Oasis of calm

Alunya belongs to experienced owners who love to take their family on extended cruises in the Mediterranean. And it was thanks to this experience at sea that they could clearly envision their life aboard, predicting how they wanted to use the available spaces. Working with the owners along with David Westwood and Michael White, founders of the brokerage company TWW Yachts as owner’s representatives, Benetti has achieved the atmosphere of conviviality and seamless indoor-outdoor connection that were at the heart of the brief from the owners.

“The owners put a tremendous amount of time and energy into the project,” says Westwood. “They are very attentive to detail, but are also very good at imagining the expected use they would get from different areas aboard. Thinking all the way down to how they would want to sit in a certain area – for example, if it was a slouchy zone or a sit-up-straight area – drove their choice of furnishings, and the end result speaks for itself.”

Key to Alunya’s concept was the owner’s desire to create a comfortable and inviting ambience.

Light and relaxing tones of cream and white were used, with natural materials such as Carrara marble and bleached curly maple set off by darkly grained ziricote wood accents. The owner skipped the formal dining area in the saloon, choosing instead to create an open living area followed by a lounge. The living area has large sofas facing each other to take advantage of the sweeping views through the large windows. The sofas were designed in-house at Benetti while the coffee tables in organic shapes are by Italian furnishing company Paolo Castelli. Just past the living area is a drinks lounge with seating by Minotti and Cassina, which is arranged around a coffee table that might not be intended primarily as a spot for resting cups of warm liquid, seeing as a fully stocked bar in back-lit onyx glows invitingly close by.

“The owners didn’t want crew on hand at all times – they wanted bars where they could serve themselves or make their own cup of coffee,” explains Westwood, and this saloon set-up is an excellent introduction to the immanently liveable and elegantly informal mood that reigns aboard Alunya.

The full-beam owner suite is forward on the main deck. Here, the owners changed the ensuite (fitted with Calacatta Borghini marble) and closet layouts to get the most storage space possible while maintaining a light and airy look. The suite has a central bed, desk and corner settees, but most notable is a private balcony to starboard, perfect for a morning coffee or an afternoon chat.

Eight guests can be accommodated in the yacht’s four lower-deck cabins, all of which are ensuite and fitted to the same degree of luxury as the rest of the yacht.

The skylounge on the upper deck is an additional chill social area with a plush sofa, armchairs and a lacquered table that can be used to shoot off a couple of emails or play cards and board games. Further forward, the yacht’s elegant bridge is an area where crew and guests can discuss plans for the day then enjoy the yacht’s operation via its integrated bridge system. This blurring of crew area and guest area means as much of the yacht is available to guests as they want.

Of course, privacy was a consideration when planning the yacht’s layout. Guests and crew enjoy separate staircases and pathways, with all crew areas like the bridge, galley, pantries and crew quarters accessed from the port side of the yacht.

All of Alunya’s outdoor areas are extra-large and well-appointed – in fact, even though this is a 50-metre yacht, she checks in at just under 500 gt thanks to her abundance of unenclosed areas. From the upper-deck lounge, it’s a quick hop up to the sundeck, where the wealth of Alunya’s outdoor spaces begin to unfold.

“The owners really thought about giving different spaces different synergies,” says Westwood.

“Their thought process was always, what does this area have to offer that’s different from the yacht’s other spaces?”

Well, there’s no place aboard that’s better for sun than the sundeck, which is why the owners chose a luxuriously oversized sunpad forward in a spot with sweeping views and fresh air. There’s a table under the hardtop where they can relax with a fresh drink from the bar or enjoy a light meal prepared at the outdoor kitchen, and there’s an outdoor living area and sunloungers further aft.

The upper deck aft looks to be Alunya’s main dining area, with a large dining table under the overhang and couches fully aft. “The owners were envisioning buffet-style meals here in a spot that’s shaded but still outdoors,” says Westwood. “And RWD was genius at designing the foredeck lounge area – even when Alunya is in port, there’s lots of seating and it’s really private.”

But Alunya’s stand-out feature is her Oasis Deck. This Benetti innovation redefines the traditional swim platform/beach club/garage layout to feature a large transom with side sections that fold out hydraulically to become a huge terrace on the sea that can be used for anything from swimming to dancing.

“The Oasis Deck isn’t for everyone,” Westwood says. “It’s great if you like to anchor in a bay like these owners do, but if you spend time in port, it might not be private enough. But for these owners, who took delivery of the yacht and took off for seven weeks at sea, the easy flow from the deck to the water was simply everything.”

With its side sections opened, the Oasis Deck offers guests a truly enviable 110 square metres of wide-open outdoor space that is complete with unobstructed views, a glass-backed pool and comfortable seating facing the water.

In addition, there are just a few steps between the beach area and the aft cockpit, so when the main saloon’s glass doors are open wide, it seems more like a gazebo than an enclosed space.

Essentially, it’s just one straight shot from the onyx bar all the way aft to the water. There’s space for entertaining and a real connection to the environment, where the lines between indoor and out are truly blurred.

Tenders and toys are launched from a bow garage so that life aft on the Oasis Deck can continue undisturbed even if someone wants to run back to land or use a jetski or some other water toy. The yacht runs on twin MAN V12 1,400 horsepower engines that deliver a 4,500-nautical-mile range at 12 knots and a maximum speed of 15 knots.

“The B.Now 50 model is one of the most popular models in our history, and the addition of the Oasis Deck has made it possible to offer new options to owners who enjoy close contact with the sea,” says Benetti COO Sebastiano Fanizza. “This new launch and the collaboration with TWW confirm the commitment the shipyard has to its customers and its role as a forerunner in yacht design.”

Adds Westwood: “Following Alunya’s build was an amazing experience. We had motivated owners, who are a lovely family, and we can’t emphasise enough how much of a pleasure it was working with Benetti on all levels. Laura Pomponi of Luxury Projects was also great.

“The project was a great success and incredibly fun,” he closes, “and, despite multiple interior changes, the yacht launched on time and was ready for her summer season, a 3,500-mile maiden voyage with no mishaps. I want to say a big thank you to everyone.” And, of course, thanks must also go to the Oasis Deck itself – and the world of possibilities it opens up.

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