The RMS Lusitania was the largest cruise ship in the world when she set off on her maiden voyage, from Liverpool to New York, in September 1907. Fitted out to carry almost 2,200 passengers - 552 of them on her sumptuous first-class decks - across the Atlantic Ocean, she was, with her sister ship, the RMS Mauretania, the pride of the Cunard fleet, until she was torpedoed by a German submarine off the south coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915. With much controversy and speculation, and a fair number of conspiracy theories surrounding the sinking, several books are being published, or updated, this year to mark the centenary of the attack, which claimed the lives of 1,198 passengers and crew (including 100 children) just over three years after the loss of the Titanic. Two to look out for are , published last week, and which will be published on March 12. Also marking the event, Cunard will be sending the Queen Victoria on a seven-night Lusitania Remembered voyage, which will leave from Southampton and put in at Le Havre, Guernsey, Cork (where many of the victims are buried and a monument to them stands) and Dublin. Departing on May 3, the cruise can be found by entering the cruise number V510 at . Alila Hotels and Resorts will be operating its luxury phinisi sailing boat, the 46-metre Alila Purnama, in the Komodo National Park (above), in Indonesia, from May 3 to September 26. Offering deep-pocketed travellers the chance to encounter Komodo dragons and enjoy spectacular diving, the six-night cruise starts from HK$98,863 per person, or you can charter the five-suite vessel exclusively from HK$85,294 per night. The journey begins and ends in Labuan Bajo, on the island of Flores, which can be reached by plane via Bali. The Alila Purnama has a website at but navigating its complicated online bookings page is too exasperating for words. Reach the company directly, instead, through the contact us page, for reservations and inquiries.After a year's delay, the St Regis Istanbul (above) should be opening today on the European side of Turkey's largest city, in the upmarket Nisantasi shopping district. Rather more than the "mere steps away" from the Bosphorus and city centre mentioned on the hotel's website (thestregisistanbul.com), the new property has 118 rooms and suites, a signature spa and a couple of European and American dining outlets, including a branch of Spago by Wolfgang Puck. Another Istanbul arrival this month is Soho House, which is located in the more central Beyoglu district, in a very grand palazzo built for a Genoese family in the 1880s. Taking reservations from March 9, this is a much grander-looking, Venetian-style property, with just 87 rooms and two rooftop swimming pools. You can find an impressive restoration video at . Go to for further details and reservations.