M/Y Zazou was launched in 2021, a year that has been generous with awards for Benetti. Zazou also received a prize. She won a World Yachts Trophies award for the best layout. The jury appreciated not only her elegant exterior but also her unprecedented large upper deck, which acts as a penthouse. The yacht became available for charter for the first time this year, providing a rare opportunity to get a closer look at her — until now, no information about the interiors has been disclosed. 

Zazou's exterior is the work of the Roman studio of Giorgio M. Cassetta, who has been involved with the shipyard’s projects for many years. Another long-established and trusted partner — Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design from the Netherlands — created the interior concept of ‘openness and spaciousness’, implying the enjoyment of life at sea even indoors.

The yacht's sporty look is defined by a near vertical bow line, well-developed wings and an aft-shifted superstructure. The superstructure is aluminium, while the 65m long and 11.9m wide hull is welded from steel. The yacht’s full laden displacement is 1113 tonnes and the draft is 3.4m. What makes Zazou special is her colour scheme — while the superstructure is predictably white (the teak on the decks is also slightly whitewashed), a rare shade of blue called Carinthia Blue has been chosen for the hull. The appearance and colors of the yacht take an inspiration from the African hornbill bird with its long beak. Remember the colourful feathered majordomo Zazu from The Lion King?

The shipyard considers the largest sundeck for a vessel of this size to be an important advantage of the project. Thanks to an ingenious design solution, Zazou's upper deck does not look so large from the sides: it seems to end where the superstructure's frontal glazing ends. However, in front of the glass there is also a swimming pool, which is masterfully integrated into the curve of the lower deck roof and is not immediately obvious. That is, the actual length of the sundeck, from the outer edge of the pool to the stern rail, reaches 36m and the total area is 200 sqm!

This is the perfect place to relax, go sports, have fun and socialise. The five-metre pool is equipped with a countercurrent and massage nozzles, the glazed room is given over to a gym with professional fitness equipment, and the outdoor area can be used in different ways. In the daytime it is furnished with sunbeds and serves as a solarium with a conveniently placed bar, in the evening dinner for 12 is served around a large table. At night the area transforms into a cinema under the stars.

The bridge deck extends all the way to the bow, providing a touch-and-go helipad and a significant increase in gross tonnage (1180 GT). A high freeboard gives a further advantage: when anchored, an inflatable water slide is attached to the side, turning Zazou into a private water amusement park, complete with an inflatable swimming pool moored at the stern and a garage full of water toys.

A large area in the bow is taken up by a lounge with solarium adjacent to the deckhouse and recessed a couple of steps into the floor. This architectural feature, together with the cleverly selected bulwark height, allows guests to admire the views while disguising them from the outside world.

The wheelhouse is equipped with Furuno controls. The captain’s cabin and the ship office are next door. There is an access to the massage room (operated by a certified massage therapist and yoga instructor) near the central lounge with a glass lift. The cabinet becomes an extra guest cabin when needed. Most of the enclosed space on the bridge deck is occupied by a skylounge with a cosy sofa group and a bar counter. The sliding doors allow to seamlessly connect this space with the aft terrace, where a round table for six is positioned under the sundeck overhang. The sofas frame the open deck perimeter while the freestanding armchairs and coffee tables can be taken away to create a spacious dance floor.

Descending one level below, we enter the main saloon, a large and very bright living space connected to the cockpit by a floor to ceiling sliding door. The designers chose not to adhere to a strict symmetry in the saloon layout. The circular gaming table is on the left, while the main seating area is shifted to the starboard side to leave a passage on the port side. The dining table is separated from the main volume by a counter with a huge plasma TV, but the side aisles are wide enough to keep the dining area from being perceived as a separate room.

The master suite occupies the entire forward part of the main deck, and the asymmetry also makes the space more interesting and visually larger. Right beyond the entrance door there is a cosy living space with a cinema lounge. The passage to the bedroom is marked by an archway, another sofa is installed on the starboard side, the bed is shifted to the left (the second TV is hanging opposite it), and instead of a porthole in the port side there is a door to a stationary loggia. There is also a double wardrobe and a spacious bathroom.

Four suites on the lower deck are arranged for guests. In one of these the double bed is divided into two separate beds. Thus, there are five passenger cabins on the yacht and a sixth is added by converting the massage room upstairs.

Along with the unique sundecks, the beach club is what makes the designers proud. There is a large lounge with a cinema and two exits: to the folding balcony on the port side and to the swimming platform of 25 sqm, which, as we have already mentioned, can be enlarged by a portable floating pool. The side-loading garage accommodates a 7.5m tender, two jet skis, Seabobs, saps, electric foils, kayaks, diving equipment. Offices, galley and cabins for a crew of 14 are located forward on the lower deck.

Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design's interior styling has been designed with the kind of laconic elegance that is not flashy, but not boring. The overall light colour scheme varies smoothly, with shades of blue and white in the saloon and master suite, yellow and orange elements in the guest cabins, and grey and sand tones on the open decks. The variety and complexity of the finishes are achieved through rich textures, non-standard forms and the use of rare materials. For example, oak, walnut, anigre, macassar, wenge, ebony and rosewood are used for furniture and floors. In bathrooms, on walls and bar counters you can see onyx, travertine and elite varieties of marble: Navona, statuary, eramosa, bardillo, white elba, sacha noir. Tactile pleasure is provided by natural fabrics and skilfully crafted leather.

The vessel is powered by a pair of Caterpillar 3512C engines of 1850 hp each, delivering a top speed of 16 knots and a cruising speed of 15 knots. With 110,000 litres of fuel on board, Zazou is capable of cruising 5,000 nmiles at an economical speed of 12 knots. In rocky conditions, comfort is provided by Naiad Dynamics' zero speed stabilisers.

According to the designers, Zazou is very harmonious and can be considered an ideal yacht for family holidays.