These extraordinary yachts draw their inspiration from five-star hotels

Ultra-luxe ships bursting onto the scene.

Four Seaons Yacht.

Updated April 1, 2025, first published September 23, 2024

Four Seasons Yachts

The luxury hotel group is making its foray into the world of cruising in January 2026, with the launch of its first yacht offering 10 voyages that'll take people to exotic destinations such as the Caribbean and bucket-list locations such as the Mediterranean, complete with visits to the Greek isles. fourseasonsyachts.com

Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection

Four Seasons is not the only land-based hospitality chain going "afloat". After launching the 190-metre-long state-of-the-art Evrima in 2022 and Ilma earlier this month, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will unveil Luminara - the third in its fleet of luxury yachts - in mid 2025. ritzcarltonyachtcollection.com

Orient Express Silenseas

It's a name synonymous with rail journeys and whodunnits, but it's only a matter of time before "Orient Express" will begin to symbolise the epitome of luxury cruising, thanks to the launch of Orient Express Silenseas yacht in 2026. A partnership between the Accor hospitality group and Chantiers de l'Atlantique, a leading French shipbuilding company, it'll have only 54 suites, measuring on average 70 square metres. orient-express.com

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Aman at Sea

There are luxury hotels and there's Aman - so you can only imagine what the group's Aman at Sea is going to be like when it launches in 2027. Can't wait to get on board? The group's Amandira - with just five cabins and a crew of 14 - is already plying the waters off the islands of Indonesia. A nice way to "test the waters". aman.com/aman-at-sea

Words byAkash Arora

Akash is the Deputy Travel Editor for Australian Community Media. He has lived and worked in four cities around the world – Sydney, London, New Delhi and New York – and, at last count, travelled to 42 countries.

My all-time favourite destination is ... New York. You can drop a pin anywhere in Manhattan and start walking in any direction, and the sights and sounds of the city that never stops will begin to stimulate all your senses in an instant.

Next on my bucket list is … Scandinavia - at the peak of summer, when the sun almost never sets.

My top travel tip is … If you’re flying to Sydney from anywhere in the world, pick a window seat far from the wing on the left-hand-side of the aeroplane. If the weather gods and flight path align, you’ll have the most incredible views of the Sydney Harbour and Opera House.