Departures Australia Autumn 2018

BLACKBOOK ALL ABOARD

BLACKBOOK ALL ABOARD WAIT, THIS IS CRUISING? Gone are the days of the cookie-cutter sailing experience. Cruise companies are beefing up their offerings at sea, on rivers, even on land – and the result is that there’s something for everyone (and that means you) The outdoor pool at the Terme Stufe di Nerone thermal baths near Naples, Italy, is a stop on a wellness excursion on Regent’s Seven Seas Voyager Yes, you can cruise and get healthy at the same time The mistral was blowing as we started our tai chi lesson on a bluff with views over the old port of Marseille, France. Our instructor, an affable man named Pedro Marques, demonstrated the ancient Chinese practice with an ease that proved deceptively difficult to mimic. But I was feeling pretty Zen about it all. Chalk it up to the setting: the grounds of the stately 19th-century Pharo Palace, overlooking the harbour and the buildings of the city. I’d boarded the 700-passenger Seven Seas Voyager – for a weeklong sailing from Monte Carlo to Barcelona – expecting my time on land to be all about shopping trips and quick jaunts to beaches. Tai chi? Not so much.But Regent Seven Seas DANILO SCARPATI 40 DEPARTURES-INTERNATIONAL.COM CONTACT PLATINUM CARD SERVICE FOR BOOKINGS

A thermal bath at Terme Stufe di Nerone SHIPS THAT GET YOU INTO SHAPE FROM TOP: DANILO SCARPATI; © VIKING CRUISES Cruises, which operates the Voyager and its sister ship, Seven Seas Explorer, is changing up the typical excursion formula with a holistic wellness programme that covers both ship and shore. Passengers on the Voyager’s Mediterranean sailings can now choose from 11 healthful experiences in port, such as a vinyasa yoga session with views of Monaco Bay and laughter therapy in Palamós, Spain. Each outing, which is limited to just 20 people, is then paired with one of five treatments at the ship’s Canyon Ranch SpaClub. On my voyage, three wellness excursions were available: the tai chi experience in Marseille; a visit to natural springs once frequented by popes, 80 kilometres outside Rome; and a journey to the Phlegrean Fields and thermal baths near Naples, Italy. Since I enjoyed the tai chi experience so much, I decided to give the thermal baths a try. As our group made the two-hour drive from Sorrento, we passed jagged stone cliffs and fragrant citrus groves before arriving at the volcanic Phlegrean Fields, our first stop. The stony landscape, dotted with fumaroles emitting puffs of steam, had a stark lunar beauty. This was once the redoubt of the Roman aristocracy: Julius Caesar, Nero and Hadrian all had summer villas here. At the Terme Stufe di Nerone, a farmhouse-meets-thermal-bath facility at the fields, we joined locals and visitors as they slathered themselves in mud and soaked in the therapeutic pools scattered throughout the property. The experience certainly wasn’t glamorous or high tech, but participating in this ancient bathing tradition, in a place where it was practised centuries ago, felt restorative. Back on board the ship at the six-room spa, all five of the paired treatments – from a body buff using honey and Mediterranean botanicals to a wrap featuring organic Laminaria digitata, a therapeutic algae known for its antioxidant properties – echoed local healing traditions. I opted for a vitamin-infusion facial designed to counteract the effects of sun and stress. I left glowing. rssc.com ♦ —Emma Sloley THE SPA ENTHUSIAST For an authentic Scandinavian experience on the high seas, Viking’s worldclass LivNordic spa focuses on the region’s tradition of thermal healing, which involves alternating hot and cold treatments to detox the body and accelerate muscle therapy. Guests move from the dry sauna to a cold plunge to the steam room, then finish up in the grotto – a glassencased room with actual snow – before starting the circuit over. vikingcruises.com THE INSOMNIAC If the ocean’s gentle rocking of the ship isn’t enough to lull you to sleep, Celebrity Cruises’ Mindful Dreams programme certainly will. Viking Ocean Cruises’ LivNordic spa features a snow grotto Created by Canyon Ranch SpaClub for the fleet of 12 ships, the à la carte menu ranges from expert-led lectures on the right foods for a restful night’s sleep to a full-body massage with lavender-androsemary-infused body oils. celebrity​ cruises.com THE CYCLIST In partnership with bicycle brand and tour operator Trek Travel, Scenic’s river-cruise bike excursions are available on the Danube and Rhine Rivers itineraries of its Space-Ships. Guests can choose from multiple daily ride options on one of Europe’s best biking routes. In between rides, Trek’s staff transport all equipment from port to port for easy travel. trektravel.com DEPARTURES-INTERNATIONAL.COM 41