The Seychelles
Luxurious options abound in this Indian Ocean paradise off of East Africa. Crystal Cruises’ 62-passenger superyacht, Crystal Esprit, has suites with butler service and a private submarine. Ponant’s 184-passenger Le Bougainville has a snazzy, underwater Blue Eye Lounge, somewhat like a submarine with a panoramic view and where you can get a martini. But the real beauty of sailing here is taking tiny zodiacs to islands with uninhabited beaches, where you may snorkel among coral reefs or wander past tortoises in lush forests. Keep an eye out for the Seychelles warbler and other native birds, as well as Vallée de Mai, a rare palm forest little changed since prehistoric times.
The trip we’re most likely to book: A seven-night trip on Crystal Esprit, from $5,599.
Nile River
In January, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises launches the new 84-passenger, all-suite S.S. Sphinx, and because it will only sail in Egypt, its look will have an authentic sense of place. (Think Egyptian fabrics and artworks.) Similarly, Viking River Cruises in September adds the 82-passenger Viking Osiris, done up in Scandinavian design despite her Nubian name. Standard 12-day sailings on both ships start and end in Aswan, usually after a hotel stay in Cairo and a flight to Luxor. For DIY types, there are also four-night sailings to Aswan on Sanctuary Retreats’ elegant, recently upgraded, 64-passenger Sanctuary Nile Adventurer. Its shorter sailings aren’t packaged with pre- and post-cruise land experiences and are a little more flexible. This year, especially, a must-do is drinks on the terrace of Aswan’s Old Cataract Hotel, where Agatha Christie wrote parts of her 1937 novel Death on the Nile. Kenneth Branagh’s film based on the book will debut in theaters in the fall.
The trip we’re most likely to book: Four nights on the Sanctuary Nile Adventurer, from $1,410.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.