All-inclusive holidays
Selling an all-inclusive break can be great for agents’ commission pots but some customers need convincing. shares some plus points
Knowing your costs upfront is a big plus, especially when the pound is weak. It also makes sense in one-resort destinations, like the Maldives, where guests are captive to hotel prices. Besides meals and drinks they can cut spending on activities. Free wedding packages are common in the Caribbean from chains like Sandals and Superclubs, and kick in when couples stay a certain number of nights or bring guests.
For unadventurous travellers who fancy going long-haul but are nervous about safety or unfamiliar food, all-inclusives offer reassurance and most offer day trips off-site. Senegal, Brazil and Japan (for sun and ski) are some of the more far-flung places offered by Club Med. Mexico has many all-inclusives close to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza and there are many individual all-in resorts in exotic places, like Andilana on Madagascar.
All-inclusives help reign in spending for families, with treats like ice-cream often complimentary and an array of inclusive activities to suit all ages. Free childcare, even for toddlers, makes others stand out. Beaches has a Kids Camp programme for newborns upwards and Kuoni recommends Turtle Beach
Resort in Barbados, which has a kids club for three to 12 year olds. First Choice has its own purpose-built family-friendly resorts.
Iwalk up the smooth rocks and pause for breath against the backdrop of snow-covered mountains glistening pale blue beneath the bright afternoon sun. Suddenly there’s a deep creaking and groaning sound, followed by an explosive crack and a couple of seconds of silence. then, almost in slow motion, a shardlike piece of ice nearly 100 feet high breaks loose and crashes into the water below. i watch, spellbound.
The mirror-like surface of Pia Fjord is turned into a churning maelstrom as the ice creates large waves and shatters into smaller pieces, which our guide tells us go by the rather wonderful names of bergy bits (the larger chunks) and growlers (their smaller frozen cousins). The rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) that carried us over here half an hour before bob around on the swell and ice knocks against them.
Extending from the mountaintops down to the sea, Pia Glacier is one of the largest and most active in Patagonia and it’s more than likely you’ll witness the spectacle known as calving, when fragments of the ever-moving ice mass plunge into the Chilean Fjords in the area known as Glacier Alley. We speak of little else as the RIBs transport us back to our expedition vessel Ventus Australis which bobs on the now tranquil water.
I’m aboard the only ship - along with its sibling Stella Australis - that sails on this remote itinerary around the tip of South America from Chile’s Punta Arenas to Ushuaia in Argentina, or in reverse.
It’s an extraordinary journey to the southernmost part of the globe, navigating pioneering maritime routes such as the Strait of Magellan. This year marks the 500th anniversary of the namesake Portuguese explorer traversing the outwardly impassable corridor of icy peaks from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean; opening up trade routes and proving
that the world is round.
The next day Ventus Australis sails through the Murray Channel to reach UNESCO-listed Cabo de Hornos National Park. We board the RIBs and land on Hornos Island, discovered in 1616 by Dutch captain Willem Schouten, who named it Kaap Hoorn after his home port of Hoorn. As we gaze at the 1,394ft rocky promontory dominating the infamously turbulent Drake Passage, our guide explains that various incorrect translations led to it becoming known as Cape Horn.
We’re lucky to be able to land - it’s never guaranteed - and on this excursion we keep on our life jackets in case the mercurial body of water suddenly turns rough and we have to make a hasty return back to the ship.
Call of the wild
For anyone in search of totally unspoilt, rugged natural beauty in this far corner of the world certainly won’t disappoint. Suited to clients with a sense of adventure and reasonable level of fitness that are not looking for a ‘traditional’ cruise experience, these sailings are on smaller vessels where the accent is on marine life, birds and the natural surroundings.
Excursions are aboard RIBs with passengers either staying on board or landing on the shore and islands for guided walks. Onboard entertainment is low-key and focused on in-depth lectures by experts in wildlife and geography along with documentaries about the region.
Highlights on our sailing included getting close-up views from the RIB of some of the 4,000-strong colony of Magellanic penguins that inhabit Tucker Islets, before seeing nesting cormorants and a mighty condor, the world’s largest flying bird. From Ventus Australis there were sightings of dolphins and whales.
Anniversary cruises
Australis is the only line to offer cruises into the fjords of Patagonia and the islands of the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago. The cruise season runs from September to April, when the area is navigable, on vessels which have been specifically built to sail in the sometimes shallow waters.
In October and November, Australis is scheduled to offer a series of special itineraries to mark the 500th anniversary of the crossing the Strait of Magellan.
The sailings will include music and song from the time performed by international sopranos and other artistes, as well as historical talks by world-leading experts.
Other lines, including Aurora Expeditions, Crystal Cruises, G Adventures, HapagLloyd Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions, Seabourn and Silversea take in Punta Arenas and Ushuaia coupled with sailings to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and other parts of South America. Some are designated National Geographic cruises offering greater levels of immersion.
Ports of call
Ports of call in Patagonia are not your average cruise destinations and give a real feeling of being somewhere very different. The remoteness of Punta Arenas, the southernmost town in Chile and gateway to Antarctica, is lyrically described in
Bruce Chatwin’s travel book In Patagonia where he writes about his journey to “the uttermost part of the earth”. Passengers with time to spare after flying in from Santiago can explore the vast cemetery which has become one of the main tourist attractions with its grand mausoleums including the tomb of the Indio Desconocido or unknown Indian.
Contrasting Ushuaia is Argentina’s most southerly town, sandwiched between mountains and the Beagle Channel. For clients keen on the outdoor life it’s worth recommending a pre- or post-cruise extension or packaging an itinerary with guided hikes and kayaking expeditions offered by local providers.
The town’s Museo del Fin del Mundo is an interesting museum on the birds and nature of Tierra del Fuego and the Museo Maritimo y Presidio de Ushuaia, housed in an old military prison, charts the area’s seafaring history. Visitors can also board the Tren del Fin del Mundo, or End of the World Train, and follow the route that once transported prisoners to cut wood in the surrounding area.
Where to book it
JOurney latin america - 020 3733 6773
The 13-day Patagonia Cruise starts in the Chilean capital Santiago with a guided city tour followed by a guided excursion into the Maipo valley with wine tasting. After this is a four-night all-inclusive cruise aboard Ventus Australis. Travellers then fly to Trelew in northern Patagonia for two days at leisure to seek out wildlife before ending with three nights in the Argentinian captial Buenos Aires, with a guided tour and a day at leisure. journeylatinamerica.co.uk