A Quest for Perfection - Seabourn Quest

A hazy sun shimmered on countless domes and minarets as the haunting muezzin call intoned the faithful to afternoon prayer. Our journey to Istanbul’s Salipazari cruise terminal in the Karaköy District gave us the merest hint of life in this city that positively groans under the weight of its own history. 

This is the origin of cities, the building blocks from which other cities of the world are modelled. Of its three names over the centuries – Byzantium, Constantinople and Istanbul – it is the former that best conveys the sense of the city as an infinity on earth, a vast marketplace drawing the marvels of humanity and its art forms from all over the world. The setting is superb; like Rome, Istanbul is built on seven hills and, as with the eternal city, the simultaneity of past and present thrives here.

For centuries, Istanbul was the pivot of Mediterranean civilisation, a position it owes to its setting astride the Bosphorus, between Europe and Asia Minor. This schizophrenic inheritance influences the people who live there today, making them cosmopolitan and worldly. Since the first millennium, the arabesque attraction of Istanbul has tempted foreign travellers in search of a taste of the Orient.

As Seabourn Quest slipped her lines we edged seawards, slowly taking our leave from the mighty Golden Horn, passing the Topkapi Sarayi, threading our way past an armada of ferries whose wailing whistles added to the ineffable scene. It was a perfect prelude to our Turkish Delights and Greek Isles cruise.

A previous voyage around this sequestered corner of the Mediterranean had convinced me that, as long as the rewards of the destination outstripped those of my imagination, I might as well keep cruising. 

So with this in mind, I relished the prospect of dropping anchor at some familiar ports, as well as those that lure visitors with the flypaper of dramatic historical surroundings. Plying the sea-lane less travelled is a hallmark of Seabourn Cruise Line, and this cruise from Istanbul to Athens was to prove no exception.

Having sailed on Seabourn’s pre-inaugural cruises with invited industry guests, I was eager to see if my subsequent claim that the first in the trio of recently-launched 32,000-ton vessels was a ‘game-changer’ held true on a cruise filled with 456 passengers. 

My yardstick was the experience of sailing on the smaller scions of the Seabourn fleet. Could this new vessel – three times the size of her smaller sisters, yet accommodating only twice as many – deliver the impeccable levels of service I had previously enjoyed?

Quest is the last of three larger siblings offering an ultra-luxe take on the genre of boutique bateaux. As I was to discover, this is no floating, faceless, five-star resort at sea complete with unsmiling, grey-suited robots; Seabourn’s latest addition is a seriously classy ship, with some eye-catching features and staffed by a crew who shadow guests’ preferences with an unerring instinct – most of the time. 

Enjoying a late breakfast on our balcony, we surveyed a backdrop of rolling hills filled with dense olive groves and pine forests on the island of Lésbos. Later that afternoon, under a sky more impersonal than the iridescently-blue Aegean, we strolled along the harbour-front of the capital Mytilene, where villagers and visitors alike sat at cafés drinking strong black Greek coffee and taking in the action, such as there was. 

We were glad of a restful day prior to our visit to Ephesus just 10 miles from the port of Kusadasi. In sweltering heat, we arrived at this former Ionian city in ancient Anatolia, second in importance only to Rome during its peak in the first and second centuries, and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. 

The Marble Avenue, Library of Celsus – which once held 12,000 scrolls – and the richly-carved façade of the Temple of Hadrian all trumpet the glories of the Roman Empire. Seated in the 24,000-seat Odeon, it is easy to imagine the scene when St Paul preached against the Ephesians’ worship of Artemis saying: “There are no gods made with hands.”

After a refreshing shower and early dinner back on board, it was time to set off once again for this showpiece of Aegean archaeology and an exclusive experience, compliments of Seabourn. Following cocktails, the warm night air was filled with the music of Mozart, Bach, Haydn and Brahms, performed by the Aegean Chamber Orchestra in this most surreal setting. It was an evening of pure serendipity.

Unseasonably early winds made docking at Mykonos the following day a challenge but, by mid-morning, we had hired a Ford Fiesta and, map in hand, headed for Elia Beach in the south of this barren Cycladic Island. By mid-afternoon, having had our fill of sun and sea, we returned to the island’s capital, Chora. 

