Silversea Cruise's literature for the 10-night sailing with pre-cruise and post-cruise hotel stays promises an extraordinary journey -- the ultimate romantic voyage. Or in my case, the ultimate "ro-tic" voyage -- romantic without the man, who is unable to accompany me due to previous commitments.
The lure of exotic explorations is too good to pass up despite the absence of my significant other. The solution: Take a gal pal. There may not be dancing under the stars but there are still plenty of thrilling experiences to make a heart skip a beat or two.
These include exploring the remote islands of Rangiroa and Nuka Hiva, sailing across the equator, touring Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii's Big Island, making a pilgrimage to Pearl Harbor memorials on Oahu and hitting the high elevations of Haleakala National Park on Maui.
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French Polynesia has always been high on my "go to" list. Once difficult to reach, it still enjoys an "end of the earth" mystique.
The Intercontinental Tahiti does not disappoint. Recently renovated, it's typically Tahitian -- palm trees fringe the beach, the infinity pool has a sand bottom and swim-up bar, the open air Tiare restaurant provides poolside dining with ocean views. Our room has a balcony and looks across turqouise waters to Moorea. Every afternoon guests can watch staff feed colourful tropical fish at the Lagoonarium. Some days there are cultural presentations.
The new Deep Nature Spa by Algotherm (opened since our visit) features Polynesian Hei Poa and Tahitian Wave massage, plus seaweed wraps and marine body scrubs.
We dine with new friends at the resort's Lotus restaurant in an over-water palapa. The service is seamless. The open air setting is magical. The meal is memorable. I could stay forever but Silver Shadow awaits at the dock in Papeete.
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If a ship that measures 186 metres long, weighs 25,635 metric tonnes and carries 382 passengers can be considered "small," then the Silver Shadow gets my nomination for the title "Tiny Perfect Cruise Ship."
The "tiny" designation is in comparison to the mega-liners plying the waters today. Some of these floating cities weigh 10 times more and carry 6,000 passengers and a couple of thousand crew. Passengers face rush-hour traffic jams at the buffet and theme-park- style lineups to disembark.
Still, there are some who revel in the carnival-like atmosphere of a really big ship. These leviathans do create a buzz when they sail into ports large enough to handle them.
But my tastes have always run more to low key sophistication and off the beaten path exploration so this "small" ship is more my style. For all it's "smallness," Silver Shadow is actually one of the larger vessels in Silversea's five-ship fleet, which includes a new expedition ship, Prince Albert II, that carries 132 passengers.
What truly makes her "perfect" is -- apart from kitschy things like boxing rings -- Silver Shadow has all the essentials of a large ship but on a human scale.
The spacious cabins -- most with verandas for watching the world go by -- are immaculately kept by attentive stewards who stock the minibar with your favourite libations -- everthing from Champagne to Scotch. (Alcohol and gratuities are covered on this all-inclusive line.)
There are three restaurants, a fitness centre, a spa, a library, a show lounge and a casino. All are less than five minutes' walk from anywhere on the ship.
The swimming pool and whirlpools are seldom crowded. And there's a level of old world service befitting a five-star luxury cruise line.
Silver Shadow is kept shipshape under the watchful eye of Captain Angelo A. Corsaro, who also updates passengers on sea conditions, the ship's progress and ports of call.
Cruise Director Helga Reiss plays the role of gracious hostess. Passengers seem to be naturally drawn to Reiss, an outgoing Newfoundlander with a melodious speaking voice.
A classically trained pianist, Reiss turned to singing after an injury forced her to give up the piano. An adherent of the "when one door shuts, another opens," philosophy, Reiss says she "ran away to sea" like her Norwegian grandfather before her, and found a new career as a singer and cruise director. She has performed with jazz greats Oscar Peterson and Charlie Biddle and performed for the Royal Family.
Since joining Silversea, her show, Big Time, has become a passenger favourite that allows her to showcase her considerable singing talents.
After calling at Rangiroa and Nuka Hiva, Silver Sea sails for Hawaii. There isn't much between French Polynesia and the Hawaiian Islands except endless vistas of Pacific Ocean. People new to cruising worry they might be bored on sea days. But more than a dozen cruises has taught me to cherish this special time suspended between here and there.
Sea days are for sleeping late, soaking up sunshine, having a massage, catnapping between chapters of a murder mystery, relaxing over afternoon tea, watching the sunset from your veranda and indulging in a beautiful dinner -- dessert and all.
One afternoon, there is some general silliness on the pool deck as Silver Shadow crosses the equator and passengers pay their due to Neptune. Each of us is awarded a handsome certificate and we enjoy an unearned sense of accomplishment.
After four days at sea, we dock in Hawaii. By now, the ship feels like home and disembarking feels like work, but then we imagine the discoveries that await on the Big Island, Oahu and Maui.
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A few days later, saying goodbye to Silver Shadow proves to be hard but saying hello to the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua turns out to be a welcome transition from sea to land.
The lush grounds of the beautifully renovated resort resemble a botanical garden. Our room is spacious and tastefully decorated. The three-tier pool is calling.
There are activities for everyone -- everything from golf to the new children's program, Ambassadors of the Environment. Launched with Jean-Michel Cousteau, it includes rainforest hikes, reef snorkelling and underwater photo sessions all designed to teach about Hawaii's ecosystems.
As we bid farewell to Maui, it occurs to me that my vision of French Polynesia has always been of oceans and beaches while Hawaii sparked images of palm trees and fiery-hot volcanoes. Now, it is people and colours that come to mind: A collage of friendly locals greeting Silver Shadow in every port, a riot of blooms growing wild, a shifting palette of Pacific blues, inky black lava and the gold-red hues of Haleakala.
Silversea calls this a cruise. I call it heaven.
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BOTTOM LINE
SOUTH PACIFIC
Silversea Cruises specializes in unique voyages to exotic destinations. In 2009, Silver Shadow will visit French Polynesia twice: First on a 16-day sailing from Los Angeles to Papeete, departing from L.A. on March 7, and later on a cruise from Papeete to Sydney, Australia, departing March 23 from Tahiti.
SILVER SAVINGS
Silversea Cruises has some very enticing offers this year. These include up to 50% off select cruises, free and specially priced airfare, and a $1,000 onboard credit that can be used for shore excursions, spa treatments, etc. In addition, all three offers are available on some cruises. See silversea.com/enticing for details.
MORE INFORMATION
For Silversea Cruises information, see silversea.com or your travel agent. For more on the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort, see intercontinental.com. For the Ritz Carlton Kapalua, see ritzcarlton.com.
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