“Discover the Ultimate Family-Friendly Superyacht Experience in Croatia”
New Family-Friendly Superyacht Experience in Croatia
Cruising into posh ports of call aboard a superyacht doesn’t exactly conjure images of an ideal (or relaxing) family holiday. But thanks to a new luxury vessel cruising off the coast of Croatia this summer, your opulent champagne and board game fantasies come alive in the Adriatic Sea.
Goolets, a global yacht charter company founded nearly two decades ago, has completely refurbished its 49-metre Ohana (originally built in 2020), bringing a new look to the superyacht experience for the first time.
“There is a growing trend in the superyacht market for family-oriented luxury experiences,” said Ohana’s owner and captain Josep Šerka. “Our decision to pivot was driven by our passion for the sea and our desire to create lasting memories for groups and families.”
49-metre Ohana is family friendly
What’s New For Families?
Ohana’s original 18 cabins have been reduced to 14 to make room for two larger staterooms with pullout sofas so younger children can sleep accompanied by their parents. Each is equipped with plush cotton bed linens, air-conditioning, and ensuite bathrooms with good-sized showers and fluffy towels.
Safety is a top priority aboard Ohana, which is why railings were redesigned with child safety in mind, built to appropriate height specifications. They’ve also installed childproof locks and reinforced barriers to prevent accidental falls and other potential hazards.
Ohana increased its crew count to 12, which means more hands (and eyes) inside and out.
Additionally, two former cabins have been transformed into a cinema, where kids and teens can watch age-appropriate movies, and a playroom with a drawing table, rock-climbing wall, and a few books, toys, and games.
Dive into Croatia’s emerald water
Luxury Services
The ability to make requests on the fly is de rigueur when it comes to luxury travel, and Ohana’s crew has it covered, whether organizing daily yoga sessions, booking massages in the shade, or securing guides on shore or restaurant reservations. Onboard babysitting can also be arranged so parents can workout at the top deck gym, soak in the whirlpool, or read for a few peaceful hours on the 160-square-metre sundeck.
Ohana is equipped with paddleboards, SEABOBS, Jet Skis, and snorkeling gear. The crew can also set up the slide, inviting guests to step on at the top deck and splash down in the emerald water below.
Ohana’s upper deck is the place to hangout, snack and sunbathe
Explore the Shore
Ohana sails from Split, Croatia from May to October in one-week increments. The best part of the itinerary? There is no pre-planned itinerary! Where you go and what you see and do is up to you. Croatia’s creamy-hued ports of call and Medieval towns such as Korčula, Brač, Hvar, Vis, and Dubrovnik, are popular, but the countries coast is abundant with uninhabited islands and small coves surrounded by vineyard-draped hills and quiet turquoise bays. Daily tender rides make shore excursions to sandy beaches a breeze. Or have the crew arrange a picnic, suggest site seeing tours, or whatever else is on your wish list.
Captain Šerka is a father himself and hails from a seafaring family on the Croatian island of Brač, so he knows exactly where to go to punch up that family-friendly wow! factor each day.
Aerial view of the Adriatic island of Dugi Otok
Eat What You Want, How You Want
Plenty of indoor and al-fresco dining areas exist for meals, snacks, and evening Aperol spritz. There is also a barbeque on the top deck and a bright-and-airy formal dining room with 30 people at four separate tables. Once booked, guests work with a Goolets contact to design daily menus that consider dietary restrictions, special occasions and requests, kid-friendly nibbles, and more. Ohana‘s chef and crew make it happen whether you want to eat burgers in your bathing suit, need a special occasion cake, or want to dress up each night and tuck into a three-course dinner.
Every menu is crafted individually and depends on guests’ pre-planned requests. However recent sit-down dinner menus included:
Starters: Chilled avocado Soup, prawns with saffron rice and cherry tomatoes in a mascarpone sprite sauce, and traditional Croatian pasta with a black truffle sauce.
Mains: Sesame-crusted salmon, sea bass with cauliflower cream, roasted octopus and potatoes, and lamb chops in blackberry wine sauce.
Desserts: Tiramisu, soufflé in white sauce with ice cream, and chocolate cake.
From snacks to three course dinners, menus are planned to guests’ tastes
Cost
Pull together 28 members of your extended family, friends from the neighbourhood, or a cohort of your best buddies, and Ohana becomes surprisingly affordable. Rates for 2023 (May to October) run between $80,000 and $100,000 a week, or around $3,000* per person. Considering the luxury yacht experience, dedicated crew, custom-designed itinerary, and a guarantee that you won’t be standing in a buffet line with thousands of others or reading next to a speedo-clad stranger on the sundeck, it feels like money well spent. Included in the price is:
- A dedicated personal assistant for planning itineraries, excursions, and meals
- Fuel for cruising: 4 hours/day
- Daily cabin cleaning
- Crew: 11 crew members + a captain
- Daily 5 p.m. coffee/tea and snacks and a welcome drink on embarkation
- WIFI throughout your trip
- A one-of-a-kind and family-friendly superyacht experience
- Stunning ports of call you won’t find on mega cruise ships
(*Ask your Goolets advisor about food/ drinks costs and mandatory port fees/taxes/charges, etc.)
Make sure to factor in a tip. The crew works tirelessly to clean, cook, serve, organize, and keep smiling. A good rule of thumb for a satisfied guest experience is 10 percent of the charter fee, which is equally distributed among all crew members.
***
BeSeeingYou In: Croatia
Good to Know: As of January 1, 2023, Croatia officially moved from the Croatian Kuna to the Euro as its national currency
WOW! Factor: Croatia has over 1000 islands of which only 48 are inhabited
Tip: Goolets has several other yachts and vessels within its fleet, and offers charters in other parts of the world too
Author bio: Kimberley Lovato
Photos: Courtesy of Goolets
