Strel Swimming Adventure Holidays Reviews 

Hilarious response from company, as expected deflecting any responsibility, covering over facts:
'I cancelled first time' according to them, yes I did - because I was unwell with Covid-19 and it would have been ILLEGAL for me to travel.

Second time 'I cancelled holiday again' second time. How thoughtless of me to turn up to the airport and cancel my own flight on arrival.

Please accept my apologies for these thoughtless cancellations! I should've travelled with Covid or hijacked a plane!

Also here are the exact words in writing sent to me last year;

Hello Clare., next year 2023 is fine. Please let us know where do you want to join us once we have new schedules out. Croatia, Montenegro, or Turkey. Same arrangement as offered before that you arrange your accommodation and we offer a free swim trip. Enjoy your summer. Best regards, Borut.

I tried to contact company to arrange this 4-5 months ago - would you go on a swim holiday with a company who only offers to do anything once you've written bad reviews??

Strel swimming had a previous review removed from me due to promising me a holiday in the future.

I had to cancel previous trips booked, the first time due to having Covid-19, the second time due to flight being cancelled at the airport.

My main issue at the time was delayed communications. They reported they could not refund or carry over initially. It is difficult to get cover for holidays of this nature and for flight cancellations- a note for others- particularly flight cancellation - check your cover and know the risks.

Essentially I paid for a whole holiday which I never received. Which is not necessarily bad or good, it is their company policy.

They then said I could come on a holiday in 2023 minus accomodation. I messaged them a couple of months ago to ask about and have had no reply.

I'm just wrapping this whole situation up now with this review so that their lack of response to previous agreements is noted publicly.

I still love swimming and once I've saved the money again, plan to go with a different company like Swimtrek who have better policies around unforeseen circumstances and hopefully better customer service.

I wouldn't really want to go with this company now anyway as had quite stressful interactions and they would be in charge of my safety and enjoyment on a holiday.

I have screen shots and evidence of all these conversations.

The water and wildlife and exploration of the Loreto National Marine Park was a lifetime highlight. The Strel guides and boat captains provided a wonderful week of swimming,hospitality, delicious food and experiencing nature at its finest. A wonderful tour from a great tour company.

My first swim trip that exceeded all my expectations. Guides, support, planning, location, and fellow swimmers were all outstanding. I'm hooked on swim trips.

An incredible experience: open water adventures with Loreto as a welcoming host village & new friendships that will always guarantee that you will never swim alone again. We ❤️ you Borut, Anastasia & Kate

I had a fantastic time. This is my second Strel swimming trip, and both were well worth it.

This trip was a dream come true for me and didn’t disappoint!
Thank you Borut and crew!! It was such a blast, loved every minute of the trip. It was a wonderful group-enjoyed swimming with all! The 2 daily swims with all the sea life were phenomenal! I looked forward to our totally delish, authentic Mexican lunches made by Carlos and Manuel! The fresh guac was to die for 😋. We were energized for our 2nd swim afterwards 🏊🏻‍♀️.
The guides- Kate, Todd and Nancy really kept an eye out for us 😎.
Hotel was perfect and walking to town for dinners and Margaritas topped off the day!
Look forward to future swim trips with Borut and Strel Swimming!

Just back from a great swim trip in Baja. The highly qualified Strel team selected safe and tropical fish filled waters of the islands off of Loretto and kept a close eye on us, fed us healthy and yummy lunches, filmed and critiqued our swim style, and shared their expertise about Baja. Totally terrific trip with a great team.

My first Strel swim but definitely not the last. The swims were fantastic in Loreto Mexico with thousands of colorful fish around the islands. Turtles, rays, and so many beautiful sights underwater and in caves made this a fantastic adventure. The staff and crew were also informative and delightful and the lunch sights placed us in awesome pieces of paradise. Thanks Strel. See you next time.

I had a magic swimming week in Symi island where the environment was wonderful with amazing guides.

The hotel, boat, crew and guides were all excellent, so good we would like to book for next year please Sept 2023.

Brout,
Thank you and your team for the best swimming holiday! All the Irish ladies had a wonderful time in Vela Luka and the surrounding area. The clear warm waters, safe organised routes, superb guidance, good food and weather all contributed.
Ruth C.

This was my first trip with Strel, but safe not my last one! Borut and his team made this days in Slovenia to a wonderful expierence I will never forget. I can totally recommend it. Thank you so much!

This was my first Strel swimming trip (my first swim trip ever) and it was everything i hoped it woud be. We were in Krapanj in Croatia. Hotel was great and the staff very friendly and helpful. Having both Croatian guides & boat driver, Angelo & Matija added to the whole experience and having a professional swimmer to learn from amazing.

