VIP holidays – best by yacht
With a discreet crew including a knowledgeable captain and highly-trained private chef, a superyacht is a floating island of luxury and privacy: a glamorous haven to escape prying eyes. Everything you need or want is on board – and when you wish to go ashore, you can do so with as little or as much fanfare as you like: whether docking the yacht in St Barts to a crowd of admirers, or getting the crew to drop you off on a deserted beach for a moonlit picnic.
Your yacht is a floating hotel, and with each morning comes a new breath-taking view out of the porthole. Even better, your ‘hotel’ moves with you, dispensing with the fuss of transferring between hotels as you travel or having to share the staff and amenities with strangers. On a private yacht charter, it is all about you.
With the rise of explorer yachts and exotic charter locations right across the globe, it is now easier than ever to cast off on a superyacht into some of the world’s most exclusive private holiday destinations, many of them far off the beaten path and only accessible by yacht charter. Even in the established superyacht playgrounds, a yacht remains the only way to explore them in blissful privacy and seclusion.
Three ultra-private destinations to explore by private yacht charter
Indonesia
Indonesia was barely on the cruising map a few years ago, but suddenly it seems to be on every superyacht charterer’s bucket list. And little wonder, for this vast tropical archipelago of more than 17,000 islands offers some of the most spectacular cruising and diving on earth. Whether you’re diving with whale sharks, climbing volcanoes, or lolling about in a luxury day spa in the lush hills of Bali, yacht charter in Indonesia will amaze you at every turn.
Float through Raja Ampat’s breath-taking coral outcrops, enjoy some of the best diving of the Coral Triangle, or come face to face with the mighty Komodo dragon in Komodo National Park. When the exploring is done, it’s time to relax on yet another stunning deserted beach. So very little of Indonesia has been explored by superyachts that this destination is sheer heaven for those of an adventurous spirit.
The Maldives
The Maldives are one of the world’s most exclusive destinations, and there’s no better way to explore this remote Indian Ocean archipelago than aboard a private yacht. The Maldives are a cruising dream: sugar-white atolls edged by coconut palms and surrounded by coral reefs and sapphire blue seas. Some of the best luxury hotels are found in the Maldives if you want to indulge in a spa treatment or a meal ashore, but many of the Maldives’ most superb treasures are found just off the yacht, whether diving off the swim platform to admire the dazzling kaleidoscope of colour and life on the reef, or having a candlelit meal on a sandbar surrounded by silvery sea. Only 200 of the chain’s 1200 islands are inhabited, so the Maldives are a dream for VIP holidays where you’re looking for exclusivity and privacy.
The Med
The Mediterranean remains one of the great yachting playgrounds – steeped in glamour, history, and breath-taking scenery. Far from undiscovered, the Med still offers countless places of exclusivity and escape, and a superyacht provides the tranquil oasis of privacy and adventure to explore it. You can have the best of all worlds on a yacht charter in the Mediterranean: soak up the celebrity atmosphere of a day partying in glamorous St Tropez or Hvar, then cruise to a quiet Mediterranean island of fragrant pine trees and blue-green coves. From Sicily’s volcanoes to the whitewashed isles of Greece, and from Turkey’s breath-taking Turquoise Coast to the Amalfi’s clifftop lemon groves, the Mediterranean promises a spectacular cruising experience at every turn.
No matter how remote or famous the destination, a private yacht charter is the only way to truly discover it in luxury and privacy. When you’ve had enough of exploring for one day, you simply return to your yacht and float away into the sunset, on to the next stunning anchorage. Little wonder that superyachts are favoured by the super-rich for VIP holidays.
