CRUISE NEWS
Cyprus specialist Biblio Travel is launching its holidays from Manchester, Birmingham and Gatwick airports on August 20. Hotels range from fivestar boutique to two-star self-catering with a ‘triple-lock guarantee’ for consumer confidence, 23kg luggage, transfers and resort reps. bibliotravel.co.uk
Marella will be the first British line to restart fly-cruises from the UK after the Government last week allowed international sailings to resume following the 14-month pandemic shutdown.
Departing from Corfu on September 3, Marella Discovery will sail to Greek sunshine favourites such as Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes and Crete. Sister ships Explorer and Explorer 2 will sail in the Med from Majorca and Malaga respectively.
To tempt passengers on board, the TUI-owned line is offering savings of up to £900 per couple on seven-night itineraries departing up to October 24.
TUI UK chief Chris Hackney said: “Following the safe and successful launch of domestic cruising, it’s exciting to know cruise ships can begin to sail internationally very soon.’’
Adults will be required to have both Covid jabs at least 14 days before travelling, with under-18s needing a negative lateral flow test.
Deals include an all-inclusive Aegean Shores voyage from £977 per person, flying from Glasgow to Corfu on October 1. tui.co.uk/cruise
Short haul winter getaways for 2022-23 have gone on sale early at
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, with favourite destinations including the Canary Islands, Madeira, Turkey’s golf-friendly Antalya resort and Paphos in Cyprus. jet2.com
jet2holidays.com
lashed together, it feels surprisingly stable, so I give it a go. But the moment I take the helm, I discover Joseph makes this skill look easy and I inadvertently steer it towards rocks jutting out of the bank.
Panicking, I quickly hand back the pole to Joseph who smiles, shrugs, then casually weaves the boat another three miles downstream past brilliant orange African tulip trees.
Venturing beyond Jamaica’s mellow beaches and reggae-fuelled bars will cement this island paradise firmly into your memory.
Its lush green garden interior, spectacular mountains, cactus-strewn plains and extraordinary water features make this so much more than a fly-away-and-flop destination. I had visited before the pandemic and it is now on the Government’s noquarantine Covid amber travel list for double-jabbed holidaymakers.
The Blue Lagoon, a 180ft-deep swimming hole in Port Antonio, is another of its natural wonders.
Opening to the sea through a narrow funnel, but fed by invigorating freshwater underground springs, the water changes colour throughout the day, from bright turquoise to sapphire blue, depending on the angle of the sun. Known to locals as The Blue Hole, it was renamed following the success of the Brooke Shields film The Blue Lagoon, which was shot here in 1980.
It’s easy to see why