Castles along the Rhine

Sharon Stephenson loved her room so much she couldn’t bear to leave it

Maybe it was my personal butler. Perhaps it was the open-air balcony, or the complimentary minibar that was refreshed several times a day.

I recently had the run of a luxurious suite on Uniworld’s SS Antoinette for a seven-night Castles along the Rhine river cruise, starting in Amsterdam and finishing in Basel.

The SS Antoinette is one of the company’s so-called Super Ships, recently renovated to include 67 staterooms for a maximum of 152 guests and 59 staff. There are also nine spacious suites, which include a marble ensuite, writing desk, living room and a TV, not to mention luxurious Hermès toiletries and the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept on.

But it’s the decor that really thrilled: they’ve thrown away the rule book when it comes to decorating, with each suite having a completely different look and feel. Mine featured lots of luxe gold and red, with thick curtains, textured wallpaper and an old school salon kind of feel, while my colleague’s suite across the hallway had more of a feminine feel with blue and yellow draped curtains and lots of colour.

Not that I spent as much time in my suite as I would have liked, being tempted by the onboard cinema, fitness centre, spa, pool and several dining options. That’s along with the daily list of on-shore excursions to postcard-pretty German towns along the river.

It was a sad day leaving behind my butler and the cocoon of my beautifully appointed suite to rejoin the real world.

‘THE DECOR REALLY THRILLED: THEY’VE THROWN AWAY THE RULE BOOK’