Cruise news
Riviera
Travel has unveiled its 2023 tours for Africa and the Middle East
with 101 departures on offer across 14 itineraries with options
for solo travellers. Destinations include South Africa’s Zulu War battlefields, Petra, Jerusalem, a Nile cruise, the Silk Road
and Victoria Falls. rivieratravel.co.uk
Film favourites Toy Story, Monsters, Inc, The Incredibles and Finding Nemo will be brought to life on board Disney Fantasy sailings in early 2023.
The new Pixar Day at Sea is an immersive celebration on selected Caribbean itineraries from Port Canaveral, Florida, and will feature themed dining, character encounters, dance parties and a theatrical musical experience.
Families can also enjoy a film festival, bag exclusive merchandise and grab photo opportunities with Pixar pals such as Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Bo Peep from Toy Story; Mike, Sulley and Boo from Monsters, Inc and Mr Incredible, Elastigirl and Frozone from The Incredibles. disneycruise.com ■■There’s more family fun on P&O’s Iona on voyages from Southampton this summer with Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep.
The line is partnering with Aardman, the creators of the animated favourites, for a range of character-based activities on board, including a children’s club, dance classes, craft workshops, special screenings and W&G selfies. pocruises.com
A multibilliondollar Vegas-style luxury resort will open in the UAE’s
Ras Al Khaimah in 2026. The development on Al Marjan Island by the Wynn group will feature a 1,000plus room hotel, shopping mall, spa, restaurants and lounges, and entertainment and gaming zones. wynnresorts.com visitrasalkhaimah.
com
doors in July. The five-star, beachfront property is the fifth and latest from the Minettos family-owned luxury chain Lindos Hotels group – a leader in Greek hospitality.
Staff tell me it is already seeing roaring success since travel reopened. Ahead of its seasonal closure in November, the place is fully booked – and it’s easy to see why.
The adults-only resort has 189 luxurious rooms, many with sea views and private infinity pools, the latter making you feel like you’re going for a swim in your bedroom.
Perched above the idyllic Vlycha beach on the eastern coast of Rhodes, the resort aims to merge ‘eco-chic’ with contemporary design, providing natural light and large, airy spaces.
It has been built using locally sourced materials, energy-saving glass panels and has a reverse osmosis system which filters seawater for a variety of uses.
There’s a relaxed vibe around the enormous infinity pool centrepiece with double day beds, palm trees and submerged seating. There are daily sessions of yoga, aqua aerobics and aqua Pilates, tennis courts, a gym and bike hire as well as a host of watersports on offer down in the bay.
Lindos Grand has made its dining options all part of the fun with à la carte restaurants Acqua e Sale, an
all-day Mediterranean; Thalatta, a fine-dining option serving authentic Greek delicacies overlooking the sea; and Yume Mou, for a Japanese, omakase sushi experience.
On the top floor sits the Blanc de Blancs cocktail lounge and the Atmos Sky Lounge, offering shisha and more stunning views.
Breakfast at Terra Mare is a buffet with countless food stations offering everything from sausage, egg and bacon to houmous, spanakopita (spinach pie), traditional cakes and rizogalo – similar to rice pudding.
The brains behind the food is executive chef Stavros Manousakis, revered as one of Greece’s best sushi chefs and with a career spanning over two decades cooking at some of the world’s most renowned hotels.
Considered something of a local celebrity in Lindos and with a brilliant sense of humour, he’s idolised by children at local schools where he often hosts cookery classes.
Highlights of a week of culinary adventures at Lindos Grand included the Yume Mou experience – dining face-to-face with the chef, who gauges your reaction throughout the meal. The several courses, guided by the
freshest ingredients available that day, included sushi, oysters, clams and langoustine, all cooked and seasoned to perfection.
Ingredients indigenous to Rhodes are a key theme at Lindos Grand, and a specialism at the on-site Evridiki Spa, which invites “pampering in paradise” with massages, facials and full-body rituals that combine modern techniques with ancient Greek remedies.
During the full-body Swedish massage, masseuse Aristana located more muscle knots than I even knew possible.
The team at Lindos Grand have been thorough in their quest to make guests feel Covid-secure. As well as the Greece-wide measures including the stringent wearing of masks in all indoor spaces and good hygiene practices including disposable gloves at the breakfast buffet, guests have access to the new Lindos Hotels app which emulates a digital concierge service for restaurant reservations, spa treatments and booking excursions.
It would be easy to spend your entire week relaxing at the resort, enjoying the sunshine and surroundings, but do venture out to soak up some local sights.
First, to charming Lindos village. Just 10 minutes’ drive from the hotel, it is dramatically situated below the acropolis, and with ruins dating back to 300BC. If you’ve got the energy, climb to the top for spectacular views of the surrounding coastline and harbours.
On the way back down, past beautiful chapels and gorgeous homes, check out the narrow cobbled streets’ vast array of gift shops, call by one of the many street vendors for gyros and dolmades or stop for a glass of local wine. Rhodes was Greece’s first wine-producing island, after all.
Similarly stunning is the Unesco-listed Rhodes Old Town, one of the bestpreserved medieval towns in Europe, and around an hour by car from the resort.
Book your tour with Rhodes Tourist Guides and ask for Adrien, who will lead you on foot around the extensive site, taking in locations such as the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, Inn of England and Archaeological Museum.
He’ll tell the story of this unique place with quick wit, engaging anecdotes and forensic knowledge of its many historic buildings.
End your day at the Marco Polo Mansion for a Venetian-inspired culinary journey at its colourful outdoor courtyard.
Located down an unremarkable alley, the former Ottoman residence is now a fancy hotel.
Go with owner Efi Dede’s recommendations – think dishes with pureed fava beans and baked aubergine; and figs with succulent pork medallions.
A trip to this part of the Dodecanese Islands would not be complete without a yacht tour taking in some of the most beautiful views in the Aegean.
Catch a boat at Lindos Beach, help yourself to pastries and Greek beers on board, then bask in golden sunshine as you dry off from your dips into the warm, clear waters around the island’s dreamiest bays.