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21-day tour in September -- swimsuit?

This is my first post, so please forgive me if I make an error in etiquette.

We are going on the RS 21-day tour in September 2014. For those of you who have taken the tour:
A. Were there many opportunities for swimming?
B. How many times did you actually go swimming?
C. Did any hotels have pools?

The reason I ask is that I was in Greece and Turkey in Sept 2011, and I never used my swimsuit once. It took up valuable space and I regretted bringing it. My swimsuit is a tankini with underwire (can't be compressed) and the bottoms are 2 layers (shorts with an inner panty). Volume-wise, the swimsuit takes up the same space as my Keen sandals or compressed down travel pillow.

Now, if I were going to Hawaii, I'd take 2 swimsuits! ;) I'm just unsure about this itinerary.

Thank you in advance! Can't wait till September! I have to control myself so that I don't "wish away" summer by being too excited about September.

Posted by
32519 posts

The answer will almost certainly depend on which tour you are on. There are tours all over Europe. Which one are we looking at, Lisa? Is it the Best of Europe, or another?

Posted by
901 posts

Hi, Lisa. I took the 21-day BOE tour a couple of years ago in May -- definitely not a swimsuit-y time of year! I can report that none of the hotels we stayed in had swimming pools. You, of course, may stay at different hotels, and you'll be able to check websites to see if your hotels have swimming facilities. The only spot that would have been conducive to sunbathing or possibly swimming had the weather been appropriate was the Cinque Terre. Even then, I doubt I would have done much in the way of swimming or lying out. Maybe a quick wade at the shoreline, but I certainly wouldn't bother bringing a swimsuit (particularly one with an underwire) just for that. A t-shirt and a pair of shorts or capris that you can roll up a bit would be fine.

Posted by
7 posts

Hi Lisa,
This is also my first post so please forgive me if I make an etiquette error. We were on the Best of Europe 21 day tour in beginning on May 4. None of the hotels had pools and the only possible time to swim was in the Cinque Terre. Our hotel in Monterosso was only blocks from the beach but we chose to hike and go sightseeing instead. Some tour members put their feet in the Mediterranean but I don't think anyone went swimming. I hope this helps and you should have a great time without swimming.

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you so much for the replies! Yes, it is the BOE-21 day tour. We suspected that Cinque Terre would be the only place, and we really want to do hiking there. So, the swimsuit doesn't make the cut. Good! I feel less guilty about packing the travel pillow ;) I really appreciate your responses.