Monaco & Seabourn Quest

In June this year I was lucky enough to win a cabin for 2 people on the pre-inaugural sailing of the brand new ship Seabourn Quest sailing from Monte Carlo. As I had never been to Monte Carlo before we tagged an extra day and night on to the short break to experience this vibrant place and we weren`t disappointed! We stayed in a small, lovely boutique style property called the Port Palace Hotel which was beautifully positioned overlooking the harbour & the fantastic yachts. The room we were allocated over looked the boats, was very spacious and nicely appointed and had a kitchenette. They served a super buffet breakfast on the outdoor terrace with Monte Carlo in the background and the marina at the front...perfect! Monte Carlo is definitely a place for people watching and it seems to ooze money at every turn, outside the casino alone there were hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of vehicles parked there. There are endless designer shops and boutiques, perfect for a spot of window shopping (& that was all we did!!!). We happened to be in Monte Carlo the weekend after the Monaco Grand Prix and my husband was so excited that the race grids, start line & stands were still in place, he could walk parts of the circuit and photograph the famous hair pin bend! It apparently takes weeks to take everything down for the following year. The following day we made our way to the port and embarked on our 5 star luxury all inclusive cruise ship - The Seabourn Quest. We were escorted from the port side to our verandah stateroom by a Seabourn butler, served champagne & canapes in our cabin, and shown around everything that our stateroom had to offer. Our minibar was replenished daily with soft drinks, wine, champagne & spirits as a matter of course. In the evening the ship set sail and we enjoyed the sail away party up on deck, under the stars with cocktails & dancing to the live band, until the twinkly lights of Monte Carlo faded in the distance. We enjoyed a sumptuous buffet breakfast every morning sat out on deck in the sunshine. Dinner in the main restaurant was a real treat, a special 6 course gala dinner accompanied by fine wines, every course served was impeccable & absolutely delicious. I was even quite lucky to be invited by the head chef to take a behind the scenes guided tour of the ships kitchens to see how they work & the one way system they have in place for the waiters & chefs,& how and where the food is stored, how it is freshly baked, and how they manage to cater for so many people, it was absolutely fascinating to see! Our ports of call included San Remo in Italy and St Tropez in the South of France, both places fairly small and compact and we had just enough time to walk round the towns, browse in the boutiques and craft shops and enjoy a coffee in a cafe, before heading back to our tender to take us back to our ship. Seabourn Cruises offer superb luxury small cruise ships, the Seabourn Quest itself takes a maximum of 450 guests and is an all inclusive cruise. Tipping is not expected and the staff on board the ships anticipate your every whim or need and nothing is too much trouble for them, they work really hard to please and offer exceptional service. This kind of cruising is in a league of its own and an experience I would love to repeat one day and that I will remember for a long time to come!