Written by Missy Johnston
On Deck Amenities on Luxury Yacht Charter
If the white sand beaches of Greece or the bustling nightlife of Nassau in the Bahamas sound appealing, start planning now for your next vacation. Before booking an airline ticket and arranging for a private car to transport you once you land, ask yourself:
Do you want the same old vacation you’ve always taken? Or would you like to experience something new?
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a taste of ultimate freedom? To be able to create your own itinerary and then let someone else handle the planning and logistics? How about custom meals created by your own private chef, an itinerary customized to your every desire, and a refreshing salty breeze flowing through your hair?
If you thought sea cruises were all about commercialized pre-set itineraries and overworked staff catering to the many as they pile aboard jumbo cruise liners, think again. Luxury private yacht charters offer an intimate seagoing adventure that will give you a lifetime of memories.
Serenity on Private Yacht Charter
Why are yacht vacations better than standard vacations?
When most people take vacations, they limit themselves to air and land travel. Most luxury holiday trips include hopping a flight to a major city and then renting a car to go to different places while you’re there. But if your vacation is limited to what you can see and do on land, you’ll miss some of the most beautiful, untouched, and wild scenery imaginable. You’ll also be at the mercy of traffic and the other drudgery of land travel.
On a vacation on a private chartered yacht, leave all of that worry and hassle behind. Sail anywhere, see anything, and do it on your schedule. The world opens up like never before when you step aboard your very own luxury yacht charter and enjoy your vacation at sea.
You can go from island to island at your own pace and then enjoy luxurious overnights in quiet harbors outside of the port city or remote anchorage of your choice.
Pick an area of the world you’d like to visit—and there are a lot of options—and simply. . . go there. You create your own itinerary which you can change along the way. And, you decide what you want to see and what you want to do.
Mediterranean Private Yacht Charter Destinations
The French Riviera
The French Riviera
If you’re in the mood for glitz and glamor, you’ll like the French Riviera. The Côte d’Azur, as it is also known, offers a vast array of high-end entertainment and dining.
Stop by St. Tropez to party with celebrities or visit Monaco for a chic night out at the famous Casino. Or have your captain anchor and head ashore in the ship’s tender, spread out a towel, and sip cocktails on some of the most beautiful and famous beaches in Europe.
Cycladic Islands, Greece
Greece
The thousands of islands in Greece offer everything you might hope to find on an island cruise. The vast majority of Greek islands are uninhabited, so they provide the perfect place to spend an afternoon luxuriating on the beach in total privacy.
The inhabited islands let you immerse yourself in rich history, authentic traditional Greek culture and cuisine, or even take in some ritzy nightlife in Mykonos and Santorini.
Italy, Amalfi Coast, Positano
Italy
Italy is a luxury yacht charter destination that has so much to offer that it’s impossible to see it all in one trip.
Cruise the Italian Riviera in the northwest, where absolutely stunning scenery is topped only by the mouthwatering food found onshore. Picture an afternoon dining at one of Italy’s most authentic and delicious fine restaurants, followed by a sunset cruise past colorful Italian villages, snuggled into the coast like Portofino, or perched on top of high, rocky cliffs such as the five villages in the Cinque Terre.
The middle of the west coast of Italy features equally gorgeous vistas and unbeatable access to historical sites, Tuscan vineyards, and excellent dining and shopping options. Stop in Ostia, Rome’s ancient port to tour Rome’s Vatican City or stroll through the Colosseum. Off of this coastline are the lovely Tuscan Islands, including Elba Island, where Napoleon was imprisoned, and Giglio Island crowned by a medieval fortified Castello and village. Lying just offshore are the secret Pontine Islands, of which few have heard that were once the resort islands of the Romans and have many Roman remains.
Southern Italy is no less exciting. Perhaps enjoy the chic side of Italy docking in Capri, or cruise along the Amalfi Coast to visit Positano, Ravello and Amalfi. Or visit the lesser known Aeolian Islands, where the volcano on the island of Stromboli has been erupting daily for the last 2000 years.
If you love the islands of Italy and want even more rich culture and history, spend your trip exploring Sardinia or Sicily instead. Both islands offer a blend of Italian heritage with remnants of the various different civilizations that inhabited each island spanning centuries of time including on Sardinia the mark of Modern Man in the Costa Smeralda and Porto Cervo.
