The second Ritz-Carlton superyacht takes to the water

Haute hospitality has expanded its reach in recent times by offering emotions that go beyond the walls of their sumptuous buildings. Four Seasons was among the first hotel companies to offer a private yacht charter to tour the coral reefs of the Maldives. Some independent Italian hotels have done the same, such as the San Lorenzo Lodges, which, in addition to a farmhouse in the Dolomites and a flat in Rome's Piazza Navona, has a four-cabin catamaran to explore the Italian coastline, and like Borgo Santo Pietro, in the Siena countryside, which offers cruises in the Mediterranean on its sailing ship. Changing the pace of this new trend is now Ritz-Carlton, the first hotel company to even operate a cruise ship. A somewhat reductive definition, because both the first Evrima ship launched last year, and Ilma, the new one departing on 2 September from Monte-Carlo, as well as the next one, Luminara to be launched in 2025, are true five-star floating hotels. As Ernesto Fara, President of The Ritz-Carlton Yachting Collection, explains, these vessels are a hybrid between a ship, of which they have the structure and the latest technology, a super yacht for its holiday style and a hotel for its service and design..

And it is the synthesis of these three aspects, each at its best, that makes the on-board experience unlike any other cruise. Concept and furnishings are those of the luxury brand of the Marriott group, and the 224 cabins are all suites with balcony and butler service. Like a resort, in this case in the middle of the sea with a landscape that changes every day depending on the route, the common areas are generous and the restaurants varied, from the Japanese Memori to the Beach House that presents a delicious ceviche and lobster roll to the signature cuisine entrusted to Italian chef Fabio Trabocchi. The terraces are large and varied, and it is not uncommon to find oneself completely alone reading a book in front of the sea while others are sunbathing by the pool on the tenth deck. As on all ships, food (it's good here!) is an enticing plot of the voyage - there is even a corner for ice cream and a sandwich in case you are languishing - but there is also room for culture. The more than 700 works of art in the art collection have been chosen by a curator, and you can carve out an hour to be shown them: the theme of course is the sea, whether a Picasso or Andy Wharol print, a black-and-white photo or a sculpture. In the team - 400 crew members - there is an expert for everything: the trainer in the super-equipped gym (400 square metres of space are for fitness), the barber with Pisterzi products for grooming, a sumptuous spa, a children's club.

If Ilma can be called a superyacht, it owes it to the cruising style, with access even to smaller ports, and the concentration of activities at the stern, with plenty of toys (kayaks, paddle boards and no less than two catamarans). When you stop, in calm sea conditions, at the rear a team of able-bodied young people also sets up a floating platform that serves as a beach (it takes seven hours to set it down and the same number of hours to pick it up) with sun loungers, tables and inflatable umbrellas, and a small seawater pool with a protective net at the bottom, where it is fun to dive in. Superyacht also means limited size compared to a flagship with more than 2000 cabins and 4000 passengers. At 241 metres long, Ilma can enter small ports, in the Caribbean as well as in the Mediterranean. Her itineraries include ports of call such as Saint Tropez, from where you can reach the rosé vineyards, and delightful villages such as Port Grimaud, with its canal houses and boats moored in front of the port. A stroll, a coffee, a few rounds of pétanque and a plate of seafood pieds dans l'eau, before returning on board (even at one in the morning), leaving the flickering light of the lighthouse behind.