Where are we – a ship inspection on board the Silver Nova (Port Melbourne)
Suitable for – a brand synonymous with European flair and intimate, all-inclusive luxury. Silversea has always appealed to our clients who enjoy the finer things in life, personalised butler service (in all suites), great cuisine and some wonderful intensive itineraries - that pretty much cover the whole globe!
Highlights(s) – The S.A.L.T (Sea and Land Taste), their unique culinary programme. We’ve been hearing about this for years, but to actually get on board and see the spaces that Silversea have created really brought this concept to life. From the S.A.L.T Kitchen to Bar and Chefs Table - it really is such a wonderful idea, and the Lab space really took the cake (so to speak), we’ve never seen such a unique space at sea, where guests get hands on with local recipes in a professional kitchen - oriented to the outside so you really get that sense of immersion. We wish our kitchen at home was quite so impressive!
The Nova carries just over 700 guests with a crew of over 550 - so a high level of attentive service is guaranteed, and something that Silversea has really become known for over the years. The asymmetrical design, with the pool cleverly positioned to the side of the ship, means that the focus is always on the port / destination. Echoing this inside, every space has exterior windows to really draw you in to the location and bring the outside in.
We loved that the Nova (and its sister ship the Ray), had so many defined spaces on board, plenty of room to discover on a longer voyage and heaps of variety when it comes to the number and variety of bars and restaurants to enjoy. We’d certainly recommend making a reservation for everything possible (we can always help with this) as space in some of the more intimate settings is limited; and you would not want to miss tapas to the accompaniement of jazz and blues at Silver Note. Or a magnficent French degustation at La Dame.
All suites come with a generously proportioned veranda, and Silversea’s acclaimed butler service. We loved the Deluxe Veranda Suite which was spacious and well thought out. In some of the larger suite categories, the addition of a separate guest w/c (off the living area) was really clever. But we would say that the layout of the Signature Suite was a little odd - with its walk in wardrobe situated off the living space and quite some distance from the bedroom.
