Yesterday we went on board a small luxury cruise ship docked in Valencia for the day: Ponant’s Le Bougainville.

Christened literally 4 days ago, Le Bougainville is a 184 passenger cruise ship with 92 staterooms and suites. The small size of the ship allows it to dock in ports larger ships can’t even get close to. For example, today it’s docked in Altea (Spain). It also allows for a number of motor boats to be lowered directly from deck for passengers to use them for example around small Greek islands.

As one would expect in a brand new ship, this one has taken environmental responsibility into account. The decor is sophisticated elegance, and everything in it (except the art work) is quite luxurious. But to me, the most outstanding feature, by far, is the Blue Eye: a lounge 4 meters under sea level, which allows you to enjoy an underwater window throughout the whole cruise. Pretty sleek!