A yacht charter aboard a gulet comes in a few variations of “luxury”. There are three classifications of luxury in gulets other than the economic class; Luxury, Deluxe and VIP. Each class has its own qualities and features that set them apart. In actual fact there are no legal classifications of gulets. These above mentioned classifications have been set by yacht charter agents in Turkey in order to list them according to quality, size, technical characteristics, design as well as other attributes such as the number of crew. In a way, these factors make up the value of the gulet. Among all classes, economic is the only that does not offer air conditioning for gulet charters; hence the classification.
LUXURY GULETS
This standard in gulets and gulet charters comprise of a crew from 1 to 3 members. There are some gulets that do have 4 – 6 crew members, but that is because of its size – usually longer than 28 meters. The longer the gulet the more cabins it can sometimes have, which in turn means more guests to serve. The gulet yachts range from 16 to 40 meters in length.
The design is simple. The age of the gulet is generally built in 2004 up to 2011. However it is the most budget friendly gulet charter after Economic class. Cabins on board are equipped with private bathrooms as are all gulets no matter the class. The showers however are open. There are no shower cells. There is a WC and sink with fittings. The crew are normally locals with few that may speak fluent English; however enough to get by just fine. The salons are smaller where there will be only a dining area which is also used for lounging. There is a small bar inside. The deck space is sufficient for a sunning on your own mat. The decor is quite traditional of Turkish culture with carpets, etc. Actually they are rather quaint and the cabins are comfortable enough for a weeks’ cruise within the Turkish coastline. They are not really recommended for gulet cruises from Turkey to Greece or Greek Islands only; as some do not have the appropriate licenses for cruising outside of Turkish waters. It is also very rare that you will find a VIP cabin in Luxury gulets. Making the cabins VIP standard is entirely up to the owner of the boat. You will also find the standard water toys such as fishing tackle, snorkelling gear, and canoe.
(Ece Sultan as shown in the photo is a luxury gulet. More information on this gulet can be view on the gulet charter Ece Sultan page.)
DELUXE GULETS
This class of gulets are quite different than the Luxury class. They are also the most popular chosen gulet charters in Turkey. There are more to choose from in this class than there are in Economic, Luxury and VIP. Some Deluxe gulets are borderline VIP or borderline Luxury. In one way or another there is a feature or lack of that make them borderline.
These gulets are generally built from 2002 and afterwards. They are based on how much time and money the owners have spent on the gulet from its first date of construction to the present day. Sometimes gulets are built economical and later upgraded in construction and interior and exterior features to where they can be classified as Deluxe. They are also refitted every year. Refitting is quite costly for gulet owners and this maintenance and upkeep is reflected in the quality of the gulet – afterall gulets are handmade wooden vessels therefore they need the refits each year so that they to not deteriorate. This lack of care will reflect on the performance of the gulet and subsequently so on the gulet charter experience. It also reflects on the interior for comfort. There are no VIP cabins in Deluxe gulets; but if there are, it is very rare. Sizes in length range from 25 meters to 45 meters.
(Yucebey I as shown in the photo is a Deluxe gulet. More information on this gulet can be view on the gulet charter Yucebey I page. There are even higher standard Deluxe gulets than this one as well.)
VIP GULETS
The VIP or otherwise known as High Deluxe and Ultra Deluxe are the cream of the crop in gulet charter luxury. They are equipped with all the goodies from jet skiis to jaccuzis on deck or in the VIP cabins. The interiors are very ultra luxurious too. They offer crew members from 5 and up to 8 or more. It depends on the level of VIP the gulet is. They are 36 meters to 56 meters in length.
Generally in VIP gulets the food and beverages can be included in the gulet charter price as can be the water toys on board. In the newer built models, the construction uses the latest technology in wooden gulet building. Some of the have hand carved designs and use the best quality wood such as mahogany and teak. These high deluxe gulets offer 1 or 2 VIP cabins. Some that don’t have any VIP can have 6 master cabins instead or more double cabins than the other types. These are also newer builds starting in 2007 up to 2012.
http://yachtguletcharter.org/luxury-yacht-charter.html
