July 2024
We have just returned from Croatia and I wanted to let you know that our week with Sandra and Ivan aboard 'Aura' was simply fantastic. They are an amazing crew and made everything about Aura as perfect as it could be. The itinerary between Split and Dubrovnik worked well and each night they offered really good suggestions for restaurants and made the reservations even. It made for a very relaxing holiday. Sandra's cooking is amazing - breakfasts were so good and her lunches were delicious. I sat down with Sandra at the end of the week to review her APA - very detailed which was appreciated.
Thank you again for setting up this incredible holiday for us. Airport transfer worked great. I was very glad to work with your office to set this up. Thanks again.
June 2023
Ivan and Sandra- thank you for all of your hospitality. This trip was one our family was excited about and looking forward to, but didn't know what to really expect. You both, and Croatia, did not disappoint! We loved exploring the islands and saw something new each day. We appreciate that you were flexible and helpful with helping us navigate our vacation. We loved the time in the water and relaxing on the boat. Thank you for the amazing meals and snacks. It made the trip that much better.
We all enjoyed getting to know you both! Getting to know you and hearing about your family was a gift. Thank you again for your hospitality and we wish you and your family a happy, healthy and safe summer.
June 2024
Such an incredible week and adventure this has been! Thank you for sharing Croatia with us. The experience you provided was above all others. It beyond exceeded our expectations. Ivan- thank you for planning all of the island stops, making sure the kids had a great time, for being the best Captain! Sandra you have spoiled us! You noticed every detail, took care of all of our needs and your cooking will be missed for sure. We can't wait to come back and visit again!
June 2024
This week was amazing! We enjoyed every aspect of your plan for us to have an amazing time, The boat, islands, Sandra's cooking was all a perfect experience. We have fallen in love with Croatia and look forward to visiting again!
September 2023
Ivan and Sandra,
You both exceeded all expectations and enabled us to have a most wonderful 10 year anniversary while discovering all of the beauty and serenity that exists in Croatia!
When we were coming with ideas for our vacation, we agreed that the one thing we wanted to be able to do more than anything on our first real vacation without kids was to RELAX and have minimal responsibilities. The two of you are perfect hosts in every way and blew us away with your teamwork, skills, knowledge of the area, and ability to make us feel right at hime- you succeeded in every way and allowed us to truly relax, reconnect with each other and spend time with our life long friends.
When the weather was less than ideated members of our group had different departure timelines, you both provided expert recommendations to enable us to all get the most out of our time here on your beautiful Aura. Each of you demonstrated a true passion and mastery of your craft and an eagerness to share it with us made it feel like we were part of your extended family.
Thanks again - we sincerely hope to be able to join you again in the future.
August 2023
Sandra and Ivan- We cannot thank you enough for your flawless guide around the amazing and spectacular country of Croatia aboard your beautiful boat. You dialled up the perfect weather, never failed to find a picturesque gleaming jewel of a harbour to dock in and enabled us to see a slice of country from a magical perspective that would not have been possible without your expert guidance. You also kept us well fed (Sandra's cooking could easily be featured at any of the restaurants we ate in!) and somehow anticipated our every need.
From our perspective you are living life like the way it was meant to be - doing what you love and at the highest level and because of that, the Sibermans got to experience a trip of a lifetime. And for that we once again say thank you!
September 2023
Wow! Ivan and Sandra,
Our second trip with you was amazing. I have told you all before, but we mean it every time, you two are SO special.
We feel like we have found a secret gem in a sea of skippers and hostesses. No one can make a trip as special as you two. Ivan knows the perfect places to see, and showing us the special places of the country, that not a lot of people see. And Sandra,,, making a boat feel like a home is np easy task but you do it with ease. We love you two so much. You have such a special gift in making people feel at home on the seas and in your country.
Hopefully one day we can return the favour is the US. if anyone else read this, and if you don't book another trip with them next year, you are crazy. Do it now before they book up...
July 2023
Dear Sandra and Ivan,
No words can describe the amazing trip we had last week. We felt like royals on your fantastic, high end boat. The fantastic lunches and appetisers Sandra prepared will be always on our minds (we will start our diet again from next Monday!!!). Ivan's passion for boats and the beautiful sea is really inspiring. What a beautiful country you have, we are looking forward to discovering more in the future.
