Cruise news
Italy has finally banned large cruise ships from Venice after years of debate about their potential environmental impact.
It’s understood the government took the decision after the United Nations cultural organisation UNESCO threatened to blacklist the country for still allowing ships into the world heritage site.
The ban starts on August 1 and vessels of more than 25,000 gross tonnage cannot transit the Giudecca Canal by St Mark’s Square as they sail to and from the cruise port.
A culture ministry statement said businesses and workers affected by the loss of the lucrative cruise ship trade would be compensated.
Venice is a popular call on Med voyages, as well as a major homeport for lines during the summer season.
Residents have been campaigning for years for a ban on large ships, saying they cause pollution and threaten the stability of its waterside buildings and the fragile ecosystem in the lagoon.
A planned alternative port at an industrial site away from the heart of Venice is not yet ready.
Passengers will be able to order and pay for food from their seat as it’s rolled out on British Airways short haul flights from tomorrow. The flag carrier’s Speedbird Café menu will be available on devices via wi-fi in the air, in addition to the ‘Buy Before You Fly’ pre-order offering. ba.com
stress. I was still sniffing as I sipped my restorative iced tea, to the bemusement of my companion.
Then finally, the tears came during that cetacean encounter. And I loved it. How I needed it. Calm and space has been missing from many of our lives this past tumultuous 16 months, and Madeira offers this in abundance.
When I wasn’t weeping, a smile was plastered across my face as I succumbed to the luxurious life created by the team at the Savoy Palace Hotel, one of the island’s finest.
Situated overlooking the ocean in the capital Funchal, it’s a place to indulge every whim.
My own butler was on hand to unpack or pack my suitcase, iron my finery for dinner, top up my free minibar, organise excursions and bring me daily gifts that told the story of the hotel and island – all part of the property’s premium experience for guests in the upper-floor Ocean suites and Presidential penthouses.
Premium guests also have exclusive access to the Jacaranda Lounge and Club for a la carte breakfasts, an infinity pool, and daybeds looking over the most incredible views.
It wasn’t too shabby for the rest of the guests here, with a choice of stunning indoor and outdoor pools, beautiful lobby bars and seating spaces, a library, a hi-tech gym and the hotel’s standout offering, the aforementioned Laurea Spa, created by world-renowned Madeiran interior designer Nini Andrade Silva.
It pays homage to the island’s natural assets, recreating a laurel forest
vibe in muted greens and dark shadows, appearing to be sculpted out of a cave. It was romantic, peaceful and otherworldly, with treatment rooms and relaxation zones, a sauna, Turkish bath, beauty salon, sensory showers and pool.
The food at the Savoy was innovative and stylish, with executive chefs creating memorable menus that showcase the island’s wealth of local produce and surprisingly good wines.
I ate in the hotel’s Alameda poolside, Hibiscus, Jacaranda and Galaxia skybar restaurants, and at the Trapiche Restaurant at the neighbouring Savoy Saccharum Resort & Spa hotel.
During my stay I also enjoyed a sneak peek at the Savoy Signature’s newest addition in Funchal, the supertrendy Next Hotel aimed at a younger digital generation, with direct access to the sea.
Hugo, the Savoy’s cocktail maker extraordinaire, showed off his creativity nightly, putting on a show at the bar as he added Madeiran twists to classics like the Cosmopolitan and Pornstar Martini, and mixed up a fine Poncha, the rum-based local cocktail. It would have been incredibly easy to hang out here all day, every day, but for a small island
Madeira has a lot to offer and, as a first-time visitor, I was keen to explore.
Jutting sharply up out of the Atlantic, this volcanic isle is blessed with a picture postcard coastline, natural lava pools, jagged mountains, pretty villages and a unique network of hiking trails. Bananas, mangoes, avocados and passionfruit grow in the year-round sun, while vineyards and sugar cane crops line the steep hillsides to create the island’s best known export, Madeira fortified wine.
A three-mile walk along one of the island’s famed network of levada trails with the knowledgeable Eilseu was a chance to draw breath among the eucalyptus, imported here from Australia and now something of a scourge. He pointed out the laurel, magnolia and lily of the valley trees that form a canopy for brightly coloured flowers and bushes, lizards, bees and insects. An off-road jeep tour with Ricardo was next – there’s not much this proud Madeiran doesn’t know about the island’s history, tourism, secret spots and politics.
A two-hour tour in his opentopped jeep, wind blowing through our hair, was an exhilarating way to travel. We zig-zagged downhill, hugging the hillside and carefully passing nonplussed grazing cattle perched on vertiginous edges.
There’s more, much more, to the island – but time was my enemy, and soon we had to leave.
I’d arrived in Madeira with some heavy baggage, of the pandemic kind – but a long weekend here turned out to be just what I needed to lighten the load.
Calm and space has been missing, and Madeira offers this in abundance