M M
Google
We have done three MarineMax vacations on the Aquila 443 and loved it! It is our favorite way to vacation. The boat is luxurious and the layout is fantastic. It is so comfortable cruising on this yacht, even in rare high seas.
The main, king cabin is full beam so it is quite spacious and it has it's own bathroom. The other two cabins are smaller/cozy and each has its own bathroom. The fly bridge is absolutely amazing and its a great place to hangout at night. It has a large table which is great for dining, playing cards or just hanging out. Most evenings ended with us nightcapping on the flybridge and enjoying the water, lovely breezes and island lights. The flybridge also has a small grill which is nice for lunches or even dinners.
The boat has an onboard water maker, generator and airconditioning. All of these are game changers, especially the water maker - no need to make stops just to get fresh water for showers, etc.
The main salon is perfect, yes perfect. It has a nice-sized dining table for hanging out or trip planning. With the available satellite wifi we even lowered the table into a large couch and enjoyed a couple of Netflix movie nights! The kitchen in the salon is small but suitable for its purpose - burners, microwave, toaster, etc. There is also ample storage and refrigeration with a fridge drawer, freezer drawer and a huge onboard cooler.
One of our many favorite things about these boats is the passthrough window from the salon to the stern table. Every morning we would take a swim, cook lunch, open up the pass through and have breakfast at the table or the window bar (it has stools). That is, if we decided not to dine on the flybridge. So cool!
I captained the boat two times and we used a captain the last time. Although I am a very experienced boater, including captaining 40+ foot boats, I would strongly recommend a captain. The 443 handles like a dream but there is a lot of peace of mind having a captain deal with anchoring, mooring and even making arrangements at restaurants and docks! If there are ANY boat issues, the captain takes care of them and can quickly dispatch the MarineMax technicians if needed. Captain Andrew was awesome!
Regarding the BVI, this is our favorite Caribbean island(s). We have travelled to Jamaica, St. Barths, St. Maarten, Curacao, St. Lucia, DR and many other islands nothing compares to the BVI. The islands are clean, safe and some of the best dining you will find anywhere.
The Baths are a must-see destination. Saba Rock, Pirates Bight, Leverick Bay, JVD/Soggy Dollar, LJVD, Sopers Hole, The Indians, Norman Island, Cooper Island, Cane Garden, ... All are unique, beautiful destinations.
The bad thing is that vacationing with MarineMax BVI has ruined all other vacations for us! Once you are on the boat, your only worry is which island do I go to and where do we enjoy dinner! Every time we consider a vacation, we always end up back to booking a MarineMax BVI vacation!
Thanks to Tammy W and the MarineMax staff for making the booking process simple and insuring that we have the perfect BVI vacation!
PS: I've attached a few photos, including drone shots.