Strel Swimming Adventure Holidays Reviews 

This was my first trip to Symi, but my sixth trip with Strel. I'm a loyal customer and there's a reason I keep coming back. I love everything about the Strel experience, and this trip was no exception. The Symi location was spectacular. It was my first time ever in Greece... and what an introduction. The hotel (Pedi) on Symi was excellent. Beautiful location, wonderful staff... and inexpensive drinks! We met our guides Aoife and Toby on the first night, along with the rest of the group. There were only ten swimmers on this trip and we were quickly laughing and sharing stories. The others swimmers are consistently a highlight of these trips. I'm amazed what nice people are attracted to Strel Swimming adventures! Aoife and Toby were great. Aoife was a guide on a previous trip, and it was great to feel the energy of this vivacious and inspirational Irish lass once again!
The swims were delightful. Water quality spectacular, as advertised. Schools of small fish consistently dazzled us as we swam. Lunch was a mix of meals prepared on the boat, and visits to remote tavernas... which provided authentic local experiences... and wonderful fresh Greek meals (and cheap!). We were on the boat from 9am to about 3pm on most days... enjoying swims in the morning and afternoon typically totaling about 5K. A leisurely lunch between swims was a highlight of each day. We spotted a sea turtle during lunch on one day while anchored for lunch in a bay. Thrilling! When we returned to the hotel mid-afternoon each day, we were happy to chill and recover on the hotel patio (overlooking the water) before finding a place to eat in the evening. There are a few good places near the Pedi, but a short bus ride into town provides even more options.
As always, the trip was well organized and lived up to expectations (hard to do after five other trips!). Focus on safety and accommodation of all swimming speeds/abilities are hallmarks of the Strel experience. Very professionally done, with consistent attention to detail. Pavlos, our boat captain was a delight. We enjoyed seeing how two of his kids were involved in managing the boat, docking, etc.
The hardest part is getting there... but don't be put off by this. We flew into Rhodes and spent a couple of nights there before catching the ferry to Symi (1.5 hour ride). There's plenty to see in Rhodes, so this added to the whole experience.
Thanks Borut and team for another great experience. See you again in November!!

This swim Trek in Symi from july 9 to 16 was successful.
If we preferred the croatian landscapes last year, this swimming week was well organized and masterfully led by Ifa and Tobi.
We will keep excellent memories of this trip despite thé fatal accident which we witnissed helplessly.
Best regards
Xavier CHARLES

Great experience with Strel in Croatia and Greece. Amazing spots to swim, good organization, professional guides (hands up to Aoife and Toby in Greece), confortable hotels ... I can't wait for the next ones !!

I had a great experience with Strel. The coaches were very kind and interactive with the group. It was so relaxing, and since everything (except dinner) was arranged for us, we didn't have to think about anything but swimming. Everyone got some useful advice about their techniques, which really helped us! I would highly recommend this trip, and I already recommended the Strel swimming holiday to my teammates :)

An excellent experience on our 3 day trip in the Slovenian lakes. The team were really warm and encouraging, full of interesting insight into the area and sure to find beautiful places to swim.

I had long sought for such a trip, where one swims open water followed by some boat. And the trip was satisfying my expectations. A lot of the merit goes to the guides (amy and simon) who were breaking their asses so we could have one trouble less. The hotel was amazing. For a while I thought a cheaper one would be better, but after a tiring day it is definitely a plus to have a room that is comfortable and staff that is eager to help/accommodate your needs. Food was served on the boat and was very well thought for the sport needs we had. Fresh and full of vegetables. I could talk for hours ab the trip but maybe it's more useful if someone interested in taking the same trip asks me questions :-)

It was the best trip I’ve ever been on. Tobi and Aoife were absolutely fantastic, everything was organised so well and nothing was a problem. They were both so kind and patient . I am definitely going back next year

I went to Symi for my first open water swimming trip and it was an amazing experience. Feeling totally free when swimming in the nice blue waters, looking at the fish and even turtles. This while Aoife and Toby took an eye on us, I felt completely safe. Their guiding of the different swims and mits of tips and tricks was just awesome!
Thanks for this lifetime experience! 👍🏽

A great experience. Loved the island to island swim and swim around a whole island. Sea the clearest I have ever swum in. Hotel way better than expected. Guides Simon and Amy lovely and informative. Borut’s feedback on how to develop my stroke further is extremely helpful and I am working at it. First time to Croatia and Korcula and would return. Interesting mix of swimmers which makes the trip a life education. Looking at another trip.

Another fantastic trip with Strel! Borut Simon and Amie were such great leaders and good company! Looking forward to next trip….!!!

Another great trip with Borut, Simon and Amie to the beautiful Croatian islands. This is now my third Strel trip and as before there is nothing to find fault with. Looking forward to the next trip. Many thanks to all involved.

The staff were very knowledgeable and friendly and the resources on hand were appropriate for the trip. The one on one session with Borut was very informative and assisted with my swimming. A great trip all in all

It was a great experience. Everything was well organized, the swimming and instructions were great. Would highly recommend.

Great opportunity to meet marvelous people from all over the world with the same interest in swimming.
Doing all that while in the background the beutiful korchula islands and the crystal clear waters of the adriatic sea.

