When half a day is not enough

A full-day yacht charter changes the pace of everything. Instead of planning around a return time, you have six to ten hours or more to wander along the coast, stop wherever the water looks inviting and sit down to a long, unhurried lunch at anchor. It is the closest thing to owning a yacht for a day, and for many guests it becomes the highlight of their holiday.

Time is what opens up the longer routes. From Vilamoura you can cruise west to the Benagil caves and Praia da Marinha, about 45 to 60 minutes away, with swim stops at Falésia and the Albufeira coves on the way. Head east instead and, in about the same time, you reach the sandbanks and channels of the Ria Formosa near Faro and Ilha do Farol, a completely different world of dunes and shallow lagoon water.

The western grottoes of Ponta da Piedade near Lagos are more than two hours from Vilamoura, so they are a full-day-only route, best on our longer ten-hour charters or from a yacht based in Lagos or Portimão. Every timing depends on the yacht and sea conditions, and your skipper will plan the day so the return is comfortable.

Our yachts in Vilamoura offer seven-hour days, eight-hour days on yachts such as the Azimut 80 and A Mar, and extended ten-hour days on NOON, Majestic, São Lourenço and Atlantis. In Albufeira, Portimão and Lagos our fleet offers full days too, including Serenity, a Sunseeker Predator 60 with eight- and twelve-hour options, a six-hour day on the Isla 40 catamaran from €850 and a seven-hour day on the Oceanis 45 from €1,200. As always, the price is for the whole yacht, VAT included, with skipper and crew, fuel, drinks and snacks.