Emerald Kaia

Arriving in Athens we were transferred by Mini-Coach to where the ship was docked and after being welcomed by Emerald crew and the Captain were through security in 10 minutes, carrying only  a maximum of 128 Passengers does have its benefits!

First view of the Superyacht takes your breath away and she would not look out of place in the Marinas of Monaco or the French Riviera! The Captain was waiting to welcome us onboard and within minutes I was opening the door to my Spacious Balcony Suite after completing the check-in which is done onboard followed by a 5 minute personal safety briefing.

The Suites were larger than I expected with a huge bed the centrepiece as well as having a spacious shower room, seating area and balcony. Next it was time to explore the Yacht before dinner and I was immediately taken by the relaxed and intimate atmosphere which enhances the feeling that you are almost on your own personal yacht.

Crew all the way up to the Captain are often visible around the yacht and happy to answer any query but never intrusive. The Yacht itself is extremely spacious throughout and has more facilities than you would imagine with multiple options for dining and entertainment such as the Main, Sky Bar & Observation Lounges and for dining the Main Restaurant, Aqua Café and Night Grill.

If that’s not enough then there is of course the Spa & Sauna, Hairdressers and a unique Gym that can open to the sea! Add to that a Marina Deck at the aft of the ship which has a host of free watersports and even an inflatable waterchute running up the height of the Yacht!

Breakfast was a joy being part buffet and part cooked to order and I can highly recommend the Eggs Benedict!

After breakfast we made our way to the Zodiac for the 5 minute tender to Spetses harbour to enjoy a walking tour around the town and learn of its rich history in Seafaring and wars gone by and how it was and still is popular to this day with Greek shipping magnates and tycoons.

Our afternoon was at our leisure and with the sun shining I made my way to the Sun Deck where there are a host of sunbathing options from loungers to cabanas. As well as plenty of sunbathing options if you wish to cool off there are two outdoor Jacuzzi’s and if that wasn’t enough an infinity plunge pool above the aft Marina Deck but for me it was the large outdoor jacuzzi complete with a steady supply of cocktails.

In the evening we made our way to the main lounge for pre-dinner drinks before enjoying a lovely meal in the La Cucina, the menu changes every night and many choices are sourced locally though they do also always have a selection of fixed favourites. If you don’t want to dine in the main restaurant then there is also Solea Café serving everything from pizza, gourmet burgers and salads day or night and the Night Grill which is an intimate Tepanyaki Asian style grill which you can experience for a small supplement and definitely needs booked in advance.

After a restful sleep it was back to the restaurant for Breakfast before deciding to visit the Yacht’s bridge and unlike most cruises you can visit pretty much 24/7 as long as the door is open, they even have a seated area where you can watch all the happenings for as long as you wish or read a book. After a visit to the Gym to work off some of the weight gained from the Al a Carte dining it was time to disembark the yacht and as with boarding we were off the yacht within minutes.

It really was a wonderful, relaxing cruise and the yacht is especially perfect for visiting smaller and less visited ports in Europe but also for quiet out of the way beaches be it the Caribbean or the Indian Ocean Islands with the yacht being able to tender very close to the beach and then if need be use the zodiacs for the final hop over to the beach.

Emerald Ocean Superyachts operate on an inclusive basis, drinks with lunch and dinner, all gratuities, wi-fi and watersports equipment are all included.