There’s something enduringly charming about holidaying on a boat.
In theory, the world is your oyster, with hedonistic agendas shaped by surf, sunshine and lazy waterside lunches – rather than same-old, box-ticking sightseeing. And yet you needn’t have a budget the size of a celebrity superyacht (nor any boating qualifications) to get on board. These shipshape breaks, which range from simple DIY cruisers in the UK to sun-soaked sailings in the Med, all ring in at fair prices.
And crucially, at the time of writing, they all still have availability for this summer…
Celeb style on the Amalfi Coast
Best for: Glitz and glamour
Amalfi is the pinnacle of the stylish holiday-on-sea. As landlubbing hordes sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic on coastal roads, A-listers escape to the glittering Tyrrhenian Sea, taking in sunshine, dramatic scenery and fabulous seafood from aboard glitzy yachts. Get a slice of the action on a four-day group sailing trip setting off from ancient port Procida – famed for its colourful houses – and hopping to the likes of Ischia island, lemon tree-coddled Sorrento and ancient site Pompeii. Select meals are included and you’ll feast on local olives, fish and mozzarella while keeping eyes peeled for celebs cruising by. Wait, was that George Clooney?
Book it: From £881pp for four days, intrepidtravel.com
Canals in the Netherlands
Best for: Cities and cheese
As somewhat of a ‘big deal’ in the canal world, the Netherlands knows boating breaks. So take a leaf out of the Dutch book and get aboard a self-catered, self-drive cruise starting and ending in Vinkeveen Plassen, a vast lake in Utrecht province popular for its swimming and watersports. Along with up to five other shipmates aboard the Elegance, make your way north to Amsterdam to explore the capital –or southeast to medieval Utrecht city, famous for its soaring church tower and venerable university. Wherever you head, break things up with stops in little villages like cute Gouda and Edam, home to (what else?) cheese galore.
Book it: From £434pp for seven-nights, leboat.co.uk
Beginner’s cruising in Norfolk
Best for: Easy British boating
The low-lying Norfolk Broads – a pancake-flat landscape of rivers and lakes lined with reeds, fields, windmills and brick structures – is a great spot for a beginner’s DIY boating break. Not only are waters calm and free of locks, boats for hire are easy to drive with modern steering mechanisms and side thrusters to help you moor. Hire a vessel sleeping between two and six people, power down the retractable sunroof and cruise along the serene waters keeping eyes peeled for waterside pubs. When the day begins to fade, you can cook up dinner on board and sit out to the chorus of birds calling across the Broads.
Book it: From £271pp for three nights, richardsonsboatingholidays.co.uk
Coast-hopping in Croatia
Best for: Cruise-style pampering
For all their thrills, some boating breaks can be a smidge rough-and-ready. But book aboard the Princess Eleganza and you’ll be treated to the pampering standards of a cruise, alongside the intimacy of a 36-guest vessel. As you voyage upwards along the coast of Croatia from Dubrovnik – stopping off at islands such as KorÄula, Vis and Rab – you can sit back on the sprawling sundeck to watch the sun-baked Adriatic scenery roll by. Most of your meals are included so you’ll have the chance to meet like-minded travellers over a glass of wine, and cabins are comfier and more private than most.
Book it: From £1,995pp for eight days, aptouring.co.uk
Adventure in Brittany
Best for: Proper old-school sail boating
Fancy yourself a would-be captain? Learn the ropes – quite literally – on a sailing adventure aboard a traditional wooden cutter, Pellew, traversing the Channel from Cornwall to Brittany. The speedy ship is a modern replica of an 1842 model so when you (optionally) muck in on board with steering and navigating, it’s the true ‘authentic’ experience. Once in Gallic waters you’ll pootle along sandy beaches, forage at baguette-stuffed markets and discover little-known islands in the Molène archipelago. And with just seven other berths in a shared cabin-style sleeping space, your clutch of fellow shipmates might quickly become, well, actual mates.
Book it: From £1,737pp for nine nights, venturesailholidays.com
Iberian chill in Ibiza
Best for: Total flexibility
The White Isle entices travellers until late September with its sandside restaurants, glam hotels and eclectic late-night entertainment. So little wonder it’s the most-booked destination this summer with Click&Boat, a rental platform that lets you tailor private group boating breaks by style (sailboat or motor boat, say), skipper basis and on-board amenities. For example, the Beneteau Oceanis Clipper 31 hosts six people complete with barbecue, outdoor speakers and snorkelling equipment – plus a kitchen for keeping your rosé chilled. Hire it for just a day or two and enjoy the rest of your hols on terra firma, or splash out for longer and explore Ibiza’s various ports and the relaxed neighbouring island of Formentera.
Book it: From £784 for seven nights, clickandboat.com
Narrowboating in Worcestershire
Best for: Lock adventures
A summer break on the canals of Worcestershire comes with plenty of charms. Coffee mornings soundtracked by birdsong. Walks along the foliage-fringed waterfront. Pub gardens with refreshing pints. A narrowboat trip unlocks all of this, letting you float your way along serene waterways on a week-long loop from Stoke Prior – taking in the cathedrals of Worcester and the historic basins of Stourport. Coasting along the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, you’ll work up an appetite emptying and filling the many locks; few boating breaks are quite so physically demanding (or satisfying). Don’t forget to bring Fido along too; local boat rental company Black Prince welcomes dogs on board.
Book it: From £338pp for seven nights, black-prince.com
Glam gulet on the Turquoise Coast
Best for: Big group getaways
You’ll need 11 other willing seafarers to join you on Salamander Voyage’s exclusive-hire Turkish gulet, but the effort in rounding them up should be more than worth it. Together you’ll spend a week feeling like rockstars, sailing along the postcard-pretty Turquoise Coast from Göcek to Kekova with three meals a day, afternoon teas and drinks served up by wait staff. All this (including alcohol) is thrown into the package, as are crew fees and fuel. You’ll also have free use of paddle boards, canoes and snorkelling gear for exploring the region’s famously luminous waters and sheltered bays.
Book it: From £1,905pp for seven days, salamandervoyages.com
Fortnight of fun in Montenegro
Best for: A long stay in the sun
If you have a full two weeks to spare and want to spend that bathing in rays, this affordable trip aboard a 54-foot yacht will plunge you into the depths of the Adriatic. Kicking off from the Croatian port of Split and winding down along the undulating coast of Montenegro, it lets you tick off yacht-cluttered Tivat, Unesco-listed Kotor and lively, beachy Budva along with seven other passengers. Double rooms and plentiful bathrooms give a level of comfort, while an outdoor deck space offers the chance to bed-down under the stars.
Book it: From £2,649pp for 15 days, gadventures.com
