Superyacht vacation: Inside Malia, a yacht that costs $2.1m per week with a spa, pool, gym and hammam bath

The 255-foot superyacht Malia sold in 2023 with a price tag of $180 million.

But she can be yours for a fraction of the cost: $1.4 million per week.

But with many large yacht charters, surcharges — for fuel, food, drinks, marina fees, onshore activities and special requests — are usually an additional 35 per cent of the base price.

Cruising in Europe also attracts a value-added tax of around 20 per cent of the base fee, but this can vary by country. Crew gratuities are also between 10 per cent to 20 per cent of the charter fee.

All in, a week cruising the French Riviera on Malia costs a whopping $2.1 million.

For the price, 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.

Up to 12 guests can sleep in the yacht’s eight staterooms, including a master VIP suite, all with luxury ensuite bathrooms.

“The bedrooms are comparable to hotel rooms. You don’t feel like you’re on a yacht,” said Sacha Williams, global charter marketing director at Northrop & Johnson, Malia’s broker.

“It’s like you’re in a floating hotel.”

The main deck has a saloon with a bar and dining area illuminated by full-length windows, as well as an upper deck lounge featuring a striking glass chandelier and an extensive audio-visual system.

The decks are connected by an elevator.

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 definitely a strong trend on all yachts now. The onboard spa therapist does all manner of treatments, not just massage and facials, but all things beauty-related. You could spend an entire day in that space.”

There’s also a glass-edged infinity pool on the main deck and a glass-bottomed Jacuzzi on the sun deck, plus an outdoor theatre.

Tenders and toys

Travellers may pay seven figures for a week on this yacht, but few stay on it the whole time.

Malia comes with additional leisure vessels, including several tenders that guests can take to shore.

They can also take a deep-sea fishing trip on Malia’s 46-foot-extreme sport fishing tender. Additionally, the crew can take guests up to six feet underwater in a shark-shaped submersible made by Seabreacher, which seats one pilot and one passenger.

“The fishing tender is quite unique, especially in the Mediterranean, as you tend to see these a lot more in the Caribbean and Bahamas, where sport fishing is no big deal. But imagine how cool that would be to just take the children out for the afternoon and go and catch some fish,” said Williams.

Crew members can also teach guests to use Fliteboard motorized surfboards and to explore underwater with Seabobs. Those who want to relax can sit back for towable joy rides in the sun.

Malia’s “toy” inventory also includes jet and water skis, plus paddle boards, pedal boards, wakeboards, kayaks, and an inflatable climbing frame with a walkway.

“This particular owner is all about fun. He wanted to make sure that he had every possible guest request catered for” said Williams.

“You don’t see a Fliteboard on every yacht ... they are in high demand.”

Captain and crew

A portion of the charter price goes to paying for the 21-member crew, which includes a captain, engineering and hospitality teams, and several chefs. Some crew members double as personal trainers and have musical skills to entertain in the evenings.

“Guests may never even see some of the crew members, like the engineering team,” said Williams.

“There are people working through the night to ensure the guests’ safety. Some will be more involved with navigation and planning, and arranging berths in ports. The more senior interior crew will also do the bookkeeping, as there’s a lot of money being spent to ensure that everyone’s having a great time.”

“The best way I can describe them is like swans,” said Williams. “They just 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.

But the captain can also consider requests to modify the schedule mid-charter — for example, if guests are enjoying a particular location and want to stay longer, Williams said:

“That’s the beauty of chartering a yacht.”

Who books vacations like this

Malia’s guests tend to be North American, European and Middle Eastern, Williams said.

Typically, they have built their wealth in highly niche areas of business, she said. “I’ve always been surprised by some of the North American clients as to how they’ve generated this amount of wealth from selling items that can appear quite banal. But I guess the size of the country means that you can become very successful selling something as simple as eggs or screws,” she said.

“Sometimes you’ll see the principal — the person footing the bill — charter Malia for a few weeks, and invite different groups during that time. One week, they’ll be with their friends, and then the friends will move on and then their family will join, then their parents.”

But many guests book the yacht for family vacations and celebrations, she said.

“They may be celebrating a birthday or wedding anniversary or just a family get-together. On a yacht the size of Malia, you can have the grandparents, the parents and the children.”