Sea Change

In the early 1960s, the American motor hotel faced outward by design, with room entrances arrayed along parking lots. Then, a 29-year-old Canadian builder named Isadore “Issy” Sharp opened a 125-room property in Toronto and did something quietly radical: He turned it inward, creating an urban oasis designed around a central courtyard. This was the first Four Seasons and the genesis of one of the most revered names in hospitality. 

Sixty-five years later, almost to the day, Sharp, the founder and chairman emeritus of Four Seasons, and his wife, Rosalie, stood on a dock in Málaga, Spain, to christen Four Seasons I, the brand’s first venture on the seas. 

But this is more than a debut. If the first-ever Four Seasons property was an argument for turning inward, Four Seasons I is the inverse, a vessel that is an equally radical act of reorientation: Each of its 95 suites faces the ocean. There are no interior cabins, no beds turned to a wall, no metal framing to hinder the endless views. Even the marina rethinks what a yacht can be—its innovative transverse design features sea-level pop-out decks that give guests direct access to the sea for swimming and water sports.  

The yacht (with inaugural itineraries in the Mediterranean, to be joined by voyages in the Caribbean later this year) feels like a floating oasis, a glass-walled sanctuary, a serenely beautiful overwater hotel. The scale is generous, the privacy genuine.  

Inspired by the golden age of yachting, Four Seasons I marries glamorous nautical design elements and world-class maritime craftsmanship with creative direction by Prosper Assouline, design by Tillberg Design of Sweden, and social spaces by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio. Together, this collective created an environment in which every element tells a story. Even the hull’s colour, a subtle ivory, was inspired by the hue of vintage Porsches in the studio of Tillberg’s co-founder Fredrik Johansson. 

The service and the sense of comfort reflect Sharp’s founding conviction that every guest deserves to feel truly special. On Four Seasons I, that means a one-to-one guest-to-staff ratio and 50 percent more space per guest than any comparable vessel at sea. “This is a ship that’s 679 feet long,” says Ben Trodd, CEO of Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings Ltd., Joint Owner/Operator of Four Seasons Yachts. “It could have had 1,000 bedrooms. And we chose to put 95.”   

Boundless Home 

Highlighted by warm woods and bespoke furnishings, the suites on Four Seasons I redefine seagoing luxury with a distinctly residential sensibility. A design signature is the sunbeam-inspired straw marquetry with a central mirror on the wall behind each bed, bringing a subtle focal point to the rooms. Expansive terrace decks and floor-to-ceiling windows dissolve the barrier between interior and ocean horizon. Bathrooms—floors, walls, showers, deep-soaking tubs, and double vanities—are sheathed in a silky green stone that is a replica of a rare Brazilian quartzite. Even the technology is ethereal: The television, custom designed by LG and Bang & Olufsen, is the first freestanding transparent screen at sea, allowing beds to face the ocean view rather than a wall. The feeling is open, airy, and unconfined, an invitation to a front-row seat at the ocean’s edge. 

Culinary Odyssey 

Dining is a curated voyage of its own aboard Four Seasons I. A varied collection of 11 restaurants and lounges ranges from Terrasse, the convivial spot for breakfast, to the intimate cocktail lounge Bar O and the sublime omakase restaurant Miuna, centred around a traditional hinoki-wood counter. A commitment to extraordinary design is woven into every detail. The open-air Horizon Lounge, inspired by Mediterranean beach clubs, features a stunning hand-cut geometric marble mosaic in earth tones, greens, and whites. Eglomise maps (etched by London-based Clifford Glass Studio), each unique and based on historic sailing charts, line the corridor leading to the restaurants. Throughout the Salon (which offers an afternoon tea service) are embroidered chairs developed with de Gournay, their designs inspired by Art Deco furniture and marine motifs of the great ocean liners of the 20th century. 

Haute Cuisine Residencies 

The yacht’s centrepiece restaurant, Sedna, welcomes Michelin-starred culinary talent from Four Seasons properties worldwide through its Chef-in-Residence Program, with menus shaped by local markets at each port of call. Christian Le Squer of Le Cinq at Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, kicked off the program​ for the inaugural voyage this past March, followed by chef Luca Piscazzi of Pelagos at Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens.  

Piscazzi’s menu features Caviar Pasta, his signature dish at Pelagos, and newly conceived items such as steak tartare with beetroot and lovage ice cream; a sole entrée with a Champagne and sage sauce; and a dessert with white chocolate, osmanthus, and an olive oil ice cream he calls “an ode to olive oil.” Explains the chef, “The Greek destinations of the voyage have been a true source of inspiration for the menu. For example, the sage used with the sole comes from Sifnos, while the olive oil featured in the dessert is sourced from Lesvos. I always strive to pay tribute to remarkable ingredients and to highlight the very best that Greece has to offer.” 

Upcoming chefs debuting special menus at sea include Guillaume Galliot of Caprice in Hong Kong, Yoric Tièche of Le Cap in Cap-Ferrat, and Paolo Lavezzini of Il Palagio in Florence. Each residency runs alongside the menus of Sedna’s own chef de cuisine, Gerardo Acunzo, giving guests a nightly choice. The wine program is overseen by Victor Petiot, named Best Sommelier in the World 2024 by Les Grandes Tables du Monde. Every Chef-in-Residence sailing brings a different chef, a different port, a different menu—and with each, a new horizon. 

Artful Ease

Bathed in natural light and grounded in tactile stone, the yacht’s L’Oceana Spa offers a tranquil retreat for relaxation and restoration. Mosaic walls, each requiring 100 hours of work to be brought to life, are fabricated by Morandi Studio. A hammam steam room anchors the thermal circuit, which also encompasses a cold plunge, a cryotherapy chamber, and saunas with ocean views. A globally inspired menu of treatments, tailored to each guest, pairs time-​honoured techniques with modern innovation. Unhurried and immersive, the experience mirrors the rhythm of the sea.  

To learn more about Four Seasons Yachts, head here.