The Best Sailboat Rentals Near Ihei

Crewed Cruising Catamaran Ready to Sail in Philippine Islands

Our experience aboard the María catamaran with Alan was simply unforgettable. We spent three days sailing around El Nido as part of our honeymoon, and from the very first moment we booked and Alan wrote to us, we knew these days were going to be amazing... and they truly were! The adventure started with buying food: Alan helped us choose what to get and met us directly at the supermarket — a great start to the trip! Then we set off to discover El Nido: Alan took us to hidden gems that regular tours don't visit, as well as some famous spots, but experiencing them on the catamaran was completely different and much more special. Sleeping in the middle of nature, away from everything, was simply magical. Thanks to Alan, we were also lucky enough to see countless starfish, sea turtles, and the incredible marine life of El Nido — something we will never forget. We shared lunches and dinners together, and my husband even got to steer the catamaran for a while! Nothing was missing. Well, except that we didn't get to meet María (who shares the same name as the boat!) because she was traveling at the time. We would have loved to meet her! Today, when our family asks us what the best part of our honeymoon was, we answer without hesitation: María, in El Nido!

Book a Traditional Boat in Coron, Philippines for your next Island adventure

We had an amazing time- the captain and chef were very prompt, knowledgeable and helped us to choose the best itinerary to suit our needs and wants. We went to Pukaway caves first and it was amazing, the best thing we have seen in our week here. Then a lovely swim through the twin lagoon, and then the most delicious lunch- we got to pick at the market and I highly recommend this- we got lobster, chicken, veggies, salad, beer, rice and it was great to see everything how they live. We finished off at barracuda lake and this was also amazing. My husband and I both scuba dive and we found these sites to have amazing underwater life. We are so thankful for the relaxed and wonderful day we had. Hiring our own private boat was the way to go! Otherwise you are stuck with set itineraries. It was nice to learn some more about their way of living and culture- the captain was so lovely and chatty. Highly recommended- much more than a set itinerary which we have done earlier in the week.

Beneteau Oceanis 48 in Coron, Palawan

Great luxury island hopping, but not a sailing charter. The boat was very well set up and equipped (although some important equipment didn't work properly). The crew were friendly and helpful and cooked great Filipino meals for us. They knew all the local tourist spots and went out of their way to try and help us enjoy them. But they did not know how to sail. I blame the owner not the crew for this, but if you are looking for a sailing charter, whether to learn to sail (big mistake with crew that don't know how) or you are as ailor (you will be very frustrated) this is probably the wrong boat for you. Despite my request for a charter oriented to sailing, the crew was uncomfortable sailing in less than 10 knots or more than 15, and only on a reach. They said the boat wouldn't perform in less than 10 knots. Admittedly the sails were in terrible shape, but properly trimmed the boat would absolutely be capable of sailing in anything over 6 knots. They were afraid to short tack and couldn't conceive of sailing off the mooring even in ideal conditions and wind headings. None of this may matter to you, but you should know that this is essentially a power boat charter where you might be lucky to put up the sails for one or two brief periods. Also, the boat seems to have a serious problem with its electrical system. I don't know if it's insufficient or if the batteries are old, but despite 4-6 hours a day of motoring PLUS 4-6 hours a day of running the generator the crew said there wasn't enough power to run the WiFi (Starlink) when the generator was off. They were even concerned about running my 19 watt mini CPAP at night. I have owned multiple boats between 34 and 48 feet and crossed several ceans and I have never seen this sort of issue with an electrical system. It shouldn't exist on a fancy charter boat. (Also the GPS/Chartplotter was going on and off and the crew weren't confident navigating close to shore without it). If you just want to be on a sailboat but don't care at all about sailing this all may not matter to you. But as I stated at the beginning, this is not an opportunity to learn how to sail, nor is it an opportunity to do serious sailing (what I was hoping for). It is a chance to go to the tourist spots (sometimes at hours when others aren't there) with local guides and an excellent RIB.

Beneteau Oceanis 48 in Coron, Palawan

From start to finish the trip was fantastic. Hugo was easy to work with setting up our itinerary and travel details. Once aboard the boat Henry (Capitan) and David (crew) were top notch. We spent 5 days bouncing around different islands to see different sites. The boat is well kept and has everything our family of 4 needed to feel safe and comfortable. The crew was knowledgeable about the area, their vessel and knew many of the local people we encountered. David's food was fantastic. He took care of us while on excursions and on shore showing us the way and what to look for. We have 2 small children who had a blast and we felt comfortable the whole time having them with us. We plan to book again and are sad we are now home instead of back on the boat! A+ trip for us.

Book a Traditional Boat in Coron, Philippines for your next Island adventure

Everything went well from the beginning to the end, and the service was above and beyond my expectations. Based on our day's schedule, Dexter and his crew made useful recommendations and were friendly and knowledgeable. The crew made sure we had all we needed for an amazing underwater experience by helping us with snorkeling gear and kayaking. Choosing the Paluto service was one of the highlights of our day, and it went above and beyond what we had anticipated. The cook aboard performed an amazing job preparing our fresh fish into an excellent meal.

Book a Traditional Boat in Coron, Philippines for your next Island adventure

It was a nice tour. We were two persons and we went to a lot destinations. Was very nice from one of the guys, he recommended to change one of the destinations explained it exactly to us and it was a good idea. Very helpful, also in the water he wanted to show us a lot. The Communication before was also very good, if you have any questions you get an answer very fast.