Start and finish near an airport
Or at least a flight and a short ferry. It is almost always easier to get yourselves to the boat than to relocate the boat to you.
Charter · Destinations
The Malouf family lives on board for more than half of every year, so every coast, week and date here was chosen by someone who was there. Pick your month; we show you where the fleet is and every itinerary we have planned. Pick a coast and we take you to its page.
Where everyone starts
Most people start looking long before they know their dates, so start here: the coasts we book most, whatever the month. The ones at their best in September are marked.
Places in season
Insider guides first, then everywhere else we would send you this month. Open a coast for the little black book and the itineraries we have planned there.
Trips we have planned before
Routes we have planned before, from three nights to three weeks, written out day by day with the advice that only comes from having run them. The ones in season in September come first. Send one to the people coming with you; we reshape it around your yacht and dates.
Hamilton Island5 stopsHamilton Island
Whitehaven, Hill Inlet and a night at Tongue Bay. The long weekend that converts people to boats.
Whitsundays
Adds Hook Island's north coast and a day on the outer reef to the essentials.

Luxor6 stopsAswan
Five nights downriver on ARAX, Kazazian's 66-metre river boat: the Valley of the Kings before the coaches, Edfu and Kom Ombo from the water, a beach on an island in the Nile.
Labuan Bajo8 stopsLabuan Bajo
Dragons on Rinca with a ranger, mantas at Makassar Reef, Padar at sunset and a volcano that bubbles: the route most of the fleet runs, here on ALIIKAI VOYAGE.
Labuan Bajo8 stopsLabuan Bajo
THE ORACLE's seven nights: the famous sites at a better hour, then a whole day in the park's wild south where the day boats never go.
Bali9 stopsLabuan Bajo
Whale sharks in Saleh Bay, waterfalls on Moyo, a volcano at Sangeang, then three days in the park. CELESTIA's one-way week that beats the flight.
Genoa7 stopsPortofino
Portofino, Santa Margherita and the Cinque Terre from the water, with the harbour crowds left ashore.
Antibes8 stopsAntibes
Short hops, calm bays and the Lérins islands: the Riviera shaped around children who want to swim, not sightsee.
Monaco7 stopsSaint-Tropez
Pampelonne to Paloma by tender: a week of long lunches and the water in between.
Olbia7 stopsOlbia
Bonifacio's cliffs, the Maddalena's granite coves and Porto Cervo for one night only.
Athens8 stopsSifnos
Mykonos for a night, then the quiet ones: Sifnos, Milos, Folegandros. The meltemi decides the order.
Corfu7 stopsFiskardo
Flat water, green islands and short passages. The Greece we recommend for a first charter with children.
Athens7 stopsAthens
Board in Athens, be at anchor off Hydra for dinner. No flights, no ferries, no wasted day.
Spain and the Balearics
Formentera's water by day, Ibiza's tables by night, and the north coast when you need a quiet morning.
Spain and the Balearics
The Tramuntana coast, Cabrera's national park and Palma's old town, all inside one island.
Hamilton Island9 stopsHamilton Island
The one we book most: every anchorage we would choose, in the order the trade winds suggest.
Nadi6 stopsNadi
The Mamanucas and the southern Yasawas: reef, village visits and the sunsets MISCHIEF's crew talk about.
French Polynesia
Moorea, Huahine, Taha'a and Bora Bora. A week is exactly right for the leeward islands.
The Nordics
The northern lights from a heated aft deck, whales in the fjords and skiing from the tender.
The Nordics
Lofoten and Tromsø under a sun that never sets. Fjords, eagles and midnight swims for the brave.
Spain and the Balearics
Two islands, one overnight passage, and the best of both.
Fiji
Further north through the Yasawas, with a Sunday church visit that stays with everyone.
Monaco9 stopsHyères
Monaco to the Îles d'Or with time to linger: the extra three nights go to Porquerolles and Port-Cros.
French Polynesia
Adds Raiatea's sacred marae and a slower run through the lagoons.
Maumere8 stopsAmbon
An erupting volcano, Alor's muck and walls, two specks where hammerheads pass, and the Spice Islands. CELESTIA's dive crossing in September and October.
Portofino9 stopsSorrento
Two coasts in one charter: Liguria down through Elba and Tuscany to Capri and Nerano.
Whitsundays
Time for the outer reef properly, Bait Reef and the Ribbon Reefs, and lazy days nobody plans.
Fiji
The Lau group and Taveuni: the Fiji almost nobody reaches, because it takes a boat and two weeks.
Menton11 stopsSaint-Tropez
The whole coast from Menton to Hyères, plus a crossing to Corsica if the weather window opens.
Spain and the Balearics
Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca with time to slow down. Menorca's Cala Macarella is the payoff.
French Polynesia
Time to include the Tuamotus: Rangiroa and Fakarava, the two best dives in the Pacific.
Pittwater
Sydney's national park on the water: Refuge Bay, The Basin and Palm Beach, an hour from the city.
Sydney
Board on the Harbour, round the Heads, and spend the week between the northern beaches and Broken Bay.
Maldives
Malé to Ari Atoll: manta cleaning stations, whale sharks and a different sandbank every lunch.
Sorong8 stopsSorong
Cape Kri, the Passage, Piaynemo's stairs, Wayag's karsts and the manta stations at Batanta. THE ORACLE's seven-night loop out of Sorong.
Nassau7 stopsNassau
Nassau to Staniel Cay through water you can read the bottom in. Pigs, iguanas, and a grotto from a Bond film.
Maldives
Baa Atoll's UNESCO reserve added on, with Hanifaru Bay in manta season.
