A luxury vacation your family will talk about forever
This winter, set your course to cruise between the lush jungle peaks of sunken volcanoes and brightly coloured coral reefs in the stunning Virgin Islands. But why do it on a cruise ship or be stuck in busy resorts like everyone else?
Create the holiday your family will talk about forever: take your kids- and their kids- away from it all and charter a luxury private yacht to float through tropical Caribbean paradise… on your own terms. With complete privacy and total luxury, a yacht is the ultimate way to travel as a family- and the best way to bring the generations together.
Look out the porthole of your palatial cabin each morning to see another stunning anchorage you’ve arrived at overnight: sapphire waters lapping at soft white sands in Tortola, pink flamingos stalking gracefully across salt ponds in Anegada, and the giant boulders and rock pools of Virgin Gorda, shining in the morning sun. Get up, have a fresh breakfast on deck cooked by your private chef- and then dive right in to warm, crystal clear waters to explore the underwater world below.
The Virgin Islands are one of the world’s best yacht charter destinations- and not just because they’re outrageously pretty, with vivid green rainforest running from volcanic peaks down to the turquoise seas and coconuts washing up on the shore. The Virgin Islands are a perfect cruising ground because there are so many islands within short distances of each other, and heaps to see and do. Everyone will have the time of their lives here- no matter what their ages or interests. We all know that it’s sometimes difficult to please everyone when the generations come together: a luxury yacht charter in the Virgin Islands will do just that.
Take a hike up to the peak of an extinct volcano to look out across the spectacular coast laid out before you, shop until you drop in vibrant St Thomas, learn to surf at Tortola and sail around the bay at the famous Bitter End Yacht Club in Virgin Gorda. Snorkel the vast horseshoe reef encircling the coral atoll of Anegada, followed by a luxury barbeque at white cloth tables on the beach, eating lobster grilled on the coals and served up with lashings of melted butter. Keen divers will explore the wreck of RMS Rhone off Salt Beach, the Caribbean’s best wreck dive, or make their way along Wreck Alley, where ships and aircraft have been deliberately sunk to make homes for sharks, dolphins, turtles and schools of tropical fish. The kids will delight in visiting ‘Treasure Island’, an old Caribbean pirate haunt- and younger kids will love when the crew lead them on a shwashbuckling treasure hunt around the yacht and ashore.
Watch the teenagers tearing round on the wakeboards, take a leisurely kayak through a sea grotto, and be sure to spend a day at the spectacular Baths of Virgin Gorda- some of the most incredible rock pools in the world. Visit pretty Caribbean villages where brightly coloured shacks sell jerk chicken and curried conch, and barefoot bars serve up rum punch and pina coladas under the palm trees. Get a massage in a luxury beach hut spa, listening to the waves lap gently at the shore, the smell of frangipani and jasmine rich in the air.
When night falls, get dressed up and have cocktails on deck, before jumping in the tender to speed across the moonlit sea, warm night air rushing against your face. Dine at elegant restaurants in glamorous ports filled with other yachts, or onboard the famous Willy T schooner restaurant, where everyone dances on deck to a steel band that plays long into the night.
Other evenings, stay on board your gorgeous yacht enjoying an elegant meal under the stars, while the kids are busy fishing off the aft deck, the water illuminated electric blue by the underwater night lights. Or the family can relax in the Jacuzzi, chatting and watching the stars, or cuddle up on the comfy lounges in the sky lounge to watch movies with popcorn and fizzy pop.
Yacht holidays are about creating memories with the people you love. This winter, why not have your own, floating, private island as it moves slowly through a perfect world of palm trees, white sands, and laughter. It will be the holiday your family talks about, forever.
For a suggested itinerary, please click here.
Contributed by: Jo Morgan
