SeaDream - it's yachting not cruising

We had the pool and deck to ourselves – apart from the ever attentive pool bar steward Eugene who was on hand to top up our glasses.

No, we hadn’t won the lottery – it just felt as though we had.

We were on board SeaDream 1 spending ten days yachting around the Greek islands. I say yachting, not cruising, because there is a huge difference between the two.

To start with we were two of only 107 passengers on board the yacht, being looked after by 95 crew – a ratio of almost one-to-one.

The trip celebrated a double milestone – my wife’s 60th birthday and our up-coming 40th wedding anniversary.

I wanted to do something special, and SeaDream is just that. In fact it is so exclusive few people have heard of it.

But talk to fellow passengers on board and they were all of the same opinion. A voyage on SeaDream is one of the world’s greatest travel experiences.

There are two identical yachts, SeaDream I and SeaDream II, both owned by Norwegian billionaire Atle Brynestad.

Built 20 years ago as the Sea Godesses, the yachts have been completely refurbished to become the ultimate dream they are today.

In the summer they operate in the Mediterranean and in the winter they sail in the Caribbean.

Before boarding the yacht in Athens – air fares are not included in the price – my wife was nervous our fellow passengers might be a collection of super-rich snobs.

Her fears were unfounded. SeaDream adventurers are largely successful middle-aged professionals who want a degree of independence during their vacations.

On SeaDream you can do as much or as little as you want. Days are not rigidly structured. You decide when and where you eat breakfast, which is served between 8am-10am. Eating al fresco on deck is a complete delight. Chose your table and within seconds of sitting down, one of the crew will be unfolding your Belgium linen napkin and placing it in your lap.

There is a huge choice of food for breakfast. Hot dishes are freshly cooked to order and there is always a special dish of the day. The eggs benedict, poached eggs on a muffin covered with hollandaise sauce became a favourite of mine. I could have chosen steak or lamb chops or a range of cold meats and fish, cereals, cheese, you name it.

The yacht usually sails overnight, so every morning you wake up to a different view from your large stateroom window.

The rooms are comfortable. Ours – 412 – had a queen-sized bed by the window. The other half of the room contain a sofa opposite an entertainment suite that included a plasma TV, CD, DVD player .

There is a fridge stocked daily with your choice of beer and soft drinks. There is also a safe, although we never felt the need to lock it. We had implicit trust in our stateroom stewardess Evelyn who kept the room immaculate changing towels sometimes twice a day when needed, and kept us amused with her ability to shape some of them into animals which she left on our bed along with little treats such as flowers and chocolates.

On the first night we retired to our room to find a gift of a pair of his and hers pyjamas with our names embroidered onto them – Chris and Linda.

Such is the attention to detail.

It is the yacht club’s constant effort to ensure the comfort of its guests that results in more than 40 per cent of people returning to SeaDream time and time again.

Past guests include Sir Cliff Richard, Dame Shirley Bassey, President Richard Nixon and more recently, the entire English Cricket team.

Many guests on our voyage were seasoned SeaDreamers. One, a widow from Palm Beach, Florida, had lost count of how many times she has sailed with Sea Dream. She loves it so much she not only books a stateroom for herself, but another for her clothes and the 56 pairs of shoes she had with her.

“It’s so relaxing here,” she said speaking from beneath a wide-brimmed hat that would not have been out of place at Ascot.

“They look after you so well.”

Having travelled on all of the world’s poshest cruise ships she added: “This is the best there is.”

Other passengers agree.

Olaf and Ingrid are from Oslo. He is Norway’s top stockbroker. The couple have no children and love the freedom of the seas. They usually sail on Windstar, another luxury yacht line, but they say SeaDream is better.

“The food is better and the service,” says Olaf. “We are booking again before we get off and next time we will bring both sets of parents.”

Wolfgang and Renata are from Germany. She is a surgeon and he a dentist.

“It’s lovely and relaxing. There is no need to throw our towels over the sunbeds,” he jokes. “There are plenty for everyone.”

