Virtuoso Life - September/October 2007 - (Page 34)

LUXE REPORT BON VOYAGE Remoteness guaranteed: Antarctica and the Explorer II. setting sail in the andaman sea Snorkeling and diving abounds on Star Clippers’ cruisetours between Phuket and Singapore. The four-masted, 170-passenger Star Clipper will venture into the Andaman Sea’s seldom-visited Similan Islands, as well as the remote Butang Group off southern Thailand. New 11-day itineraries include four pre- or post-cruise nights in Bangkok with optional city tours. Departures: December 4 and 15, 2007, and March 4 and 29, 2008; from $2,315, including roundtrip economy airfare from San Francisco or Los Angeles. The Star Clipper under full sail in Thailand. SOUTHERN COMFORTS Regent Seven Seas Cruises has added four new Antarctic voyages to this season’s journeys to the land of the marching penguins. The 198-passenger Explorer II, which resembles a country house hotel with its gleaming brass fittings and polished woods, sails from Ushuaia, Argentina, with a full staff of naturalists, geologists, and zoologists on board, not to mention massage therapists and a fleet of Zodiacs for landing on the continent. The 17-day sailings call at Paradise Bay and South Georgia, Livingston, and Deception islands. Departures: November 8 and 24 and December 20, 2007, and February 25, 2008; from $9,795, including round-trip economy airfare from one of 86 North American gateways. Sun Shines on Oz The newest player in Australia: Princess Cruises’ 1,950-passenger Sun Princess, which begins a full-time deployment down under in November. The ship, which features three swimming pools, two formal restaurants, a wine and caviar bar, and the 24-hour Horizon Court bistro, spends most of next year on short voyages from Sydney, Melbourne, and Fremantle (Perth), but those looking to take in Oz all at once can sign on for one of two 28-day circumnavigations of the continent from Sydney. Departures: November 7, 2007, and March 9, 2008; from $5,115. Caribbean calling. MAKE WAY FOR AZAMARA PHOTO CREDIT Spa and wellness treatments (including acupuncture, microdermabrasion, and in-suite massages), butler service in every stateroom and suite, and an elegant wine bar are just a few of the 710-passenger Azamara Quest’s alluring elements. The ship launches this fall with 14-night round-trip Caribbean voyages from Miami as part of Celebrity Cruises’ new Azamara Cruises, which focuses on small-ship service and personalized experiences through amenities such as on-board excursion experts for hand-picked shoreside adventures. Departures: November 24, 2007, and January 5, February 16, and March 29, 2008; from $2,079. BY JIM GULLO 34 V I RT U O S O L I F E

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Virtuoso Life - September/October 2007

Contents Editor’s Note Contributors Luxe Report Bon Voyage Suite Talk City to Go Vanity Case

Virtuoso Life - September/October 2007

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