standard day. They were welcoming and attentive. Had a freezer box full of iced water and drinks to keep everyone cool and served as the most unexpectedly excellent lunch, chicken for the meat-eaters and a home-made dish for the vegetarian, all accompanied by beautiful Greek salads (many of the ingredients coming from George and Maria’s gardens), and Cretan white to wash it down. George and Penelope were attentive but not intrusive and George is a warm and funny man. This is a day all my family adored, and will treasure. My special thanks to you all.…
Read more
Date of experience: August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
We have lived a wonderful and memorable day to Balos and Gramvousa island with Captain Giorgos and his crew! The trip itself was beautiful, fun and fully worth it, and the crew’s attention, responsiveness and generosity made it perfect. The agency through which we booked our trip advertised a”light snack and fruits with coffee and soft drinks”. We got the coffee (good authentic Greek coffee), fruits (some from Giorgos’ own trees), but instead of a light snack, we got a full and delicious roasted chicken with roasted potatoes, a generous Greek salad, stuffed tomatoes, and ice cream for dessert. Served with a very good local white wine. All of that for nearly half the price compared to a similar cruise recommended by the owner of our rented Villa. Efcharisto Giorgos and Manolis!…
Read more
Date of experience: June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Q3863HSmariak, Υπεύθυνος Δημοσίων Σχέσεων at Valendi Daily Cruises
Responded 1 week ago
Thank you so much for this!! it was our pleasure!!!! Take care!!! <3 <3
Read more
Kapetan Giorgo, a big thank you for the great experience. Excellent service, amazing atmosphere, lovely crew, memories that we won't forget.
Read more
Date of experience: August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
+1
Everything during our cruise to Balos and Gramvousa with Valendi was perfect! The boat is very comfortable and clean with a lot of spaces to relax enjoying the amazing trip to one of the most spectacular beaches of Crete! Captain George, apart from being a very good captain, he is also a very friendly person and a great musician. We loved his Cretan live music and the traditional food on board! It was for sure the best part of our trip to Crete and we highly recommend it to everybody!…
Read more
Date of experience: September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Amazing private Cruise with Nick and captain Iorgos! They are very kind with their guest : taking picture (that we wait😉) and good local food ! They know the schedule of big boat and can bring you to the place when there is no thousand of tourist
Read more
Date of experience: July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