I just came home after the most fantastic 5 day swim holiday at Korcula Island in the Adriatic sea!
It was the first time i ever did swim in open water, what a beautiful experience! Borut and his team, Amy and Simon, took such great care for us, i felt so very very safe with them. The whole trip was so well organised, they helped us everywhere they could!
Every swimmer could swim his own pace, one can skip a swim or do half of the swim, it is about enjoying the holiday! The team prepared wonderful lunch for us on the boat!!
There was a lot of fun , we all had a fantastic time.
I cannot wait to come back! Thank you Borut, Amy and Simon for taking such good care for us all. Thank you all lovely wimmers for being such nice company and making my holiday!

I’ve just returned from Korcula where I had the most fantastic five days with Borut & his team. I hadn’t been on a swimming holiday before, so I was a little apprehensive, but the trip was really well organised & I learned a great deal about open water swimming. It was also an enormous amount of fun.

The swim/sail/cruise trip to the Gulf of Hisaronou was the second trip we have done on Baba Veli 7. I have done many supported swim trips now and these two trips with Strel have been the best. The boat sailing along the Turkish coast is the best possible environment to do supported swimming. No shoes for a week. Lots of room, very very comfortable, utterly peaceful. Great food, wonderful crew. The swim support/supervision is easy, understated, accommodating, but safe, safe, safe. If you have a chance, do this one. I'm going back for more.
Peter Banning
Marin County, California

I went on the Montenegro fjords and coves holiday last week and it was an unpleasant experience. Everyone on the trip developed symptoms of vomiting, diarrhoea or abdominal cramps likely due to poor water quality where we were swimming. I missed half of the swimming days because I was too ill and many were still experiencing symptoms 6 days later. Borut Strel was our guide showed little compassion and accepted no responsibility for these events. It is already bad enough to experience illness when you are on holiday but for this to be a direct result of swimming and then for the guide, who was also the head of the company, to be indifferent to this was astonishing. I am not generally someone who makes a fuss but the attitude of those organising the trip was staggering.

I booked this holiday as a big celebration for finishing medical school and paid £850. On the second full day of swimming we took a new route closer to the coastal villages as the conditions were too choppy on the usual route. One member of the group reported that the water smelt suspect at points. The next morning several of the group said they were too unwell to go swimming that day. The onset of my symptoms was later and I had vomiting and diarrhoea on the rocking boat, which was a very unpleasant. I was unable to get back to the hotel until the end of the day at 5pm. Over the next few days everyone experienced symptoms to some degree, and everyone except one missed a day of swimming due to illness. Members of the group are still saying they have symptoms a week later, since they have got back home. None of the boat staff who shared the food we ate on the boat had symptoms - leading me to think it was the water quality as only swimmers were affected. There is a lot of construction all over Montenegro, and it appears that infrastructure development is struggling to keep up. Montenegro is not in the EU and therefore does not have to comply with regulations about water safety. I would expect a swimming company who has operated tours in this area for many years to be aware of the areas that are safe for swimming and those that may be contaminated.

Borut Strel was a member of a WhatsApp group, where everyone updated each other. He did not even acknowledge the reports of illness. He barely mentioned it in person other than a few defensive comments about food preparation. It was almost as if he felt mentioning it would be to implicate himself. When I approached him when I was feeling well enough - he said he does not do anything to check the water quality. I believe that it is part of the role of a guide to ensure that the water we are swimming is safe. However Borut, suggested that contaminated water would be smelled better by the swimmers than from the boat, seeming to imply it was our fault for swimming along this route.

He also said it would only be a significant if it was a recurring issue, with several groups becoming unwell. He did not offer anything to the group, and a partial refund (because I missed half of the holiday) was out of the question. I could not believe the cavalier attitude and I do not understand why it needs several groups to go through this before it is taken seriously by him.

Overall, it was the attitude of the company that I found most frustrating. There are several reviews appearing more recently regarding poor customer service and this has most definitely echoes my experience. I may have accepted this as a misfortune if I felt the company expressed sincere concern and a desire to change but all I encountered was disinterest.

The swim trip in Kas Turkey was my first one and I'm glad I picked Strel Swimming as I had an amazing experience. Our guides Diane and Ryan were both friendly and welcoming. I felt safe at all times whilst swimming in crystal clear waters all along the coast. I was lucky to see Turtles along the way too. My favourite was the 5 island swim, this was exhilarating swimming in deep calm water. The boat was a great size with more than enough space for everyone, with a choice of sunbathing or relaxing in shaded area. The captain and his wife were lovely providing a wonderful lunch. This is a great holiday for a non-swimmer too, my husband came and had a relaxing and wonderful time. The other guest were great company too. Also, Kas itself blew me away as it's such a beautiful location to visit. I would definitely recommend Strel Swimming and will at some stage book another one.

The swim trip in Bozburun in Turkey was incredible - I had a really superb time. Our guides, Diane and Ryan were excellent: super friendly, enthusiastic but also responsible and trustworthy. The boat was brilliant as was the captain and his family who took great care of us and made delicious lunches. This was my first swimming holiday but I'd definitely do another one with Strel. Great value, other guests were top notch and couldn't ask for more.