Aura
We absolutely loved Ivan and Sandra! We couldn’t have been happier with them. Ivan is super well connected – he knew everyone at every port we went to and you could tell it made such a difference, especially when the weather was not great and we needed to change ports and find a spot. He could magically come up with someplace to go even though ports were full! Sandra ‘just has it down’. She was super attentive and at the same time very discreet. If we mentioned something to each other, like boy it would be nice to have a gin and tonic right now, one would magically appear. Her cooking was just fantastic….had these amazing lunches that would really fill us up we probably didn’t need to do dinner some nights because we were still full. On cloudy days, Sandra would use her connections to plan out our day from the taxi pick up to the tour. They were both so nice and just lovely people. The boat was beautiful — chic and clean, well maintained. Ivan takes a lot of pride in it because he built it from a shell into what it is today. Overall, it was an amazing trip and we loved the boat and crew!
June - 2023
We just got back to split from our wonderful charter with Ivan and Sandra. They were wonderful. They really are true locals who know most every cove and island and service in the entire country. Their boat is in pristine condition not only do they take great care of it constantly but Ivan has equipped it himself with more power and air conditioning and electronics and lines etc.. than any other boat around. Additionally, Sandra and Ivan seem to know everyone who they can connect with, really anything you may want to do or see or eat. They love all travellers and really know how to prepare everything beyond expectations. All of the food was made with care and high-quality olive oil, fresh ingredients and good wines. They really did yearn to do whatever they could to make the trip perfect and tailored to your preferences. Our kids were a handful and they did great to help us pivot with both unexpected weather and preferences for more relaxed beach time. Even after we arrived back at Split they continued to help us make arrangements for new place to stay and scuba and even additional activities we learned about. Ivan was a joy. He’s obviously a very confident and experienced captain and uses his lifelong friendships and laid back personality in a way to tailor where we were able to stay and anchor and visit or eat.
All on all just wanted to give you great feedback. I wouldn’t hesitate to have any of your clients or guests sail with them. We only hope that we can revisit in the not too distant future.
June 2023
Our trip aboard Aura exceeded our expectations in every way- we loved the boat itself and the unspoiled beauty of the Croatian islands was like nothing we'd ever seen. Truly captivating each day, in bright sunshine and even in the rain. But the hidden gems of our trip were Sandra and Ivan themselves.
I couldn't imagine feeling more secure and connected than with Ivan as our captain. Sandra was a wonderful hostess- fantastically healthy breakfasts awaited us each morning and, whereas we have envisioned sandwiches and salads for lunches, each day she whipped together (seamlessly!) a new Croatian delight that kept us full until 8 or 9pm. Sandra is just a lovely person- even on a cloudy and rainy couple of days we had she worked to fill the days with tours she herself had organised, all of which we enjoyed. We hope to be back abroad the Aura within the next couple of years - it was a trip of a lifetime!
June 2023
Ivan & Sandra, Thank you very much for the wonderful week introducing and hosting us in Croatia. Not only did we eat, drink and live well but we now know how much more there for us to return to see and do in the future! We felt safe and secure the entire time and look forward to returning to see more islands and towns and beaches.
We hope our children remember your hospitality and guidance throughout their lives. We know when we return that we have friends who will guide us like no others could, both on and off the water.
If you ever visit the states, we hope you will let us know. We have a wonderful time and appreciate all of your hard work and the beautiful Aura!
The Clarks
First voyage of the season! We were so honoured to be the first guests of your long season!
The importance of this trip for our family did not go unnoticed by you and Ivan- your combined efforts made it a week we will never forget. Your kindness, hospitality and attention to detail made the perfect vacation. We feel secure on the knowledge that we will be sending our two kids off to college with memories that will last a life time.
'Thank you' - just doesn't seem adequate!! We are leaving with a deep love and appreciation for your beautiful Croatia, thanks to you!
We will be back
Aura - May 2022
We had a wonderful trip with Ivan! Thank you for your recommendation for the Aura - it was an amazing catamaran and we appreciated all of the extras that Ivan has added. He was so professional and kind, and we loved his attention to detail and safety. Many thanks to you for all of the information and detail you provided as we prepared for the trip, and for always replying so quickly.
