If you’re considering taking a holiday this year – and after a year like 2020, who wouldn’t want a well-deserved break – then you may wish to consider a catamaran. They’re stable, roomy boats that are perfect for smaller numbers of travellers but can also accommodate larger parties. There are very few better ways to make a vacation memorable than to charter a catamaran, but there are plenty of other reasons you might wish to do so as well. Here are 10 reasons you should consider chartering a catamaran for your next vacation.
1. Catamarans go everywhere
There’s pretty much nowhere you can’t go with a catamaran (borders notwithstanding, of course). If you want to sail around the Mediterranean and have a great time, you can charter a catamaran all over Europe, so there’s no reason to miss out on the gorgeous scenery and endless blue of that oceanic paradise. Since catamarans are incredibly stable, you can even sail them on choppier seas and they’ll handle the task like a champ.
2. Catamarans offer an ever-changing view
Staying at a hotel is one thing, but there’s something truly special about sleeping overnight on a catamaran. Napping beneath the stars with only the sound of gently lapping waves to keep you company – now that’s special. There are many incredible hotels around the world that make for wonderful destinations to stay, but a catamaran gives you an always-changing view when you wake up, and that in itself is an incredibly special experience.
3. There’s a huge amount of choice
If you look at one catamaran and its crew and find that you don’t like it, no worries – there’s a huge amount of choice out there. No matter how many people you need the boat to accommodate, what kind of staff you want on the boat, or where you want it to go, there’s bound to be a catamaran charter company out there that can provide what you need. It’s just like deciding on the right hotel; you need to spend some time making your decision, but there are so many options that you almost can’t go wrong!
4. Many catamarans are fully staffed
Don’t worry – you won’t be expected to sail the boat yourself, nor will you need to cater for yourself. Many catamaran options are fully catered and staffed, so your every need will be tended to by an experienced fleet of chefs, attendants, and other staff members. While each catamaran choice will vary in terms of what extras it offers, know that you’re always in safe hands when you’re chartering a catamaran for your next holiday, no matter where it happens to be.
5. Travel itineraries are easier to draft
When you charter a catamaran, the journey is, in part, the destination. Travelling between hotels when you’re moving from country to country can be an exhausting, draining process, but the same can’t be said for hitting the open ocean in your catamaran. While you will still need to make sure that everywhere you drop anchor is an appropriate place to stop, you’ll almost certainly have staff on hand to make those decisions for you.
6. Catamarans are perfect for families
Given their relatively limited space (although many of them are far more spacious than you might expect), catamarans are the perfect intimate space for a family to bond. What’s more, if you’ve got kids, you’ll find that the entire ocean or body of water in which your catamaran is currently situated works great as a playground. They can splash around, swim to their heart’s content, and play as many water-based games as they can think of!
7. You can avoid holiday crowds
One of the worst aspects of travelling for many people is the crowds. Even at a hotel, you’ll often find that crowds pack out the lobbies and other communal spaces, making it feel like you’re just one of many people holidaying in that area. However, if you charter a catamaran, it’ll only ever be you, your companions, and whatever staff you’ve chosen to charter alongside the boat. Right now, many families will want even more space than usual, and a catamaran is perfect for that.
8. You can sail it yourself, if you have the skills
A catamaran can be an excellent combination of both a bespoke hotel-style living space and an experience in and of itself. If you want to learn to skipper a catamaran, you’d be surprised just how easy and accessible learning this useful skill can be. Once you know how to sail a catamaran yourself, you could even consider purchasing your own charter craft, thus making your transformation into a catamaran obsessive complete! Of course, if this doesn’t interest you, skippering is by no means mandatory for an unforgettable catamaran trip.
9. It’s much, much cheaper than buying
While many may have dreams of buying a catamaran, the truth is that this can often be prohibitively expensive. However, chartering a catamaran is much, much cheaper. The cost of purchasing a catamaran can sometimes reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, but chartering can be done for much, much less than that. If pricing is an object for you and you want to save a little money, consider chartering a catamaran instead of buying one!
10. Catamarans offer unique views
It’s not just that the view from a catamaran is always different. When you’re sailing on your chartered craft, you’ll notice angles and ways of looking at beautiful landscapes that simply wouldn’t be available to land-dwellers. If you want to get some unique, unforgettable photographic memories of your trip, then a catamaran is the perfect way to do so; you can almost guarantee that nobody on your social media friends list will have the same photos you do!
