Sailing the Adriatic & Greek Islands aboard EXPLORA II – Seven Days of Five-Star Luxury

Venice – The Perfect Beginning

We flew into Venice a day before our cruise and stayed at the fabulous Hilton Molino Stucky Venice.

What a way to begin!

Our room had amazing views across Venice, and staying here gave us the opportunity to explore this slightly quieter part of the city. We found an authentic little spot for pizza that evening and enjoyed dinner with a wonderful view towards the Doge's Palace and the Campanile in St Mark's Square.

It was one of those moments when you sit there, look at the view and think, yes… the holiday has definitely started.

We also managed to spend some time relaxing around the hotel's gorgeous rooftop pool — quite a setting with Venice surrounding you.

The following morning started with an excellent buffet breakfast before it was time to head for the ship.

But this is Venice, so naturally there was only one appropriate way to travel…

Water taxi!

There is something wonderfully glamorous about speeding across the Venetian Lagoon with your luggage onboard. Forget a normal hotel transfer — this was part of the experience in itself.

Welcome Aboard EXPLORA II

And then we met our home for the next seven nights: EXPLORA II.

My first impression was how different she feels from a traditional cruise ship. She's elegant and sophisticated but doesn't feel overly formal. Explora Journeys describes the concept as a "Home at Sea", and having experienced it, I can completely understand why.

EXPLORA II has just 456 ocean-front suites, together with five heated pools, six restaurants and numerous bars and lounges, so despite offering an incredible choice of places to eat, drink and relax, she retains a wonderfully spacious and intimate feel.

We stayed in an Ocean Terrace Suite, and it was fabulous.

These suites are around 35 square metres, with floor-to-ceiling windows and their own private sun terrace, complete with space for alfresco dining and a daybed.

The room itself was beautifully designed and incredibly comfortable. It was the little details that impressed me most because everything seemed to have been considered — right down to the heated bathroom floor!

There was a walk-in wardrobe, minibar replenished to your preferences, espresso machine, complimentary Wi-Fi and, of course, that lovely private terrace where you could simply sit and watch the ocean go by.

It really did feel more like staying in a luxury hotel than being in a traditional cruise cabin.

Dining – One of the Highlights

The food throughout the entire journey was gorgeous.

There are nine inclusive culinary experiences available across Explora Journeys, including Fil Rouge, Med Yacht Club, Marble & Co. Grill, Emporium Marketplace and Sakura, as well as Crema Café, Explora Lounge and 24-hour in-suite dining.

But one restaurant deserves a special mention…

Sakura

The Japanese and Asian-inspired Sakura was fabulous and definitely one of my favourites.

Beautifully presented dishes, wonderful flavours and excellent service made it somewhere we really looked forward to visiting.

And then there were the wines!

One of the things I particularly liked about Explora was that enjoying a lovely glass of wine didn't constantly mean checking what was included. Fine wines, Champagne, premium spirits, speciality coffees, teas and soft drinks are part of the Explora experience, which really adds to that feeling of relaxed luxury.

Throughout the week, the standard of service from the crew was exceptional. Attentive without being intrusive, friendly without ever losing that five-star professionalism.

For me, EXPLORA II genuinely delivered five-star luxury.

But we had some rather beautiful places to explore too…

Day 2 – Rovinj, Croatia 🇭🇷

Our first port was Rovinj, and what a gorgeous introduction to Croatia.

It genuinely has a fairy-tale quality about it — colourful buildings, little cobbled streets and alleyways winding upwards through the old town.

Naturally, we decided to climb to the top of the tower!

The effort was definitely rewarded with some wonderful views before we spent time simply wandering through the town.

And no visit would have been complete without trying some homemade Croatian ice cream.

Research purposes, obviously!

Rovinj was one of those places where you don't really need a plan. Just wander, explore the little streets, stop when something catches your eye and enjoy being there.

Day 3 – Dubrovnik, Croatia 🇭🇷

Next came Dubrovnik.

