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Taking a gulet cruise in Turkey

turkey Taking a gulet cruise in Turkey

You may have been to Turkey on holiday before and if so you will know what a fantastic place it is for a beach holiday. Fantastic beaches and spectacular scenery combined with many fascinating historical sites and plenty of activities, to say nothing of the friendly people and brilliant Turkish cuisine.

There is an alternative to lazing on the beach, though, which still combines all these things. That is a gulet cruise. Gulets were the traditional merchant vessels of Turkey that transported goods around the coastline. Nowadays they are transporting tourists and it is a truly luxurious way to spend a holiday.

The captain and crew of the gulet take care of your every need and you simply relax while you sail from one gorgeous location to the next. When you drop anchor in some secluded cove you can dive overboard and swim, snorkel and dive to your heart’s content. If you are not feeling particularly active, then just carry on catching some rays on the deck.

Gulets are not very huge so there are only a few guests on board each one. This means that the crew has plenty of time just for you. The guest cabins are literally luxurious and are usually en-suite and could contest many a four star hotel room. The food on board is simply fantastic and there is permanently plenty of it.

Over again it is prepared by the crew and each dinnertime is a delight, a mixture of traditional and modern cuisine. Breakfast, for example, is made up of a buffet of meats, cheeses, fruit and olives. This is served with freshly baked Turkish bread, butter and tasty home-made jam and honey. Add some tea or the strong Turkish coffee and you are really set for the day.

turkish cuisine and food Taking a gulet cruise in Turkey

Tower of London and Thames River Sightseeing Cruise

Step aboard the spacious River Liner outside the Houses of Parliament (Westminster Pier) and sit back as the sights and splendour of London unfold round every bend of your journey on the Tower of London and Thames River Sightseeing Cruise. Weave your way past the London Eye turning slowly and majestically, the Royal Festival Hall, the Tate Modern and the Globe, home to England’s most well-known bard, William Shakespeare. Watch as the waterfront fills with monuments to London’s historical past: the Savoy Hotel, Cleopatra’s Needle, the Oxo Building and Billingsgate Market with St.Paul’s Cathedral dominating the skyline. Glide past HMS Belfast before disembarking in front of Tower Bridge, the most iconic of London’s landmarks.

Step into the Tower of London, home to the Crown Jewels and savour its dark and mysterious past. Wander through the Bloody Tower where the two young Princes disappeared in 1483, reportedly murdered by their uncle, Richard III; the torture chambers where Guy Fawkes, architect of the Gunpowder Plot, and his co-conspirators were subjected to the infamous rack.  Join the Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) and follow the trail past the Traitors Gate through the White Tower to the execution bloc where poor Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey lost their heads. Stay the armoury, the menagerie and the jewel house and learn the description of one of the bastions of Britain where William the Conqueror, Richard the Lionheart, Henry III and Edward Ist reigned supreme.

If you’re lucky you might see the well-known black ravens or perhaps the ghost of the headless Anne Boleyn or one of the other guests who were sent to the tower.

- Graham Walker

Preparation a trip? Browse Viator’s London tours and things to do, London attractions, and London travel recommendations, or book a private tour guide in London for a customized tour!

P&O take the stress and expense out of getting to your cruise

Although this summer has just left us, many people have started preparation next year’s holiday. If you are thinking of taking a cruise next year, you couldn’t have selected a better time to book up for 2012. While a cruise in itself is very cool and relaxing, many passengers have a stressful time travelling to their ship. Cruise experts P&O recognise this, and have launched a fantastic discount package for ahead of schedule bookers.

Those who book selected P&O cruises for 2012 or 2013 between the 1st September and November 30th will receive free return travel between their home and the ship as well as a discount of up to 20%. They have named this package the ‘Ahead of schedule Booking Spectacular’ and the free travel gives passengers a holiday option that is more inclusive as no additional travel costs will occur.

Depending on how you want to get to your ship, you can get free domestic flights, or coach travel, or for those who prefer to guide, free valet parking. These offers are only available if you book your cruise within this 3 month period and are available on the following cruises;

Adonia: D203 – D221, Arcadia J202-J218, Aurora R202-R221, Azura A207-A230, Oceana E205-E304, Oriana X202-X303 and Ventura N206-N306.

These are: free domestic return flights to Southampton, including coach transfer once in Southampton from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Belfast which, based on a fee from Glasgow can save you up to £150pp. The free valet parking at Southampton can save you up to a whopping £311 per car and the free coach transfers, once over again based on a Glasgow transfer, can save you £124pp.

For those wishing to take Mediterranean glide-cruises on the Adonia will get free return flights from Manchester or London Gatwick. Based on the D216 cruise which departs on 19th October this could save you up to £150 pp. Valet parking and coach transfers are also available for glide-cruises and full details are on the P&O website.

If you have cruised before, or are thinking of taking your first cruise, place yourself in the hands of the experts and let P&O get you to your ship stress free and then give you the holiday of a lifetime.

Nile Cruise Inspiration

The Nile is born of two major tributaries, known as the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The source of the White Nile is found in the Fantastic Lakes region of central Africa, flowing north from southern Rwanda up through Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda and Sudan. The Blue Nile, on the other hand, starts in Lake Tana in Ethiopia, flowing northwards to meet the White Nile in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital.

Whilst the Nile passes through many countries as it snakes north through the desert and up to the Mediterranean Sea, it is the northern section of the Nile that lies in Egypt that has become world well-known. Since ancient times the people of Egypt have relied on the Nile to provide them with water and fertile land on which to grow crops for food and trade.

Yangtze River Cruise

wpid Yangtze River Cruise Yangtze River Cruise

As our thirst for adventure increases and the world becomes smaller thanks to the jet age, taking your holidays in China is now as simple as booking a break in Europe. This magical and mystical country has appealed to travellers for decades, but only the hardened traveller would make the tough trek across the globe that it once was. Nowadays a flight from the UK will deliver you safely in China in hours rather than days or weeks.

Taking a trip to China can be both exciting and frustrating as you try and work out an itinerary to see as much of this wonderful country as you can. Beijing, Shanghai, the fantastic wall, how much can you realistically pack in without life so exhausted that you don’t delight in the splendour? A fantastic way to chill out and relax.

images Yangtze River Cruise

RiverValley1 Yangtze River Cruise