Make like a billionaire aboard a super-yacht

HIGH summer is when the billionaire super-yachts come out to play, moored in glitzy marinas in holiday hotspots and always drawing envious stares. Yet if you think staying on one is ridiculously out of reach, think again.

For a taste of yachting life, sleek Sunborn, all decked out in shiny brass and wood with a striking chandelier in the three-deck-high atrium, is a fun and affordable choice.

The ship is permanently moored in London’s Royal Victoria Dock, and on a fine night nothing beats drinks and dinner on the aft decks with sensational city views.

Sunborn makes a handy base for concerts at the nearby O2 and, thanks to the new Elizabeth Line, is just 20 minutes from the trendy East End and 25 from the West End. There are 138 spacious doubles, most with balconies, starting at £129 per night (sunbornlondon.com).

Farther afield, you can loll on a deluxe double sunbed, wallow in one of the couples’ hot tubs and snorkel straight from the marina platform in the turquoise Caribbean Sea aboard one of SeaDream Yacht Club’s twin yachts. With an almost one-to-one crew-to-passenger ratio, you’ll feel like a treasured guest on a private yacht.

Fly to Barbados on March 2, 2023, to stay three nights at the Colony Club before boarding 56-cabin SeaDream I for a sixnight Windward Islands Getaway. The cost for the ten-night cruise-and-stay package, including flights, drinks and tips on board, is from £4,995pp with Mundy Cruising (mundycruising.co.uk).

Super-yachts are also available through sister lines Scenic and Emerald (better known for river cruises), with tempting discounts if you book before August 30.

A winter-sun, eight-night Gems Of The Arabian Peninsula cruise on January 9 from Qatar to Dubai aboard new 100-passenger Emerald Azzurra costs from £3,550pp, including flights. Swim in the infinity pool, be soothed and smoothed in the Wellness Centre and sip sundowners at the top-deck cocktail bar (emeraldcruises.co.uk).

For a super-yacht lifestyle, look no further than Scenic Eclipse, which has two helicopters on board to whisk you up and away, a submarine to show you the ocean’s hidden depths, and butlers galore. There are 114 spacious suites and a spa. A ten-night Latin American Delights all-inclusive cruise sails from Lima to Santiago on October 21, exploring the Pacific coasts of Peru and

Chile. Guests get the chance to visit old colonial towns, pre-Columbian archaeological sites and beaches with abundant wildlife, guided by the ship’s expedition leaders.

From £5,113pp, flights included (scenic.co.uk).