The palette of colors chosen for suites is straight from beach itself. Nature is director of this play of hues: tans, browns, whites, and gold, mimicking sandy shore lying a few steps outside door. Granite counters and tabletops and reed and bamboo accents on furniture continue to invite great outdoors inside. Heavy stone lamps and framed seashell artwork continue living space to coastal environment. Some suites boast balconies overlooking deep powder blue Pacific Ocean. All is balanced with just a hint of contemporary elegance, providing a carefree beach feel without sacrificing luxury. It is more mature and sophisticated, yet comfortable and easy. The perfect balance.

Now how can you top all of this off? With dreamiest bed imaginable!, a bed repeating natural theme — and bedding! Oh bedding could have been a magazine feature in itself! Soft, plump pillows, and a generous comforter that is beyond words cradled me like a white cumulus cloud on a perfect San Diego day. (Wait, I've never seen a day in San Diego that isn't perfect!)

Diamond Head Inn's location can only be described as P-E-R-F-E-C-T!

One hundred feet outside your door is beach, meaning an emphasis on smell of ocean, yet not so close that you can hear crowd.

Everything is accessible without renting a car or taxi. My daughter and I join famous 2-½ mile Boardwalk action, using every form of transportation other than motor vehicles: we hike, bike, skate, jog, and walk to nearby shops, restaurants, and Belmont Park, where rollercoaster and other rides thrill vacationers. We even bike to Mission Bay from hotel. The end of Boardwalk rewards us with one of most incredible views: bright flowers framing ocean blue.

The Boardwalk sandwiches between Pacific Ocean's crashing waves for more adventurous types and glistening Mission Bay for those dreaming their day away on a sailboat. A jetty connects two bodies of water and is breathtaking as white canvas of sails contrast against an I-can't-even-begin-to-describe-blue sky.

Just a short walk from Diamond Head is Crystal Pier, scene for fishing or watching surfers below. You're so close to surfers that you hear them cheer when hanging ten or swearing when there's a wipe out!

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Lena Hunt Mabra, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com

I’m not sure how many times a day my cabin is freshened, but every time I drop a towel on floor and left my room, it was gone on my return. My cabin man, Eka, is always in hall, flashing me smiles every time I walk by. Soon, I start looking for him, he becomes part of day. I actually meet a man who picks up a towel, and he is happy to do it, I half expect him to thank me. While this may sound trivial, when else in life would this magic occur?

The ship itself is a creature of comforts . . . winding stairs, colors shine everywhere We can go to a show, watch a movie, go dancing, or simply swim your day away. Everything from art auctions to hot tubbing.

Two nights during week it's dress up for dinner. Suits and silk everywhere; eating on finest china, and our violinist stringing off notes in background.

Our Restaurant Manager, Joe, walks his rounds nightly conversing his way around dining room, which is a work of elegance. We linger over our meals and drinks just soaking in ambiance and enjoying pampering.

We tango on dance floor, sometimes on decks as well, gamble at Casino, loll in pool, and search out ship from one end to other. At end of every day, we wind up, or wind down, on verandah bringing an end to day.

While we meander around ship, we chat it up with our fellow pampered shippers, and we soon realize most people are not maiden voyagers, but seasoned shippers, (our own term we came up with for our fellow travelers, if we can have our ship and sea, we can certainly have our own words). We hear a few stories about Captain who is held in high regard by those who meet him. It seems our Captain has a reputation (not to be confused with those of us with more colorful reputations). The Captain does not simply master ship through seas, he is man that all else on ship is measured. I receive an invitation to a private party with Captain Olaf, so we dress ourselves up, and beaming with excitement to meet our Captain of our great ship Zuiderdam.

With violinist pealing off notes to song, champagne in hand, we feel honored to be among guests, most of who have sailed Holland America many times.

I talk with Captain, who is youngest Captain in line's ranks, and find him to be a match for his reputation. He is a warm and easy person to speak with; I could have talked with him all night. However, being a Captain requires only a bit of his time and focus.

I interrupt my assistant who is busy rubbing elbows and sharing stories over champagne and have him take a few pictures before Captain takes off.

A Bit About The Ship Manager

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Mari Clifton Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com