When it comes to luxury travel, the chicest hotels typically try to outdo their competitors by offering bigger-is-better amenities and features. The best chefs, most opulent spas, largest suites, and haute turndown surprises are all some of the hallmarks of our favorite homes-away-from-home. But the latest luxury perk gaining popularity in hospitality isn’t something you’ll often find inside the property: More and more hotels have launched their own yachts, thereby extending their flawless service from land to water. Whether you’re looking to do yoga on the Huangpu River in China, fish in Mexico, or just float around the Indian Ocean, these seven hotels have eliminated the middlemen and will get you there themselves.
Courtesy Six Senses
Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman
This luxury hideaway in northern Oman is known for offering guests once-in-a-lifetime experiences, including the opportunity to paraglide into the property on arrival. To up the ante, in 2017 the hotel launched the Dhahab, a purpose-built yacht modeled after the region’s traditional dhows. The originals were trading vessels that sailed the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, but the three-bedroom Dhahab (which means gold in Arabic) has a much more relaxing purpose. Guests can use it for a short cocktail sail along the Musandam coast with the Hajar mountain in the horizon or more elaborate and fully customized multi-night excursions that include village visits, snorkeling, cooking classes, onboard spa treatments, and whatever else you can dream up. sixsenses.com
Courtesy The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort
The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort
We imagine it must be very difficult to tear yourself away from this resort’s overwater plunge pools and hammocks. But if you want to take your sun-worshipping elsewhere, the St. Regis’ Azimut Flybridge 66, unveiled in December and the first time this model has been commissioned by a hotel, is the newest yacht on our list. The stylishly minimal three-cabin Azimut 66 can be chartered for four hours or for a whole day of sunbathing, diving, and snorkeling. But if you decide to take it for an overnight romp around the Indian Ocean, the staff will commemorate the occasion with a champagne sabering at sunset. stregismaldives.com
The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort offers an exclusive suite of benefits to Platinum Card® & Centurion® Members from American Express through the FINE HOTELS & RESORTS® program.
Courtesy NIZUC Resort & Spa
Nizuc, Mexico
Whether you’re looking to take a relaxing day-trip to stunning Isla Mujeres or experience a more lively itinerary that includes tons of seaside activities, hopping aboard Nizuc’s 56-foot, three-suite catamaran means having it all. Staffed with a full crew, butler, and private chef, who will take care every whim, all you have to do is decide on what you want: a star-gazing session guided by an astronomer, diving down to the Cancun Underwater Museum to see artworks living alongside coral, fishing in Cozumel, or all of the above. nizuc.com
Nizuc offers an exclusive suite of benefits to Platinum Card® & Centurion® Members from American Express through the FINE HOTELS & RESORTS® program.
Courtesy Oetker Collection
Jumby Bay Island, Antigua
Oetker Collection wants to take you on an unforgettable island hopping adventure aboard its luxurious 45-foot custom-built catamaran, the Yennecot. From sailing to a seaside lunch on Antigua’s English Harbor, couples massages on the beaches of Maiden Island to snorkeling around Paradise Reef, then shopping in St. John before a champagne-fueled sunset cruise, the options are limitless. oetkercollection.com
Jumby Bay Island offers an exclusive suite of benefits to Platinum Card® & Centurion® Members from American Express through the FINE HOTELS & RESORTS® program.
Courtesy The Peninsula Shanghai
Peninsula Shanghai
You might not be able to board Peninsula Shanghai’s new 10-passenger Azimut 47 Flybridge on an overnight excursion, but you can use it to elevate your next event. Aboard a nearly 50-foot yacht dressed up in the hotel’s stylish liveries, a private cruise along the Huangpu River with spectacular views of the city’s futuristic skyline can be the setting for a cocktail party or a birthday brunch. Or, if you want to add a wellness component, you can transform the sail into a floating spa complete with tai chi, yoga classes, and massages. peninsula.com
The Peninsula Shanghai offers an exclusive suite of benefits to Platinum Card® & Centurion® Members from American Express through the FINE HOTELS & RESORTS® program.
Courtesy The Wellesley Knightsbridge
The Wellesley Knightsbridge, London
The glamorous, Art Deco-inspired 185-foot superyacht MY The Wellesley, sister vessel to the five-star hotel in London, isn’t plying its trade on the Thames. In fact, during the winter months, it’s sailing around the Caribbean to visit sunny isles like Cuba and St Barths. And come summer, it returns to the other side of the Atlantic to transport you to charming little towns in Provence, beaches in Monaco, and ancient villages in Turkey. If this all sounds like too much work while on a holiday, you could also just lounge around the yacht and work on your tan: The MY The Wellesley has nearly 3,800 square feet of outdoor space. thewellesley.co.uk
Shared between Como’s two resorts in the Maldives, the 68-foot, three-suite Hatters yacht features tons of luxury amenities like an air-conditioned flybridge and a polished walnut-lined lounge. The biggest perk could be that the cruiser can comfortably transfer guests between the two properties (which are 110 miles apart), eliminating the need for a seaplane. Along the way, you could catch tuna with a fishing guide, snorkel with a marine biologist or, if you timed it right, witness a whale shark migration. comohotels.com
