Disclaimer: Thank you to Liquid Desire for hosting us as your guests. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely our own.
When was the last time you did something truly amazing? Something truly unique?
We all long for such an experience, and we were fortunate enough to find that with Liquid Desire. Anthony (the owner and our captain) asked us to join him and his golf buddies to celebrate the winners of the Mirage Country Club Championships for a private charter to the Great Barrier Reef. When someone invites you aboard a luxury sail charter with exclusive sailing and snorkeling adventures, it’s hard to say no to the trip of your dreams... Naturally, we RSVP’d Yes!
We boarded our beautiful 51 foot custom built catamaran that Anthony had made with his father 3 years prior. As we set sail for the Great Barrier Reef, there was a calmness over the ocean. With blue skies above, and the tranquility of the ocean below, we stood at the front of the boat taking in the warmth of the sun on our faces, already getting the sense that the day in store would be one we’d never forget.
The boat consisted of 4 couples (including ourselves), Anthony our trusted captain, two deckhands - Roy and Finn who were 11 and 12 years old but managed our vessel like absolute pros, and our world class personal chef, Alex. Our chef, who’d worked for some of the most notable restaurants in Paris and London, kickstarted the day with two fresh espressos that were perfectly brewed. The taste was absolutely divine, and as we sat there sipping our coffees, a pod of dolphins swam alongside us on the starboard side. It was one of those harmonious moments where things falls into place and for a moment in time, everything is absolutely perfect.
Shortly thereafter, our deckies decided to give fishing a shot off the back side of the boat and within minutes they had caught a Spanish Mackerel (over 2 feet long). The boys stood there beaming from ear to ear, as they held up their recent catch. We loved seeing them so happy and were even more ecstatic to taste the goods during our lunch that day. Let’s just say it was d-e-l-i-s-h (more to come on that later).
It felt surreal as we approached Low Isles (1 of 900 islands in the Great Barrier Reef). Here we are, sitting atop this uninhabited cay with coral gardens below, that is just calling us to dive in and explore. We couldn’t wait to get in, but it was good ol’ stinger season, so we had to put on our sexy lycra suits as a safety precaution to ensure we wouldn’t get stung by the jellies. (Happy to announce there were no casualties, just a lot of photos). We spent an hour exploring the marine world below, and let’s just say the reef was all that we had hoped it would be, with a variety of colorful fish, corals and even turtles. We call that an underwater success and with all that swimming we had worked up quite the appetite for lunch.
After getting back on the boat, and comically taking off our lycra suits, we sat down to enjoy the meal our chef had prepared while on board. The incredible gourmet spread consisted of nannygai (fish), ceviche salad with coconut lime and chili, grilled spanish mackerel with saffron and almond butter, an assortment of cheeses, fresh fruits and bread; that included unlimited beer and wine at our disposal, to of course keep us hydrated throughout the day. Yes please!!!
Once lunch concluded, it was time to bring out all the toys. There was stand up paddle boarding which was absolutely comical (let’s just say the hubby was having some difficulties and preferred the seated position), a second round of snorkeling, and skurfing, a combination of water skiing and surfing; something unique we had never seen before. After our fun on the water, we progressed to front flips, back flips, and mostly belly flops off the front of the boat. Our cheeks were hurting from smiling and laughing so hard.
Unfortunately, we did have to make our way back to port, so we slowly began our charter home. Sitting on the front deck, the ladies drinking their sauvignon blancs and the men with their beers, we all sat together in a circle, laughing and telling stories, relishing the moment. It was one of those days you didn’t want to end. Liquid Desire had delivered on its promise, giving us a perfect slice of paradise and had made our tropical dreams a reality.
