The Silver Wind: Indulgence and Escape in the Indian Ocean
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Indian Ocean Cruises - A Journey of Indulgence and Escape aboard the Silver Wind.
I love the fine art of cruising. Today, with a wide choice of size and style of ship, exciting itineraries and great value fares, more and more younger 20/30/40 something guests are taking to the sea to experience adventure, relaxation and luxury. The Italian Silversea cruise line was founded in 1994 as an innovative European concept of all-inclusive, small scale, 6 star, luxury cruising which attract discerning world travellers of all ages. There are currently five ships in the fleet, with Silver Spirit to be launched in December 2009 while Silver Wind has just had a major refurbishment including a brand new Spa and fitness centre. To check out the new look ship, a 10 day cruise exploring islands of the Indian Ocean sounds the perfect plan.
Setting sail
After a smooth stress-free Emirates flight from Glasgow via Dubai to Mahe, my partner, Ken, and I arrive in the tropical heat of the Seychelles; located four degrees south of the equator and quite literally a thousand miles from anywhere, this is what I call a genuine escape! The exotic itinerary will take us to several islands around the Seychelles and Maldives, Sri Lanka and Madras, India.
The Silver Wind (maximum 298 guests) has had a contemporary interior design makeover. Our suite has a king size bed, piled with crimson velvet cushions, marble bathroom, sofa, armchairs, dining table, flat screen TV /DVD, veranda with loungers. The bars, restaurants and lounges are furnished in terracotta and gold fabrics with natural cherry wood combining the ambience of an intimate boutique hotel and the sexy style of a luxury yacht.
A healthy lifestyle at sea
The daily Chronicle lists all the activities, Enrichment lectures, card games, fitness classes, golf tuition, shore excursions and musical entertainment. You would never be bored on board. There’s so much going on even on a day at sea with no shore excursions. By day a series of illustrated talks given by the eminent American traveller, Bartle Bull and biographer Hugo Vickers are inspiring – such as “The History of the African Safari” and “the Royal Family in India” - while by night after- dinner cabarets are of Broadway standard as well as recitals by a renowned classical pianist.
It’s a foodie experience from breakfast to gastronomic dinner - you can feast healthily too with fresh fruit, salads, seafood, calorie counted dishes, zero zero (fat free) ice-cream! With all this good food and wine over many lazy days, keep fit in the lavish new SPA on deck 9: a high tech body building gym with panoramic sea views, aerobics room, dry sauna, steam sauna, beauty salon and five treatment rooms. Fitness Director Elin encourages a healthy routine on board with 8a.m. power walks, aerobics, yoga and pilates classes, personal training sessions and weight loss seminars. Jogging or strolling around the top deck track is popular, where seven laps is a mile.
The Spa is managed by Lindsay Gash of Steiner, whose company mission is to create “wellness centres at sea to give guests the ability to reconnect with their natural desire to be healthy, vibrant and self-aware.” From the extensive Skin and Body Clinic menu of Elemis, La Therapie and Ionithermie facials, massages, cellulite and detox therapies, I select a speciality Exotic Coconut Rub Ritual. The warm milk skin bath, foil wrap and deep tissue massage is a comforting, cocooning experience. Indulge, Invigorate, Inspire is the motto of this holistic haven of relaxation where a pampering treatment, as the ship glides the ocean wave, is a truly luxurious, blissful, out-of-body sensation.
Despite being open from 8am to 10pm, the Spa can be fully booked especially on days at sea. Good Tip: book your treatments online in advance of your cruise or as soon as you embark. My only disappointment was that a couple of the younger therapists lack experience and the elegant manner of leading, world class Resort Spas. In a nutshell, this is a 6+ star cruise ship with a 4 star Spa.
House Party at sea
There are around 180 passengers on this cruise, from across Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Asia with the majority from Great Britain. It’s a lively ‘United Nations’ floating house party where we mix and mingle over pool deck cocktails and pre dinner aperitifs - all drinks are complimentary, part of Silversea’s superb value, egalitarian, all-inclusive ethos.
Highlights include walking through the “Garden of Eden” in the Vallee de Mai on Praslin, crossing the Equator at Latitude 000 00’ celebrated with King Neptune’s pageant, witnessing a traditional Indian wedding amidst flowers, candles, incense and elephants. We are also treated to a private visit to Olhahali, a Robinson Crusoe desert island in the Maldives which Silver Wind has actually chartered for a fantastic beach barbecue, live music and dancing by local islanders, volleyball on the baby powder sand and a swim in the warm, turquoise water.
This has been a carefree, barefoot-in-the-sand journey, inspiring the mind and rejuvenating body and spirit with a taste of quiet sophistication, adventure and pure escapism. As one guest summed it up at the end of the cruise: “I feel like a different person.” I could not agree more!
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