I'd visited before, so rather than trying to see everything again, we took the tender into town and decided to head upwards.

And I mean upwards.

We climbed the steps to the fortress and were rewarded with fantastic views across Dubrovnik and that incredible deep-blue Adriatic Sea.

There is something about the colour of the water along this coastline that photographs never quite manage to capture.

Having visited previously also meant there was no pressure to race around ticking off sights. We could simply enjoy being back in this beautiful city before returning to EXPLORA II.

Day 4 – Brindisi, Italy 🇮🇹

From Croatia, we crossed to Italy and arrived in Brindisi.

This time we'd booked an organised excursion, which took us out to discover the famous White City.

The brilliant whitewashed buildings against the blue Italian sky were absolutely gorgeous and completely different from the places we'd visited during the previous few days.

But one of my favourite parts of the excursion was visiting a family-run olive oil farm.

I always love experiences like this when travelling. It's not just about seeing a destination; it's meeting local people and learning about traditions that have often been passed through families for generations.

It gave us a lovely glimpse into another side of southern Italy.

Day 5 – Kotor, Montenegro 🇲🇪

Then it was time for Montenegro.

We arrived in Kotor and took a taxi to nearby Perast, a very pretty little town sitting beside the Bay of Kotor.

It's beautiful, although quite small, so it doesn't take too long to wander around.

We had planned a boat trip while we were there, but unfortunately the wind had other ideas and conditions were too bad for it to go ahead.

That's travel!

Instead, we headed back to Kotor and explored the old town.

And, naturally, went looking for the famous Kotor cats.

If you've visited Kotor, you'll know exactly what I mean. They're everywhere and have become part of the character of the town.

Day 6 – A Day at Sea

After several days of exploring, a sea day arrived at exactly the right time.

And when you're sailing aboard EXPLORA II, staying onboard is hardly a hardship.

The ship has five heated pools, including the adults-only Helios Pool & Bar, plus the Astern Pool & Bar overlooking the water and plenty of quieter spaces for simply relaxing with a drink and watching the sea.

This was our opportunity to slow everything down.

No alarm.

No excursion.

No need to be anywhere.

Just beautiful surroundings, fabulous food, great wine and a day to properly enjoy the ship.

Sometimes sea days end up being some of my favourite days of a cruise, particularly when the ship itself is this good.

Day 7 – Milos, Greece 🇬🇷

And suddenly we had reached our final destination — Milos.

What a place to finish.

Milos is absolutely gorgeous, and because we only had one day, I wanted to make sure we didn't miss the best parts of the island.

So rather than joining a larger organised excursion, I arranged a private taxi tour.

It was a brilliant decision.

Having our own driver meant we could make the most of our time and see the island's highlights without worrying about trying to navigate around or missing somewhere special.

The landscapes, coastline and unmistakably Greek scenery made Milos a fabulous finale to the journey.

And then came the bit nobody enjoys…

That final evening onboard when you realise the suitcases need packing!

My Verdict on EXPLORA II

I went into this journey expecting luxury, but EXPLORA II really impressed me.

The Ocean Terrace Suite was beautiful, spacious and thoughtfully designed. The food throughout the week was exceptional, Sakura was a particular favourite, the wines were excellent and the service from the crew was consistently superb.

But what I particularly loved was the atmosphere.

This wasn't luxury that felt stuffy or overly formal.

It was relaxed luxury.

You could spend your day exploring a Croatian old town, wandering around Montenegro looking for cats or touring a Greek island, then return to your beautiful suite, get ready for dinner and enjoy fantastic food and wine while sailing towards your next destination.

For me, that's exactly what luxury travel should feel like.

Would I recommend EXPLORA II?

Absolutely.

Particularly if you love beautiful boutique-style hotels, exceptional food and wine and attentive service, but also want the freedom of waking up somewhere different every morning.

And combining EXPLORA II with Venice, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro and Greece?

That made this particular journey rather special.

Until the next adventure… 🐻✈️🚢

With us, it's personal.

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