A Private Daytime Yacht in Side: Five Hours of Sea and Shade

The shape of a daytime charter

The daytime package is the classic private boat day: you are on board for 10:00 and back at 15:00. Five hours is long enough to swim more than once, eat without hurrying and still be back in time for an afternoon by the pool or a nap.

There is no fixed itinerary. The captain agrees the route and swim stops with you on the day and decides by sea and weather. Side's coast gives plenty of choice: sandy beaches, rocky stretches with clear water, and the ancient harbour and city seen from the sea. We describe that coastline in our guide to seeing Side by private boat.

A typical rhythm, hour by hour

Every day on the water is different, but most daytime charters fall into a similar pattern. Treat this as a sketch rather than a timetable.

• —Morning: board at the meeting point confirmed with your quote and head out while the air is still fresh.
• —First swim: the boat anchors and the stern ladder or platform goes down. The water by the rocks is often very clear.
• —Midday: lunch on board, if you chose the food option, at a shaded table.
• —Early afternoon: another swim, or simply time on the sun pads.
• —Return: back for 15:00, with the afternoon still ahead of you.

Finding the balance between sun and shade

Five hours in the Turkish sun is a lot, so shade matters as much as sun pads. Every boat in the fleet has a shaded area; what differs is how the space is split.

The motor boat has a large sun deck on the bow, a shaded upper deck and a covered lower deck with seating, so sun-seekers and shade-seekers each get their own corner. The flybridge motor yacht pairs foredeck sun pads with a shaded stern dining table and an enclosed salon. The wooden boats lean towards shade, with covered decks and tables, and the large wooden boat adds an upper deck laid out with sunbed mattresses.

Which boats suit a swimming day

If swimming is the point of the day, these three are worth a look first:

• —The motor boat with the sun deck: a stern platform with a swim ladder, and pictured at anchor off Side's rocky coast in clear water.
• —The flybridge motor yacht: plenty of deck space for drying off between swims, plus a salon to escape the heat.
• —The large wooden boat: a calm, quiet day with sunbed mattresses on top and shaded tables below.

Lunch, transfer and drinks

Food or lunch, soft drinks and a hotel transfer are options. Each one is priced in your quote and none of them is part of the €550 starting price. You simply tick what you want when you send the request; for anything else to drink, ask us. The details are in our guide to the options you can add.

With a transfer, the pickup time is confirmed with your booking. Without one, we tell you where to meet: Side harbour or a pier on the Manavgat river, depending on the boat.

Booking a daytime charter

Choose the private daytime cruise, tell us your date, how many adults and children (with ages) and any options, and we send the price for the whole boat. If you are deciding between this and an evening on the water, compare it with the private sunset yacht. Families will find practical notes in our guide to a private boat for families. Free cancellation applies up to 48 hours before the start.

Questions guests ask

From the blog

• Daytime or Sunset: Which Private Yacht Package in Side?
• What to Bring on a Private Boat Day in Side

Keep reading

• A Private Sunset Yacht in Side, from Afternoon to Last Light
• A Private Boat for Your Family in Side
• What You Can Add to a Private Boat in Side