[category]
[title]
There’s so much of Miami you can only experience while on the water. Not unlike Italy’s Amalfi Coast, where the single best angle is from the sea, looking back at the gorgeous cliffside towns, Miami’s skyscraper skyline really looks its best from the bow of a boat.
Now, I’m also of the mind that it’s better to know someone with a boat than to own your own, but being at the mercy of friends with boats is no fun when you have a day off from work and they don’t. That’s where Boatsetter comes in.
Booking a boat in Miami took less effort than planning dinner
In its simplest form, Boatsetter is like the Airbnb of boat rentals—connecting you with charters, owners and captains ready to whisk you off for a day out at sea. You book on the platform (an app, in my case) and select the type of excursion you’re interested in and where and when you want to go. Boatsetter, which merged with Getmyboat in 2025, lets users filter by price, trip duration, number of passengers and whether or not you’ll need a captain (always).
Each boat has its own booking page that lists all the relevant info and allows you to instantly book once you’ve added your payment details to your account. Rates vary, but guests are looking at an average of about $120 per person per trip, which, according to Boatsetter, is intentionally designed to make a day on the water feel more like a night out than a luxury experience. In my case, it made a Monday of no work feel like a mini vacation.
Our boat came stocked with pastries, rosé and a very Miami lunch
I met my group at Beach Boat Rental in Miami Beach, catty-corner from 1 Hotel South Beach, for our morning cruise aboard a 37-foot luxury powerboat. Captain Matthew met us, gave us a quick waiver to sign and led us to our galleon, where a spread of True Loaf pastries and croissants was waiting for us. He’d also filled the coolers with ice and water and made room for our bottles of rosé. Talk about hospitality!
Our charter had also arranged for lunch on board, going above and beyond to secure sandwiches from Buccan in Coral Gables. If you’ve ever made the trek south for one or lined up for a taste, you’ll know what an incredible treat it was to have a selection of Buccan’s top sellers on board to feast on at lunch. I was able to coordinate our meals directly with my press contact, but anyone using Boatsetter has access to an equally impressive menu. Depending on the vessel and crew, you’ll make your request at the time of booking and the team will handle the rest.
There was one Miami landmark I knew I wanted to see from the water
I knew I wanted to check out Stiltsville the moment I booked our boat. A few of the friends I’d invited to join me aren’t from Miami and were mostly unfamiliar with some of the places we locals take for granted, like these historic over-water homes. Now a protected part of Biscayne National Park, the dozen or so Stiltsville homes that remain are looked after by caretakers and are truly remarkable to see up close. Captain Matthew expounded on some of this history while our crew lounged about, sipping and noshing. We stopped near the homes for a quick dip and then headed back, spending most of our four-hour ride cruising past some of our favorite Miami sights, including the Standard Spa, Miami Beach, Bayfront Park (cue the Ultra memories!) and Brickell Key.
The best part of renting a boat? Not having to own one.
Boat days always pass too quickly, and this one was no different, but the ease of it all helped us feel like we actually relaxed. We weren’t loading and unloading bags as one typically does when invited aboard a friend’s boat (the unspoken rule of being invited—you help out). Then there’s the matter of the prep your friend likely undertook hours before you showed up: cleaning the boat, filling it with gas, procuring ice and drinks. Captain Matthew and the Boatsetter team handled all of that for us. Plus, there’s no stress about showing up empty-handed—it’s part of the experience.
Would I use Boatsetter again? Here’s what sold me.
While there are many ways to see Miami by boat, I found Boatsetter’s convenience and competitive pricing hard to beat. You’re in control of where you go and when and can decide on a whim, which is pretty much the only notice you’ll get from Miami weather. On Boatsetter, bookings are instant and completed in 25 minutes or less. It’s the perfect Miami plan without the need to plan very much at all.
Virginia Gil was invited by Boatsetter to use its boat rental service. Our reviews and recommendations have been editorially independent since 1968. For more, see our editorial guidelines.