by Klara Braga Jakobsen, Yacht Reviewer at DMA Yachting
The Croatian Yacht Show (CROYA) opened in Split in October 2024, and our team was on the docks for its first edition. We walked as many charter yachts as we could fit into the days, from brand-new catamarans to traditional gulets and large-group motor yachts, and came home with a clear picture of where the Croatian fleet is heading.
What is the Croatian Yacht Show?
CROYA is Croatia’s charter yacht show, held in Split each autumn since its first edition in October 2024. Central agents and owners bring their yachts to the docks so charter brokers can walk them, meet the crews and see the boats as a guest would, rather than in brochures. For us it is the one week a year when we can step aboard most of the Croatian fleet in a few days.
What did we find at CROYA 2024?
- The fleet is getting newer, fast. Several of the yachts that impressed us most were built in 2023 or 2024, and they set a new standard for the price.
- Catamarans are moving up. Sunreef is taking a clear lead in luxury catamaran charter, and power catamarans are still rare, which makes the good ones book early.
- Traditional boats still win on value. The best gulets offer authentic wood-built charm and real service at a price new builds cannot match.
- Large-group yachts sell out first. The best 20-plus-guest yacht at the show had a single week left for summer 2025 when we walked her.
- Crews compete on hospitality. The show even ran a Flavored Water Competition, and the crews who put care into the small things stood out.
Which yachts stood out to us?
ALLURE: our favorite traditional gulet
If you want a traditional yacht with real luxury at a fair price, ALLURE could be the one. She is wood throughout, so you feel you are on an authentic sailing yacht, and our whole team agreed she was the nicest gulet at the show.
Our broker John Boullin was invited to lunch on board and called it “one of the most well-balanced, thoughtful, and delicious meals I have ever eaten.” She takes up to 14 guests in seven cabins, which suits one or two families or a group of friends.
CORSARIO: the best blend of ship and luxury
Step aboard CORSARIO and you feel you are on a real ship, with teak decks and a big traditional bow framed in varnished caprail, yet nothing is lost on comfort. The flybridge jacuzzi sits behind the wheelhouse, sheltered from the afternoon breeze, and there is a sauna on board.
The saloon bar is one of the best equipped we saw. She leans into her name with pirate-themed parties and treasure hunts ashore, a real hit with families, and her stern VIP cabin, with portholes all around, impressed us even more than the master.
AMBER ONE: the power catamaran to beat
AMBER ONE is still one of the few power catamarans chartering in Croatia: catamaran space and stability with the speed and style of a larger motor yacht. She is a 2023 Sunreef, and her saloon feels like a floating penthouse, with windows all around and a bold black, beige and red scheme.
A door leads straight from the saloon to the foredeck, and a jet ski launches by crane from the stern, still rare on a catamaran. Her flybridge was the largest and nicest we saw on any catamaran at the show.
FREEDOM: the best large-group option
For groups of up to 22, FREEDOM gives you more yacht and more amenities for the money than anything else we saw, and she had only one week left for summer 2025 when we walked her. She is certified as a mini cruise ship for more than 12 guests but keeps a private superyacht feel.
The saloon has a gaming table set for blackjack and poker, the decks carry both a jacuzzi and a plunge pool, and below there is a sauna, a spa room and a cinema room with the “Freedom” scene from Braveheart on the wall.
MAJERA: the most carefully designed interior
MAJERA’s owner has had a big hand in her design, and it shows. The theme is dusty green, old-fashioned meets contemporary, carried from the marble in the bathrooms to the carpets and the custom bed linen.
A custom colored-glass bird light flies over the dining table, and her table setting was one of our favorites of the show. The flybridge has a long bar, a dining table and a lounge couch that lifts into a second table, and the jacuzzi sits on the foredeck.
MAJERA
MAR ALLURE: the complete package for the price
Brokers from our team and others described MAR ALLURE the same way: great condition, fantastic crew, excellent food and amazing value. A 2023 build with eight crew for twelve guests, she has the best sundeck of the motorsailers at the show, with one mast moved forward to leave it open, a jacuzzi aft, loungers down both sides and a bar and grill up front.
Inside, a dark, classic saloon with deep blue couches and a black and white terrazzo table gives her finesse well above her price.
HAPPY ME: the floating club
HAPPY ME was one of the most talked-about yachts at the show. Her interior is bold and Eastern-inspired, with custom Vietnamese silk embroideries (one took ten women a year and a half to make) and a rare full marble floor.
The aft deck is an arcade, with a pool table, a foosball table and a Star Wars pinball machine beside a lit purple marble bar, and there is a spa room below. She is not for everyone, but for a group that wants a yacht unlike any other, she stands out.
HAPPY ME
REPOSADO: the most thought-through design
REPOSADO arrived on the last day, straight from her final charter of the season, and was spotless for more than 100 brokers. Her design is consistent down to the napkins, which match the sundeck pillows.
She is a Tramontana, built in Croatia, with a center jacuzzi edged in marble, an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven, a fold-down balcony for morning coffee, a beach deck, two jet skis and a cruising speed to match the large motor yachts beside her.
REPOSADO
LADY GITA: the whole team’s favorite
LADY GITA is more than a pretty yacht; she is a concept, built around her slogan “Where You Belong” and theme nights designed for each group, including a dinner set high on an island among the ruins of an old film set. Eleven of her fourteen charters that season were repeat guests, one group on its sixth visit.
When word spread among our team, everyone made sure to get aboard for a look.
Our take
CROYA 2024 showed a fleet that is modernizing quickly without losing what makes Croatia special: real value, traditional boats done well and crews who care. The yachts above are the ones we still talk about, and several of them now sit on our Top 10 lists.
What to do next
- Compare the best catamarans: Top 10 Crewed Catamaran Charters in Croatia
- Browse the motorsailers: Top 10 Croatia Luxury Motorsailers
- Find a value gulet: Top 10 Best Value Croatia Gulet Charters
- Bring a big group: Top 10 Croatia Yacht Charters for 13-30 Guests
Last updated: October 2026
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