The water was a little cold for me (24 degrees) but I look forward to another Strel swim trip in Mexico or Turkey. My only feedback would be to receive a confirmation email on booking as I wasn't sure if my payment or booking went through and had to chase up the company.

This is my fourth Strel trip which probably tells you all you need to know! As usual, it was in a really beautiful place, with great swimming and really thoughtfully organised to enable a diverse group to go at their own pace. Already looking forward to my next trip! Thank you Borut.

Great swimming and stunning locations. Staff were very helpful and friendly

Overall it was a great experience, but there is still room for improvement. I tend to rate between 3 and 4 stars.

I am a beginner in Open Water swimming, when applying for one of the Strel trips I populated exactly the pace I am swimming at the moment (2 km per hour) in the online request form and that I have learned freestyle swimming beginning of 2022 due to knee pain. I am not a marathon swimmer preparing for a race, I am a leisure time athlete trying to loose body fat and to heal my injuries (arm, knee), therefore swimming definitely helps. There are newer versions of Strels swimming information, saying a speed of 2,2 km per hour is needed to keep with the group, well, I think I can improve as I just started with this sport, but I am wondering what some other people populated online when applying/joining for the trip.

Advice to Strel: It would be good to ask new clients, what their target/purpose is, why they want to join a swimming trip and how their general physical condition is. If somebody is overweight with no basic endurance and fitness experience at all, it won‘t help to just pay the trip… If someone prepares for a race, this should be handeled as an own group, other than beginners. I understand, that this is difficult to organise, but these are some points to mention in order to improve the holiday experience.

For beginners, the saltwater is very different to the pool, furthermore the sea is lively, there are animals and other things in the water, even sea lice can disturb your swimming experience. The sun in the mediterranen area is very strong, you only tan on your backside and around your eyes, so everybody will see that you have worn goggles after your trip, nothing for a beauty contest… Furthermore, the natural sea water can negatively influence your digestion, my stomach felt unwell.

The guides were very nice and professional, they also gave me some extra personal training and showed me some drills how I can improve, it is all about technique, not really about strength or body fitness.

The hotel was ok, but not really 4 star for European standards, the cooked eggshells were dirty, for me disgusting… I had a problem with the nutrition there, as an athlete I need a lot of whole grain products and micronutrients, plain nuts, fresh vegetables, lots of fresh fruits, low fat nutrition, unprocessed natural food, which I did not get there.

Then there is the group dynamics you should be aware of, there were people mainly from France, UK and Ireland, they builded some groups, if you come from a minority country and speak a different language than those, it will influence your social integration in a greater or lesser degree. People from different social classes with different personal and social background might meet in this groups, this should be considered, people who are public officials working for a government might have a very different background and personality than for example an entrepreneur. This is to be considered if you travel as a single, but where to find nice people who travel with the same purpose, understanding your English language even you are not a native speaker AND swimming the same pace like you? Could be hard to find. Well, I was not so satisfied after the first swim, cause I had to get out of the water after 400 m swimming, cause I got put with another swimming partner together who had troubles with sea lice and couldn‘t swim and I am almost sure my swimming partner can not even swim 2 km in one hour in the pool, I am wondering which information has been populated in the online registration form… Same, same, but different, both open water swimming beginners. The best would be to book a private trip with this nice guides from Strel, but this you must be able to afford :)

The Slovenian lakes and rivers trip is absolutely fantastic - beautiful locations, clear water, kind and supportive guides, and a wonderful opportunity to meet people from around the world. This was a dream trip and I'll be returning for another Strel adventure!

Spectacular swim vacation- accomadations great, fellow swimmers fabulous and guides Nika, Lucas and Borut top notch! Go as soon as you can!

The hotel was fine - huge clean room with good air con. The two staff from Strel (Amy & Simon) were great. The other swimmers were also delightful.

Disappointed in the lack of fish to see in the sea and the coast was very barren. The island was very small with only one tiny shop and two restaurants.

When I had an accidental injury Amy was wonderful - really went above & beyond to assist. But no follow up at all from Strel when I could only complete 3 of 10 swims due to the injury.

I just finished the Slovenia trip and it was an absolutely outstanding experience! Borut and his team delivered an adventure of a lifetime. From Lake Bled, to a river and alpine lake swimming - it was so much fun. So safe, and as easy or challenging as you want to make it. My mother accompanied me on the trip and despite being a non-swimmer, she had an equally wonderful trip. I would not hesitate to recommend Strel Swimming. Many people on our trip were coming back for their fourth and fifth trip and I can see why!