Moving through the yoga flow sequence at sunrise, I became so locked into the rhythm of my breath that my surroundings faded away. It wasn’t until I paused in a cobra pose, glancing upward, that the magic of the moment broke through: Butterflies fluttered above me, and a rainbow arched through the clouds.I had drifted into such a deep state of relaxation that it was easy to forget I wasn’t alone in some remote destination, but on a cruise ship with nearly 800 other passengers. That reality kicked in as the ship began its mooring manoeuvres, rotating to reveal the Baroque structures and subtropical landscape of Motril, a town on the southern coast of Spain.It was my second day taking part in a four-day Ocean Wellness Retreat on board Explora I, part of the Explora Journeys luxury fleet, and designed to feel more like a yacht than a cruise ship. The floor-to-ceiling windows, infinity pools and sprawling outward-facing decks create a seamless transition to the water, blurring the lines between the ship’s edges and the ocean’s beginning.
The Explora I, part of the Explora Journeys luxury fleet, is designed to feel more like a yacht than a cruise ship. (Photo: The New York Times/Camille McOuat)