MINI-CRUISE WITH CMV

MARCO POLO

Marco Polo is a mid sized cruise ship owned and operated by Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV). With a passenger capacity of around 800, accommodated in 425 cabins, the ship has a very homely, almost country house feel. Sporting a dark blue hull, this cruise ship looks every inch your classic ocean liner.

CMV are Britain's newest privately owned cruise line, specialising in small ship, no fly cruises from the UK. Home based in Tilbury London, CMV operate out of 11 UK ports. With a fleet of 5 ships to their name, CMV have a high guest satisfaction record of 95%, and 40% repeat passengers. To read my review of Astoria and its fascinating history, another of Cruise Maritime Voyages cruise ships, please click on the following link:
 https://independentworldtravelreviews.blogspot.com/2017/04/cruise-maritime-voyages.html

 

Originally built in 1966, Marco Polo benefited from a £3 million refit in 2009. This is evident in the stylish and comfortable public areas that await guests to this ship. Most public areas are conveniently located on the same deck, making navigating the ships facilities an easy task. There is everything that one would expect from a ship of this size, from bars and lounges, to Library, card room, and the obligatory photo shop, and shopping arcade. There is also a reception desk, information desk and booking desk for future cruises. Entertainment is altogether a much more subtle, but none the less entertaining, affair than on a lot of the bigger cruise ships, with a show lounge for live performances as well as live music in the ship's bar areas.

There is a spa which includes a sauna and provides various massages and treatments, along with a reasonably equipped gym. There is one outdoor swimming pool and three hot tubs. For anyone wishing to jog or walk away their cruise, the deck above the Promenade deck does allow for a complete circumnavigation of the ship.

There are two large forward facing viewing areas, as well as a fair amount of seating around the pool. The ship is equipped with ten zodiac landing craft which are used for shore excursions in eco-sensitive areas. Although, now some 42 years old, Marco Polo has all the latest navigational aids and benefits from biological waste treatment.

There are 425 cabins, of which 292 have a porthole or window. There are no cabins with balconies, and only 2 cabins are wheelchair accessible. There are 4 lifts onboard, although if you are able, it is usually quicker to use the stairs. With some 15 cabin price grades there should be one to suit all budgets, from a standard inside cabin all the way up to the 2 junior suites or the 2 large suites. The largest of these suites (Dynasty and Mandarin) are spacious, well equipped cabins with a separate living area, large bedroom and marble bathroom with full size bath tub.







All your culinary needs are taken care of in The Waldorf Restaurant, where waiter service is the norm and smart attire is required, here they operate a two sitting dinner service. Alternatively, you may choose to dine in Marco's Restaurant where the atmosphere is less formal and all meals are self service.





 



Having never cruised with CMV before, although no stranger to cruising, I booked a one night mini-cruise for my wife and myself on Marco Polo. The cruise would take us from the Essex port of Harwich to the London port of Tilbury. These short weekend mini-cruises are a great way to try out new cruise lines and ships, and is also a perfect introduction to cruising for those who have never cruised before. Usually very keenly priced, this one night mini-cruise had prices starting from just £59 per person.

My wife and I were booked into a Premier Outside cabin and had been given an embarkation time of 3pm, embarkation and disembarkation times are based on your cabin grade and deck position. We arrived at the port of Harwich at approximately 2:30pm and parked in the designated car park, we had pre-booked the car park at a cost of £11. Along with other passengers, we were then taken by bus to the cruise terminal. Check-in was very quick and we were onboard by our allocated time of 3pm.

As we stepped onboard we were greeted by a member of staff who then showed us the way to our cabin, carrying our overnight bag for us. The cabin was of a reasonable size with two large windows which afforded us good views of the port. The shower room was very small, with very little space to put your toiletries etc. There were two single beds which had been pushed together, with a bedside cabinet either side, there was a dressing table and a reasonably sized wardrobe. It was nice to see that there were power points to enable us to charge our phones, and also tea and coffee making facilities.

 

Once our luggage was stowed away we made our way to Marco's Restaurant where a good range of hot and cold food was being served. After having something light to eat and drink, we returned to our cabin in order to get our life jackets as it was time for the compulsory safety drill.



Having been briefed in what to do in an emergency, we set about exploring the ship. For a small ship there is a surprisingly good amount of public areas, and nowhere seemed crowded at anytime. We were due to depart Harwich at 6:30pm but an announcement informed passengers this had been put back to 9:30pm, so our plans to watch the sail away prior to dinner at 8pm were dashed!

