By Charles Woollett—

Remember Robin Leach’s iconic 1980s television series, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, with its signature farewell, “Champagne wishes and caviar dreams”? A recent Caribbean voyage aboard a SeaDream yacht brought those words back to me. It was a week of epicurean delights, casual perfection, and the rare pleasure of doing absolutely nothing.

The anticipation of the unknown has always been my key motivation for traveling. What lured me to SeaDream was the promise of an intimate yacht carrying just 112 guests, attended by a crew of 98, with an emphasis on extraordinary French-inspired gastronomy.

Our itinerary included Virgin Gorda, Nevis, St. Kitts, Anguilla, St. Barts, and Jost Van Dyke. On St. Barts, the Caribbean’s French Riviera, lunch at Le Toiny meant toes in the sand, a cold Chardonnay, and truffle French fries smothered in foie gras and Parmesan cheese. Ooh la la!

Then there was the decadent caviar and Champagne beach barbecue at White Bay on Jost Van Dyke, followed by the obligatory Painkiller at the Soggy Dollar Bar.

You sail by night and explore by day. I knew we would be surrounded by azure-blue water, ideal for unwinding the mind and dining in food heaven. What I hadn’t anticipated was just how completely I would disconnect.

Several years ago, we discovered the pleasure of going unplugged at our favorite Villa Rolandi on Isla Mujeres. It has since become our preferred way to vacation. No cell phone, computer, television, or newspapers. Just your partner, a good book, and pampered service.

It brings a different kind of awareness to what we call “where nothingness begins.”

A Grand Beginning

We arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a day before sailing and stayed at the majestic Condado Vanderbilt, where old-world elegance meets modern luxury.

Opened in 1919, the hotel has welcomed European nobility and Hollywood stars and remains one of San Juan’s grand dames. Dinner at its restaurant, 1919, under the direction of Executive Chef Juan José Cuevas, was a fitting introduction to the culinary pleasures ahead.

Lifestyle and Cuisine

For all the five-star venues we’ve been privileged to enjoy around the world, this onboard experience exceeded our expectations.

Executive Chef Ali’s approach was simple: cater to your every culinary wish. His creative offerings, which he describes as Confluence Cuisine, included Veal Wellington, sole meunière, perfectly steamed mussels with garlic toast, fork-tender osso buco, artichoke and sun-dried tomato salad, trout amandine, fresh lobster salad, tuna tartare, and, of course, a Grand Marnier soufflé.

Why not?

Pre-dinner cocktails and hors d’oeuvres were another pleasure. We could choose between dining in the main salon or al fresco, with excellent wines selected by our French sommelier, Eric.

But it wasn’t only the food that made the experience memorable. The crew seemed to remember our names from the first day. Pool attendants appeared with cool water mist and offered to clean our sunglasses. These are small gestures, but they’re precisely the details that distinguish a memorable holiday from an ordinary one.

Food, wine, spirits, gratuities, and an impressive selection of recreational equipment were included. Our stateroom, number 406, came with monogrammed pajamas, Bvlgari bath amenities, and nightly pillow gifts.

Do I dare say it? It felt rather like being a guest aboard a wealthy friend’s yacht.

Yachting, Not Cruising

There is a difference.

We’ve given up the big cruise ships in favor of smaller, more intimate vessels. We’ve logged 49 days aboard Windstar’s motor yachts and sailing ships, and SeaDream offered another compelling reason to continue traveling this way.

Instead of sharing a ship with 5,000 passengers, you’re among a small group of guests from around the world. There’s no sense of being herded from one activity to the next. You can explore at your leisure, return to the yacht for an exceptional meal, or simply settle into a comfortable chair and watch the sea.

The atmosphere is one of discreet sophistication without the formality that sometimes accompanies luxury travel. Everyone seems united by a common purpose: to relax, explore, and want for nothing.

All you need to do is give yourself permission.
And perhaps that’s what I remember most. Not simply the Champagne, the caviar, or even the remarkable meals, although I certainly wouldn’t turn down another Grand Marnier soufflé.

It’s the sensation of sailing through the Caribbean with nowhere else I needed to be. No messages to answer. No news to catch up on. No schedule beyond deciding whether to go ashore or stay aboard.

Just the sea, the company, and that wonderful feeling of arriving at the place we call “where nothingness begins.”

Charles Woollett has been writing about film, food, and travel for more than thirty years. http://www.cpbwinternational.base44.app