Archive for June 2013
Waterfalls and Waterfronts: Go Wild in Africa!
WATERFALLS AND WATERFRONTS GO WILD IN AFRICA They say Zambia is the real Africa, and I wholeheartedly agree. By contrast to East Africa, Zambia has little or no sophistication for the traveller. But if you can turn a blind eye to the slow service, empty gift shop shelves and the occasional power…
Read MoreThe Gambia – Smiling Coast of West Africa (video clip)
THE GAMBIA SMILING COAST OF WEST AFRICA What word can I use to describe a holiday to The Gambia? Just one springs to mind –easy! An easy 6 hour flight (from Gatwick). An easy and quick immigration on arrival in Banjul. An easy and short (30 minutes) transfer from the airport to the hotels. Nothing is any effort on your holiday…
Read MoreTwo Cruises with a Difference
TWO CRUISES WITH A DIFFERENCE I have cruised the Caribbean on several occasions, but our voyage this year, on the Royal Clipper, was undoubtedly the most impressive. Modelled on the German clipper ship Preussen, the recently built Royal Clipper boasts five masts and 42 sails and is a magnificent sight under full sail. She is luxuriously…
Read MoreGot Your Sea-Legs yet?
GOT YOUR SEA LEGS YET? Ever since I was on a school trip cruise to the Mediterranean, and I lay on my bunk, my face a greenish hue… I thought “No! Life on the ocean wave is not for me!” As the years went by, even the sight of the white cliffs of Dover reminded…
Read MoreAll I Ask is a Tall Ship and a Star to Steer her by…
ALL I ASK IS A TALL SHIP AND A STAR TO STEER HER BY by Richard Cutler A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to visit the world’s largest sailing ship while she was anchored close to Tower Bridge. This was not a museum piece, however, but the brand new Royal Clipper on her way…
Read MoreA little bit of interest in the foreground
A LITTLE BIT OF INTERENT IN THE FOREGROUND by Hallmark Travel customer Brenda Wilkinson “Give me three good reasons for going on a cruise!” said my sceptical husband when it was suggested that we might accompany my parents on the MS Black Watch and cruise around the Baltic. Well, we had always hoped to visit…
Read MoreUp Close, Personal, Small and Intimate – That’s Fred. Olsen!
UP CLOSE, PERSONAL, SMALL AND INTIMATE THAT’S FRED OLSEN Size is everything, and bigger is not always better especially in the Cruise World – the race is on for the largest cruise ship at sea, floating hotels have become floating resorts. Fred. Olsen is one company bucking the trend with three ships from their fleet…
Read MoreChoosing your Cruise (video clip)
CHOOSING YOUR CRUISE Earlier this year I had the pleasure of visiting three very different cruise ships (and being royally entertained on two of them!) prior to their inaugural cruises. ‘HEBRIDEAN SPIRIT’ is small at only 4,200 tons and typically accommodates only 70 passengers. It does so, however, in luxurious comfort with fabulous cuisine and unstinting standards…
Read MoreFamily Life on the Ocean Wave
FAMILY LIFE ON THE OCEAN WAVE Although I’ve been on several cruises, the last was a bit of an experiment. It was the first time we had cruised with our two children aged 2 and 5. To the uninitiated this may sound something of an extravagance, but you might be surprised to learn that it need…
Read MoreTales of the River Bank (video clip)
TALES OF THE RIVER BANK If the big ships leave you cold, but you still want that ship board feeling – River Cruising could be just the thing for you! Smaller and more intimate than ocean going cruise ships this experience is something new and different on some of the most famous rivers in the…
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