THE BEST TURNED OUT RIVER BOAT IN THE WORLD

Riverboat Aqua Mekong Cabin BQ – It took my husband and I about five minutes on riverboatratings to figure out that river boating is really not for us. It all sounds a bit more mass market and regimented than we had hoped. But we did see that the very top-rated river boats are not necessarily Europe-based boats. Our profile is that we like upscale products, our idea of roughing it is a middle row seat in Business Class, and we do enjoy seeing somewhat exotic locales. We’ve lived in Zurich  and have seen most of Europe. Can you point us to the river boat you think has the best-designed, most comfortable cabins on an interesting non-European itinerary?

A – Our current favorite is the new 40-Guest Aqua Mekong recently launched by Aqua Expeditions. This is an all-suite boat that actually features California King-size beds in every stateroom. But what you may like best about this river boat, aside from its captivating crew and excellent itineraries in Southeast Asia, are the walk-in showers and dual-sinks in every bathroom. There is a media room with theater seating, a great evening concept for riverboaters, a small gym, and two Spa treatment rooms. The plunge pool has an outdoor bar, of course. This one might be more your style. Normally, we would have this cruise be part of a longer journey in the region possibly adding in time in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, or Singapore.