My husband, teenage sons, aged fourteen and sixteen, and I had a fantastic time cruising from Southampton to the Mediterranean for seventeen nights in August 2013, on board Azura, one of P&O’s larger family friendly ships.
It was our second outing with P&O, having had an amazing trip on Ventura the previous year, on our maiden voyage to Iceland and Norway, and we were not disappointed, this time around.
After an effortless embarkation in Southampton, we sailed on beautiful Azura for two days down to Spain along the Atlantic coast, to the charming historic port of La Coruna.
Here we enjoyed a leisurely walk in the sunshine around the old city, stopping off at the Castle of San Anton by the harbour, before stepping back on board ship for a truly great British sail away party.
Another couple of restful sea days followed, before arriving at the central Mediterranean island of Sicily and the city of Messina, famous for its 1908 earthquake, which almost destroyed the entire capital.
From Messina, we crossed to the Greek island of Corfu where we joined a P&O organised tour to Glyfada beach.
It was a well managed excursion with a friendly, approachable guide and a comfortable coach trip of approximately forty minutes.
After a hot, sunny day on the beach, it was back on board to soak up more sail away party atmosphere, before cruising up to the Croatian city of Dubrovnik, a sparkling jewel on the Adriatic coastline; the city walls a spectacular sight to behold.
However, the highlight of our holiday for all four of us was Italy’s Venice, with its pretty gondoliers, endless waterways, and splendid architecture, and a must for anyone wishing to seek out some lovely Murano glass.
On leaving Venice, we navigated South to Valletta, the wonderful Maltese capital, with its extremely British undertones, and finally onwards to Gibraltar, at the southern tip of Spain, with its famous Rock.
This brought an end to our holiday ports of call, but not the end to the fun, since a further two sea days ensued, bringing with them even more sunshine, and clear blue skies.
During our seventeen day cruise, we found that the staff on board Azura could not help holiday-makers enough, especially the hard working cabin crew and the waiters in the fine dining restaurants, where the food incidentally was second to none.
Two of our party are vegetarian; and their choice of cuisine was outstanding, with separate menus brimming with delicious veggie options, although even the main menu held an excellent selection for all.
The facilities on board ship were extensive and superb, and we found there were not enough hours in each day to do everything we wanted.
In particular, our teenagers were spoiled for choice, and the entertainment, particularly in the evening, was first class, from comedians, singers, and west end style shows and bands.
Though if music and comedy did not ‘float your boat’, then there were numerous bars and lounges to sit back and enjoy the views, with a tipple or two.
There is something for everyone on Azura, young and old.
It can be as energetic or as restful a holiday as you like.
We didn’t want our trip to come to an end, but when it did, and we chose the early debarkation option, leaving the ship at 7am, our departure could not have been smoother or easier.
Excellent service, great destinations, amazing choices and value for money…
We will certainly stay loyal to P&O, the provider of unforgettable, fantastic holidays, who brings the world to your fingertips, without leaving your home comforts behind.
