Facilities on Board: What to Ask Us Before You Book

Ask us about the facilities on board before you travel and we will confirm them for your departure. We do not publish facility promises we cannot stand behind on every boat — and on a question like this we would far rather tell you than guess.

That is the honest answer. The useful version follows: what we can confirm without inventing anything, the questions worth sending us before you book, and what the island itself offers. That last one is short. There is no shop on Suluada and nothing waiting at the anchorage, so everything that makes your day comfortable travels with you from the hotel.

Why We Would Rather Tell You Than Guess

A day-cruise operation is not a hotel chain. Boats differ, seasons differ, and a fittings list written once on a web page ages badly and gets read as a promise. So we do not publish one.

The cost of that policy is that this page cannot settle everything in a single line. The benefit is that nothing on it will be contradicted by the boat you actually board. If a detail matters to your day — and for some guests it decides whether they book at all — send us the question with your date and we will answer for that departure rather than in general.

Plan the rest around what the day certainly is: a working day cruise, not a floating hotel. Assume no shower, no private changing cabin and no mains socket for your cable, pack for that, and anything better is a bonus rather than a broken expectation.

What We Can Confirm Without Guessing

A great deal, as it happens — and all of it sits in the product rather than in a description of the fittings.

Lunch is cooked on board and included: grilled fish or chicken with pasta or rice, the day's Turkish mezes, a seasonal salad, then fruit and Turkish tea afterwards. Drinks are not included in the ticket and are paid separately during the day, so carry some cash.

Life jackets are available on request. Nobody has to justify asking for one, and confident swimmers wear them at the island as often as nervous ones do. On the Antalya departure, snorkelling masks and pool floats are included as well.

The boat anchors near the island rather than tying up at a pier, and where conditions allow, tender boats shuttle guests across into the bay. Exactly where the line falls between included and extra is itemised on our what is included page. Read it once and you will not be guessing on the day.

What to Ask Us Before You Book

These are the questions we are genuinely glad to receive, and the ones we answer per departure rather than on a page:

• The facilities on board for your date. Ask plainly and you will get a plain answer.
• Anything mobility-related — boarding, moving around, and the transfer into the tender boat. Medical and mobility questions covers what we are usually asked.
• Food you cannot eat. Tell us in advance rather than on the morning; food allergies and diets explains how that works.
• Travelling with a baby or a very young child, where the practicalities matter far more than the price.
• Your hotel, if it sits outside the free-transfer bands — we confirm those pickups individually.

We would rather spend five minutes on your question than have you arrive expecting a comfort a day boat does not owe anyone. We could write a longer, warmer paragraph here. We would rather you packed for the simple version and were pleasantly surprised.

Two practical consequences follow from that honesty. First, put your swimwear on under your clothes before pickup: it removes the only genuinely awkward moment of the day, and it means your first swim happens the second the boat stops. Second, carry your own tissues and hand sanitiser. It is a small bag item that solves a disproportionate share of on-board discomfort.

The Island Has Nothing — Genuinely Nothing

Suluada is a rock with one extraordinary bay. There is no shop, no kiosk, nowhere to refill a bottle and nothing to rescue a forgotten item. The boat anchors near the island rather than tying up at a pier, and where conditions allow, tender boats shuttle guests across into the bay.

That emptiness is exactly why people love the place — nothing is being sold on the sand — but it does put all the planning on you. The boat is your base for the entire day: your bag, your towel, your water and your lunch are all on it. More about the island in our Suluada island guide.

How Long You Are Actually on Board

Longer than most people picture, which is the real reason these questions are worth asking early rather than at the harbour.

The Suluada boat tour from Side runs every day. Hotel pickup falls in the 05:30–06:00 window across the Side and Manavgat band, there is an optional breakfast stop at Adrasan around 08:30 paid at the local restaurant, the boat sails at 09:40 and docks back at 16:00. Door to door, plan for about 10 hours. The minimum age on this departure is 6.

The Antalya departure is not daily: it sails Tuesday and Thursday all year, plus Saturday from April to October, with a pickup window of 08:30–09:00 from central Antalya, Kemer and Beldibi. Count on around 12 hours in total.

Staying in Belek, the Alanya band, Kundu, Konyaaltı, Göynük, Kiriş, Çamyuva or Tekirova? We confirm your pickup individually rather than making a blanket promise — send us your hotel name. On the west coast, at Adrasan, Olympos, Çıralı, Finike, Demre or Kaş, there is no transfer product at all and guests meet the boat at Adrasan harbour.

One piece of timing advice makes the whole day easier: sort out anything practical while the boat is anchored and steady at a swimming stop rather than while it is under way. It is more comfortable, and the crew have more time for you than in the half hour after lunch.

The Short List That Solves Most of It

Pack these and most of the facilities question stops mattering:

• Swimwear worn under your clothes before pickup.
• Tissues and hand sanitiser — the single highest-value item on this list.
• A towel and a dry T-shirt, plus a bag for wet things on the way home.
• Sun cream and a hat. There is nowhere to buy either once you sail.
• Water, and cash for anything you want to drink during the day.
• Any medication you take, in your day bag rather than your suitcase.
• A power bank if your phone is your camera — the detail is in charging your phone on a boat day.

The full version lives in what to bring on a Suluada boat tour, and the ruthless one-bag edit is in packing the perfect boat bag. First time on a day boat? First boat trip tips covers the rest of the rhythm, and if you are planning to stay aboard rather than swim, read can non-swimmers join before you book.

The price is the same wherever you are collected: €40 per adult, €30 per child aged 4–10, infants 0–3 free, booked free online and paid on the tour day, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure. Everything is set out on our prices page.