I had some preconceptions of me lying on a sunbed on a teak deck looking like a bronzed goddess and some bare chested hunk serving me a cocktail and applying a cool cloth to my forehead…………it wasn’t quite like that! It was far better!!!

Royal Clipper is not out-and-out-luxury, but it is very well-appointed and discreetly 5 star; marble bathrooms, extensive wine list, spotlessly clean, interesting spa treatments (with underwater portholes so you can watch the fish swim by!) and attentive staff on a nearly 2 to 1 passenger to staff ratio.

It cannot be compared to any other ship as it is unique, the largest square rigged sailing ship in the world and with 5 masts and 42 sails it is awe-inspiring! It is a working sailing ship with huge coils of rope on deck but still room for innumerable sunbeds and 3 pools, and a 3 level deck allows a small corner for peace if you want it. But with interesting ports of call, that a lot of other ships cannot reach, why would you want to stay on board?!

The aspect that struck me most is the relaxation, it is a prefect de-stressor. How can you not sit on deck in the evening, glass of wine in hand listening to the wind fill the sails and watch the stars, unaffected by light pollution.

The crew mingle easily and happily with the passengers, even dining with you. The Captain will let you steer the ship too!

There was a huge range of ages and nationalities on board. The dining is free seating with no set times and the Maitre D will choose tables for you so there is always someone interesting to chat to. So after a couple of days there is always someone to pass the time of day with. For this reason I would highly recommend it for single travellers, I met a few on board. Upwards from 30s to any age range, male and female.

The evening entertainment is low-key and passenger driven.
I met couples who had tried numerous “mega” cruise ships and they loved it. I met people who were keen on eco-tourism, with sail power, daily replenished salt water pools, local ingredients and using local entertainers it ticks a lot of those boxes. I met teenagers who loved the marina that let down from the back of the ship for watersports, and had rediscovered a love of board games in the library.

My highlights:
I did 5 of the 10 nights of the Italy and Croatia itinerary and the highlights of this for me were:
1) Cruising out if the centre of Venice with the sails being hoisted and rousing music playing and the dipping sun a golden light whilst the rest of Venice took photos of us; it was a spectacle to bring a tear to your eye.

2) 6.30am wake up call on a Sunday to witness our approach to Kotor through the Fjords of Montenegro. The stillness and peace I felt then was amazing.

3) Swimming off the back of the ship in crystal clear water, 42 metres deep with rugged hills and the walled city of Dubrovnik as my back drop.

Why I would go back?
Relaxation, understated impeccable service, great food and wines, beautiful ports of call and a truly unique trip.

What next?
It has given me a taster for its’ small sister ships, Star Flyer and Star Clipper. They do French Polynesia and the Far East, to some amazing ports that you’d never see normally and it’s a lot more “real” sailing as the wind can be lacking around the Med in mid Summer (but then that suits a lot of people, I was really unaware of any “roll”.)

I was completely bowled over by it and am hooked - fish, line and sinker!