to plenty of blonde wood
and natural light throughout.
The lobby is as grand as they
come, featuring a Murano
chandelier, marbled floors,
a dramatic staircase and
original art by the likes of
Pablo Picasso. When I retreat
to my suite, I find gilded mirrors and plush linens, cashmere
blankets and a flatscreen TV – not that I’ll need it, as my floor-to-
ceiling windows and French balcony provide ample eye-candy.
Truth be told, Beatrice is more luxury hotel than traditional river
ship. It comes as no surprise to learn her design comes courtesy
of sister company Red Carnation, which oversees some of the
most glamorous accommodation offerings in the world: think the
Twelve Apostles in Cape Town and Ashford Castle in Ireland.RAMBLING RIVER
The Danube begins in Germany’s Black Forest, where the Brigach
and Breg rivers converge in Donaueschingen. It ends at the Black
Sea, some 2,850 kilometres to the southeast, passing through
10 countries and countless cities, towns and villages along the
way. Our journey from Budapest to Passau is only around
550 kilometres by road; less by river. But the Beatrice is in no rush
to arrive in Germany, and takes seven nights to cover the distance.
I board the ship with 100 other passengers in the Hungarian
capital, where the Danube splits the city into Buda (the hills) on
the west bank, and Pest (the flatlands) on the east. Before we
depart, I spend a day exploring World Heritage-listed buildings
and crooked cobbled streets that spill down to the Hungarian
Parliament – an incredible example of Gothic Revival architecture,
and the only reason all Beatrice passengers need to converge on
the top deck.
One of the joys of river cruising is the permanent glimpse of
shore – on the Danube, this means that Budapest’s russet-roofedIT’S 11AM ON the Danube, and I’m sipping my
third glass of wine. The first two – champagne- were enjoyed over a breakfast of cheese-and-
peach strudel aboard the SS Beatrice, while gazing
at blink-and-you’ll-miss-them villages that appear to
have slipped from the pages of a fairytale. “When you’re
in this part of Europe, surrounded by historic vineyards, wine time
should not be dictated by a clock,” says Jaan, my dapper
white-gloved waiter. It’s the most agreeable thing I’ve heard
in days, and I don’t resist his efforts to refill my glass.
Such is the service aboard this boutique Uniworld river ship,
which first floated on Europe’s second-longest river in 2009. Over
the past decade, the intimate 125-metre cruiser has transported
thousands of passengers between Budapest and Passau, a pretty
Bavarian city at the confluence of three rivers. While the journey
has always been one of comfort, the style stakes were raised last
year when Beatrice was sent to dry dock to become a ‘Super
Ship’: essentially, a more glamorous model of the original, with
all 76 cabins and public spaces given a complete makeover.
From bow to stern, Beatrice now sports a yacht-like elegance,
her nautical palette of blue and white given a Scandi edge thanks
@ndragun @natasha_dragun
22 delicious.com.au