A confession: during my high-summer sailing aboard Explora I, a gentle ping-pong across the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, sampling tantalising slivers of Italy, Croatia and Greece, one of my very favourite destinations is the sun lounger on the generous deck of my premier penthouse suite.
From the first night on board, sailing out of Venice, the water a milky green under the ship’s lights, a bright coin of a moon hanging like a promise above, the lounger becomes my personal piece of reverie-inducing, roving real estate. Reclining, I commit the moments witnessed here to memory: another night, crossing the Adriatic Sea, the water a pure sapphire blue as I sip a glass of nebbiolo. One morning off the coast of Dubrovnik, the softest sorbet skies are suddenly electrified by flamingo-pink light, silhouetting the clouds like a neon scribble. Breakfast taken in the lemony air as the palm trees and pastel-coloured buildings of Brindisi beckon; thick slices of grapefruit, coffee poured from a heavy silver pot, omelette generously herbed. Anchored off Milos; my salt-crusted linen wrap dress drying after another day of exploration, the sun scattering diamonds across the sea.
All of which is to say that this cruise feels different. Rather than a vessel for transporting you between hotspots, it becomes a destination in its own right, more akin to a floating luxury hotel.
Case in point: the soaring Lobby Bar, with its ethereally glowing shelves and low-set marble tables; angular and elegant as a world-class city watering hole. The Galleria d’Arte is another drawcard: Warhol and Lichtenstein feature prominently on my sailing, and a new partnership with Clarendon Fine Art promises further delights for art buffs.
Staff seem empowered to go above and beyond, like the eternally patient Olena, who works through potential shore excursions with me: Puglian wine tasting in the salty air of a 17th-century seaside estate, or discovering the charms of limestone-washed “city on a hill”, Ostuni? “Don’t worry,” she grins, as I apologise for fretting over seemingly impossible choices. “I love talking about this.”
Generosity, passion, elegance: there’s a deeply rooted Italian DNA at play here. The luxury cruise line, launched in 2023, is part of global shipping company MSC: headquartered in Geneva but co-founded by Italian-born Gianluigi Aponte, a former Neapolitan ferry captain, with his wife Rafaela Aponte-Diamont. Tapping into 300 years of seafaring heritage, the Aponte family is hands-on with Explora Journeys, resulting in a surprisingly intimate feel for a ship this size. With a maximum capacity of 922, it instils the sense that this isn’t cruising as you know it (the numbers bear this out, around 25 per cent of Explora guests are new to cruising). The average guest is stylish – less overt luxury bag-swinging; more flowing, tonal resortwear and elegant statement pieces – and an air of unhurried sophistication pervades. I barely even share a lift, nor wait longer than a few minutes for a (very good) coffee at Crema Café.
The whole set-up washes away tired cruising tropes of overly ornate furnishings and uncomfortably crowded pools. Italian designers naturally lend credibility to this endeavour, including pieces from Molteni&C’s Gio Ponti collection, and chic lobby furniture from Paolo Castelli. Overall, it reads sleek, yet personalised: think binoculars and paperback-stacked bookshelves in your suite. My premier penthouse features a walk-in wardrobe (complete with Dyson hairdryer, seated vanity and glass-topped accessories drawer), living area with lounge and dining table, cocooning bedroom and an ensuite with roomy shower.
Four beautifully conceived pools offer plenty of options, and I spend a languid afternoon at Astern, the infinity pool at the rear of the ship, as the horizon swells behind us. The spa becomes an 8am morning ritual, where we have the glowing serenity of the salt room, chic Finnish sauna, the warming marble loungers and hydrotherapy pool almost entirely to ourselves.
The restaurants also rival land-based counterparts. Under an insanely pretty burst of cherry blossoms tumbling from the ceiling of pan-Asian Sakura, we feast on lobster pad Thai, and yellowtail sashimi punched up with jalapeño and coriander cream. Fil Rouge leans French with glossy walls, plush banquettes and no detail half-done: sure, the Dover sole meunière is lemon-laced and buttery, but even the simple Roquefort salad hits every note; the Boston lettuce impossibly fresh, piquant dressing the perfect foil
to the creaminess of the cheese.
Med Yacht Club is a sensuous spin on its namesake, all curved lines and sun-flooded porthole windows. Highlights here include fat tubes of pasta cloaked in frothy, pecorino-rich carbonara and dotted with guanciale, and a fabulous gazpacho, all sweet tomato and zinging peppers.
Marble & Co. Grill plays sleek steakhouse with aplomb, again paying as much attention to sides like crisp Brussels sprouts as my perfectly seared fillet. Malt Whisky Bar serves expertly mixed post-dinner tipples in a handsome nook off the spacious Explora Lounge, and Sky Bar is another favourite; DJ playing a chilled soundtrack to another glorious, golden sunset.
A hat-tip to the elevated take on buffet dining at Emporium Marketplace, where an impressive array of dishes is presented in individual portions: from blistered pizza slices to virtuous Osaka power bowls of soba noodle, tofu, edamame and sweet potato drizzled in miso sauce (the ceviche is also excellent). All restaurants – except for Italian fine-diner Anthology – and a broad selection of wines and other drinks are included.
We are on the Med, in summer, which means sometimes unavoidable crowds in the likes of Puglia’s pretty Alberobello and its undulating rabbit’s warren of conical-roofed trulli; or the beckoning, turquoise jelly-like surf dotted with ant-like humans at the cliff-hugged beach of Polignano a Mare.
Lesser-known ports yield quieter treasures. Ravenna, an ancient capital in the Emilia-Romagna region, is scattered with gorgeous Byzantine mosaics and monuments, and plaques commemorating the poet Dante Alighieri, who completed his Divine Comedy here; all wrapped in a walkable parcel and delivered like an escape-the-crowds gift. At the Mercato Coperto, we ogle fat pillows of fresh cappelletti displayed alongside tubs of cloudlike ricotta and sturdy salamis. Suddenly ravenous, we snuffle out a nearby stall selling the local specialty, piadina. I opt for a filling of prosciutto, rocket and local squacquerone cheese, creamy and almost sweet in its squidgy softness, the enveloping flatbread golden-torched and puffed.
The nearby 6th-century Basilica of San Vitale is one of Ravenna’s eight UNESCO World Heritage sites. The exterior is a calming tableau of green lawns and ancient curving brickwork, but enter and be prepared for rapture – religious or otherwise. From the intricately tiled flooring to the soaring grandeur and saturated, peacock-fan colours of the sublime mosaics, it’s an utterly breathtaking sight.
On we venture, traipsing Dubrovnik’s honey-coloured stone majesty, kayaking Lefkada’s coastline and joyfully tootling around Milos, adding thin layers of salt to our skin and pleasure to our bellies at each stop. But it says something about our vessel that at the end of each day, as we board our return tenders, I cannot wait to resume my position on the sun lounger, slipping back into that ocean-borne reverie, just me and the sea.
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