The 255-foot superyacht Malia sold in 2023 with a price tag of $120 million.
But she will be yours for a fraction of the associated fee: $930,000 per week.
But with many large yacht charters, surcharges — for fuel, food, drinks, marina fees, onshore activities and special requests — are frequently an extra 35% of the bottom price.
Cruising in Europe also attracts a value-added tax of around 20% of the bottom fee, but this will vary by country. Crew gratuities are also between 10% to twenty% of the charter fee.
All in, per week cruising the French Riviera on Malia costs a whopping $1,441,500.
For the value, Malia takes guests on stunning tours of the Mediterranean, from Monaco to the Italian Riviera, island-hopping from Sardinia and the Maddalena islands with stops in iconic French hubs like Saint-Tropez.
Because the pandemic, people have been chartering yachts for longer durations — sometimes as much as five weeks, in response to yacht broker Sacha Williams.
Source: Northrup & Johnson
As much as 12 guests can sleep within the yacht’s eight state rooms, including a master VIP suite, all with luxury ensuite bathrooms.
“The bedrooms are comparable to hotel rooms. You do not feel such as you’re on a yacht,” said Sacha Williams, global charter marketing director at Northrop & Johnson, Malia’s broker. “It’s such as you’re in a floating hotel.”
The Malia has eight state rooms.
Source: Northrop & Johnson
The essential deck has a saloon with a bar and dining area illuminated by full-length windows, in addition to an upper deck lounge featuring a striking glass chandelier and an intensive audio-visual system.
The decks are connected by an elevator.
Malia is fully booked for the summer of 2024, and is usually booked 4 to 6 months prematurely, Williams said.
Source: Northrop & Johnson
Like a hotel, the yacht has a gym and spa, the latter with a massage room, sauna and Turkish hammam bath.
“On a yacht this size, it’s increasingly popular to have a hammam, steam room or sauna,” Williams said. “Wellness is certainly a robust trend on all yachts now. The onboard spa therapist does all manner of treatments, not only massage and facials, but all things beauty-related. You would spend a complete day in that space.”
Spa facilities are expected on yachts commanding seven-figure rates, said Williams.
Source: Northrop & Johnson
There’s also a glass-edged infinity pool on the essential deck and a glass-bottomed Jacuzzi on the sundeck, plus an out of doors theater.
Tenders and toys
Travelers may pay seven figures for per week on this yacht, but few stay on it the entire time.
Malia comes with additional leisure vessels, including several tenders that guests can take to shore.
They may also take a deep-sea fishing trip on Malia’s 46-foot-extreme sportfishing tender. Moreover, crew can take guests as much as six feet underwater in a shark-shaped submersible made by Seabreacher, which seats one pilot and one passenger.
The yacht comes with drop-down terraces and a beach club, or area behind the boat that opens at sea level.
Source: Northrop & Johnson
“The fishing tender is sort of unique, especially within the Mediterranean, as you are likely to see these so much more within the Caribbean and Bahamas, where sportfishing isn’t any big deal. But imagine how cool that might be to only take the kids out for the afternoon and go and catch some fish,” said Williams.
Crew members may also teach guests to make use of Fliteboard motorized surfboards and to explore underwater with Seabobs. Those that need to calm down can sit back for towable joy rides within the sun.
Malia’s “toy” inventory also includes jet and water skis, plus paddleboards, pedalboards, wakeboards, kayaks, and an inflatable climbing frame with a walkway.
Web service on yachts was very expensive — around $10,000 per 30 days, said Williams. But Starlink satellite web modified that. “Connectivity just isn’t a difficulty … there isn’t any lag in any respect.”
Source: Northrup & Johnson
“This particular owner is all about fun. He desired to be certain that he had every possible guest request catered for” said Williams. “You do not see a Fliteboard on every yacht … they’re in high demand.”
Captain and crew
A portion of the charter price goes to paying for the 21-member crew, which incorporates a captain, engineering and hospitality teams, and a number of other chefs. Some crew members double as personal trainers and have musical skills to entertain within the evenings.
“Guests may never even see a number of the crew members, just like the engineering team,” said Williams. “There are people working through the night to make sure the guests’ safety. Some might be more involved with the navigation and planning, and arranging berths in ports. The more senior interior crew may even do the bookkeeping, as there’s a whole lot of money being spent to be certain that everyone’s having an important time.”
There are 21 crew members on board the Malia, a custom-built yacht by the Greek builder Golden Yachts.
Source: Northrop & Johnson
“One of the simplest ways I can describe them is like swans,” said Williams. “They simply glide around.”
Malia’s itineraries are “hyper detailed,” Williams said. The yacht’s broker and the captain agree on an itinerary that considers guest preferences, sea conditions and weather forecasts.
However the captain may also consider requests to change the schedule mid-charter — for instance, if guests are having fun with a selected location and need to remain longer, Williams said:
“That is the fantastic thing about chartering a yacht.”
Who books vacations like this
Malia’s guests are likely to be North American, European and Middle Eastern, Williams said.
Typically, they’ve built their wealth in highly area of interest areas of business, she said. “I’ve all the time been surprised by a number of the North American clients as to how they’ve generated this amount of wealth from selling items that may appear quite banal. But I suppose the scale of the country means you could turn into very successful selling something so simple as eggs or screws,” she said.
The number and quality of yacht “toys” factor into the speed. “This particular owner is all about fun,” said Williams.
Source: Northrup & Johnson
“Sometimes you will see the principal — the person footing the bill — charter Malia for just a few weeks, and invite different groups during that point. One week, they’ll be with their friends, after which the chums will move on after which their family will join, then their parents.”
But many guests book the yacht for family vacations and celebrations, she said.
“They could be celebrating a birthday or wedding anniversary, or simply a family get-together. On a yacht the scale of Malia, you’ll be able to have the grandparents, the parents and the kids.”
