BY NINA DONE 30 MAY 2023
From iconic Bond films to extravagant Hollywood blockbusters, superyachts have often played a starring role allowing us to imagine life aboard these luxury vessels. This time, it’s the backdrop that takes the star billing as we embark on a cinematic journey, delving into some of the best superyacht destinations around the world that have featured in movies.
From sun-soaked Mediterranean havens to the exotic hideaways, here’s our top picks of some of the most popular superyacht destinations that have graced our screens over the years.
The Lost Daughter
Just a two hours’ hop from Athens lies the charming pine-clad island of Spetses. Home to a raft of pretty beaches, rustic summer tavernas and vivid blue-green waters, the island created the picture-perfect setting for Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut The Lost Daughter, starring Oscar-winner Olivia Coleman as the inscrutable Leda.
Part of Greece’s Saronic archipelago, the tiny island covers a mere 10 square miles, with most of the action concentrated on the charming black and white mosaic esplanade in its eponymous capital on the island’s east coast. Here, the town’s narrow cobbled streets, awash with bustling cafes and bars that spill onto the pavements, meander around the gleaming white neoclassical red-roofed kapetanospita that line the scalloped harbor.
Sometimes referred to as the “Greek Monaco”, the island has played host to a number of prominent figures over the years. From Charles and Di, who spent part of their honeymoon here to the wedding of King Constantine’s son Prince Nicholas in 2010. With its dappled, pine-scented walkways and relaxed cafe vibe that ebbs and flows with the seasons, Spetses is quintessentially Greek, yet with perceptible influences from its Venetian and Ottoman rulers.
There is a summer bus that circles the island, however most people get around by bike or on foot. There are also a number of idyllic beaches only accessible by boat, including the whimsical Zogheria Beach where the majority of the filming took place, characterized by its gentle sloping sands and cool green waters.
For those looking for a little more glamor, Paradise Beach is run by the Poseidonion, an elegant hotel modeled on Cannes’ famed Ritz Carlton Hotel, and boasts an excellent restaurant, perfect for a spot of lunch with stunning views across the water.