Summer 2020, see the Med in a whole new light

Plus, you’ll get to try some of the best food in the world and be surrounded by rich culture, from the frescos of Italy,
to relics of Ancient Greece.

Spend your days swimming, chilling on deck readying yourself for a glamorous night ashore in a chic resort, or go in search of atmospheric ruins, natural phenomena and authentic travel experiences.

Whatever you fancy, now is the time to make your own Mediterranean adventure and ensure this summer is like no other.

Amalfi Coast

Often considered Europe’s most beautiful coastline, the corniche road of  the Amalfi is where natural beauty meets unapologetic glamour. Lush mountainsides peppered with lemon trees, are stacked with pastel-hued houses and decadent hotels that peer precariously over the waters below. It’s the kind of place you feel you owe it to yourself to ride in a convertible.

As a playground of the jet set, there are plenty of sophisticated spas and restaurants, but if you want something more low-key, then wander the myriad piazzas where you will find laid-back locals sipping on Aperol spritz, or venture to peaceful bays where gentle turquoise seas will tempt you in.
The gateway town of Sorrento still has much of the charm that seduced Lord Byron and other literary greats (though today there are palatial hotels too), while in Paestrum you can find some of the best preserved Doric temples of anywhere in the world.
Capri is inescapably stylish, while the fishing town of Praiano offers a more sedate pace, as well as access to the legendary Path of the Gods hiking trail.
 

Cyclades

Santorini is a spectacular place to behold, unusual topography that is the result of a violent volcanic explosion thousands of years ago, which left a crater and the dramatic rock edge known as the caldera.

Most visitors hotfoot it to the sugar-cube village of Oia, where bright rooftops add splashes of colour. Watching the sun set from a restaurant terrace high on the caldera is an unforgettable experience, particularly if you can buy into the story that the fabled city of Atlantis may have once been right here.

Meanwhile, the once maligned isle of Mykonos is now one of Greece’s glitziest summer spots, though be warned: it’s largely  about the nightlife here, which  goes on well into the early hours.  Think late dinners and exclusive rooftop parties, before ending your night (or morning) at Astra – the club where anyone who is anyone will be.

Alternatively, the isles of the Small Cyclades, which lie off the coast of Naxos (three to its south, one to its northeast) offer a glimpse of the Greek islands before tourism took hold.
 

Balearic Islands

For party people, there’s really only one place to be in summer: Ibiza, which is known for its hedonistic party style.
Nobu Hotel, Ibiza Bay, is a good place to warm up for the night, sipping cocktails at the sandy beach club or filling up on the restaurant’s signature sushi rolls, before hitting the clubs of Marina Botafoch.
For more culture, take a guided tour of the Old Town, where you can really lose yourself in the labyrinth of passageways, or try some of the best tapas of your life in a family-owned restaurant only the locals know about.

Elsewhere, visit the caves of Atlantis beach, plunge into its rock pools, or let our crew organise a private yoga session for you in a hidden-away cove.
To really escape the crowds, venture to the white beaches of Formentera, including the uninhabited  isle of S’Espalmador, famed for its mud baths.

South of France

The Western Med, particularly the French Riviera,  is home to some of the best honed port towns  for the superyacht fraternity. Here people won’t bat an eyelid as you and your guests take a launch to shore (or even a helicopter), and the clientele  is far too classy to bug you at dinner.
The prestige of Cannes, St Tropez and Monaco are well known, and your superyacht will provide a fitting home-from-home for the many superstar events that take place over summer.

However, for more of a French feel than international flavour, head west of St Tropez, to the medieval streets of Montpellier, or the edgy and hip port of Marseille. Alternatively, go east and kick back at one of the blithe beach clubs of the the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula.
 

Hvar & Budva

Over recent years, the Adriatic has emerged as a major charter destination of note, not least because of its increasing infrastructure for visiting superyachts. Budva is one of a string of lively pretty coastal towns in Montenegro, including nearby Kotor, where the medieval architecture is topped only by the pretty beaches and azure waters. Stop by the Aman Sveti Stefan spa, housed in a 1930s-style former royal villa, and you’ll be following in the footsteps of Sophia Loren and Doris Day.

Hvar, the longest island of the Adriatic, lies just opposite the Unesco World Heritage City of Split, which is like an open-air Croatian museum to antiquity. The isle itself features inland lavender fields, stunning beaches and 13th-century walls.

And why not venture a little further north, to Istria, a relatively unspoiled and unknown region, which Lonely Planet has highlighted as one of its top destinations  for 2019, just don’t go telling anyone.

For a selection of yachts available in the Mediterranean summer 2020, contact your Edmiston broker or click here.