Adventure of a lifetime is best of both worlds
An exclusive tour and cruise brings two very different holidays together
IT’S not often that heading home is such a wonderful affair, yet sailing on Queen Mary 2, grand flagship of the Cunard fleet, is exactly that. And to join her for a 35-night voyage across half the world, after a seven-night exploration of Vietnam and Cambodia, is truly a once in a lifetime experience.
The latest exclusive creation from Imagine Cruising is far more than simply cruising. It’s the very best of both worlds: an exotic tour of the Far East combined with ultimate luxury at sea. And it lasts for more than a month and a half at little more than £100 a night, including food and adventures.
The trip is part of The Collection, exclusive combinations of sea and land (others include the Golden Triangle Discovery, uniting a tour of India’s greatest sights with an Indian Ocean cruise, and A Mediterranean Voyage, with a five-night stay in Mallorca).
The dream starts in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, with a two-night stay. Here you’re given a tour that includes Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the body of the communist leader lies in state, and the thousand-year-old One Pillar Pagoda, sitting high on a single stone column.
There’s a breathtaking day and night on Ha Long Bay aboard the exquisite junk boat Paradise Luxury, passing wonderful scenery including Soi Sim beach and Coconut Tree Island while enjoying a superb seafood lunch, with dinner as you watch the sun sink behind the bay’s jungle-topped limestone pillars.
Then it is onward to the French colonial grandeur of Ho Chi Minh City for two nights. Here you will uncover the Cu Chi tunnels, a vast network of secret trapdoors, weapons factories and living areas created by the Vietcong as they fought the US. From here, there is a flight to Cambodia for two nights in Siem Reap and visits to magnificent temples, including the vast Angkor Wat complex at sunrise.
The tour is one of the most exciting in South East Asia – a two-nation experience that takes in the history of thousands of years – and would make an unforgettable holiday in itself.
Yet your trip has only just begun, as you jet off to Singapore to join one of the world’s grandest cruise ships.
Attractions that hark back to the golden early days of cruising, such as afternoon tea served by white-gloved waiters, eclectic art deco fittings and stirring walks around the deck, are combined with modern musts such as the Canyon Ranch Spa Club and a planetarium. QM2 serenely makes her way across two continents, calling at 15 destinations. Set sail from Singapore, with the futuristic skyline a contrast to the colours, sights and sounds that fill the ancient city, and sip a cocktail on deck as the next stage of the magnificent trip unfolds. The magical names come thick and fast, a new one each day: Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, dominated by 1,500ft-tall Petronas Twin Towers; Penang, the Malaysian state and its elegant capital, George Town; Langkawi, the archipelago of 99 jungle-clad islands off the country’s coast; and Phuket, the dream destination in Thailand where beaches meet rainforest and mountains.
It’s then time to relax with two days at sea, enjoying the ship from top to bottom, from the four pool areas to the largest ballroom at sea with its resident orchestra.
The trip moves on, to Colombo in Sri Lanka, then India and the colourful port of Cochin on the south-west coast. Indulge in a couple more sea days, before entering the Gulf and reaching Muscat, capital of Oman, surrounded by mountains and desert and a beguiling mix of history, from ancient times to 16th-century Portuguese forts and smart shopping malls.
Then there is a night in the high-rise desert kingdom of Dubai, giving you a full chance to see the sights including Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, and the Dubai Mall, one of the world’s biggest shopping centres.
Soak up the sun on deck as you enter the Red Sea between Africa and Saudi Arabia, reaching Aqaba in Jordan, for tours of the Wadi Rum desert valley and the ruins of Petra, the city carved into rock.
Doubling back into the Gulf of Suez, the mighty QM2 looks her most magnificent as she towers above the desert landscape of Egypt while passing through the Suez Canal.
There is an overnight call in colourful Port Suez, on the Red Sea (ideally placed for tours to the pyramids) and a stop at Port Said as the ship emerges into the Mediterranean.
Even now, back in familiar territory, there’s still a 10-day Mediterranean cruise to enjoy before reaching home. The voyage takes in the sunny city of Limassol in Cyprus, then Italy with bustling Naples and Civitavecchia (for excursions into Rome).
Next it’s on to Spain and Barcelona, one of the classic cruise destinations where you can walk into the heart of the elegant city, and finally Cadiz, a picturesque town for last-minute shopping, or a walk to the beach.