During our ten days we sat and dined with American lawyers and shipping agents, an English air traffic controller, an Australian property magnet and a charming couple from Luxembourg who run a painting and decorating business.

Unlike the huge cruise ships, some with more than 4,000 passengers on board, there is no organised entertainment on Seadream.

On two balmy evenings, the crew set up a large cinema screen on the pool deck and we sat watching and singing along to Abba when they showed Mama Mia on the first night. The crew even provide you with popcorn and ice cream.

There is a well equipped gym, state of the art spa centre where, for an additional charge you can have a range of treatments provided by charming Filipino staff, and also a well stocked library. Here you can access the internet if you do not want to use the connection in your stateroom. There is also a small charge for this.

Fine dining is the focus of the evening, either intimate dinner at a table for two, or making new friends at group tables – the choice is yours.

Cocktails and canapes are provided in the air conditioned salon at 7pm every evening. Here guests can enjoy hot and cold canapes accompanied by anything you fancy from the bar from beer to champagne.

Caviar was served on three occasions during the voyage. When steward Sean asked if I wanted a fourth serving I had to decline. After all, there’s only so much caviar you can eat...before dinner.

The food is Michelin standard and better than most shore-based restaurants. We ate oysters, foie gras, lobster, turbot and Alaskan king crab. One night we ordered bread and butter pudding for desert and it came topped with 24 carat gold leaf!

After dinner guests adjourn to the open air Top of the Yacht Club bar for after dinner drinks or coffee. If you prefer not to be out on deck, the piano bar inside offers a cosy venue to listen to some easy going piano music, and sometimes indulge in a bit of impromptu karaoke.

There is a small casino in the piano bar, but we only saw it used a couple of times. There is a $5dollar minimum stake and $25 maximum, so it’s just for fun rather than a venue for serious gamblers.

The casino provided a shipboard romance for two of the crew. Radi, a ravishing Bulgarian croupier met and fell in love with operations and activities director Richard, and they married – though not on the yacht.

Ship’s captains no longer have the legal power to marry people.

Richard looks after the sports entertainment on the yacht. When conditions are right and the port authorities allow, a marine deck is lowered at the back and guests have free use of jet-skis, kayaks, banana boats and even a floating trampoline.

Guests can swim off the yacht in the knowledge there is always a fast zodiac lifeboat patrolling the water keeping an eye on them.

Richard also co-ordinates the land excursions. The day before the yacht arrives at it’s next destination, guests can choose from different guided tours of the venue.

One of the most memorable was one night at Ephasus in Turkey. SeaDream organised an exclusive private candlelight classical concert at the Celsius Library. The setting is just breathtaking.

Getting ashore is never a problem. One of the yacht’s tenders take guests to and from shore. There’s hardly ever a wait. The tenders land you within yards of the town.

On returning to the yacht, you are welcomed “home” with an ice cold towels. Bottles of iced water are always available as you get on and off the yacht.

To keep us cool as we sunbathed crew offer to fine spray you with water – and even clean your sunglasses.

But the key to SeaDream’s success is that you can have as little or as much pampering as you want.

Captain Bjarne explained: “We seem to have it about right. Guests come on SeaDream to relax and enjoy themselves. Our job is to ensure they do just that.”

There is no formal captain’s dinner where guests vie for the chance to dine with the yacht’s boss. There is no dressing for dinner – no suits, jackets or ties, just smart casual clothes. No ball gowns for the ladies, just pretty dresses or smart slacks.

Our SeaDream voyage ended in Istanbul with a visit to the famous bazaar, before being dropped off at the airport for our flight home.

As we walked down the gangplank for the last time, a red carpet awaited us at the bottom and the captain and crew assembled to say goodbye.

“We hope you will be back to sail on SeaDream again,” they said.

So do I.

A similar voyage in Summer 2010, for 7 nights, based on two people sharing double/twin accommodation, is from £2,278 per person plus £278 pp taxes. This voyage only fare includes: all meals, onboard gratuities, wine with lunch and dinner, a complimentary open bar and use of the yachts “water toys” and Marina.

Telephone: 0800 783 1373 Website: www.seadream.com