Dinner in the Waldorf Restaurant was a very pleasant, stylish affair, we shared a table with another couple, and, as you tend to do, swapped cruise stories whilst enjoying a five course meal. After dinner we strolled around the ship and took in some of the live entertainment in the Captain's Club, a very relaxing bar lounge area.

 



 

 

We then retired for the evening, first having set the alarm for an early call. Cabins had to be vacated early, by 7am the next morning and disembarkation would commence at 8am, breakfast would be served from 6:30am.

The next morning, as instructed, we vacated our cabin by 7am and had breakfast in the Waldorf Restaurant, breakfast can also be taken in Marco's Restaurant. We kept our small overnight bags with us, although passengers were allowed to store baggage in the show lounge prior to disembarkation. We disembarked at 8:30am and made our way to the car park to take up our places on the coach for the return trip to Harwich, this had been pre-booked at a cost of £20 per person. We arrived back in Harwich just after 10am.

For more information on CMV and Marco Polo, please visit the cruise lines own website at: www.cruiseandmaritime.com

AN IRISH ROAD TRIP (WEXFORD)

FERRYCARRIG HOTEL

My wife and I were coming to the end of our seven day road trip around Ireland. We had driven some 646 miles since arriving in Belfast in Northern Ireland, from Cairnryan in Scotland. Along the way we had visited Bushmill and the Giant's Causeway, Letterkenny, Galway, Gort, Limerick and Cork, and even got to kiss the Blarney Stone! We would end our Irish road trip in Rosslare in Southern Ireland, where we would catch the ferry to Fishguard in Wales in order to continue our journey home to the east coast of England.

After such a whirlwind tour of Ireland, visiting some wonderful places and staying at some of Ireland's best hotels, I was looking for somewhere we could spend a relaxing and comfortable night at our final port of call, somewhere to chill out before our journey home. I think I found it in the Ferrycarrig Hotel.

The Ferrycarrig Hotel is a large hotel complex with 102 bedrooms, spread over 4 floors. With views over the beautiful River Slaney estuary and perfectly located for our needs, close to Wexford and just a short distance to Rosslare, the hotel proved a great choice and a perfect way to end our Irish road trip.



 



 

There are three grades of guest room, Standard, Superior, and Delux, as well as Junior and Executive Suites, large Family Rooms and Interconnecting Rooms. All rooms of Superior grade and above feature either Balconies or French Doors. There is an entire floor reserved for adults only with Standard rooms featuring French Doors.

Facilities at the hotel are extremely comprehensive with something for everyone. Crazy Clubbers, the kids club that runs throughout all the main school holidays and bank holidays, is open from 10am to 1pm, and again from 7pm to 10pm. Here, young children can be entertained with face painting, dancing, board games, drawing, arts and crafts, football and the resident clown Giggles.



For adult guests, there is the Ferrycarrig Active Club, featuring a state of the art gym, 20m pool area, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi, there is also a children's pool with water jets and fountain. Instructor led fitness classes are available and there are a number of treatment rooms.

After all that exercise, you may wish to unwind with a drink in the Dry Dock Bar. Here you can partake in casual dinning including light lunches or a full evening meal. The bar has stunning views of the river and it is possible to dine inside or out, dependent on the weather. The Snug Area is exclusively for adults only.
 



 



 

Reeds Restaurant is a wonderfully relaxed bistro styled restaurant, and has been named best hotel restaurant in Wexford for two years running, 2016/2017. The restaurant is renowned for using local produce in its recipes and produces some excellent dishes. A three course meal including coffee can be ordered from the Table d'hote menu for approximately £39. Reeds Lounge is an adults only dinning area, located within Reeds Restaurant, allowing guests a more peaceful and relaxing dinning experience.

 

My wife and I arrived at the hotel around 5:30pm, having driven from Cork where we had stayed the previous night, visiting Waterford along the way. The car park is built on two levels and we parked in the higher level, conveniently close to the steps that would take us to the lower level and the entrance to the hotel. We were greeted at reception by a very friendly member of staff who checked us in and gave us all the information we needed. We also made a reservation for dinner in Reeds Restaurant for 6:30pm.

