YACHT DESTINATIONS

Enjoy an endless summer on a superyacht.

MEDITERRANEAN, OLD AND NEW

The Mediterranean’s it-crowd status was confirmed in the 1960s and no destination can dispute its reign. Summer on the French Riviera means parties, glamour – Brigitte Bardot all but created Saint-Tropez with a few quintessential images – and superyachts. Slips in the marinas of Cannes, Saint-Tropez and Monaco are rare and expensive, with a berth in Port Hercule rumoured to be worth $20,000 per night during the Monaco Grand Prix. Glittering events aside, the Mediterranean still offers something for all: exceptional cuisine, culture, natural beauty and quiet isolation. Sail south towards Toulon and you’ll find the ‘Golden Isles’ of Porquerolles, Port-Cros and Le Levant, three wild destinations bringing a Caribbean feel to France. Cross the Ligurian Sea and you’ll discover Corsica, birthplace of Napoleon and home to ribbons of white beaches including Calvi, Tuara and Plage de Saleccia. Just 80 kilometres away is Italy’s West Coast, also famed for luring starlets and billionaires to the colourful towns that cling to its cliffs. Sip a Bellini in Portofino and watch the yachts drift in. The Cinque Terre links the towns of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, five chic towns with caves and canyons for diving adventurers to discover in between. Perhaps the most famous, though, is Capri, the erstwhile watering ground of Sophia Loren and Jackie Kennedy-Onassis, still alive with nightclubs, legendary hotels and villas.