Cheers to the Good Life

On Silversea

by Suna Kanga

Bartender Darwin has a happy following on board the ultra-luxurious Silver Shadow. From 9 am to sunset, he and his team are the movers and shakers behind the popular Poolside Bar, serving straight and colourful concoctions to cruise passengers. Champagne and fine wines, on the house all day, rest on a bed of ice for the sun-worshippers.

Silversea’s nine-day Mexican voyage, from Los Angeles to Los Angeles, is a grand ‘salud’ to la dolce vita. Having flown in on Singapore Airlines’ non-stop flight and still afloat on cloud nine, the transition from vistas of soft clouds to rippling ocean is seamless. So smooth and silent is the ship’s departure, we almost miss the sail-away cocktail party!

Champagne and white orchids are welcoming touches in the luxurious suite. The balcony promises quiet interludes to ruminate on the steely dividing line between sky and ocean.What with Relais & Chateaux cuisine and the unbeatable goodness of unlimited libations, the days soon drift by in a haze. For many, the charms of the five Mexican ports we touch are adjuncts to Silver Shadow’s intimate Italian-style wine and dine experience.

The poolside bar is an introduction to the domain of the imaginative. Being strategically located between our suite and elegant public spaces, there are innumerable opportunities to stop for a thirst quencher. In this cocktail heaven, bartenders jiggle liquor with fruit juice, ice cubes and other exotic ingredients to present an elixir. In a carefree mood, we tick off tantalising cocktails on our wish-list – with cheers to the unsurpassed style of all-inclusive travel!

Seabreeze, the peachy-toned vodka and cranberry juice tipple, is perfect after a day in port. The Silver Shadow Signature is a cool blend of Absolut citron and Malibu rum with pineapple and raspberry juice.Lime-based Caipirinha brings to mind the seductive charms of Brazil. For our friends, Banana Pina Colada is the winner. Fine single malts and martinis add fire to the splashy Pacific sunsets at Puerto Vallarta and Cabos San Lucas.

Seven bar areas keep the holiday spirit afloat for the 310 cruise guests onboard this sleek, all-suites ship. Champagne Pommery, Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut and Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte are on call day and night. The eminent wine list of complimentary and connoisseur (priced) wines promotes feelings of extravagance.Even with Bacchus buying the rounds, Silver Shadow guests demonstrate firm sea legs on the dance floor. If the horizon happens to float, it is easy to wander back to the suite in a hypnotic haze.

Meals in The Restaurant are a daily highlight orchestrated by executive chef Ricardo Dotti, head sommelier Mike LeBlanc and maitre d’hotel Sergio De Moura. With no assigned dining time and no assigned table, one has a sense of unencumbered freedom. Typically, the menu presents Relais & Chateaux Grand Chef Jacques Thorel’s daily pairing of food and wine along with a list of haute and hip appetizers, intermezzo, sorbet and entrees. The beef and lamb are of extraordinary quality. Wines served include Loire Valley Pouilly Fume, Cote du Rhone and fine wines from California, Italy, Chile and other regions. After dinner one night, hotel director Michele Maglione reintroduces us to the divine Italian liqueur, Limoncello.

For a change of scene and cuisine, we dine at La Terrazza where Silversea’s Italian heritage is celebrated with signature dishes by chef Siegfred Caguin. At Le Champagne, an exclusive wine restaurant and gastronomic venue, guests savour great wines with exquisite Relais & Chateaux cuisine, for $200 per head. For loners and lovers there is in-suite dining and 24-hour room service. My personal indulgence is in-suite breakfast which enforces self-restraint for the day’s main meals. A Galley lunch, where the elaborate spread is cooked and served in the vast kitchen, is a novel affair.

As the cruise unfolds, the ship itself offers a host of diversions -- a visit to the red-carpeted Bridge helmed by Captain Marco Sangiacomo, fascinating tours by art expert Michael Judge, a deep-tissue muscle massage at the beautiful Spa and a casino to wander into and watch disappearing acts. There are shops to check out fashions by Escada and Ralph Loren, fragrances from Chanel, Dior, Creed and Lalique and exquisite jewellery by H. Stern of Brazil. Golfers can take lessons with golf pro Bruce Mendelson of Elite Golf.

From the first flute of champagne, the promise of six-star service is fulfilled by an incredible crew of 240 who keep the buoyant mood flowing with professionalism and good cheer.

GLIMPSES OF MEXICO

Between wining and dining on board Silver Shadow, there are shore excursions to Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada. The Mexican ports offer brief but intriguing glimpses of an artistic heritage that is perpetuated in decorative old churches and monuments and innumerable arts and crafts that support a lively tourism industry.

Mazatlan, an old port, was once sought by weary gold prospectors from the east coast of America for voyages to San Francisco. We bypass the beautiful sandy beaches for the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains where Spanish-speaking artisans demonstrate their artistry at a crafts centre. Our tour proceeds to Concordia, a quaint town with a 220-year-old church, and on to the Spanish gold mining town of Copala (1565). In this hilly locale, a moody mask-maker amazes us with his creations of assorted leathers. Lunch at a cheerful restaurant promotes the Mexican mood with Pacifico beer and local fare.

At Puerto Vallarta, sprawled between palm-covered mountains and Banderas Bay, the main attraction is the old quarter where the crown-topped Virgin of Guadalupe cathedral presides over red-roofed adobe buildings. The pride of PV, as locals call their town, is the Malecon, a wide seaside promenade studded with wonderful sculptures. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton are credited with changing the laidback town into a celebrity getaway place with luxury condos and golf courses. Manzanillo, the next port, does not offer much for a quick visit but there are good hotels where one can stay and enjoy beach and jungle adventures.

Cabo San Lucas is a highly-sought tourist destination on the tip of the Baja California Peninsula. A coastal drive along the Tourist Corridor takes us past high-end hotels, clusters of homes and world-class golf courses to the stunningly located Sunset Da Giorgio restaurant. Facing us is the Bay of Cabo San Lucas where monumental rock formations with hidden coves rise from the ocean. In picturesque San Jose del Cabo, we visit Cacti Mundo, an ecological cactus garden with an amazing collection of 750 species. The town itself is a refined pueblo lined with artesian shops featuring Talavera pottery, glass and textiles.

In Ensenada -- where Al Capone and Douglas Fairbanks were among the famous clientele at the casino – the attraction is Mexican wine. The Guadalupe Valley is known for quality wines, a taste of which is offered at L.A. Cetto Winery, established in 1926 by an Italian immigrant, and Casa Domeco, famed for three centuries of fine sherry, brandy and wine.

Back on Silver Shadow, we meet for a farewell dinner with new friends and a final cocktail before re-entry into the real world -- a heady blend of Bacardi, Galliano, Crème de Banana, pineapple and orange juice named Bon Voyage.

Award-winning Silversea, a luxury brand of small ships, has a fleet of five vessels –Silver Cloud, Silver Wind, Silver shadow, Silver Whisper and Silver Spirit --that offer guests large-ship amenities in an atmosphere of casual elegance. Prince Albert II is a regal expedition ship with an ice-strengthened hull. The 2010 itinerary covers all seven continents.

(Photographs by Suna and Rusi Kanga and Silversea.)

LINKS: www.silversea.com, Cocktails, Cruises, Mexico (Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada).