Reviews

Great tour. We went to multiple islands, and each had their unique setting. Great vistas, Vera, the guide was terrific – she communicated well, shared fun facts for each stop, and was fun. The boat was a Turkish Kate boat and the captain and first mate were conscientious and lovely with local knowledge. He watched the weather and guided us to multiple islands with great weather in September. We went to Lipari, Vulcano, Salina, Stromboli (excellent active volcano we did a hike at 7:00pm and wore headlights it was a highlight. The captain then sailed around the island afterward so we could see it from the water too) and Panarea (upscale very pretty island). Each stop was active and great. The Sundial cabins are very small but manageable. We swam off the back of the boat. Each had its own bathroom and AC. However, if you are a very tall person.. you may want to check before you go. The food was excellent!

Can’t say enough about the gracious hospitality shown by our captain Salvatore, son Angelo, and daughter Vanessa. The Sundial is a family operation and a beautiful example of a wooden caique. The dinners prepared by Vanessa were OUTSTANDING and a high point of the tour. I greatly appreciated the opportunities to take a swim from the Sundial, and to visit other local beaches as well. The combination of swimming and biking was a big reason for choosing this tour. I was grateful for the headlamps provided for the nighttime Stromboli expedition. Thankfully there were no accidents and our able guide Jochen provided a helping hand when needed. Stromboli cooperated with continuous red-hot lava eruptions that were thrilling to watch. Ebikes were well maintained and fully charged each day, and very comfortable to ride. In the future, addition of rear view mirrors to the ends of the handlebars would increase the riders sense of safety. I would highly recommend this experience!!

Just completed our week on the Sundial Aeolian Island Boat Bike Hike. Loved it! The crew and guide were very attentive to our every need. The food was Sicilian which for me added to the experience. We had to depart from the published itinerary due to weather but everything was covered and more. I would echo some previous reviews regarding the ride rating of 2. You’ll have to be a pretty accomplished and fit biker if you don’t elect for the e-bike option. The bikes are top notch but a 7 or 8 km uphill at a 15-20 degree incline might challenge. We were able to make the extra trip to Pollara only because of the e-bikes. The two active volcano treks were great experiences. I’d recommend a small back pack for the hikes and visiting the Stromboli volcano at night warrants a head lamp (though cell phone flashlight was fine). Our third Boat Bike Tour and five stars again.

Aeolian Islands boat bike tour was great! What a beautiful place! The Sundial was a beautiful boat with lovely meals and crew. There was limited air-conditioning and wifi available-some nights were quite warm in the little cabin. Tour was rated as a “2”-not accurate! Many hills and climbs-I am an avid biker and would recommend ebike for this tour.

We did the Trip of Sicily and the Aeolian Islands. This trip was the best trip we ever took. Very exoctic we thought. However, the climate was pretty hot, and the air conditioning was sporadic making it hard to sleep which was an issue for all the guests, the wifi was also sporadic. The ship Sundial was beautiful, the tour Guide Vera was great, the Captain and First Mate Angelo were great, the chefs and housekeepers were great! The bike riding in my opinion was tough on a pedal bike even though I trained for this, if I was to do this again I would have ordered an e-bike for all the bike rides as the rides are a constant climb up. Other than that, the trip was a DREAM!! Beautiful sites, people, food, drink!!!

Really enjoyable holiday, well looked after by team leader and the crew, food excellent.