Lava’s in the air
goodies and dived into to rapid brekkies before early start excursions. – a seashore vibe by the pool and the Portuguese prawn and meat skewers were terrific (loved the unusual pickled cucumber salad). Our only complaint was the lighting: too bright to create the right atmosphere (included daytime, £11.95 evening). Surf & Turf – the lobster and steaks were lovely and you’ll never have a better New York cheesecake ( from £23.95).
Kora La – this Asian venue was our favourite, with the Japanese style filet mignon absolutely exquisite. There’s also a dazzling range of curries and adventurous desserts including tempura cheesecake and green tea fondant ( from £19.95).
Also a nod to Flutes bar, where you press a button for a glass of fizz. We thoroughly checked it was working.
NB: in the restaurants and bars, and from the hard-working crew all across the ship including our cabin stewards Jonaisy and Allister, the service was stellar.
Beach Cove
ENTERTAINMENT
We spent so long enjoying our leisurely evening meals we did not catch much of the live shows. But as somebody who does not get the whole Adele hype, I did enjoy a tribute gig in the upscale Squid and Anchor bar and saw the David Bowie life story in the Broadway Show Lounge.
CABINS
Debbie and I were lucky enough to be in a Junior Suite, which afforded heaps of space, ample storage, a bath, luxe amenities, a flatscreen TV and a large balcony with sunloungers, table and chairs. If we had a quibble, it would be that there aren’t many plugs.
Alex and Charlie’s balcony cabins were, obviously, smaller than a suite but still excellent.
OFF THE SHIP
One of the things many people love about a cruise is the ‘new day, new destination’ aspect.
Our first stop was La Palma before an overnight stay in Funchal, the lovely capital of Portuguese island Madeira.
Here we joined a superb Land Rover tour to the colourful port of Camara de Lobos – as painted by Churchill in 1950 – and into the mountainous interior.
Our terrific driver-guide Sandro was a non-stop info-fest as he tackled the steep, narrow roads to stop at spectacular viewpoints and took us off-road through a forest to a village bar for a taste of the feisty local drink, Poncha.
The overnight stay gave us time to explore the flower and fish market, the cathedral and Sao Tiago fort plus the museum celebrating the island’s most famous son, Cristiano Ronaldo.
If you like football it’s worth €5 to see the CR7 artefacts, including a gazillion trophies, his facial massage devices and various life-size statues, including one in chocolate.
After a two-night sailing from Madeira, we arrived at Lanzarote, a Unesco designated Biosphere reserve island famed for its unobtrusive low-rise tourism developments and (yep) volcanoes. The unmissable excursion is to the Timanfaya National Park, an other-worldly 20 square mile area of lava fields and volcanoes, which has been used as a filming location for sci-fi movies.
The tour includes Islet Hilario visitor centre and some geothermal party tricks with lava pellets, fire and water.
Our final excursion was on
Gran Canaria and, while the vast Bandama Caldera was impressive, we would have liked more time in
Las Palmas for the Christopher Columbus museum.
Back on the ‘lava boat’ for the last night, we all came to the same conclusion: where could we stow away for the next cruise?