I’m on my balcony, feet dangling in a whirlpool, my eyes taking in the 270-degree views of the horizon stretching far off in the distance. The sun is shining, the sea is blue, the Champagne is on ice and life in the Otium Suite is as good as it gets.
Well, okay, I’m not actually staying in the suite - I’ve just popped in to look around - but a girl can dream can’t she? And believe me, this accommodation - the suite is the biggest and best on Silversea’s new Silver Nova - is a wonderful dream.
The ship’s name, from the Latin novus, meaning new, sums up everything about this vessel. For one thing, there’s a host of environmentally friendly behind-the-scenes operational stuff, including advanced hybrid technology, batteries and dual-fuel engines. For another, the entire layout of the ship is totally different to the Silversea norm.
All its other ships are in two halves, with suites at the front and public rooms at the back. On Silver Nova, the suites and public rooms run the length of the vessel (hence it has been able to offer aft suites for the first time). The ship has also been built asymmetrically, which has opened up the ship to let in more light and transformed the whole look and feel of the pool deck.
On other ships, the pool sits in the middle of the ship, equidistant between the port and starboard sides; on Silver Nova, it’s on the starboard side, overlooking the ocean. Across from the pool a bar sits off-centre and all around there are sun loungers, including on the port side. Forget ships; this is like the rooftop of a hip hotel in the South of France and it is fabulous.
The deck above is equally stunning; open on the starboard side to give a view over the pool and with loads more loungers. Given the ship holds just 728 passengers, you’ll never have to nip out early to bag a bed in the sun - especially as there are yet more loungers around the Dusk Bar, a new venue at the back of the ship which is perfect for catching those romantic sunsets at sea.
Silversea regulars will find all their favourite venues back for another outing, but they are not always where they might expect. The Grill and Spaccanapoli come together in a dedicated new venue, The Marquee, on the sundeck but away from the pool. There’s covered and open-to-the-elemts seating and come evening, you can cook your own steaks here on hot lava rocks.
The S.A.L.T. Bar and S.A.L.T. Lab (Sea and Land Taste is a culinary programme that connects passengers with the culinary traditions of the places they are visiting) moves to Deck 10. You can learn to cook local dishes in the S.A.L.T. Lab by day; come evening the venue transforms into a Chef’s Table dining experience. I was lucky enough to eat there one evening and it was great, but with 11 courses and room for just 18 diners, you need to book early and come with an appetite.
Building Silver Nova was not without its challenges, but it was worth all the hard work because the result is stunning. Thank goodness. Because before Silver Nova had even touched water for the first time, the steel had been cut for sister ship Silver Ray, which launches next June and will have the same beautiful looks and design firsts.
Silver Nova is off to Alaska next summer, but Silver Ray will be spending her inaugural season cruising the length and breadth of the Mediterranean, ticking off desirable destinations such as Dubrovnik, Corfu, Santorini, Istanbul, Naples, Valletta and Palma as she cruises between Barcelona, Civitavecchia (Rome), Piraeus (Athens) and Fusina, which Silversea uses as a gateway to Venice.
With numerous flights to all those cities from the UK, getting onboard could not be easier. And with everything included in door-to-door prices and the experts at ROL Cruise on hand to help you plan and book, all you have to do is pick an itinerary. Unfortunately, that is the hard part.
