A new, more luxurious way to explore the Galapagos

ABOARD THE SILVER GALAPAGOS -- The day started early for Penelope Lobb with a Zodiac landing on a beach strewn with sea lions. Then it was off to a nearby islet for snorkeling with giant schools of razor surgeonfish and other colorful creatures, followed by a hike down a rocky trail in search of yellow-tinged land iguanas and blue-footed boobies.

But now it's time to relax, and the 69-year-old retiree from Devon, England is lounging over a martini at the elegant, wood-lined Piano Bar on her new home away from home in the Galapagos, the 100-passenger Silver Galapagos.

As Lobb is witnessing first hand, it's not your typical Galapagos experience. Billed as the first luxury expedition ship in the archipelago, the 4,077-ton Silversea vessel boasts everything from an upscale lounge and gourmet restaurant to a small spa. There's even butler service with every cabin -- a first for the Galapagos.

"We have been on some pretty Spartan expedition trips in our time, and this is not one of them,' quips Lobb as a tie-wearing waiter clears away plates of canapes. "It's a very comfortable ship."

Call it a new, more upscale way to visit the wildlife-covered destination made famous by English scientist Charles Darwin.

Straddling the equator about 600 miles off the Ecuadorian coast, the Galapagos never has been known as a luxury retreat. The allure of the mostly uninhabited grouping of 19 islands always has been its prolific and famously diverse wildlife, which provided fodder for Darwin's theory of evolution, and its tourism industry has sprung up around a fleet of small (12- to 100-passenger) expedition vessels designed more for ease of exploration than for creature comforts.

But luxury line Silversea is changing all that with a ship that is as elegant as it is rugged. Unveiled in late 2013, the Silver Galapagos was created through the top-to-bottom overhaul of an existing Galapagos-based vessel, the Galapagos Explorer II, in two extended dry docks that finished in October. The makeover brought such rare-for-the-Galapagos amenities as marble bathrooms in cabins, a fitness center, outdoor Jacuzzi and a version of Silversea's signature outdoor dining venue, The Grill.

Still, even as Silversea brings a new type of luxury to the Galapagos, it isn't tinkering with the basic formula of a visit to the destination, 97% of which is preserved as a national park and only open to small, guided tours. Like other Galapagos-based expedition vessels, the Silver Galapagos moves from island to island, depositing passengers on land by motorized Zodiac rafts for twice-daily, wildlife-focused excursions led by park-licensed naturalists.

The first day of the voyage -- a "North Central" itinerary that is one of two the line offers -- is typical. The Silver Galapagos drops anchor at Darwin Bay, a submerged crater at Genovesa Island, and passengers head out for a morning hike through a Palo Santo forest covered with so many nesting frigatebirds, Nazca and Red-footed Boobies, storm petrels and other winged wildlife that at times it's hard not to step on them.

After lunch back on board, passengers return to the island for an afternoon walk along a sea lion-lined beach. But for many the highlight of the day is a snorkeling outing along a stretch of cliffs that is abundant with brightly colored reef fish. As passengers drift along the rock face admiring chin parrotfish and Moorish idols, several fur seals suddenly appear, playfully darting around and amongst them -- at times approaching almost close enough to touch.

"I've snorkeled with whale sharks and manta rays, and this is right up there," says Stewart Karlinksy, 66, of New York, describing a face-to-face encounter with a fur seal pup."You're really out there in nature."

Like Karlinsky, a semi-retired business professor on board with his wife and friends, most of Silver Galapagos' passengers are seasoned globetrotters. Karlinksy has visited 105 countries.

For many, the Galapagos always had been high on the bucket list, and finding a way to do it that included a little pampering increased its allure.

"We definitely are nature people, but we like our luxury hotel," says Wendy Binstock, a 53-year-old pediatric anesthesiologist from Chicago who picked the Silver Galapagos to tour the islands because it offered a more upscale experience than other vessels. "I like the mix of a relaxing luxury vacation (paired) with all the outside activity."

While upscale for the Galapagos, the Silver Galapagos isn't quite as pampering as the more traditional, non-expedition style vessels operated by Silversea and other luxury lines in other parts of the globe.

For starters, limitations on food imports to the Galapagos designed to protect the fragile eco-system from disease make it difficult to offer gourmet dining at a level luxury cruisers have come to expect. Many cuts of beef are banned completely, and ingredients such as berries and some imported cheeses are unavailable. The result is that while the Silver Galapagos' chefs can turn out a lovely plate of locally-caught lobster, they struggle to produce an edible hamburger.

Service also is an issue, in part due to hiring restrictions that require an all-Ecuadorian crew. While friendly and eager-to-please, waiters and bartenders aren't as highly trained as the seasoned international crew found on traditional Silversea ships, and some also strain to understand English-speaking passengers. Waiters sometimes deliver the wrong dish at dinner or forget to refill wine glasses. An order for a sidecar at the bar was met with a look of confusion.

But what the crew lack in training, they make up for in spirit, says Patrick Duerr, a 64-year-old lawyer from the Detroit area here with his wife.

"The brochure warned about (the service), but everybody we've run into either does it very well or well enough," Duerr says, noting that many of the crew were addressing him by name within a day or two -- a classic Silversea touch.

Speaking during a stop at Santa Cruz Island to see the Galapagos' famed giant tortoises in the wild, Duerr also praises the ship's nature guides. In keeping with its upscale focus, the Silver Galapagos sails with roughly one for every 12 passengers, a higher ratio than the one-to-16 level that is the norm on many Galapagos ships.

That said, the real stars of the trip are the animals. As if to make the point, as Duerr is talking, several massive tortoises lumber by just a few dozen feet away.

"This just blows my mind," he says.

If you go ...

The Silver Galapagos sails Saturday to Saturday on seven-night voyages through the Galápagos Islands, following either a western or north central route. The western route features stops at the islands of Santiago, Isabela, Fernandina, Floreana, San Cristobal and Santa Cruz. The north central route includes stops at the islands of Genovesa, Seymour Norte, Santa Cruz, Rabida, San Cristobal and Espanola. The two seven-night trips can be combined to create a 14-night itinerary.

Fares for the trips start at $6,750 per person, based on double occupancy, including a two-night pre-cruise stay with breakfast at the JW Marriott in Quito, Ecuador; an evening tour of Quito's highlights; roundtrip air between Quito and the Galapagos; transfers; all shore tours while on board the Silver Galapagos; drinks on board; and gratuities. Passengers with late flights home on the last day of the trip also will get a post-cruise day hotel. Information: 877-276-6816; silversea.com.