If you’ve always dreamt of taking a cruise on the ocean where the term “luxury” would have you lying pool-side on the deck while sipping a cocktail followed by a lavish dinner, then you’re not dreaming big enough.
Luxury at Sea
Luxury doesn’t come more over-the-top than the deluxe suites of the Regent Seven Seas cruise liners. Its Seven Seas Explorer made the 2019 Conde Nast Traveler list of the best cruise ships in the world. The Explorer is a floating museum boasting a 2,500-piece art collection worth $7 million.
The collection includes paintings by Arranz-Bravo, Picasso, and Chagall. Add to that marble floors, hand-blown glass chandeliers, and eight world-class restaurants one of which is reservation-only and another is a chef restaurant.
The Suite that’s Sweet
The most lavish bedroom suite on the Explorer is the Regent Suite. However, the company has just upped the ante with the newest edition of the room on its latest ship the Seven Seas Splendor. Like her sister ship the Explorer, Splendor is a 750-passenger carrier and features the same high standards of extravagant decor and uncompromising opulence.
According to Jason Montague, Regent Seven Seas Cruises President and CEO, no expense was spared in fashioning the suite, which features custom-built furniture, golden chandeliers, two bedrooms (bed worth $200,000), 2.5 bathrooms, a private spa, a hot tub, a private conservatory, and a vast terrace with front row views.
Bespoke Interior Design
Designer Paulina Błasiak, of Tillberg Design of Sweden, helped create the elite getaway. She especially pulled out the stops when it came to the master bedroom, including a massive main bed handmade by Hästens in Sweden, which took four artisans over 300 hours to create.
The main bathroom contains a spa adorned with stonework and marble with gilded accents, two heated loungers, and a sauna. The spacy shower is enclosed in glass to offer ocean views, and guests can book therapists from the Explorer’s onboard SpaClub to deliver free treatments.
The veranda that spans 1,300 square feet offers guests clear sea views, even from the open-air hot tub, and sip on complimentary French champagne served by the suite’s allocated butler.
Guests can have friends join them in the extravagant dining room, created for entertaining and featuring a counter with backlighting made from mirrored glass and onyx. A grand piano stands in the living room, which will be adorned with priceless works of art.
Luxurious, but Not Cheap
The 4,443-square-foot suite costs $11,000 a night for two. However, the one percent rate comes with a bonus of first-class airfare for local flights plus a chauffeur-driven private car at each port of call. The expense has not daunted the affluent.
Officials from the cruise line report that the suite is already booked out for most of the ship’s first season. The vessel was unveiled in 2018 and is expected to launch in February 2020 when it will head to Miami in winter and then on to European waters with stopovers in the United Kingdom, Iberian Peninsula, French Riviera, Greek Isles, and more.
