Father’s Day is a celebration of family. As the patriarch of your family, why not take the initiative and plan something truly special for everyone to enjoy together this year? Charter a yacht and spend a day or two or seven pampering yourself while creating memories you’ll all cherish forever.
Book your Father’s Day retreat now.
Here’s a sneak peek at what your special day could look like.
7:00: You wake up in a cool, dark room. Everything’s quiet except for the faintest sound of water lapping. You pull yourself from under the soft duvet and pad across plush carpet to the porthole. Outside, the sea is shining dappled and golden in the morning light.
Quickly pulling on your swim trunks, you walk through the yacht, past cabins where your family sleeps peacefully. The smell of freshly baking bread wafts from the galley and you poke your head in to see the chef preparing platters of tropical fruit and glass bowls full of fresh berries and creamy yoghurt.
Out on deck, one of the stewardesses is laying the breakfast table, dressing the tablecloth with crisp linen and fresh flowers. The cutlery and glassware glints in the sunshine. ‘Would you like a coffee? Fresh juice?’ she asks quietly, almost in a whisper- the spell of early morning not yet broken.
You decline, the water is calling. On the swim platform you find a deckhand washing down the teak with a hose, soft chamois at the ready to polish gleaming white paint and stainless steel. He points at the tender. ‘Would you like a lift ashore?’
You say you’d prefer to swim, at which point the deckhand offers goggles, snorkel, fins and sunscreen. He then asks politely if you’d like him to follow you in the tender in case you get tired. You say yes to the snorkel- there’s a reef nearby you want to explore.
You dive in. Sheer happiness overtakes you as you open your eyes in the clear, sunlit sea. You spend a lazy hour snorkeling over the reef. A turtle swims lazily past, looking at you curiously and schools of tropical fish dart and whirl through the coral formations.
8:30: Back onboard, the captain approaches to discuss the day’s plans. He suggests watersports in the morning then a short cruise to another anchorage before lunch. There’s a turquoise lagoon nearby full of giant granite boulders, as well as a jungle hike to a waterfall with a deep forest pool. Or he can organize a helicopter trip over the volcano if you’d prefer, a horseback ride along the beach, or a trip to some mineral hot springs. It’s up to you, of course, he says. No rush.
9:00: Your family finally drag themselves out of bed, arriving at the table wearing an odd collection of soft white bathrobes and colourful swimwear. Breakfast arrives. Great piles of pancakes and bacon dripping in sweet maple syrup, baskets of fresh-baked pastries and eggs cooked to order. Your coffee turns up by your side, just the way you like it, and you think you might truly be in heaven.
10:00: Everyone’s in the water. The kids are being towed behind the tender screaming their heads off in a giant yellow tube and your spouse is taking a kayak around the beautiful boulder coastline.
11:30: You’re back on board and the crew weighs anchor and you pull out of the bay. The family gathers on the big sunbathing cushions by the Jacuzzi, the kids chattering with excitement about their morning of watersports. The huge flag snaps and billows above the bubbling white wake that curves behind the yacht.
13:00: You’re on the other side of the island now, and it is even more beautiful than your last anchorage. This captain really knows his stuff. A quick swim before lunch!
14:00: The office feels a million miles away- like that life and its worries belong to someone else. Your spouse is dozing on a deckchair, book resting open on her chest. The kids, full of energy still, have gathered around the crew, who are dressed up in pirate costumes and are about to lead them on a merry treasure hunt. You take the chance to sneak away, down to your soft bed and a heavenly afternoon nap.
15:00: Everyone piles into the tender for a trip to the lagoon, where you snorkel through a maze of granite boulders in crystal clear water. You can’t drag the kids away, so you leave them with the capable deckhands and hike to the waterfall, a hidden paradise deep in the jungle.
17:00: A masseuse comes to the yacht, easing tired muscles. Bliss.
18:00: Relaxed beyond all measure, you climb into the Jacuzzi, where the stewardess brings you a cocktail, and leaves bathrobes on the side. The kids have been relaxing playing video games in their cabins and watching TV/baking cupcakes with the chef; one by one they come up to the Jacuzzi and sink in to the bubbles to watch the sun sink huge and fiery into the sea.
18:30: You shower and dress for dinner and the tender drives you to a sandbar where an elegant table has been set up on the sands with white linen tablecloths covered in huge platters of food. The stewardesses pour your wine and the chef turns the lobster one last time on the coals, serving it hot to your plates with lashings of melted butter and great squeezes of zesty lemon. All around, moonlight makes the water glow as if possessed by magic. The crew have brought music, and it plays in the night under the stars. You and your spouse dance, and the kids splash about chasing crabs, out here on a sandbar in the middle of the shining sea.
21:00: You head back to the yacht to shower and get into your pajamas, then the whole family snuggles on the huge soft couches together to watch a movie. You can’t remember the last time you did this together. The stewardess brings popcorn and hot chocolate and a bit of fine cognac for the adults.
Tomorrow, you’ll wake up to look through the porthole at a different anchorage, possibly even more beautiful than the one you’re in now. Then you’ll head off to see a volcano and do an exciting night dive.
On a luxury yacht charter, it’s up to you, just like the captain says. No rush. No worries.
