04 July 2024

We stayed in the Riu Plaza London Victoria Our overnight was planned in as we were seeing Girls Aloud at the O2, but we would definitely stay in the same place for a sightseeing trip, here’s why.. The hotel was literally a few hundred yards from Victoria station, so there was easy access to the tube and plenty of shops and restaurants around. The day we stayed there was an issues with the tube line we needed to get to the O2, however pre planning from my friend and we had pre booked a river boat down the Thames to our destination. I would definitely recommend a river cruise down the Thames and you can even jump on and off river taxis along the river, they make regular stops and providing they have room you can jump on and off. A river cruise of an evening in the spring/summer would be absolutely perfect and even romantic for a special occasion. An ideal option for pre-dinner drinks, you can jump onboard and enjoy the views whilst drinking a glass of bubbly and live performers. We passed through many of the capitals iconic bridges including Tower Bridge and the Millennium Bridge. Sail past HMS Belfast and the Cutty Sark. Sail past The Houses of Parliament, St Pauls Cathedral and the Tower of London. Back to our hotel, the location was a definite 10/10, the rooms were clean bright and modern, with floor to ceiling windows. The bathroom had a double shower, with rain shower and also a detachable shower head. Plenty of room in the bathroom and toiletries are also provided in the form of hand wash, body wash, hand lotions, shampoo and conditioner. Towels are also provided. The staff upon check-in are warm friendly and welcoming, explaining to you how to get to your room, the use of the lifts and where the restaurant is located for dinner and also for our included breakfast. The breakfast is buffet style and the choice is fantastic. It is reminiscent of a buffet breakfast abroad. There was something for everyone. From a full English with sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, tomato, mushroom, potato cubes, beans and toast. Fresh fruit, yoghurts, cereals and pancakes with chocolate spread, porridges and fresh fruit juices, teas and coffees. I would definitely stay here again, for a trip in London, it is worth every penny. With so much to see and do whilst in the capital its always nice to come back to a lovely hotel to relax after a busy day sightseeing.

14 November 2023

We took a 1 week cruise to the Norwegian Fjords in August. Our cabin was a standard balcony located on Deck 10, Midship. Day One – Embarkation, this went very smoothly, you are given a time to arrive in the port and within 20 minutes we were checked in and onboard ready for the day. We found the bar to activate our drinks package, which we pre purchased and were checked off the list and on our way for our first cocktail… We were on holiday after all! We spent the day looking around the ship and familiarising ourselves with the adult pool area, the atrium, sky dome and where the main dining venues were located. After a spot of lunch from the buffet, we settled down at the adult only bar to watch our sail away! Day Two – Was our first sea day, we spent the day lazing around the pool, reading our books and sampling even more cocktails. We set back to our cabin to get ready for formal night and watch the sunset from our balcony. We dined in the main dining room that evening and the food was spectacular. Day Three – Our first port – Stavanger. We got up and went for breakfast in the main dining room and got ready to disembark to take our first shore excursion. We took a boat through the fjords and were stunned at the truly breath taking scenery. We got really close to a waterfall and found some goats who were just waiting by the waters edge for their daily treat from the crew on the boat. Despite the dull weather we were in awe of the clear waters and the views. Once back onboard we settled down for the evening in the Emerald Bar and watched a show in the atrium, sipping our new favourite cocktail, a salted caramel espresso martini. By this night the waiter at the bar had our cabin number memorised and he knew what our drink order would be. Day Four – Olden – I had been told by various people to wake up early and watch the ship dock in Olden as it was such a stunning place. So by 6am I was on the balcony with my large caramel cappuccino (included in the drinks package) watching us dock. And what a treat it was. Olden was stunning and the people there are so friendly. We took a bus tour to the bottom of a glacier as it was too cloudy to do the Loen sky lift. So we decided to have an easy day. We dined in the Limelight Club and watched Gareth Gates perform. The food was fantastic and Gareth Gates was brilliant! Day Five – Hellysylt- Well what a treat I had when I opened my curtains and was right in front of a beautiful waterfall. We headed for a leisurely walk to town, which was not so leisurely after all. It was up a very steep bridge which didn’t seem to end. Luckily as we were booked on a select fare we could jump on the shuttle bus back to the ship. Once we arrived back, we got ready for our dinner which had prebooked for, in the Epicurean, a fine dining restaurant. It was so lovely we forgot to take any photos. Day Six – Haugesund – We decided not to disembark on this port instead I took advantage of the special offers and I booked into the spa for a massage and facial instead. What a treat! We had an early dinner and went to watch Greatest Days – the Take That musical which was brilliant. Day Seven – At Sea – For our last sea day we decided to have a late breakfast and go to the adult pool for a few hours. Then we hit the shopping mall area and spent our onboard credit. All shopped out we went back to our cabin to pack and headed for our last dinner, we went to the Keel & Cow which was delicious. It was hard to finish especially after over indulging for a week. I think next time we will go to the Keel & Cow earlier in the trip! Day Eight- Disembarkation Day – After breakfast we made our way to our given disembarkation point and queued for about 10 minutes, before we were off the ship, into baggage claim and outside waiting for our taxi. We had the most amazing week on Iona, Norway was not somewhere I had initially thought of for a summer holiday. But I think it is somewhere everyone should go to at least once. We will definitely go back in the future! Well done P&O, thank you for a fabulous week. *Top tip, book a balcony on the Starboard side, as when the ship docks in Olden she turns around, so Starboard is next to the port. This is the perfect place to watch the Olden sail away. The locals really do go all out and wave you off. To watch it from the comfort of your own balcony was such a treat, as down on deck 9 it was pretty busy.