Broker insight
Not many larger motor yachts are actually based in the Ionian, but plenty of them charter there. They come up from Croatia, which is no distance at all, or through the Corinth Canal from Athens. So always ask. There may already be a yacht working the area that week, or a relocation fee worth paying for the right boat, and on a fast yacht the canal run is a special couple of days rather than a cost. Ask us and we will tell you what is actually open.
John Boullin
Charter Broker
| Name | Guests | Based | From / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAR & AWAY | 6 | the Ionian | €22,000 |
| OPERA | 8 | the Ionian | €25,000 |
| KENTAVROS II | 8 | the Ionian | €25,000 |
| STELA 117 | 8 | Lefkas main port | €35,500 |
| LA FENICE | 10 | Marina Gouvia, Corfu | €39,000 |
| GIA SENA | 8 | Corfu | €44,500 |
| LOVE T | 12 | Greece, cruising the Ionian | €100,000 |
All rates are per week plus expenses (APA and VAT).
7. FAR & AWAY
She is a Princess 66 built in 2019, six guests in three cabins, and the only boat here sized for one family rather than two. Twenty knots on a hull this size puts Corfu to Lefkada inside an afternoon, and the shallower Ionian anchorages that the bigger boats have to skip stay open to her.
Onboard there is a watermaker with 800 litres of capacity, an ice maker, a sun awning and a bimini so there is shade fore and aft, and a proper dine-in saloon. The toy list is short: a tender for four and two paddleboards. For a family of six who want speed and range rather than a beach club, she is the way onto this list.
6. OPERA
She takes eight guests in four cabins and cruises at twenty knots with a top end of twenty-four, which is quick for a 78 footer and what makes a Corfu to Zakynthos week a holiday rather than a delivery. There is a mini bar on the flybridge and a second in the master cabin, a wine fridge on the main deck, and a PlayStation for the slower afternoons.
She carries guest comments on file from three separate 2025 charters, which is a record a thirty year old hull earns rather than claims. Rates run €25,000 to €28,000 plus a 40 percent APA. For eight guests who care how a boat runs more than what year she was launched, she is the value on this list.
5. KENTAVROS II
She is a Ferretti 78 from 2000, fully refitted in 2018, with four en-suite cabins for eight guests. A master with a queen, a VIP with a double, and two twins whose singles convert to doubles. That conversion is what makes her work for a group that changes shape between the deposit and the departure.
Entertainment is unusually complete for the money, with a Bose home theatre in the main salon and screens in the master, the VIP and both saloons. The galley runs a proper Greek table, from tzatziki and taramasalata through to the grilled mains. She has client comments on file from repeat 2024 charters. At €25,000 she is the same money as OPERA and the better pick for a family with children.
4. STELA 117
She is an 85 ft Royal Denship built in 2012 and refit in 2023. Eight guests across four cabins, and the layout is unusually good for a boat this size: the master has its own jacuzzi, the VIP is proper, and the two twins convert to doubles for a group that arrives in a different shape than you expected.
There is a second jacuzzi on the flybridge, two levels of open-air space, and a swim platform. Toys run to a Sea-Doo Spark jet ski, a Seabob, wakeboard, water skis and snorkel gear. She scores 4.9 across 138 guest ratings.
3. LA FENICE
She is an 88 ft Azimut built in 2006 and refit in 2020, and she takes ten guests across five en-suite cabins: three doubles and two twins. That twin capacity is worth noting, because most Ionian boats at this size sleep ten only by putting couples together. Families with older children are the group she suits best.
On deck there is a jacuzzi, proper outdoor dining and a swim platform. Inside, every cabin has its own home cinema, with SONOS audio and an underwater camera. Toys include a standup jet ski, two Seabob F5s, paddleboards and water skis for adults and children.
2. GIA SENA
Eight guests in four en-suite cabins. The flybridge is the whole argument for her: a deck jacuzzi, sunpads, and shaded dining under a hardtop, so a group of eight can rotate between soaking, eating and sleeping without negotiating for space. She carries stabilizers that work at anchor, which is the detail that decides whether dinner and sleep are comfortable on a breezy night.
A Yamaha GP1800 jet ski handles the fast half of the day and the swim platform handles the rest. BOSE audio runs through the outdoor areas, saloon and master. She rates 4.9 across 163 guest ratings.
1. LOVE T
She is a 2022 Azimut Grande 35 Metri, 35 metres, twelve guests in five suites with seven crew. The owner’s cabin runs the full width of the boat with a private balcony, there are two VIP cabins, and the two twins convert to doubles with a pullman above. Stabilizers work at anchor as well as underway, which at this size decides whether a breezy night is comfortable.
The beach club is 130 square feet and the toys are a serious list: a ten metre Skipper chase boat on twin 400s, a Williams jet tender, a Sea-Doo Spark, Seabobs, a jellyfish pool and an inflatable platform. She starts at €100,000. For twelve guests who want the Ionian without compromising, she is the only boat here in her class.
