ONBOARD THE TAUCK LUMIERE -- Europe's river cruise ships are long and thin, which means the guests who have the last cabin on the corridor have a bit of a walk from their door to the central atrium, lounge and restaurant.
On the inaugural voyage of Tauck's 443-foot-long Lumiere, that person was me. I was in Cabin 230, the final room on the middle passenger deck.
The Retreat's entrance. To the left, a spacious lounge. To the right, an exercise room, bathroom and massage room. Photo Credit: Rebecca Tobin
That position is a nuisance if you forget your room key, phone, audio device, headphones or sweater just as your excursion group is heading out. But I also discovered that Cabin 230 has a big plus: its proximity to The Retreat.
The Lumiere and its slightly smaller sister, the Serene, are Tauck's first new ships in about five years, and it worked with river cruise partner Scylla on a few design changes. The biggest change was the repositioning of casual restaurant Arthur's from the aft to the fore, freeing up the aft for something new.
Voila, as they say on the Rhone. The Retreat.
The Retreat takes up the entire back section of the Lumiere. It consists of an exercise room, lounge, massage treatment room, bathroom and cozy deck.
Tauck execs call The Retreat wellness-focused, and that makes sense: The lounge is most closely associated, decor and design-wise, with a spa's relaxation room or its pre-treatment space. It's light and bright, with floor-to-ceiling windows and comfy couches and chairs in soothing shades of taupe with black accents. In the morning, sun sparkles off the river and into The Retreat's lounge.
There's a credenza with water (fruit-infused, plus a tap to dispense still or sparkling) and tea, a coffee machine for espressos and lattes, a yogurt fridge and individually wrapped packets of dried fruits and nuts. A second counter contains cookie jars.
Despite the spa-like vibe, The Retreat's lounge isn't devoted exclusively to spa guests. Anyone can use the lounge for any reason and at any time of day. Passengers were often hanging out, having a morning or midafternoon coffee, sitting on the couches or chairs to relax or have a chat.
The deck was a popular place for people to sit in the afternoons when the sun deck was too windy. A jar next to the coffee machine was usually full of baked goods like madeleines, which made The Retreat a perfect place to grab a quick breakfast or a packet of cashews before setting off on the day's adventure.
How I made use of the Lumiere's Retreat
So, back to Cabin 230: It's just a quick flight of steps from the cabin door to The Retreat. (On the Diamond Deck, Category 4 cabins 324 and 323 are even closer; they don't even require a flight of stairs.)
The Retreat is stocked with coffee, tea and baked goods. Photo Credit: Rebecca Tobin
After a day or two, I began to think of The Retreat as an extension of my cabin, a more casual living room than the Lumiere's larger, grander Panorama Lounge. If my travel companion wanted the cabin to sit or shower, I would pop into The Retreat, brew a coffee and chill. If I was too awake to sleep, I headed up to The Retreat to sit outside and watch the river.
If I wanted to work out, I would swing up to The Retreat …. OK, that's where my relationship with The Retreat ended. I admired the exercise room, which is spacious enough for two treadmills, an exercise bike, rowing machine and small free-weight rack. It, too, has floor-to-ceiling windows, which makes it seem larger than it is.
Despite its attractive look, I didn't use the exercise room, preferring to get my daily regimen on a bike tour of Avignon and brisk walks in every town we visited.
I was too busy each day on and off the Lumiere to book a massage treatment, but I popped my head into the room and found it was big enough for a massage table and cabinet. A decent-sized window made it feel as bright as the rest of The Retreat.
The sun deck pool
Need another place to relax on the Lumiere, which is dedicated to cruising on France's Rhone River?
Travel Weekly's Rebecca Tobin in the heated soaking tub on the Lumiere. Photo Credit: Rebecca Tobin
The vessel has a gorgeous, blue-tiled soaking pool on its sundeck. It's the centerpiece of the ship's outdoor lounge and bar area, and it's an easy spot for passengers to sit and soak and mingle and chat with others while the Lumiere cruises up or down the Rhone. I'd say the pool sits six comfortably.
And here's the best part for those shoulder-season itineraries: It's heated.
I even braved the pool on a day when strong mistral winds were blowing people around Chateauneuf de Pape. I secured my robe in a towel bin and hurried into the water, submerged to my neck. I stayed in the pool for a few chapters on my Kindle; at least enough time for a waiter to find me and bring something from the bar.
On our final day, a picturesque sail up the Rhone to our disembarkation point in Lyon, the winds had died down and the sun deck was quite festive: There were three of us in the pool and a half-dozen more in armchairs around the deck, watching the countryside slide by.