Pearl Expeditions’ first bespoke expedition ship, Paspaley Pearl, has set sail. Karryon Luxury is onboard.
Joining a new ship on a pre-inaugural cruise is one of the best things about being in the travel business.
We are the guinea pigs for the ship’s first sailing before the first cruise with paying guests takes place – and things don’t always quite go to plan, but being the first to explore every deck, sleep in a beautifully appointed stateroom with new linen and sample the dining before anyone else gets onboard is always a very special experience.
A bonus for me is that my eldest son, Alex Bentley, is Paspaley Pearl’s head chef. You may take my reviews of the cuisine with a pinch of salt, excuse the pun, naturally thinking I’m rather biased, but he has an impeccable CV in the luxury hospitality business that has nothing whatsoever to do with me.
An adventure before the adventure
Paspaley Pearl is in Dili, Timor Leste’s capital and port city, until she returns to the Kimberley to start her first season between Broome and Windham at the end of July.
Our small media group has flown from Sydney to Darwin, where we boarded Paspaley’s G-73AT Grumman Mallard, an amphibious plane, for the 2.5 hour flight to Dili – a thrilling experience in itself.
Dili will be the jumping off point for the ship’s future sailings in Raja Ampat, the Spice Islands and Borneo, and the long-held connections between the Paspaley group and this region offer logistical advantages no other cruise line can offer.
Wining and dining
Following a spirited welcome to Timor Leste ceremony performed by local dancers on the dock, we board the ship for a welcome aboard drink on the Horizon Deck, the middle of three guest decks.
It’s set up for open-air dining for 32 guests, with ample lounge and bar space, and has seven balcony staterooms – a first for a vessel of this size operating in the region.
The Horizon Deck is designed for warm tropical days and evenings, casual and relaxing; as Pearl Expeditions’ Executive Chair Sarina Bratton says, it’s all about feeling that you’re at home on the ship – “an easy, breezy, barefoot vibe”.
We have dinner in the elegant restaurant on the Ocean Deck (the first deck) – which also seats 32 – and I am not the only satisfied customer.
The menu featured light dishes with a Southeast Asian flavour – an entrée of Paspaley Pearl meat with avocado cream, coriander and lime was a standout. We also devoured mains of Angus eye fillet and barramundi from Western Australia, and a vegan leek and cannellini dish.
Time to bed down
There are eight staterooms on the Ocean Deck, and at the stern is a marina platform where you embark the two custom-designed expedition boats and Zodiacs, and where you can get straight into the ocean to swim, kayak, snorkel or go paddle boarding.
It’s hard to believe how spacious the ship’s interiors are, considering she is a neat 53 metres long and 11.2 metres wide.
Paspaley Pearl’s size is an advantage that Mick Fogg, General Manager and Head of Sustainability and an expedition leader who many adventurous travellers know well, is particularly excited about.
“We will go to incredible places that smaller vessels can’t access, and when there is a maximum of 30 guests onboard, going ashore is also a whole different experience.
“There’s no rush, no crowding and time to absorb everything we do.”
The Sun Deck, at the top of the ship, has a good-sized jacuzzi, another bar and more spots for lounging around, or simply sitting and sipping a cocktail to those tropical views.
For more information, visit NT Pearl Expeditions.