Sorong9 stopsSorong
Eight nights that add Misool's lagoons, a jellyfish lake and soft-coral caves to the strait's mantas and viewpoints. No anchorage repeated.
Tortola8 stopsSt Thomas
The Baths, Anegada's lobster and White Bay, with St John's national park added on.
Exuma Cays
The week above, plus Harbour Island's pink sand and the sandbars south of Great Exuma.
New Zealand
Milford to Dusky Sound through the most remote cruising ground in the Pacific.
Pittwater
The long version: Harbour, Hawkesbury River and every beach in between.
Sorong8 stopsAmbon
Four days in Misool, then the nutmeg islands: forts, a volcano before breakfast and the island traded for Manhattan. ALIIKAI VOYAGE's seasonal crossing.
Caribbean and Bahamas
Antigua to St Barths by way of Barbuda's pink sand and Nevis. The classic Caribbean passage.
Caribbean and Bahamas
The Grenadines: Bequia, Mustique and the Tobago Cays. Greener, wilder and further from the crowd.
Dates worth planning around
Regattas, race weekends and festivals a charter can be built around. Book early or steer clear; either way, know they are on.
8 – 13 September 2026
Cannes, France. Discover premieres across Vieux Port and Port Canto with Croisette dining and tender runs to the Lérins Islands.
23 – 26 September 2026
Port Hercules, Monaco. Walk the world's most prestigious superyacht showcase with private viewings and concierge introductions.
12 – 13 September 2026
Saint-Tropez, France. Watch F50 catamarans fly past the Gulf of Saint-Tropez from a front-row private yacht.
How we'd plan it
The rules of thumb we use ourselves before we book anything. They shape every week on this page.
Or at least a flight and a short ferry. It is almost always easier to get yourselves to the boat than to relocate the boat to you.
People love the boat time. You have a chef for a reason, and they often cook better than the shore. The meals that run into the afternoon while you drift between the table and the water, with no hour-by-hour agenda, are the best part of a charter. Pick your favourites; you can come back next year and do the rest.
On larger yachts the crew can move early or overnight so you wake up somewhere new. On smaller yachts with fewer crew that is not always possible, because crew-hour rules are strict. One overnight crossing of about eight hours fits a one-week charter; two do not. The Riviera to Corsica or Portofino is a week; adding the Amalfi Coast is two.
Wind is the one thing that changes the experience, so do not let it change the mood. I would rather be in a secluded bay anywhere than rolling in front of a famous rock.
You can do the same week either way. It is a matter of where you anchor and what you do ashore, and the crew will tailor the whole thing to your group. There is a quiet side of Saint-Tropez too.
Do not rush to get up and do not rush to bed. Tell us early if half the group are early risers and half are not, so the crew can roster for it; on a yacht up to 40m there are usually fewer crew than guests and they are doing their best. It is your holiday.
The year at a glance
Navy is when we would go, aqua is when we would still go with fewer boats around. Tap a cell and the filter above follows it.
Every coast
The whole list, whatever the month. The pink dot marks a coast with a full insider guide; the rest are on their way.
May to October
December to April
Year-round: Sydney October to April, the Whitsundays May to October
May to October
November to April
October to April
June to August for summer; December to March for the lights
November to March
Year-round: Komodo May to October, Raja Ampat October to April
November to March
How to choose
The Mediterranean: the French Riviera, the Amalfi Coast, Greece, and Corsica and Sardinia are the four milk runs, all in peak season with warm sea and every restaurant open. July and August are the hottest, busiest and most social weeks, with the best DJs and events. Norway is at its best under the midnight sun. In the southern hemisphere the Whitsundays, Fiji and the Kimberley are in their dry-season peak.
June and September if you want warm water and open restaurants without the crowds or the heat; our own pick. July and August if you want the party, the events and the younger crowd, and can take the heat. We would not talk anyone out of any month in season: being on the water is always the point.
The Caribbean and the Bahamas are in peak season, with St Barths at New Year the single most sought-after week in yachting. Sydney Harbour has New Year's Eve and the Sydney to Hobart start. The Maldives, the Red Sea, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have their winter sun, and Antarctica is in its short summer window.
A couple of hours a day, four at most, is comfortable. Larger yachts can move early or overnight so guests wake somewhere new; smaller yachts with fewer crew often cannot, because crew-hour rules are strict. One overnight crossing of about eight hours fits a one-week charter, two do not. The French Riviera to Corsica, Sardinia or Portofino is a one-week trip; the Riviera to the Amalfi Coast needs two weeks.
Generally yes. Croatia and Turkey in particular are much cheaper than the French Riviera, so you can charter more space and cabins for the same budget. The Riviera has the more modern fleet; Croatia has older boats, sailing yachts and gulets; Greece has many catamarans. Crews in the east are usually local and in the west international.
Somewhere with short distances and sheltered water: the British Virgin Islands or the Exumas in the northern winter, the Whitsundays or Croatia in the northern summer, and the Amalfi Coast or the Ionian islands of Greece for a first Mediterranean week. Every itinerary we offer can be done as a family week or a party week; it is a matter of where you anchor and what you do ashore.
In more than 50 destinations worldwide: the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and Bahamas, Australia including Sydney and the Whitsundays, the South Pacific including Fiji, French Polynesia and New Zealand, the Maldives, the Red Sea, the Middle East, Norway, Antarctica, Indonesia and South America. Ahoy Club is based in Sydney with offices on the Côte d'Azur, in Fort Lauderdale and on Capri, and its own yachts MISCHIEF and CORAL OCEAN cruise Australia, the South Pacific and the Mediterranean.
From our logbook
Tell us the month, how long you have and who is coming. We come back with two or three places that fit, the yachts available in each, and what the trip would cost with the rate on the listing.
Explore available yachts