Azure Window in Gozo, Malta
Malta
While you’re island-hopping around Italy, don’t forget Malta. While not part of Italy, it has plenty of Italian flair and is just a hop, skip and a jump by private yacht from Sicily. Because Malta is its own island country, you’ll find unique cuisine and culture to go with all of the breathtaking natural beauty. In fact, the archipelago of Malta is so stunning, including the medieval capital city of Valletta, that production companies choose it for the perfect movie or TV show backdrop. Parts of the movies Troy and Captain Phillips were filmed in Malta.
If we highlighted all the great places you could visit in the Mediterranean, this blog would be pages long, but we would also be remiss if we left out some of your other “best bet” Mediterranean sailing spots.
You can’t go wrong by booking a private yacht cruise to the Ionian Islands of Greece, Ibiza and the Balearic Islands of Spain, Turkey, or Croatia. All of these will check your “unique” and “beautiful” boxes and provide plenty of opportunities to enjoy lovely beaches, anchorages, historic villages and towns, all of which you can explore at your leisure on your own customized yacht charter itinerary
Caribbean
The Bitter End, Virgin Gorda, Caribbean
The Virgin Islands
The abundance of yachts and other boats around both the U.S. and British Virgin Islands speaks to the fabulous protected cruising found in the area. Enjoy fine dining, shop in chic boutiques, or stick to the water and try snorkeling, scuba diving, sea kayaking, or your choice of other water sports.
St Vincent The Grenadines
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Explore the Grenadines on your luxury private yacht cruise with your customized itinerary. St. Vincent Island is the largest island in this island chain located in the Lesser Antilles. Kingston, the capital city of St. Vincent has much to see and do. From historical sites to churches to shopping and eating local cuisine, Kingston has it all. Be sure to include a visit to the 20-acre Botanic Gardens while you are in St. Vincent. Also visit the unique whaling island of Bequia, and the private chic island of Mustique. Canouan and Mayreau are still reflective of the Caribbean 100 years ago, while the beautiful Tobago Cays are a snorkeling paradise, and a haven for sea turtles.
Anse Marcel Beach on St Martin
Saint Martin and St. Barths
Saint Martin is a Caribbean island that belongs to both France and the Netherlands. French is the native language of the island, which is famous for its high-end, duty-free shopping and local shopping experiences. Visit the expansive Marigot market to soak up the culture of the area. Food, drink (you must do some rum-tasting), and handmade crafts make this a must-see place.
St. Barths (officially named Saint Barthelemy Islands and sometimes referred to as St. Barts) is a short cruise from Saint Martin. Visit Gustavia, St. Barths’ capital city, to glean the best of what the island offers. Within its 10 square miles, Gustavia boasts picturesque architecture, abundant history, and unique and very chic shopping and dining options.
The Bahamas
Beautiful Bahamas Waters
There are very good reasons why the Bahamas is one of the most popular yacht charter destinations, given the myriad of different island chains, and the huge number of islands to cruise between .
Nassau offers all of the dining, shopping, nightlife, and water sports you could hope for, and throws in a generous helping of pirate history and lore. Follow the path of the famous pirate Blackbeard and his company of seafaring robbers who ruled the area from 1716 to 1718. But be sure to leave Nassau behind after an afternoon visit and perhaps cruise through the beautiful Exuma Islands and visit the famous swimming pigs that will swim out to your tender for a little snack. Or cruise the more historic part of the Bahamas around Eleuthera Island and Harbour Island, home to Bahamas Colonial History.
Don’t limit yourself to just what you see here. You can sail to plenty of other Caribbean vacation spots. There are so many other islands such as Antigua, sailing into and docking in Nelson’s historic Dockyard, Nevis, birthplace of Alexander Hamilton, and St. Kitts, which were once both busy Caribbean plantation islands. Perhaps visit St. Eustatius, once one of the busiest trading islands during the 1700’s, and one of the first foreign entities to recognize the new United States of America, or Saba, the conical shaped island, home to the town called The Bottom, all of which can provide more even more fun, sun, sand and tropical culture for a great charter vacation.
Private Yacht Charter to North and South America
Just because you’re staying close to home doesn’t mean you can’t have an exciting yacht charter vacation. In fact, the Americas offer perhaps the widest variety of scenery, activities, and history of any vacation destination. From north to south and east to west, the North and South American continents have vastly different cultures, history and native foods.