We used the lift to take our luggage to our room and settle in before dinner. The room was of a good size and was comfortably furnished with everything you would expect from a four star hotel. Our room featured French doors, complete with safety rails to prevent any accidental falls, which opened inwards allowing some fantastic views of the river. As we admired the views, we were joined by a family of swallows who had made their nest just 3 to 4 feet from where we stood. They were clearly not shy and obviously well used to being up close to people. They gave us great enjoyment watching their skilful aerial acrobatics when busily flying in and out of their nest. Wonderful!

 

 

 

 



After snapping a few photos of our new found feathered friends, we made our way down to the restaurant for dinner, exploring the hotel along the way. There were plenty of interesting, well furnished public areas for guests to sit and relax. Although a large hotel, it still managed to feel intimate and welcoming. We were warmly greeted on entry to the restaurant by our waiter, who showed us to our table by the window, and presented us with the choice of two menus. As we were dinning early, we could choose between the usual menu or the early bird menu. At just 28 euros for three courses, the early bird menu represented excellent value for money and we both made our choices from that menu.

 

 



The food was delicious, the service excellent, and my glass of Merlot went down a treat and complemented my meal perfectly. Unfortunately, plans to take an evening stroll after dinner had to be abandoned as the weather had taken a turn for the worse with strong winds and rain, not a good omen for our sea crossing tomorrow!

After a good nights sleep we returned to Reeds Restaurant for breakfast. A comprehensive array of hot and cold food greeted us and we had a very fulfilling meal. Once again, we sat near the window, this time watching with interest the wading birds as we relaxed and enjoyed our meal. After breakfast we explored the hotel some more before spending some much needed relaxation time in the excellent Spa.
 

 

 

 

We checked out of the hotel at 12:30pm, by which time the weather, thankfully, had begun to improve and the sun was attempting to shine. We then drove a very short distance, just half a mile, to the fabulous Irish National Heritage park, a must visit if you are ever in the area. From there we made the short journey to Rosslare in time for our evening ferry crossing to Fishguard. We had experienced some wonderful times and met some lovely people during our tour of Ireland, and our final stay, at the Ferrycarrig Hotel, was the perfect finale to our trip. What wonderful memories we will have!

There are a wealth of places to visit in the Wexford area, among them are Wells House, Johnstown Castle Gardens, Selskar Abbey, The Saltee Islands, Hook Lighthouse and, by far my favourite,The Irish National Heritage Park.

The hotel features free Wi Fi, check-in is from 4pm and check-out by 12pm.

The address for the hotel is Ferrycarrig Hotel, Ferrycarrig Bridge, Wexford. Telephone +353 (0) 539120999

For further information visit: www.ferrycarrighotel.ie The hotel is also on Twitter and Facebook

AN IRISH ROAD TRIP (LIMERICK)

NUMBER 1 PERY SQUARE

It is always difficult when choosing a hotel that you have never stayed at before, it's so easy to be disappointed, and I should know. With over forty years of travelling behind me I have had my fair share of disappointments. Of course the safe option, although this is no guarantee, is to opt for a well known hotel chain as they will have certain recognised standards, and you know pretty well what to expect. But,what if you are looking for something a little different? Smaller, independent hotels, and boutique hotels in particular, can often surprise with their individuality, attention to detail and 'go that extra mile' personalised customer service. When they 'get it right', it can be a very pleasing and fulfilling experience.

And 'get it right' is exactly what owner Patricia Roberts has achieved with Number 1 Pery Square. Overlooking the beautiful tree lined People's Park in the delightful Georgian quarter of Limerick, Number 1 Pery Square, purchased by Patricia in 2006, is a luxury twenty bedroomed boutique hotel just a mere five minute walk from the city centre.

 

Built around 1830 by the Pery Square Tontine Company, Number One Pery Square is a Grade 1 listed building, and is one of Ireland's best examples of late Georgian architecture. The Georgian architecture is evident throughout this remarkable building, even down to the naming of the hotel's restaurant after the Georgian sash windows.

Facilities at the hotel can only be described as excellent, with a welcoming, relaxing Spa featuring a coal bunker sauna, aroma steam room, Irish mist showers, herbal cocoon, and a Zen garden, and offering a wide choice of wellness and beauty treatments.

 

For all your culinary needs look no further than Restaurant Sash, a Michelin recommended restaurant, which serves some amazingly delicious meals, using many herbs and ingredients freshly sourced from the hotel's own garden. Food can also be ordered in the bar area.

