Ship review: Silver Muse, Silversea Cruises

_Location: Sailingthe seven seas. Silver Muse will spend this summer cruising around Europebefore heading west for Canada, and then finally to the Caribbean for thewinter season.

_{First impressions:}Having spent four years of my career dedicated to writing about cruise, I wasinstantly impressed by Silver Muse. The decor is inspired by its Italianheritage (where owner Manfredi Lefebvre is from), but it’s far from being overthe top. This ship oozes class and now sets the standard for the entire fleet(and arguably the rest of the luxury sector), with the line dedicating $170million to retro-fitting its older ships. Repeat Silversea guests will like thebigger pool on the top deck, now long enough to do lengths in, and the widervariety of dining options. They’ll also be delighted that favourites such asalfresco restaurant Le Terraza can still be found on Silver Muse.

_{The facts:}Accommodating 596 guests, Silver Muse is Silversea’s biggest ship. Cuisine is abig deal, with eight restaurants across the ship and more than two dozenculinary offerings – including a nightly cheese and wine selection in theobservation lounge and a chocolate extravaganza in the new Arts Café venue. Themain dining room has been replaced by a wider choice of restaurants, includingseafood and grill restaurant Atlantide; Asian-accented Indochine; Kaiseki, ateppanyaki-style venue; and Silver Note, a supper club-inspired restaurant and bar serving Peruvian-fusion food.

Recommend yourclients pay the extra charge to dine in Relais & Chateaux’s La Damerestaurant. Also new is poolside restaurant Spaccanapoli, serving up homemadeItalian pizzas all day long.

_{A good base for:}Eating fabulous food, relaxing in style and enjoying life.

_Wow: The ZagaraBeauty Spa is the perfect onboard sanctuary, but it’s also very innovativebecause treatments will be personalised for each client’s profile and needs.The lighting, music, treatment oils used and teas served will all be chosen by theguest to enhance their spa experience.

_{Book it:}: A seven-daycruise from Rome to Venice leads in at £3,900 per person.

Hollie-Rae Brader