If this is the year you promised yourself you’d do something audacious and exciting, you’re in for a treat. Several new charter yachts are doing the same thing. Some are traveling to destinations about as remote and removed from crowds as you can find. In other cases, they’re chartering in perennially popular ports, but bringing their own sense of style and fun.
Below, we’re spotlighting four megayachts delivered within the past six months that you can charter. We’re also highlighting where they’ll be, since destinations are as important as the onboard amenities. Reputable charter brokers can book any of them for you.
O’Ptasia, in Cuba. Currently in Greece, where she was built by Golden Yachts, the 279-foot (85-meter) O’Ptasia heads to the Caribbean soon. Cuba is on her itinerary. Few new charter yachts go here year after year. Get in the mood for a fun night ashore by playing salsa music in your stateroom. Be sure to take a video camera with you as you tour around. You can share the day’s footage via the big TVs onboard. Twenty-one TVs are aboard, in fact—as is an outdoor cinema, as well as a dedicated inside cinema. Her weekly rate starts at €800,000.
Planet Nine, in Antarctica. About six months after delivery, Planet Nine (top) has headed to one of the most challenging climates in the world. It’s right up her alley, since she’s an expedition yacht. The Italian Sea Group custom-built her for this type of experience. Her rugged lines certainly hint at what to expect. The 240-foot (73.2-meter) Planet Nine has an ice-classed hull, for instance. In addition, the helicopter can take you heli-skiing. Simultaneously, she envelops you and your guests in luxury. The owner’s suite is an especially good example. It occupies more than 3,000 square feet (279 square meters) on an entire deck. Planet Nine’s weekly charter rate starts at $725,000.
Solo, in the Caribbean. Similar in size to other new charter yachts, this 236-footer (72-meter) just saw delivery in recent weeks. (Even though she premiered at the Monaco Yacht Show, for Tankoa Yachts to drum up interest, she wasn’t yet complete.) A plethora of watertoys and equipment are aboard, from wakeboards to dive gear, as well as stand-up paddleboards to towable bananas. Solo further has a jellyfish net to make swimming off her aft end safer. Throughout her interior, this new charter yacht is quite sophisticated, with a “winter garden” on her aft deck (above) and bars covered with backlit stone. See more in our Megayacht News Onboard feature, too. Weekly rate: €595,000.
Spectre, in the Bahamas. Just delivered in November by Benetti, the 226-foot (69-meter) Spectre is therefore about as new to the charter fleet as you can get. Her owners, John and Jeanette Staluppi, have offered a succession of superyachts for charter, so expect a high level of service aboard. Also expect an opulent decor, replete with French and Art Deco influences. Her weekly charter rate starts at $600,000. You can get aboard to see her for yourself at the upcoming Miami Yacht Show in February. Following that, Spectre should be available in the Bahamas. The Staluppis just spent the holidays there, in fact.
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