SUITE LIFE

f a personal butler, in-suite caviar service and different daily fine-dining experiences are your prerequisites for a cruise, look no further than the Regent Seven Seas Explorer. The US$450 million luxury ship has just 375 suites, all with balconies, to house a maximum of 750 guests, providing a boutique experience in a vessel decked out with Carrera marble, 400 crystal chandeliers and a collection of fine art. Here are just some of the highlights of the world’s most luxurious cruise ship, which entered service in July last year.

The crème de la crème of the ship’s accommodation options is the Regent Suite, which is on the highest deck, but to call it a suite is misleading. The 4,443sqft space feels more like an upscale apartment on New York’s Upper East Side. The living room features chic cream and dark brown decor and a custommade Steinway Arabesque piano designed by Dakota Jackson. There’s a wraparound balcony and a spacious solarium from which to enjoy unobstructed views of the ocean. Attended by your own personal butler, the perfect martini will appear on the black marble-clad bar at your whim.

The master bedroom pushes the level of luxury to further heights, with a US$150,000 king-sized bed from Uk-brand Savoir, and the vast, gold and white bathroom, stocked with Guerlain and Bulgari toiletries, houses a multijet shower, steam room, sauna and heated loungers. There’s also an outdoor Jacuzzi. Plus unlimited in-suite spa treatments by the onboard Canyon Ranch Spa Club are included.