Reverting to shank’s pony, we explored the white-washed labyrinth of cubic houses that are now home to trendy bars, chic boutiques, and over-priced restaurants. There was just time to head to Little Venice where medieval two- and three-storey houses line the west end of the port. 

In this impossibly-romantic setting, we sipped a refreshing Mythos beer on the balcony of a blue-painted taverna, looking towards the five iconic 16th century thatched-roofed windmills and a sunset of indescribable magic.

The wind refused to abate and, as we headed to Rhodes, it had all the resonance of a banshee keening outside our balcony. As we had both explored this capital of the Dodecanese archipelago and its medieval Old Town before, we opted to take a Spa Villa on Deck 10 for a three-hour ‘Sweet Surrender’ package. 

Side by side, we enjoyed Swedish massages before receiving SkinCeuticals Gel Peel Facials in this airy halcyon. A healthy three-course lunch was served before we refreshed in the Jacuzzi and relaxed on our own private deck. It was pure indulgence, but, at $799, such pampering doesn’t come cheap. 

Almost in a state of ennui, we dined in The Restaurant that night savouring Mediterranean Tuna with Veal Carpaccio, Fresh Local Sea Bass with Polenta, Spinach and Caviar Sauce, and an indulgent Chocolate Mouse with Raspberries. The complimentary Chardonnay revived us sufficiently to join in the ‘Rock The Boat’ party on deck, which lasted well into the small hours.

Sipping a strong espresso in the delightful Observation Lounge, we watched as Captain Nilsen manoeuvred our vessel to a safe anchorage in a secluded bay off Patmos. From the island’s tiny capital of Skála, caïques headed out to sea, searching for fish, the tillers manned by bare-chested fishermen, each one as bronzed in the morning light as the golden hills behind them. 

We visited the imposing fortress that houses the Monastery of St John the Theologian, founded in 1088, in the little town of Hóra, before climbing down to the Holy Cave of the Apocalypse, where St John the Divine wrote the ‘Book of Revelations.’

Another revelation appeared to Theodoros Kendratos in 1820. This farmer on the island of Milos declared he saw a great hollow open up in the field he was ploughing, revealing the statue of Venus de Milo. We approached this potent coastline by tender before catching a bus to Plaka, the capital situated atop a hill, crowned by a Venetian fortress in ruins, and a plethora of tiny, showy-white churches with deep-blue domes.

That night, a dusty orange haze appeared at the bottom of the sky; the stars were brightening and the scimitar moon was so low it appeared hooked into the sea. This was our view from Restaurant 2 where we savoured a five-course tasting menu devised by American celebrity chef Charlie Palmer. 

This intimate, reservations-only restaurant was a pleasing epicurean diversion, but we found the Colonnade, with its nightly-themed menus such as Asian, Italian and Greek, to be as convivial as it was commendable. 

Another facet that sets Seabourn apart is the highly personalised service from the 335 crew, who tread a line between attentive and deferential. It is also a welcoming touch when crew members address you by name after a few hours of embarking, a task made easier by photographic aide-mémoires issued to all crew. 

With a full ship, it was illuminating to see how this was accomplished, and full marks must go to the Maitre D’s in all the restaurants. 

Cruise Director Bobby Broughton also addressed guests by name as he welcomed them to the Grand Salon show lounge and, later, in the Club. With such a young crown on board, this was where most midnight oil was burned. It’s just a pity the vocal talents of the Filipino band ‘Civil Eyes’ didn’t live up to their punned name.

With no fewer than 76 passengers hailing from Britain on my voyage, it was evident they were happy to be co-opted into this triumph of good manners and style over modernist brusqueness. 

Some appeared to view their seven days on board as a brief encounter with pseudo-reality. For others, this ‘game-changer’ was the antithesis of those glitzy, ritzy leviathans that ply popular routes around the globe.

SEABOURN QUEST FACTFILE

Maiden Voyage: July 2011
Tonnage: 32,000
Length: 650ft
Beam: 84ft
Draft: 21ft
Speed: 19 knots
Passengers: 450
Crew: 335
Passenger decks: 10
Registry: The Bahamas

MORE INFO: in the UK, call 0845 070 0500; in the US, call 1866 755 5619; or visit www.seabourn.com.