It’s not often that I’m surprised when stepping onboard a megayacht. Impressed, yes. Awed, occasionally. But surprised? Rarely. There are so few top interior designers in the world for megayachts these days that a lot of the boats simply look a heck of a lot alike on the inside. A different wood grain here, a different color fabric there, but usually an overall feel that’s not too dissimilar from what I’ve seen before.

All of which is why I had to stop for a moment and take a good look around after climbing onboard the new 184-foot Benetti Galaxy. I saw her at an industry-only charter yacht show in December 2005, about six months after her launch from the Italian shipyard, and her interior pretty much knocked the wind right out of me with its unusual beauty.

It was a sea of woodwork—but much lighter and rarer-looking than the cherry panels and mahogany moldings onboard most other motoryachts. I later learned the materials used to build Galaxy’s interior included European plane tree, eucalyptus, sycamore and burled maple. They practically shimmered with warmth under countless coats of craftsmen’s varnish.

I didn’t get a chance to chat with any crew members during my tour of the yacht, so I can’t speak to the level of service onboard, but I can say unequivocally that if you want to charter one of the season’s most surprisingly gorgeous motoryachts, Galaxy would be a good choice.

She’s part of the fleet at Camper & Nicholsons International (www.cnconnect.com), with a weekly base rate of about $250,000 for 12 guests, or about $26,000 per person with 25-percent expenses included.—Kim Kavin