It's a morning experience that coffee drinkers will adore, sipping Kona brew aboard a historical yacht as it cruises the Waikiki coastline in the early morning hours.
Departing from the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, the 90-minute coffee cruise was launched in 2021 by Vida Mia owner and founder Brynn Rovito, a former attorney who served as counsel to the U.S. Senate's sergeant at arms but returned to Hawaii after years on the mainland.
Once in the Islands, Rovito fell in love with boats, bought the Vida Mia (which translates to "my life") in 2020 from its previous owner and developed the coffee tour concept out of her own early-morning routine while transitioning back to island life.
"It just dawned on me that people would drink coffee on a boat, because that's what I would want to do," Rovito said.
The wooden yacht was built in 1929 in Stockton, Calif., and has traveled all over the world, even serving in World War II. It was featured in the 2007 film "Snatched" with Goldie Hawn, and fans of HBO's "The White Lotus" will recognize it as the boat that brought guests to the resort (actually the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea) during the show's first season.
"There's very few of these boats left in service, and Vida Mia is one of the only ones that's open to the public in the whole country," she said.
On the coffee tour, guests are able to explore the yacht and its different rooms while enjoying coffee and pastries. Photo Credit: The Vida Mia
For the coffee cruise, guests board shortly before departure, receive a brief orientation to the vessel and are free to explore the yacht throughout the cruise. Coffee is served from the Honolulu Coffee Company, and pastries are delivered each morning from Ocean Side Bakery, an artisanal French bakery in Honolulu's Chinatown.
"She wakes up at 3 o'clock in the morning," Rovito said of baker Fanny Queloz. "She makes all the pastries down there, so we offer fresh coffee and pastries on the boat. She delivers them every morning."
Breakfast is served buffet-style. "We just spread," Rovito said. "We do a nice buffet spread of sweet and savory pastries, so people are free to help themselves."
Once underway, the yacht follows a slow coastal route along Waikiki to Diamond Head and back, while soft bossa nova music plays in the background. The experience is intentionally low-key; there's no narration or guide talking the whole way.
"It's a Hawaii tour, but it's really more about kind of connecting to the boat," she said. "Seeing Hawaii from a new vantage point."
Morning conditions are often ideal for wildlife viewing, including dolphins, sea turtles and humpback whales during the winter months. Group sizes are kept relatively small to maintain an intimate atmosphere. "It's not a party boat," Rovito said.
By the time the yacht returns to the harbor, the mood has shifted. "It's a really friendly, relaxing cruise," she said. "We leave and everyone's really quiet, you know, and then by the time we get back, everyone's chatting."
For Rovito, the coffee cruise has evolved into more than a tour. "It has been one of the greatest gifts of my life," she said. "There's just something about a wooden boat that makes people feel really at home."
The coffee cruise operates most mornings, with departures at 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., priced at $99 per person. Vida Mia also offers a sunset cruise, ranging from $129 to $199, and all-inclusive private charters are priced at around $4,000. Travel advisors can receive 10% to 15% commission on bookings.
Learn more at www.thevidamia.com/coffeecruise.