Close your eyes and picture the most perfect tropical scene you can possibly imagine. Warm turquoise waters breaking on deserted white sand beaches fringed by gently swaying palm trees. Tropical fish shoaling on colourful coral reefs, a single yacht moored inside the reef in calm water rests comfortably at her anchor. That could be you. A yacht charter in French Polynesia, put simply, is the most perfect tropical sailing holiday you can possibly imagine.

The Society Islands lure yachtsmen from all over the globe but most visitors to the islands arrive via Tahiti. The capital city has plenty on offer from quality restaurants and vibrant nightlife to bustling marketplaces and cultural attractions. The Society Islands of Huahine, Raiatea, Bora Bora and Tahaa, where the scent of vanilla drifts out to meet you on the breeze, are a yacht charter paradise. Each surrounded by reefs, you sail outside the reef and then enter the lagoons through the gaps in the reef to anchor. Outside, trade winds give fantastic sailing while inside the reefs, the water is flat and shallow and changes colour to an inviting turquoise, begging you to jump in. Ashore resorts and small towns offer possibilities to explore the culture of the islands or you could just take the dinghy ashore and laze on the numerous perfect sandy beaches.