If your Boss is looking for a winter break with the family this year, a yacht charter could be just the thing. Totally private, with your own dedicated crew and staff, a yacht is luxurious, glamorous and stays safely away from other crowded holiday destinations.
While the Mediterranean is still under COVID restrictions, there are plenty of other beautiful, tropical places to go. Sophia Tutino has been working in the luxury yacht charter business for over 12 years and founded her own company in 2019. “Many people are scared of chartering a yacht,” she says “because they think it will be very complicated with lots of difficult issues to think about. But I do everything for my clients. All they need to know is when and where they want to go and how many people are travelling. I do the rest.”
Liaising closely with destination authorities, Sophia keeps fully informed of COVID requirements, including tests, visas, on board sanitation and permitted on shore activities. For a winter break Sophia recommends The Maldives, The Bahamas, and the Caribbean “bubbles”
Set in the Indian Ocean, The Maldives offer secluded beaches, with turquoise waters and blindingly white sand fringed by palm trees. Some of the activities on offer among these beautiful jewel-like little islands are fishing, diving and other watersports (from the yacht), swimming, sandbank visits and sunset barbeque dinners on an island all to yourself. On shore visits to certain of the islands are also allowed, where you can experience the many delights of local cuisine.
To ensure a safe and satisfying experience, strict COVID security measures are in place throughout the islands. All visitors are required to have proof of a negative COVID test 72 hours prior to departure and must undergo thermal screening on arrival.
For those who prefer the Caribbean, The Bahamas which boasts 100,000 square miles of the clearest water on the planet, is now open to visitors. All incoming visitors must present a COVID-19 RT-PCR Negative (Swab) Test upon arrival, taken no more than five (5) days beforehand. Once in possession of the negative test, travellers will be required to apply for a Bahamas Health Travel Visa at travel.gov.bs . A rapid antigen test will be conducted within 96 hours of arrival in The Bahamas.
Many other Caribbean islands are also open and have created safe “bubbles” for visitors. Travelling by yacht means you can safely go from one bubble to another without having to undergo further COVID checks. For more information on individual islands see this list.
For more information, please contact Sophia on sophia@sophiaty.com and quote The PA Club.
Sophia will be talking about some of the best destinations for the winter holidays at Digital SHOWCASE on Weds 9th December at 11:00. Register free for this event – and you could win a bottle of champagne!
