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For many luxury resorts, offering guests the chance to explore away from shore has become a way to distinguish themselves from their peers. Some of the world’s most idyllic hotels and far-flung island retreats have added boats to their lists of activities, or in other cases, water-based pursuits that range from sportfishing to sunset cruises.
Several resorts offer day tours aboard yachts that showcase the area’s natural wonders. These trips are also novel ways for landlubbers to dip a toe in the water and see why passionate boaters thrive on the ocean.
Other activities include conservation efforts that showcase the natural beauty of a destination, enabling guests to become actively involved in the preservation of wildlife. They’re also the type of one-off experiences, such as turtle tagging and swimming with whale sharks, that guests can’t organize without experts.
Here are 11 exceptional water-based excursions attached to some of our favorite resorts around the world.
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New Marine Biology Center at Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives
Image Credit: Getty Images For conservation in the natural paradise that is the Maldives, Gili Lankanfushi’s new marine biology center allows guests to get involved in the resort’s Coral Lines Project. The project is designed to protect and replenish the island’s house reef, while increasing biodiversity and mitigating coral bleaching. Guests can choose to make their own coral lines or join a snorkeling tour with the marine biologists working to protect at-risk species and replenish the island’s seagrass meadows. Day- and nighttime snorkeling trips take place around the property’s reef, where a 50-foot drop-off includes sighting dozens of fish species, sea turtles, rays, and from June to November, giant manta rays. Price upon request
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Riva Aquarama Special at Le Sirenuse Positano
Le Sirenuse Positano, a five-star boutique hotel on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, has the ultimate bucket-list item for classic boat lovers. Besides activities like wine tasting with the sommelier, pre-breakfast pilates workout, and cocktail-mixing lesson, the hotel charters its vintage 1973 Riva Aquarama Special Five Fifty to guests and other Riva lovers. The creme de la creme of mahogany boats, the Aquarama is the vessel that royalty like Prince Rainier and stars like Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot chose to make their grand sea entrances into Monaco. Words like sexy, glamourous, and racy are typically used to describe the Aquarama. A skipper will take guests on a six-hour tour of the coast, stopping for lunch in Nerano, or even to Capri. The gleaming mahogany hull and sparkling stainless brightwork is guaranteed to gather admiring crowds in every port. About $2,200 (€2000) for a six-hour cruise, with a €500 surcharge for trips to Capri.
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Riva Experience at Bulgari Resort Dubai
Image Credit: Getty Images The Bulgari resort Dubai’s Riva Experience is a similar idea, but in a very different environment. Instead of the Amalfi Coast, guests are whisked away aboard the hotel’s tony Aquariva into Dubai’s waterways. Four different routes take in the city’s key sights, including Marasi Marina, the Dubai Canal, Burj Al Arab, Palm Dubai, Old Town Dubai, and Sunset and Jumeirah Bay Island. There’s no better way to see Dubai than by water in a stunning Riva. The experience is a slice of Mediterranean cool in the heart of the Middle East. From $800 per hour
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Red Chalet, Algarve Coast, Portugal
Image Credit: Courtesy Red Chalet The Algarve’s craggy coastline is best experienced by boat. For those who enjoy luxury, guests of the Red Chalet have access to the resort’s fleet of boats, ranging from a stylish Solaris 40 sportboat to a crewed Princess 66 motoryacht. The itineraries range from hopping around Portugal’s golden sandy beaches during daylight or sailing offshore for a sunset cruise. A typical day might include an alfresco lunch on the flybridge followed by an afternoon swim and then a well-deserved siesta on the foredeck sunpads. The larger Sunseeker accommodates 10 guests. From $1,500 for a three-hour sunset sail
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Swimming with Whale Sharks at Thanda Island, Tanzania
Image Credit: Getty Images The whale shark, which can grow to 60 feet, is the largest fish in the world. Swimming with these gentle giants can be a reality for guests of Thanda Island in Tanzania, one of the only places in the world that is home to this shark species year-round. The resort’s 115-foot yacht Over The Rainbow can either cruise around the eight-hectare island or venture to Zanzibar and Pemba Island. The resort partners with the Tanzanian Marine Parks and Reserves Unit to help conserve the 200-strong pod of resident whale sharks. In return, the plankton eaters happily allow divers and snorkelers to cruise idly alongside them for hours. Price upon request
