Ever wondered what it would be like to step onto a Luxury Motor Yacht? Well, on Monday 10th July, 2017, Daniela Rogulj and myself got to find out.
I can’t go into too many details, but from Sunday 9th July to Monday 10th July 2017, myself and colleague Daniela found ourselves in some very elite company and we got a glimpse into the luxury life, if only for a moment.
Having worked on a luxury yacht and knowing a lot of yacht owners or crew, I had a fair idea of what to expect, but my expectations were still exceeded. Even though the yacht I worked on was luxury, with beautiful cabins, bar, jet-ski and all the accompanying water toys, there is a very big difference between a yacht that costs €20,000 for the week compared to €100,000. There is also an unmistakable difference between working on a yacht and being on the receiving end of service. And I have to say, I didn’t mind one bit.
We were collected from the Hvar waterfront with the guests we were entertaining and taken to M/Y Brazil – a 40 m custom built luxury motor yacht by Heesen. Having spent the afternoon in Hvar in the direct summer sun, truth be told, we were all exhausted and melting.
That was about to change though. The second we stepped on board we were greeted by a hostess with a beautiful (and seemingly), genuine smile AND a frozen face cloth to dab away at our flustered faces. This may sound ridiculous, but in that moment, that scented, frozen towel was the single, best thing in my life – ‘you had me at hello’.
Credit: CharterWorld.com
As we walked up the steps, we could hear music, but it wasn’t just speakers, we reached the back deck to find another hostess singing on a sound system. Seriously?
After being offered champagne – which we politely refused because, we were technically still working, the second suggestion was an iced coffee. They got it again, that was the next thing I needed in my life. And, when it came out, it wasn’t just an iced coffee, it was served on a beautiful tray, with a piece of dark chocolate and a sprinkling of nuts – because why wouldn’t you?
We made our way around the gorgeous boat, admiring every detail, until we reached the upper-deck which naturally hosted a jacuzzi.
Credit: CharterWorld.com
The boat contained numerous activities and entertainment features:
- 2 x SeaDoo Jet-Skis
- 2 x Seabobs
- 2 x Kayaks
- U-tube
- Banana
- Water-Ski
- Wake Board
- Fishing Equipment
- Snorkelling Equipment
Credit: CharterWorld.com
As well as the sound system for the hostess to sing, or karaoke if anyone fancies it, the jacuzzi I already mentioned and a poker table. Basically M/Y Brazil is seriously set up to meet everyone’s wants and needs. The staff were of course, friendly, professional and attentive, though I still couldn’t help myself and ended up taking a towel to one of the guests who was using the jacuzzi – some habits die hard.
The only shame about the whole thing was that these guests only used the boat for a day as a means of transport. It was simply used to get from point A to point B, because ‘we are on yachts all the time, they are just transport to us’. The thought of that blows my mind, but… welcome to the luxury world.
For those who think that tourism in Croatia is going downhill, we will be exploring luxury tourism a little more, because as we just discovered, there is a LOT more that goes on in Croatia – ‘secret luxury tourism’ – behind closed doors, that nobody knows about. This country is full of potential, the setting is perfect for unique, tailor-made experiences and for those who want it – anonymity is rather easy in Croatia.
I can’t lie, it was nice to experience for a day, but if living that life regularly would mean taking for granted such luxuries, let alone the small pleasures in life, I will take my ferry transfers and cute little apartment in Dugi Rat any day.
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