Florida Keys
Florida
Customize your private yacht charter itinerary for the Florida Keys and Key West.During your luxury yacht cruise through the Florida Keys, be sure to stop at the Biscayne National Underwater Park, Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, and Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary to see the amazing natural beauty and abundant aquatic environment of the area. Key West, perhaps the best known of the Florida Keys, and once a hideaway for pirates and renegades, lies at the bottom of the coral reef island chain. While you are in Key West, you should visit the Audubon House and Tropical Gardens, the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory, and the Hemingway Home and Museum. Afterward, take in the sights and sounds of Key West by sampling the amazing cuisine and unique drinks for which the area is famous.
Castle Hill Lighthouse, Newport, RI
New England
Maine, Rhode Island, and the other northeastern states are wonderful yacht charter cruising locations. Think about Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Block Island and Cape Cod for a charter out of Newport. And, Camden, Bar Harbor and Vinalhaven for a charter in Down East, Maine. You’ll find idyllic seaside towns that cater perfectly to the yachtie crowd. Explore beautiful rocky coastlines, historic ports, and cruise past the many lighthouses that have guided sailors to safety over decades of service.
Galapagos Penguin
The Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos islands are renowned for their stunning natural beauty. If you love untouched and uninhabited nature at its purest, this is the private yacht charter for you. Because the Galapagos are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World, they have close protection from outside influences. Yacht itineraries and the number of permitted visitors are continually monitored, so natural life and the ecosystems on each island will not be overwhelmed and changed. Here is a natural life so unafraid of man, that you may have to step around sleeping sea lions in a pathway. And where a blue-footed booby bird mother pays no heed to visitors gathered around the nest watching her hatchlings break out of their eggs.
There is an incredible variety of coastal beauty to enjoy in both North and South America. Alaska, Mexico, and the stunning, mountainous regions of South America have so many wonderful places that can be seen only from the water. Sea pods of humpback whales bubble net feed in southern Alaska in the summer, while in the winter follow some of those same whales on a charter in the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, where mothers gather to give birth. Visit ancient Mayan ruins in Belize while howler monkeys look on from the surrounding forests, or cruise from Punta Arenas, Chile to the Falkland Islands, and ultimately Antarctica on an extended charter to the most southern charter destination in the world. The choice is yours.
Yacht Charter Destinations in Southeast Asia
If your vacation thoughts simmer around the exotic, spices, temples, outstanding natural life, stunning beaches, and coral gardens, Southeast Asia could be the charter location for you for a truly memorable and unique experience.
Sulawesi Island, Indonesia
Indonesia
From Komodo Dragons to Ikat Textile weaving villages, from the Banda Islands, where nutmeg was discovered to the Four Kingdoms of Raja Ampat, this vast country—over 2000 miles wide— offers extraordinary cruising locations, with unique cultural experiences, ranging from visiting villages perched on the sides of volcanoes, to seeing ceremonial dances and weaving demonstrations, to watching fisherman bring in their catch in homemade boats, to visiting remote villages where rarely are visitors seen from “the outside”. All while cruising in beautiful clear waters filled with coral gardens and underwater life.
Thailand commercial cruise lines seldom have destinations in Asia. But with your private yacht charter, you can explore many interesting places. Your company will be other yachties and high-end travelers. This is especially true if you decide to sail along the coast of Thailand. Thailand has, in recent years, made an effort to attract superyacht customers. To that end, you have an enticing mix of nightlife, beautiful water and great anchorages, among gorgeous caves, islands, lagoons, and pineapple plantations.
Or perhaps venture into Myanmar, with spectacular snorkeling and scuba diving, home to the less than 2000 Moken Sea Gypsies still living their mobile life foraging and gathering from the land and sea.
Thailand isn’t the only fantastic Southeast Asian cruise destination. You can also choose from other locations in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, or Singapore.
…Or Sail to Anywhere Else in the World
Let’s say you have already experienced the luxury and glamor of private yacht charters to the French Riviera, The Virgin Islands, or classics like Sardinia. Maybe you’re looking for something more rustic or unusual. Perhaps you’ve become tired (somehow) of sitting on shining white sand beaches, and you want to see what else this beautiful world has to offer.
You’re in luck.
Take a luxury private yacht charter with your customized itinerary to one of these exotic destinations:
- Antarctica
- Australia
- The Indian Ocean
- New Zealand
- Scandinavia
- The South Pacific including the Society Islands and Fiji
If you want more information on amazing vacation spots and how to enjoy each and every one on your own luxury private yacht charter, visit our Charter Destinations page. Now all that’s left is to book your trip, customize your itinerary and hop aboard. Bon voyage!
