Multi-award winning Silversea Cruises took cruising by storm 21 years ago when it introduced Silver Cloud, a 296-passenger ship small enough to slip into exotic ports off the beaten path. As your steward offers a welcoming glass of champagne and escorts you to your suite - most staterooms are suites on Silversea ships - you are instantly overwhelmed by the surfeit of comfort. Your private retreat is brim-full of wood cabinets with pastel furnishings, while an extensive refit in 2012 added extravagant 'rainforest' showers to most suites. In each suite, a lounge leads onto a balcony where you can have meals served course by course from the restaurant menu.

We have many clients who return to Silver Cloud time after time, for good reason. Perhaps it is the personalised welcome from the attentive crew; maybe it is the all-inclusive concept; or possibly the multi-award winning cuisine. In the sophisticated open-seating restaurant there are no assigned tables so you are free to dine when, where and with whom you please. Contemporary menus exclusive to Silversea feature La Collection du Monde signature dishes created by the Grands Chefs Relais & Châteaux. For a small supplement you can dine in the intimate Le Champagne where fine wines are complemented by a set tasting menu of regionally inspired dishes. The Italian specialities in La Terrazza are second to none, from the freshly made pasta to the air-dried ham from Parma.

On Silver Cloud you are free to set your own schedule: start the day with a Bloody Mary by the pool or book an appointment with a personal trainer; check your emails or browse the fashions in the Boutique. After dinner, the Connoisseur Corner has some fine single malts; while the Casino awaits those with Lady Luck on their side.