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Sportfishing at Abaco Beach Resort, Bahamas
Image Credit: Getty Images/Jose Azel Abaco Beach Resort and Boat Harbor Marina in the Bahamas is the heart of some of the best fishing grounds in the world. The resort has direct access to vessels up to 200 feet, making it easy for anglers to experience both inshore and offshore fishing. The boats are helmed by skippers who know the waters and where the fish are biting. The species range from bonefish in the flats to marlin offshore. Prices depend on charter vessel
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Turtle Tagging at Oil Nut Bay, British Virgin Islands
Image Credit: Getty Images As if the British Virgin Islands were not already beautiful enough, right offshore of Oil Nut Bay is a marine sanctuary filled with sea turtles. Tagging turtles provides valuable research that aids conservation efforts. Working with a researcher, guests head out on tagging-boat excursions with the chance to swim alongside the turtles, partake in free-diving activities, and then, thanks to their tagging efforts, can follow the turtles’ adventures after returning home. From $2,100 for up to 12 people
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Watersports Charter at Soneva, Maldives
Image Credit: Courtesy Soneva Resorts Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani are best known for their overwater hideaways in the middle of the Maldivian archipelago. But for a liveaboard adventure, the resort’s 75-foot yacht Soneva in Aqua is available for guests to get a more intimate sense of the water. Setting sail from either resort to areas Baa Atoll, Goidoo, Innafushi Island, and Viligili Island, guests can also spend their days at Turtle Reef, snorkeling off the boat, exploring underwater stretches with a seabob, or riding alongside dolphins on the aptly named Dolphin Glider. There’s also paddleboard yoga, exploring the atoll by kayak or catching the Maldives’ endless surf breaks. After sunset, snorkeling trips showcase life in the reef in the moonlight. From $6,980 per night
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Shark Diving at Vomo Island, Fiji
Image Credit: Courtesy Vomo Island In the 225 acres of water around Fiji’s Vomo Island, there are multiple ways to see the local marine life. Shark-reef diving is one activity, but the chance to encounter larger and more dangerous bull and tiger sharks in a more dangerous setting moves shark-diving from sublime to extreme. While guests watch from behind a man-made rock formation, the resort’s divers slip fish guts to 20 sharks gathered for a feeding frenzy. It’s an unusual chance to safely get up close and personal with some of the most revered predators on the planet. Guests who aren’t certified can gain their PADI certification during their stay in one of the world’s most idyllic underwater destations. From $440 per person for each dive
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Island Hopping at Rosewood Castigion del Bosco, Italy
Image Credit: Courtesy Rosewood Castigion del Bosco Aside from its prolific and famous vineyards, Tuscany’s long stretches of golden beaches lure visitors from all over the world. This summer, Castigion del Bosco is whisking guests away on its 55-foot Swan sailing yacht to experience the Italian Riviera from the water to some of its prime attractions. The island of Elba is one of the most scenic sites in the region. Not only is it the site of Napoleon’s exile, it is flanked by the Argentario coast, which stretches towards the Tyrrhenian Sea. Explore hidden caves, drop anchor in small bays—known locally as “cale”—and island-hop your way around the hottest months of the year with the cool sea breeze on your face and the wind in your hair. Price upon request
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Cliff Jumping at Six Senses Ibiza
Image Credit: Courtesy Six Senses Ibiza A cruise along Ibiza’s rugged coast and past the highest lighthouse in the Balearics is the best way to start the day. For a little added zest, teaming it with a round of cliff jumping is one of the coolest new ocean experiences offered by Six Senses Ibiza. Located in the beautiful bay of Cala Xarraca, guests can choose to sail aboard one of three boats—a conventional sailing yacht, the speedy Scanner Envy 950 or the resort’s solar catamaran. Guests are accompanied by a local guide who knows the best hidden gems along the coast, including the famed Cala Salada, a rocky pine-clad strip where the brave jump from heady heights straight into the gin-clear sea. From $1,100 for up to 10 people