Yesterday, I showed you some exclusive photos from the stunning bathrooms onboard the new 164-foot Trinity motoryacht Mine Games. Today, I’m going to continue that theme with some more exclusive pictures for you, this time from the way-cool bathrooms onboard the new 125-foot Hakvoort motoryacht Perle Bleue.

It’s not that I’m obsessed with bathrooms, mind you. It’s just that these yacht owners have decorated their day heads with more interesting features than I typically see onboard entire boats!

First, here’s one of the guest cabin bathrooms, which are done in limed teak with a pebble floor that feels like a Japanese foot massager when you walk on it:

Next we have the console in the master bath, which features a mother-of-pearl vanity cabinet behind the mirrors, a cracked-marble countertop, and painted glass bowls as sinks:

Last but not least is my favorite: the day head on the upper deck. It, too, has cracked marble, but this time it’s running up the walls and into spectacular, deep-blue mirrors. the copper sink is a nice touch, blending well with the pebble floor that’s just like the ones in the guest cabin bathrooms:

I’ll post more photos from onboard Perle Bleue along with my First Impression review in the next couple of days. Until then, if you want to know more about this $145,000-per-week motoryacht, contact the folks at Fraser Yachts Worldwide, or any reputable charter broker.

I was one of the first people aboard the new 164-foot Trinity motoryacht Mine Games during last week’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. It was pouring down rain, and the docks were virtually empty, so I took the opportunity to show up at the boat before the afternoon sunshine and the crowds that would come with it.

I’m told that later in the day, the journalists touring Mine Games were asked to leave their cameras behind. Nobody made that request of me, so I have here for you some exclusive photographs of a few interesting highlights of this yacht’s elegant interior. Specifically, I want to share three photos of the yacht’s bathrooms–which are nicer than some other yachts’ master staterooms.

Remember, Mine Games goes for $200,000 a week plus expenses as part of the International Yacht Collection fleet. Hence the spectacular nature of some of these decor highlights, by interior designer Patrick Knowles.

First up: The crystal sink in the bridge deck’s day head. It’s surrounded by jade-colored onyx, which is also used as the top of the bar in the sky lounge:

Next, here’s a look at the main deck’s day head–which the crew are affectionately calling “the jewel of the boat” thanks to its mural:

And last, this is a shot of the master bathroom, complete with a frosted-glass shower door done in the same style as the wall’s golden accents (look to the right of the hanging towel). The design is effective for privacy and beautiful:

You can get more information about chartering Mine Games from any reputable charter broker. To see more photos from the yacht, as well as my review, keep an eye on the CharterWave First Impressions section. I’ll be posting the article there soon.

I saw a good number of reputable charter brokers at last week’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. There are too many to name here individually, but suffice to say I ran into them as they tried to do the same thing I was doing: Get onboard as many charter yachts as possible to assess their quality, the crew’s skill level, and more.

What I did not see at the boat show was anyone from American Express–which I was looking for after a press release the company sent out early last week. It explained that anyone with an American Express platinum card can call a number and work with a travel expert to book a private yacht vacation.

This struck me as odd, since I’d never seen an AmEx representative at a boat show, which is a prerequisite for knowing anything at all about yachts in the first place. So I gave AmEx a call to try to understand exactly how they’re doing these yacht bookings.

Their spokeswoman told me that the company has “very seasoned” travel agents helping guests with their yacht charter planning. When I pressed her and asked point-blank whether these travel agents knew anything at all about yacht charter–as most do not–she answered that they book the charters by calling reputable brokers and having the latter do all the legwork.

Now, that’s a good thing in one respect: The company realizes that yacht charter is a unique kind of travel that requires the specialized knowledge of a charter broker, far beyond what a travel agent knows.

But to me, it’s not an ideal setup because you are, by definition, playing a game of “telephone tag” by trying to book this way. You tell the AmEx agent what you want, and she tries to relate it to the charter broker, who has questions for you that then have to go back through the AmEx agent. Something is bound to get lost in the translation, and it very well may be something that makes or breaks your charter yacht vacation.

It’s good to trust brands you know–and American Express is certainly a trustworthy brand–but when it comes to private yacht charter, you need to put your faith in the person who’s doing the actual charter booking, even if their company is a new brand to you. At the very least, I’d ask the AmEx travel agent to give me direct contact with the charter broker, and then I’d run through a few basic questions to make sure the broker is reputable. Better yet, I’d skip AmEx altogether and simply work with a broker who has a proven track record in the yacht charter industry.

Charter is a growing industry, which is no doubt why American Express wants to get involved in it. But my advice is to be careful when working with any company that does not have a strong history in the yachting business, no matter how reliable it has been in other situations.