Well folks, I’m heading off to Bermuda for a few days of rest and relaxation. If I even see a computer, I plan to run for the hills!

See you back here on February 1, when I’ll resume my daily blog postings.

Take a look at this photograph that I snapped recently onboard a charter yacht:

Now, if you saw this photograph in the yacht’s glossy brochure, you’d probably think, “Perfect! This yacht has a well-equipped gym, just like I want to have onboard during my charter.” And then you’d move on to the next page, with the photo of the beautiful dining room, and then on to the next page, with the photo of the hot tub, and so on.

The thing is, when deciding which charter yacht has the amenities you will most enjoy, it sometimes pays to try to see beyond the picture in the brochure–or at least to ask questions about the pictures you’re being shown.

In this particular case, to get to this gymnasium, I had to leave the yacht’s guest areas, walk into the crew area and past the laundry room, then climb precariously backwards down a ladder with narrow steps.

Is that the end of the world? Of course not–but I’ll bet it’s not what you’d expect to find based solely on this photo of a beautifully finished gymnasium. Onboard this particular yacht, knowing the location of the gym before booking happens to be just as important as knowing that the gym exists.

Any reputable charter broker should point out these kinds of interior design flaws onboard the yachts you’re considering for your own vacation, but if there’s a particular room that you’re keen to use often because it looks nice in the brochure, you’d be wise to ask about its accessibility.

As the adage goes, location can mean everything in terms of value.

I was hopping around the World Wide Web yesterday, looking for some information about a few crewed charter yachts, when I landed at the all-new and much-improved online home of Merrill-Stevens.

Until now, the company’s site had been a hodgepodge that combined the former Merrill-Stevens site with that of Koch, Newton & Partners, which Merrill-Stevens acquired in 2006. Frankly, the combined site was a bit ugly and tough to use.

The new site is much nicer and easier to navigate, including the charter section. It features suggested charter itineraries, tips for anyone booking a charter, and a section I’ve not seen on any other charter company’s website: “megayachts over 12 passengers.”

That growing niche in the charter market is something we’ve talked about here on CharterWave (see our First Impression of Sherakhan), and it’s nice to see a charter company focusing on it on their own website.

You can check out the new online look of Merrill-Stevens by clicking here.