Luxury Travel Advisor - October 2008 - (Page 43)

THE SPA SUITE (both) offers a soothing relaxing environment and a luxuriant bathroom that opens to the entire space of the suite. Spa Suites, which debuted in 2007, are located adjacent to the Ocean Spa. Austrian or Swiss. Not that this put us off; it just takes some getting used to. More on that later. The ship’s accommodations are broken down as thus: 204 outside suites, 10 penthouse deluxe suites and two penthouse grand suites. Our suite with veranda was just about as good as it gets, particularly due to two spaces: the closet and bathroom. The former is of the walk-in variety, meaning you can take two to three paces inside it. It comes with ample shelf and hanger space, ideal for longer journeys. The star of the room is the bathroom, which offers a deep soaking tub along with a walk-in shower ensconced in glass. Mind you, this is the normal suite on the ship (all rooms are deemed suites). The living area consists of a sofa and coffee table, while the amply sized balcony offers two chairs, a recliner and a table—ideal for taking meals outside. Cool touch: TVs double as communication systems, wherein guests can send and receive e-mails at no charge. Each passenger is provided an e-mail address to be used while onboard. TVs also offer an assortment of pre-loaded movies, all of which are available in English. Doubly cool: refrigerators are stocked with a variety of complimentary quenching items from beer to soft drinks. Passengers can tell suite stewards their preferences and voila!—the next time you open up the fridge you’ll be greeted by your choices. Penthouse suites boast further amenities such as full-size dining tables, flat-screen TVs, butler service and expansive balconies. As remarkable as the living quarters are, even they are overshadowed by the flawless service and five-star cuisine. Nothing on MS Europa is done without luxury execution in mind. Consider an impromptu room-service order. Our meal was delivered and promptly laid out upon unblemished white linens. We’d be remiss if we didn’t say it was the best Wiener Schnitzel we’ve ever had. And that’s the sheer greatness of MS Europa: Every food selection as delectible as the past one; each service chance as indefectible as the next. There are three main restaurants on Deck 4 (the main dining room and two specialty restaurants), as well as the Lido restaurant on Deck 8. Prepare for long meals, which will leave indelible memories. The main dining room, Europa, is quite large for a small ship. Guests are greeted by the maître d’ (Peter Schmidke, who will also arrange dining rotations) then shown to their table. That’s when the show begins: waiters and sommeliers work as if performing an elaborate symphony, working elegantly in tandem, complementing each other left and right. The service is seamless from the first course through dessert. Note: Wine is complimentary during welcome and departure dinners, but there is a charge at other times. Tip: Purchase a bottle of wine and save any unfinished portion for the next meal; the restaurant will care for it. Albert Brooks, in the film Defending Your Life, while awaiting entry into heaven or hell in a quasi-afterlife medium, is told that he can eat as much as he wants without gaining weight and that everything and anything he consumes will be the best he’s ever tasted. That’s a little like how it is aboard MS Europa, minus the weight gain part, sorry. We had our welcome dinner in the Oriental Restaurant, one of the two specialty restaurants, but were able to order off the Europa restaurant menu as well. Gluttony took on a whole new meaning from the mounds of Siberian caviar wolfed down (the accompanying vodka shot was a simple yet perfect addition) to the grilled lobster coated with lemon-pepper-butter sauce and served with Champagne-boletus mushroom risotto and braised fennel. There were also courses from the Oriental menu, none better than the spiny lobster medallions and Jacob’s mussels. Across the way in the Italian Venezia restaurant, pasta takes center stage. We drooled www.luxuryta.com October 2008 | LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR 43 http://www.luxuryta.com

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Luxury Travel Advisor - October 2008 Contents Publisher's Letter Editor's Letter Glasgow Greece & Cyprus Private Islands Park Hotel Weggis Mexico Private Yachts MS Europa Coastline Travel Awards of Excellence The Pulse Just Back Luxury Travel Expo Sightings Source List

Luxury Travel Advisor - October 2008

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