As Tom Hardy’s Eames says in Inception, “You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.” The quote may be ten years old, but it still holds water after all this time: Illusion Plus is an incredibly big dream, what all the yachts in the world aspire to be when they grow up.
Built by Azure Naval Architects and Rainsford Saunders Design and delivered by Pride Mega Yachts in 2018 to a mysterious owner, everything on board this vessel is about ultra-luxury and spaciousness. It’s 88.5 meters (290 feet) long and boasts a massive interior volume of 3,642 GT, made to feel even more spacious by the fact that it’s marked by sparseness. With accommodation for just 12 guests, it could very well be the perfect floating family home, an aspect also emphasized by the promo video included at the bottom of the page.
So, whereas a similar vessel could easily accommodate upwards of 30 guests, Illusion Plus makes room for only a dozen of them across six suites in total. The master suite, for one, spans across 80 square meters (861 square feet) and features a “generous” walk-in room, 180-degree panoramic windows, his and hers bathrooms, and the usual private deck.
Guests or extended family get to sleep in four double suites and one twin stateroom. There’s also room for 25 crew in 15 cabins, so the few people the owner can bring aboard will want for nothing in terms of service.
The usual luxury amenities are included, like a cinema (actually, a cinema-capable lounge), a fully-equipped gym, a wellness center with spa and hammam and your personal massage therapist, the “run-of-the-mill” pool, two jacuzzis, a two-level atrium, a couple of bars, four-level elevator and a helipad. You also get plenty of lounge areas for sunbathing or al fresco dining across the six decks and a luxurious beach club at the aft.
However, Illusion Plus doesn’t exactly stand out for these amenities, but rather for the fact that it provides what the designers call “an unparalleled sense of space.” This is a megayacht where a family of four (such as the one featured in the video below) could effectively get lost one from the other and have no trouble staying hidden for the rest of the sojourn, if they so desired. Which is probably not such a bad
The perfect finishes are another highlight of this vessel, with the guest cabins decked in fine woods, rare natural stone, and an elegant combination of exclusive metals and glass. The interior was done by Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design.
The lower-deck garage houses a matching Cockwells 9.5-meter (31-foot) limousine tender, a Pascoe SY9 Beachlander, and one Fassmeer RIR 625.
With a distinct profile, sleek lines and plenty of blacked-out glass, Illusion Plus has a steel displacement hull and aluminum superstructure. It’s more than just a looker, too: thanks to a Diesel-electric propulsion system that allows for energy-efficient operation and a high level of redundancy, it’s perfectly able to cruise around the world. Twin Rolls-Royce Marine Diesel engines of 3,000 hp each take it to a maximum speed of 17 knots and a cruising speed of 15 knots. At the latter, the range is 5,000 nautical miles.
Illusion Plus is described as “a combination between performance and comfort […], pure luxury with a sense of adventure” with “innovative design and yacht construction expertise.” As of the moment of writing, it is one of the largest and most expensive megayachts on sale because, why, yes, its owner no longer wants it. The asking price is €120 million or $145 million as this much open space at sea doesn’t come cheap.
