womantraveler

Luxury Cruising: Custom Travel

Luxury cruises allow for a customized experience built around ports, cuisine, room style, or entertainment. Not interested in a floating city, we opted for Silversea cruise's all-suite small ship experience, regularly voted "the world's best small ship cruise line." Onboard the Silver Whisper, a luxury floating hotel, we learned that Silversea's advertising slogan, "Nothing Excluded," is not hype. With 350 passengers and 270 crew, our wishes were literally their command.

Silversea's all-inclusive experience spared us the inelegance of costly add-ons (except the shore tours, which we avoided anyway). Silversea's "all-inclusive promise" means that all beverages are complimentary throughout the ship, including in-suite beverage cabinets and mini-frigs that are replenished with our preferences daily (some premium wines and spirits are available at an additional charge), as well as all on-board gratuities, in-suite movies and videos, twice daily suite service, personalized stationery, personal email address, and 24-hour room service. While some cruise lines have started the tacky daily automatic gratuity and nonrefundable service charges, Silversea has not, thankfully. Of course, the proper and genteel luxury cruise traveler still tips generously at the end of the experience.

Our suites were 701 square feet -- twice the size of all but the seven largest suites (and more than half the size of my condo). Most of the suites have private verandas (of teak), and Silversea staterooms have marble bathrooms with Jacuzzi tubs, walk-in closets, separate bedrooms, and two televisions. The public areas are sleek and modern with beautiful woods, tasteful textiles, and Venetian decor representative of an Italian-built, Italian-based cruise line. Such refined elegance results in a noticeable investment in glassware and mirrors, crystal and silverware, paintings and sculpture. The overall effect is that of a luxury chartered yacht.

Mornings and late afternoons on private verandas, individual tables at all meals, no grouped dinner "seatings," quiet well-stocked libraries, a computer center, genteel parlors, staff who call you by name. I took my morning coffee in the observation deck in the stern. One late afternoon on the private veranda with a glass of wine, I saw what appeared to be a whale diving into the sea. Later storms in the distance led up to a brilliant and edgy sunset.

You will be spoiled, so savor the magic. It arrives unexpectedly.

The Luxury Cruise: Do It Now!

A luxury cruise, like the Silversea Silver Whisper -- drop dead luxury. Do it once, do it now. And to get the most out of it, keep in mind that nothing is perfect, even luxury. So plan for that and you'll have the time of your life. In fact, once you get the hang of it, you can use these tips to turn an ordinary trip into a luxury experience.

Tip One: Luxury is affordable. Shop online or follow travel section ads and find a premier cruise for huge discounts off the rack rate, especially if you travel in the shoulder season -- just before or after high season, which is now. We chose the Silversea line because it is often referred to as the world's best small ship cruise line, offering stateroom suites with private teak verandas and a culinary Relais & Chateau affiliation. It didn't take much digging to find an advertised discount fare from Silversea for 50% off the published fare. In our case that amounted to $3247 a person rather than $6395 each. That's all-inclusive -- meals, most wines and beverages (including in-suite beverage cabinets stocked with our preferences), complimentary 24-hour room service, in-suite movies and CD player, and normal gratuities -- and, most importantly, an impeccably trained staff that does not (to a person) know how to say "no."

Sheer Gourmet Pleasure in Antigua

The Cocobay Resort's exclusive restaurant Sheer is a gem of a secret in Antigua. Tucked on a cliffside at the resort on the southwestern side of the island, Sheer is situated in six split-level open pavilions connected by wood deck walkways. Overlooking the Caribbean and softly lit rocks, the restaurant seats only two dozen guests in tables of two or four and is open for dinner five nights a week. Definitely plan and reserve ahead, as there are no resets any evening.

As you look out into the star-filled black sky, Sheer creates an experience that crystallizes the template for a perfect island evening. What's is all about here? "Shia," explains the chef, is an adjective for "completely, absolutely, unmitigated..." And there you have it.

Cocobay Resort: Island Time in the Caribbean

  The shaded breezeway of Cocobay Resort's welcome area is the entrance to paradise on the island of Antigua. While "paradise" is a frequent term from the Florida Keys to the southern Caribbean, Cocobay Resort can comfortably claim it. Easing into the Caribbean for a couple of days before a cruise, we're greeted with tropical punch, gracious hospitality, and a gentle transition into "island time."

Antigua lies in the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean and is known for the breezes that heat-tempering breezes, white beaches, villages with colorfully painted houses, a welcoming spirit, and 108 square miles of history and scenic variety. Not overdeveloped as an island, it's no wonder that celebrities have escaped to Antigua for their exclusive hideaways. Our bungalow on the sunset side was one of the choicest, close enough to the water to hear lapping ways and somewhat removed from the other cottages. But all 41 cottages are situated for privacy, with covered verandas and sea views from hammocks and Adirondack chairs. The local "no problem" attitude tamps down stress quickly.

Looking out through mosquito netting draped across the custom bed the first morning, I woke to turquoise and emerald water rimmed by bright green hills. In some places on the island, the hills rise to 1300 feet, then roll down to open plains with grazing goats, sheep, and cattle on a terrain mixed with rocky limestone, coral, and volcanic rock.

Cocobay was created in 2000 by two entrepreneur brothers who built the cottages, primarily for two people each, as an alternative to the large resorts, such as nearby Jolly Beach (casino, cricket stadium, and shopping center) or the very intentional upscale chic of the new Carlisle Bay a few miles to the east. Cocobay is intended to feel like home, with an all-inclusive plan (accommodations, three buffet meals a day, house wines, high tea, and water sports) that make it an effortless sanctuary.