Heritage Line, which also has the Anawratha on the Irawaddy in Myanmar and three ships on Halong Bay, has plans to expand with new ships, concepts and destinations, and in 2018 will launch a new ship on Halong Bay.
The Jahan and the Jayavarman are Heritage Line’s two luxury cruise ships sailing the Mekong River between Siem Reap in Cambodia and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
“Our ships have a boutique environment with large cabins and a range of onboard facilities. We offer well-balanced itineraries and competitive rates, and guests really appreciate the great excursions and the heartfelt hospitality of our local staff”, says Andreas Schroetter, Director of Sales and Marketing Heritage Line.”
We left Siem Reap’s Victoria Hotel & Spa Siem Reap by coach and soon found ourselves boarding the Jahan, a 5-star floating boutique hotel with 20 staterooms and six suites. Greeted by the smiling Cambodian and Vietnamese staff, the airy pastel tints on the walls and ceilings, delicate hand-painted Indian-inspired decorations and antique furniture ushered us into an era of opulence and antiquity… but with Illy coffee machines and in-room safes. The staterooms, with double or twin beds, have day areas with sofas and vanity corners, and the large picture windows slide open onto balconies. The four Signature Suites are on 36sqm, and the top-of-the-range Taj Suite and Lord Byron Suite at the Jahan’s bow have dining areas and Jacuzzis on their spacious balconies.
We stopped daily for land excursions as we crossed first Tonle Sap Lake, and then began the cruise along the Mekong past bucolic landscapes, floating villages and small provincial towns. At Kampong Chhang we visited a rural pottery factory where pots and cooking stoves are hand produced and fired in rudimental kilns. Wat Hanchey, the pre-Angkorian temple on a hill top, provided panoramic views over the Mekong, and the silk-waving village on the island of Koh Oknha Tey gave an insight into this traditional craft.
With 24 hours in Phnom Penh the morning was spent at the Cheung Ek Killing Fields memorial park and the S-21 Tuong Sleng prison camp – stark reminders of the tragic years of the Khmer Rouge atrocities. After lunch in Malis Restaurant, where celebrity chef Luu Meng’s original take on traditional Cambodian food got a collective thumbs up, we visited the National Museum with its fascinating Angkor Wat artefacts, and the Royal Palace. And, after dinner on board, there was still time to enjoy Sisowath Quay with its lively bars and colourful night markets.
Heritage Line, which also has the Anawratha on the Irawaddy in Myanmar and three ships on Halong Bay, has plans to expand with new ships, concepts and destinations, and in 2018 will launch a new ship on Halong Bay. “The new Ginger will have great design, big spaces and enhanced spa facilities. It will be the first ship on the bay to have a pool and the first luxury cruise offering an itinerary off the beaten track,” says Andreas Schroetter. “And in 2018 we will be introducing gourmet and wellness cruises on the Mekong and the Irawaddy.”
Photo caption: Floating village.
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