Silver Spirit to Mediterranean

The last new build for Silversea, Silver Spirit expanded upon the style and largesse of her four smaller siblings, and also added some new touches of her own.

Nicest of these was a central main bar, just off from the reception area. In many ways, with its striped furnishings and expansive use of marble, it reminded me of one of the crack Italian liners of the 1930's.

With all inclusive fares and fully inclusive, open seating dining, Silver Spirit is a ship that you can utterly spoil yourself on. Lounge on a pod bed with champagne, soak in a hot tub with more champagne, or simply chill out on your own, private balcony in your bathrobe. On this ship, you can do as much or as little as you want.

This is not a ship with big, production shows and flashy entertainment, but then her 540 passengers are not that sort of crowd. But truly remarkable was the Stars supper club, an attempt to recreate a New York speakeasy from the 1930's. With tasty tapas, a bar and an amazing torch singer, Stars drew me back, night after night.

The suites are slightly bigger than on the other Silversea ships, and they even found room for twin foot rests out on the balcony, too. In fact, the whole of the Silver Spirit was a hazard to activity of any kind.

Not that you couldn't be active, of course. There was a comprehensive, well equipped gym for those who like that sort of thing, not to mention a superb, utterly decadent, aft facing spa.

Bathrooms in the suites were all marble fittings, while the lounge part had two televisions, a sitting area, and beds that qualified as dream destinations in their own right. That balcony was, of course, the magic touch. Champers under the stars on your own private balcony is pretty damned fine, as it happens.

And the Silver Spirit has a superb crew; they almost seem to anticipate what you need without even asking. The only downside is that a voyage on this ship will absolutely spoil you for anything else.