Since you need to start thinking about summer vacations now (seriously), a suggestion:
Forget the road trip. This year, look to the yacht trip.
Your concierge on the high seas: The Moorings, a yacht charter company that provides five-star overwater amenities — at a fraction of the cost of your typical five-star vacation.
Image by Sean McGee
Started in 1969, The Moorings now has luxe yachts for hire available in more than 20 ports around the world. New this year: Mallorca and Puerto Rico as destinations, and powerboats and catamarans boat options.
Image by Julian Love
Experienced on the water? Great, grab a yacht and go. Can’t tell starboard from port? Full crews are also available.
It’s so nice, you may not want to leave the ship: the 3-6 cabin yachts come with comfy beds, fully stocked bars, all sorts of watersports equipment (snorkeling, kayaking, etc.), wifi, outdoor dining spaces and panoramic windows. Plus: air conditioning.
The pricing is nice, too. A six-person crewed yacht comes in at around $2,300 per person for a summer charter in the British Virgin Islands (that includes all meals, drinks and activities), or around $330 per night per person (that’s about the same price as a cruise, with far fewer deckmates).
Image by George Kamper
If money’s no object, the company suggests corralling a 48-foot crewed sailing Catamaran in Tahiti. Otherwise, we recommend The Moorings’ brand new America’s Cup experience in Bermuda. As an official partner of the race, they’re offering crewed yacht charters with exclusive viewing points, meaning you can watch the world’s greatest sailboat race from … an actual sailboat (personal captain and gourmet chef provided).
Image by George Kamper
But we weren’t kidding about early planning. You’ll want to start now: most bookings at The Moorings happen 4-6 months in advance. As for suggestions, the company told us springtime in the Caribbean is extremely popular (think British Virgin Islands, St. Martin and Puerto Rico), while the Mediterranean (Mallorca, Italy, Greece, and Croatia) season begins in May.
Main image by Julian Love
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