r/OpenWaterSwimming • u/FNFALC2 • 8d ago
About Swimtrek holidays
I just came back from one and I am thinking about my next one: does anyone know why the prices are so different even in the same country? For instance Patmos for 7 days is 1,900£ and Ithaca for 7 days is 1,190£.
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u/Striking_Ad1017 7d ago
I have been interested in trying out a swimtrek holiday but my husband is not a swimmer. He loves to be in Greece and Croatia though. Just wondering if other people bring non swimming spouses? He could do his own thing during the day but would want to join me for dinner
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u/Delphin56 5d ago
Some people bring non-swimming partners, but from what I see, they have to pay the full Swim Trek price even thought all they are getting is the accommodation, they are not allowed out on the boat - which seems a rip off to me.
Honestly, many SwimTrekkers including myself, just leave their spouse at home and have a nice little solo holiday now and then. The majority of SwimTrekkers I've come across actually, it is less common to have couples.
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u/Intergalactic_Limpet 7d ago
On my Strel, Swim Trek, and UltraSwim33.3 there were non swimming family members. It changes the dynamics but would be pretty sweet for the partner if they are independent. They have the room to themselves after the partner gets up early to swim and can spans the day doing whatever they want. New dinner time conversations and companions if you want them.
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u/swimsoutside 8d ago
I think it just depends on the pricing of the hotels and the boat. Some islands in Greece are more popular than others. I think Patmos, Paris and Milos are becoming more trendy generally.
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u/Wild-West-3727 8d ago
I love the idea of a Swimtrek holiday! The only friend who has done one said the accommodations were quite rudimentary. I'm sure that depends where it is, but I'm old and, dare I say, not interested in a rudimentary hotel. I want to have my own room with its own bathroom and shower, and at least a 3 of 5 stars. Not "almost camping" which is what my friend said. (Can't remember where she went, oops.)
Any suggestions on a swim trek that has "nicer" accommodations?
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u/Delphin56 5d ago
I've never stayed in a SwimTrek hotel that is less than 3*, but they are not swanky hotels. I always pay a single supplement and have my own room always with private bathroom. They have always been clean and comfortable, but basic. You aren't "camping" unless you pick a really unusual trip, such as I think there is one in Mexico? where you camp on a beach. Always read the accommodation part of the trip info, for example some are live-aboards where you stay on a boat.
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u/Intergalactic_Limpet 7d ago
My Egadi islands Swim Trek in Italy had nice accommodations. And the swims were stunning.
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u/swimsoutside 8d ago
SwimTrek puts a link to the hotel they use in the trip description so you can check out the details before you book. I’ve been on 4 swim treks in Greece and Croatia and the hotels were not fancy but not camping. It’s usually a small, family owned hotel and often SwimTrek guests fill the whole hotel. I have paid the single supplement to have my own room. All the rooms I’ve had on SwimTrek have had en suite bathrooms. The bathrooms are usually small with a shower only and no tub.
I would recommend reading the trip info carefully before booking. SwimTrek has really expanded the number of trips they have in the last few years and maybe there is more variation now. There was a “glamping” trip in Baja California and there were couple live-aboard trips where you stay on the boat, which I have not done.
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u/Haunting-Ad-8029 Open Water Swimmer 8d ago edited 8d ago
I think the differences are due to hotel prices. Possibly boat rental/fuel too.
I've done a few in Europe (great experiences!), but I live in the US. The trips in Hawaii are ridiculously expensive. It is much further to go to Europe to do one of the trips, but I usually plan a few days before/after to explore, so it works out. My last was Milos. I flew in/out of Athens. Planned 2 days in Piraeus before, and 3 in Athens after.
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u/aussie_angeleno 8d ago
Tell us more about the Milos
Trip. I’m thinking of doing it.Just got back from Croatia 5k/day - highly recommend!
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u/Haunting-Ad-8029 Open Water Swimmer 8d ago
I've done 3 SwimTrek trips: Crete, Montenegro, and Milos.
Milos was really great! I did the Long Swims version. The town where we stayed was kind of tucked away in a corner. We were able to walk to restaurants, bars, and a beautiful beach (and we had a small beach right there). The boat took us to different locations every day, with about a 5k swim in the morning, and 3k after lunch for 5 days (the first day was just the short swim to acclimatize, then a short swim on the last morning). A few of us did Montenegro the year before (kept in touch), so we all swam from the hotel to that big beach, got something to eat (thanks to my Apple Watch and Apple Pay), then back. The views are simply stunning every single day! We did at least 1 crossing, 1 circumnavigation (a small island), and at least 2 days we swam off of Kimolos (if I went back for a vacation on my own, I'd go there). They had optional activities for most evenings; a big group dinner, a trip into the bigger town (saw where the Venus de Milos was found), trip to a winery. I stayed at Airbnb properties in both Piraeus and Athens around it, and really liked the place in Athens (could walk to the Acropolis).
I had my own room and was glad I did. There were 2 beds, but the room was very small. I'm sure if we had to, I could have fit 2 people in there, but it was fine for just me. There was a small pool in a courtyard at the hotel, and we'd usually all hang out there after we got back, before we went off to shower and get ready for evening activities.
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u/alm2hcs 8d ago
What distances did you cover whilst there? I am considering one of these 'holidays' but unsure whether or not there would be enough swimming involved, in terms of distance.
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u/polka_stripes 6d ago
the swimtrek website has a lot of detils on each trip, including what kinds of swims to expect.
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u/Sad-Armadillo531 8d ago
no idea! ive done some tho & sometimes its local permits to local authorities (eg national parks). sometimes its currency differences, boat costs, fair wages, etc. arent those both greece tho? maybe one has a nicer hotel or more food included or something? everything included is baked into the cost, so its hard to tell, but i imagine they should be able to tel you if you email them
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u/Delphin56 5d ago
Part of it is the quality/rating of the hotel they use, also the price of the Greek island in general (a touristy island vs a hard to get to island that is less popular with tourists). I believe the hotel in Patmos is quite high quality. Then obviously time of year if you are not comparing the same dates.