Berlin-on-Sea!
Nina Myskow revels in restrained luxury as she tours the Far East on a very German cruise liner. But don’t worry, on this ship NOBODY steals the sunbeds
It’s not every day that you idly spot a painting by one of the most famous living artists in the world. But here I was on board the Europa 2, journeying from Sri Lanka to Singapore via Burma, Thailand and Malaysia. My partner Grant and had been told about the vessel by a showbiz millionaire, who spent 10 weeks aboard last year (as you do). But it little prepared us for the splendour of the experience. Or the casual opulence of placing a picture by Gerhard Richter on a nondescript ship’s corridor; we’d last seen his work at an exhibition in Paris.
But if art doesn’t float your boat, the beauty of the ship will: surveying our surroundings with a glass of champagne in the lobby, we took in high ceilings, wide corridors and glass lifts. The decor is cool, modern minimalism, with a level of luxe that is whispered, not shouted.
Grant propelled me to watch our departure from a perch at Sansibar, the aft hangout. Sipping a cocktail, we saw the lights of Colombo slipping away while deciding where to go for dinner. Because – hooray! – Europa 2 has done away with the cruise tradition of the fixed mealtime and the allocated table. Here there are six restaurants to choose from. You can just pitch up at The Yacht Club or Weltmeere, or make a reservation for Tarragon (French), Sakura (Japanese), Serenissima (Italian) or Elements (Asian fusion). The food is sensational. They’ve dumped the dress code too. The long posh gown is definitely out.
Europa 2 is operated by German cruise line Hapag-Lloyd, which is celebrating 125 years of cruising this year. Welcome to Berlin-onSea! Because although the ship is bilingual and announcements are in both German and English, there were just six of us non-Germanspeaking passengers among 430. And every one of the crew we came into contact with was German too.
Was this a problem? Not in the least. All of the crew could switch to impeccable English in an instant, as did the other passengers, who were always eager to chat.
There were headsets at the sophisticated lectures in the theatre, for simultaneous translation from an interpreter. Evening entertainment was equally bespoke, with artists flown in. We loved the two Cirque du Soleil-type shows, which were stunning.
What about the stereotypical national prejudices? Were towels placed on sunloungers at dawn? ‘There is never a need,’ one man assured me. ‘We have so much space.’ He was right. With two decks around the pool area, we were always spoiled for choice, even during days at sea.
The highlight of the cruise was seeing the Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon twice. Covered in 9,000 solid gold, gem-encrusted plates, it was an unforgettable sight at night. But the next morning, under a blazing sun, the dome looked completely different: bright, dazzling and almost vulgar. There was treat after treat on the trip. One morning we zoomed out in motorised Zodiacs from the ship to Ko Phi Phi Leh to see where Leonard DiCaprio filmed The Beach. We also went by motorboat to James Bond Island in Phang Nga Bay in Thailand, where Roger Moore filmed The Man With The Golden Gun in 1974. On the way back to Europa 2, we stopped at a deserted beach for a swim and a drink: a pina colada in a fresh coconut. Bliss.
It was the thoughtful touches we loved: a tiny leather tray beside the bed, which I realised is for your jewellery when you take it off at night; our cabinet filled with exquisite cutlery and crockery.
Our final port of call was the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, which normally I would have been eager to explore. But as it came on our final full day, I thought: ‘Stuff the Petronas Towers. They can wait.’ I wanted to revel in the luxury of Europa 2 one last time before I returned to real life.