Stira Bay Beach Club

Had an absolutely incredible 2 weeks at Styra Bay, The Beyond Beach team were an absolute credit to the company, very engaged with the guests, provided excellent instruction sessions and were brilliant fun. I had not sailed a boat in my life before this holiday and I came away having been out every day of the second week, solo, in force 7, gusting 9 (it was quite windy the second week!) absolutely amazing. The kids loved it (14 & 17), said it was the best holiday they had ever been on and were a bit tearful when we left. We've actually joined a local sailing club as a family since we've been back. The accommodation was very good not too sprawling, tucked into the side of the hill, really good service, all Beyond Beach guests get sea views (I think)and the hotel generally was very good. Its about a 20 minute walk along the beach to the local town with bars and restaurants, one upside is that there are very few Brits about apart from the Beyond Beach cohort - so its was all locals and holidaying Athenians, so a super chilled and safe little town.

I chose Beyond Beach’s Stira Bay Beach Club as a holiday destination to celebrate my 60th birthday. With 13 of us ranging from 20 to 62 years old, I wanted a range of activities to keep us all entertained. I could not have been more delighted. The staff are absolutely fantastic, so accommodating and knowledgeable, helping us get out on the water safely to have fun. From the excellent communication at the point of booking, smooth transfer arrangements and a lovely hotel with so many different areas to sit and soak up the scenery, we all had an incredible week. Thank you to BeyondBeach who went above and beyond to make my special celebration truly memorable.

Hi We have just returned from a week at Stira Bay (Aug 31st - 6th Sept). It was an excellent holiday in every way and I filled out both the paper and online feedback forms but I am concerned that my handwriting is so poor and the questions on the digital form limited that I wouldn't get my message across!! This is our fourth BB holiday (2xLB, 1xAlps, 1xSB) and everytime it has been an absolute family lifesaver. Dramatic though it may sound it is my job to sort out family holidays against a very demanding audience of busy, overworked wife and not easily pleased teenage children. Every time the holiday has worked in that everyone has found friends and activities which suited them whilst also providing the perfect blend of efficiency, activity and laid back, relaxation (I have done 2 Neilsons holidays in my previous bachelor life and found them too regimented and as a family their prices too high). We are also a highly active family and have a very poor understanding of words like 'chilling'.... What also helps is that I am not a very systematic or logical individual (diagnosed ADHD!!) so I tend to reach for the phone by default. Each time BB has handled my questions perfectly and got me/us the holiday we wanted. Special mention to Amelia who did a brilliant job of getting is all to SB and back. Patience and humour in abundance. In terms of this trip, the Venus Club was an absolutely superb venue and all the staff were great. My daughter loved being able to chat to the crew/staff as equals as she had just come back from Camp America and had worked as a sailing instructor. The friendly, relaxed attitude of the staff was just what we wanted. Special mention to James for single handedly convincing her that going back to Leeds to continue her degree rather than quitting! I have to say that I am fairly nonchalant about the beach sports as I have been there, done it and got the tee shirt but did enjoy dipping in and out and joining the craic around who had done what. My only criticism is that a lot of the kit seemed a bit tired and in dire need of replacement or repair - mainly the CATs. However the one thing we really enjoyed last time we went to LB and to some extent this time was the cycling! At LB Ellie the kiwi was a phenomenal guide and despite the bikes being a bit average she got us out on some great rides which really made the holiday for us - possibly because I got chance to spend time with my wife without the kids!! Similarly, despite the slightly flaky bikes on offer, we really enjoyed the cycling at SB and once again it was James that really made it for us - even agreeing to come in on his day off because we were desperate to do the ride up to the Dragon Houses. He was a very competent and safe guide, good mechanic, good rider but also an absolute mine of information about the history of the area and overall a very interesting and engaging young man with whom to spend time. We all agree that we would probably be keen to come back to SB next year but for me I would love to do more walking and cycling if at all possible (road or MTB). I know that BB is primarily a beachsports holiday but I just thought I would chuck in my contribution. I also found the sea swimming (esp from the secret beach) a real deal breaker. Finally I would like to say thank you for helping to keep our family settled and on course despite the very choppy seas of modern life and to keep on doing what you do. I can imagine that this is more like a review and feel free to use bits of it if it will help but I sometimes find it hard to write reviews because I fear a bit of oversharing on my part. Best wishes and good vibes to you all.