Seaside Napoli: days on a boat by the seat, and what they cover

Behind the Seaside Napoli brand there is a company with its details in the open: NAPLES BY THE SEA S.R.L.S., via Mario Pagano 23 in Naples, VAT number 09785181216, as the site’s privacy policy states. That kind of transparency is far from the rule among the boat businesses of the Gulf, and it changes the weight of everything else: if something goes wrong, you know who you are dealing with.

What kind of operator it is

A boat tour operator with a jetty at Borgo Marinari, via Luculliana 9. It sells five products: two shared days out to the islands, an evening outing in the Gulf, a food and wine tour on Ischia, and the Amalfi Coast as a whole boat. On board there are a skipper and a guide, and the site makes a point of saying that the skippers themselves answer the phone, not a call centre. The outings are small-group: the number is stated only for the Aperisunset, twelve guests maximum.

Alongside the tours there is a charter section with boats from partner owners: a Lagoon 400 S2 catamaran and a Gagliotta Gagliardo 37 open cruiser, ten people each, the latter from €1,450 a day with Capri excluded. The site promises an answer to availability requests within 24 hours.

The price list

Every price is published on the official site.

Included: skipper and guide, fuel, swim and snorkelling stops with masks provided, landings ashore, cold beer, prosecco, limoncello from Vico Equense, an aperitivo with taralli ’nzogna e pepe, nuts and crisps, fresh seasonal fruit, water and soft drinks, a sun deck forward and seating aft. Lunch ashore is on you. The stated season is April to October.

The detail only this page gives you

The routes are published stop by stop, and the difference between the two days is stark.

Ischia and Procida is the one with more time ashore: a swim in the thermal pools of the Baia di Sorgeto, an hour ashore at Sant’Angelo, a snorkelling stop in the Baia di San Pancrazio, the Grotta del Mago, a circuit of the Castello Aragonese, the Vivara islet, hidden caves, then two hours at Corricella with the chance to walk up towards Terra Murata, and a final swim in the bay below the former prison. The site flags it as the one to pick with children, and that makes sense: more stops, less open sea.

Capri and Sorrento is more sailing and less walking: the Grotta Bianca, the Faraglioni, a long stop at Cala Ventroso, the Grotta Verde, the caves of the south-west coast, the Punta Carena lighthouse, a last swim at Cala del Rio, then free time in Sorrento. The Blue Grotto ticket is not included and the Grotta is not even on the itinerary: if it is what you came for, this is not the right tour.

What is not written down

The cancellation policy is missing: no deadlines, no percentages, no deposit figures. The bad-weather rule is missing. The maximum number of passengers on the two long days is missing. And the site claims 4.9 stars with more than 300 reviews across Google, TripAdvisor and GetYourGuide and over 5,000 guests: that is the company’s statement about itself, not a figure we have verified. On GetYourGuide the operator appears as a supplier, but the listing publishes no company name.

How it compares with the platforms

Here the comparison is direct, because the same kind of day exists in the catalogue. Prices checked regularly.

At €169 Seaside sits above the Tiqets package and below the Headout one, in line with GetYourGuide: the difference is not the price, it is the boat. The platform packages largely use a scheduled hydrofoil plus a lap of the island in a gozzo; Seaside keeps you on the boat all day with the swim stops. Out towards the Phlegraean islands the gap is wider:

Seaside’s €159 costs €42 to €66 more than the two partner products, and in exchange gives you two long landings and the pools at Sorgeto. On the partner listings, though, the exact meeting point is on the voucher and free cancellation is contractual: with Seaside you have to negotiate it.

How to check before you pay

• Ask in writing how many people will be on board on your date.
• Have the cancellation rule and any deposit written down, with the deadline in hours.
• Ask whether the Capri or Procida landing tax is included in the price.
• Ask which boat it is and whether there is shade: eight hours at sea in July with no awning is a problem.
• Check the hull’s charter licence and the insurance cover: the site does not mention either.

The verdict

Seaside Napoli is the Borgo Marinari operator with the most readable price list and the most identifiable company behind it, and its two long days give you more sea and more time ashore than the equivalent platform packages. The price is in line with the market, not below it. If flexibility is what counts — cancelling the day before, moving the date with one click — a seat bought on a platform is still easier. The picture of the boat formats is on the page about boat tours in the Gulf; for the day out to the islands there is Ischia and Procida in a day and for the blue island Capri in a day; the other jetties of the Borgo are in the NapleSeaTour and Naples Boat Experience reviews.