CRUISE CUISINE The French Collection Enjoying Le Savoir-Faire Of Le Ponant
Andrew Maclear savours a blissful experience aboard the chic L’Austral of French line Le Compagnie du Ponant
T
he benefit of joining a ship when anchored off shore is the mandatory arrival by tender, thus reaching the vessel in her
natural environment, rather than through a sanitised terminal. So it was, on a crystal clear October afternoon, L’Austral was waiting for me just off the Amalfi Coast. This vessel, launched in April last year,
may be small at just 440ft long but is nonetheless too big for Amalfi’s picture- perfect harbour, hence she is standing at sea while her passengers spend the day exploring the pastel squares and alleyways
of the town. A small tender shuttles back and forth and I join one of these short hops to join the ship. The tender nudges alongside the stern
of the vessel, her smoky grey hull rocking lightly in the swell, six decks climbing toward an azure sky. Captain Patrick Marchesseau is present to endorse the welcome on deck three. L’Austral is a soothing, intimate ship and her scale enables you to become quickly acquainted with her six decks, corners and facilities. The tone and ambience have been carefully considered
by designer Jean Phillipe Nuel, resulting in what resembles a boutique hotel at sea. Ivory, mushroom and cinnamon fabrics, grey-tinted woods and deep carpets render the cabins acoustically and visually friendly. The muted colours and tones travel out into the communal areas – several lounges, an outside bar, two restaurants, library and a theatre. Of course, there is a gym and a spa, complete with a hammam while the cabins make optimum use of space and light, and most have private balconies. Bathrooms feature a sliding panel which allows a
Spring 2012 I WORLD OF CRUISING 63
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