Four great escapes by the water

Beaches, breaks and berths in Baja

Paradero Todos Santos, near the tip of Baja California Sur in Mexico, sits in one of that country’s more beguiling landscapes, a magical confluence of desert, ocean and cut-glass Pacific light. It’s all about easy access to the best beaches and surf breaks, which is one of the reasons – along with the gorgeous architecture and landscaping – the resort has become a favourite of West Coast Americans since its opening in 2021. Paradero also has a presence across the state, on the Sea of Cortez, where its 14m sail-powered catamaran, Paradero at the Sea, is available for both day excursions and multi-night charters, with berths for up to 12 guests.

The sea teems with marine and mammal species

People are relatively few and far between over here, but the 750-mile-long sea teems with marine and mammal species: turtles, manta rays, sea lions, huge shoals of tropical fish and some 39 per cent of the world’s whale and dolphin species (including the critically endangered vaquita, found nowhere else on Earth). The excursions – eight hours of sailing, with a skipper, chef, bartender, crew and experienced guide – take in pristine beaches for sundowners or picnic lunches, a handful of the sea’s more than 900 islands, and less-known snorkelling sites among its coral reefs. paraderohotels.com, from $1,200, four-night minimum stay

Le Sirenuse takes pool position in Positano

For almost a decade, Carla and Antonio Sersale – owners of Le Sirenuse in Positano – have been cultivating a contemporary art project in the environs of their hotel, which tumbles over several storeys down the steep grade of the town towards its pebble beach. Working with London-based independent curator Silka Rittson-Thomas, the couple have filled its sitting rooms and lounges, its curving staircases, and its candlelit restaurant, La Sponda, with site-specific works by the likes of Stanley Whitney, Alex Israel, Rita Ackermann and Martin Creed (the hotel’s main bar is colloquially known as the “Don’t Worry” bar, for the multi-hued neon sign that Creed created for it in 2016). 

In April, the Sersales and Rittson-Thomas inaugurated the latest addition – a permanent installation by the Swiss artist Nicolas Party, composed entirely of tiny Bisazza glass tiles set into the bottom of Le Sirenuse’s pool. Jade, turquoise, cobalt and burnt-orange forms are layered over and into each other; dive in, and watch the water explode the design’s edges into waves of dynamic abstract colour. It’s brilliantly interactive and totally sui generis, the joy of summer made manifest. Come from anywhere for lunch or dinner at La Sponda and you can admire it; stay a few nights for the option of living the poolside dream. sirenuse.it, from €1,000

For sail, off the coasts of southern Corsica

Ponant’s version of small-is-beautiful is one we can get behind. Its ships average around 100 cabins; Le Ponant, its three-masted sailing yacht, has just 16; its six-point sustainability mandate monitors emissions (not just CO2 but nitrogen and sulphur oxides as well) and waste; and its ship Le Commandant-Charcot has an onboard lab where climate scientists and biologists work on subsidised research. (There’s also a Foundation that has allocated close to €1mn across 13 conservation and research projects over the past six years.) This month, they’re going even smaller: the Spirit of Ponant is a 24m, six-stateroom Lagoon Seventy 7 catamaran that will initially sail the coasts of southern Corsica and northern Sardinia’s Maddalena Archipelago before moving to the Seychelles for winter 2024.

The small size promises access to hidden anchorages; the captain will plan itineraries with his guests from day to day, with a chef and three crew; and the water-sports equipment on board includes snorkelling and fishing kit, a floating pontoon, wing foil packs and eight stand-up paddleboards. ponant.com, from €7,500pp for an eight-day, seven-night Corsica cruise

Imagining a different southern Italy

In 2022, Aldo Melpignano – whose Egnazia Ospitalità Italiana hotel group runs Puglia’s Borgo Egnazia – assumed management of the very elegant but faded Hotel Santavenere, on Italy’s other southern coast. Melpignano already had a 33m yacht, Imagine, which sailed the world with chartered guests aboard, proposing exotic adventures with a pronounced Italian ethos of service (and delicious food). He has quietly transformed the Santavenere over a rolling renovation, filling its tiled halls and whitewashed rooms with rich textiles and upping its food game.

Imagine, meanwhile, has returned to Italy and, post a few touch-ups in the shipyard, will be in the Tyrrhenian for much of the summer and available for charter. The hotel and yacht make a pretty special combination: the former on a stretch of black volcanic beach in one of the south’s less-frequented regions, the latter primed to cruise out to the Aeolian islands and Ustica, or southward from Naples and along the Amalfi and Cilento coasts. santavenere.it, from €529; imaginesailing.com, tailored charters from €61,000 a week

@mariashollenbarger