 





 

 

Guest rooms are graded into three types, all delightfully individual and tastefully decorated. In the main town house are four Period Style rooms, these rooms are named after previous residents of the house. They are spacious rooms with large sash windows, affording views of the terrace and garden, as well as the beautiful People's park. The rooms feature roll top baths and Monsoon showers, complimentary Wi Fi, complimentary robes and slippers, and room service. Irish Voya organic beauty treatments are also available in the room.

Club Rooms also overlook the garden and terrace, and are named after renowned Irish writers. These rooms feature Monsoon showers. Complimentary Wi Fi, toiletries, robes and slippers.

Finally, there is the Townhouse Suite. Located on the top floor this suite offers fantastic views of the city and the mountains of Clare. Spacious and stylish with its own bar and dinning area, comfortable sofas, large screen television, two bedrooms, and compact kitchenette, this suite has everything the discerning guest could possibly wish for, and more! Along with the complimentary slippers and robes, toiletries and Wi Fi, there is also a Nespresso Coffee Machine. Guest wanting to really indulge themselves can arrange for Spa treatments in their room.

The front desk is open 24 hours so there is always someone on hand to assist with any queries guests may have, whether it be with service at the hotel, restaurant bookings or information on places to visit. There is also a library, laundry service, childcare facilities, and on-site car rentals.



 



I arrived at Number 1 Pery Square late afternoon, I was driving and, although parking is restricted in the adjacent streets, I was able to park directly outside the hotel entrance in the marked loading bay. Parking is permitted here to enable guests to unload their luggage, it is then necessary to move your vehicle to the private, secure car park which is less than half a mile away. Once I had checked in and taken my luggage to my room, I explored the hotel and spa area. Unfortunately, the spa was in the process of closing for the day, so I didn't get to use the facilities, however, I was very impressed with what I saw.

I decided to have supper in the bar area, this proved to be a good choice as the 'Classic Supper', served to me by the bar tender, a most pleasant and friendly gentleman, turned out to be a very tasty and substantial meal. The bar area was very cosy and had various sitting areas around the bar, which sat almost central between two rooms, with access from both sides.

My guest room 'Goldsmith' was a lovely room with two large windows, one to the front overlooking the street, the other to the side of the building. Charmingly furnished in a very individualistic fashion, with good quality drapes attractively framing the windows, it was evident that a lot of thought had gone into the design of the room, and indeed the entire hotel. The bathroom was spacious, with a full sized bath and separate shower cubicle. The complimentary slippers and robes were most welcome, as was the complimentary bottled water. The bed proved very comfortable, and I experienced one of the best nights sleep that I'd had on this trip.

 



 

 



The next morning I awoke with vigour, ready for my breakfast and the day ahead. But, little did I know what delights I had in store! Breakfast was served in Restaurant Sash, and there was everything on offer that you would expect from a good buffet breakfast. However, what made this breakfast experience so special, was a combination of things. Firstly, the restaurant itself is a beautifully decorated room, just oozing character, add to this the smartly attired, lovely lady who was enthusiastically dressing all the tables with beautiful fresh flowers, the ever so friendly, smiley and helpful waiting staff, and last, but certainly by no means least, the exceptional chef who served up, by far, the best smoked salmon and scrambled egg that I can ever recall having! With this first class breakfast experience, you certainly have the makings of a great start to the day.

 

 



I honestly cannot fault this hotel, it is beautifully decorated and furnished, spotlessly clean, has something of interest around every corner, and has some of the friendliest, most delightful and helpful staff I have come across in a long time. The staff seem truly happy to be there, they appear to really enjoy their work and are clearly passionate about their role. They work very much as a team, more like a family, which is so refreshing to see. This is one boutique hotel that ticks every box and I would not hesitate to return.

 

 



Places of interest in the area include Saint Mary's Cathedral, King John's Castle, The Treaty Stone, Tait's Clock, O'Connell Street, The People's Park, and a great art gallery. All this within a twenty minute walk of the hotel!

Getting to the hotel is not a problem either, Limerick train station is only a six minute walk away, and Shannon Airport less than thirteen miles.

The address of the hotel is: 1 Perry Square, Georgian Quarter, Limerick V94 EKP9

Telephone number: 061 402402 Email: info@oneperysquare.com

Further information can be found on the hotel's own website: www.oneperysquare.com 

The hotel is also on Facebook and Twitter.