50 ...... Saturday, January 26, 2019 1SM 1SM Saturday, January 26, 2019 ...... 51

Edited by LISA MINOT & HEATHER LOWRIE See more at lthescottishsun.co.uk

SAILING TRIPS ARE OZ-SOME PRINCESS CRUISES has a ten-night winter trip February 28. The cruise, on board Diamond, in Queensland, Australia, from £848pp, sailing sets sail on April 3 and calls at Conflans, FFAMILYAMILY AATMOSPHERETMOSPHERE IS GREAGREATT FOR SOLSOLOO TRATRAVELLERSVELLERS roundtrip from Sydney on board Majestic Prin- Rouen, Le Havre, Les Andelys, Vernon and cess on November 27. Ports of call are Bris- Poissy. Prices from £1,339pp. See bane, Airlie Beach, Yorkeys Knob, Port amadeus-rivercruises.co.uk Douglas and Willis Island. Flights not included. MSC CRUISES has a ten-night Mediter- See princess.com or call 0344 338 8663. lranean trip onboard MSC Sinfonia plus a FRED.Olsen’s Boudicca has a nine-night free one-night stay in Barcelona from lcruise to Portugal from Dover on April 7. £599pp, including flights, to the Spanish city Calls at Lisbon, Portimao and Porto. See on March 26. Ports of call include Valencia, planetcruise.co.uk Mallorca, Malta, Sicily, Civitavecchia for ROYAL Caribbean Rome, Livorno, Genoa lwill install the and Marseille. See world’s longest cruisenation.com or waterslide at sea on call 0800 408 0757. Navigator Of The Seas. SAIL for over a The Blaster will propel a lmonth through the two-person raft through Far East and the Emir- more than 800ft of hills ates on board P&O’s and drops. The ship has Arcadia. The trip HIT DECK & DANCE undergone a $155mil- includes a two-night lion makeover and stay in Hong Kong, left , THE NIGHT AWAY... re-launches on overnight on board in BLISS . . . spa, pool MANY are struggling with perfect their own moves February 24. See cruise Singapore and Dubai the glittery void that the end with private one-to-one and bedroom at the royalcarib- news and stop-offs in Chan of BBC smash Strictly Come dance lessons with one of Mistral , Kevin bean.co.uk May, Kuala Lumpur, Dancing has left on their the pro dancers. With four second right, with P&O Cruises is serving up Langkawi, Colombo, Saturday nights different ships and new pals, Chania lnew guest chefs on Britannia. Matt Mumbai, Muscat, Limassol, Haifa, Cadiz But now dancing destinations on old town, main pic, Tebbutt, Sabrina Ghayour, Paul A Young before docking in Southampton. The 38-day devotees can head to the programme to choose from & Elafonissi beach and Michelin-starred chef Robert Thompson trip costs from £2,279pp including flights high seas for their fill of there is a holiday to suit will be on board on various cruises. Matt will from London to Hong Kong on March 9. See sequins and samba. all ballroom or Latin YOU know you have join the seven-night The Netherlands, Belgium planetcruise.co.uk or call 0808 278 8504. Fans can don their lovers. stumbled upon some- & Guernsey sailing departing March 29, with DISCOVER Norway with Royal Carib- dancing shoes and stay with Try 13 nights’ sailing where special when prices from £549pp. See pocruises.com or lbean during a nine-night Norwegian shimmy their way the stars under the sun at the call 03453 555 111. Fjords holiday onboard Explorer of the across the floor on a helm of The Britannia. someone tells you this is TAKE an Amadeus River Cruise from Seas from May 31. Costs from £1,148pp leav- P&O Cruises 2019 Departing from their 13th visit to this lParis taking in Normandy as you glide ing Southampton on June 9 and includes Southampton it stops in hotel in Greece...and down the River Seine and enjoy ten per cent Bergen, Geiranger, Molde, Alesund and holidays. Maderia, Le Palma, Tenerife, early booking discount if you book by Stavanger. See royalcaribbean.co.uk Featuring the show’s Gran Canaria, Lanzarote they live in Australia. professional dancers, this and Lisbon. Or someone else tells you year’s line-up includes love When guests aren’t it’s the fifth year in a row to hate judge Craig Revel exploring the Canaries, they and she lives in LA. Horwood, pictured, dancers can get their on with Then there are others from , Janette with the dancers all under the UK who have been coming Manrara, Aljaž Skorjanec, the watchful eye of Mr for eight years, six years and and many more Horwood. four years and they are coming fan favourites. Guests will The Canary and Portugal back next year. not only be dazzled by the cruise costs from £999pp, But that is the effect the slick dance displays but will departing April 7. Details at Mistral Hotel in Maleme has also have the chance to pocruises.com and after an amazing week it’s easy to see why so many visi- FREE tors like Aussie Phil and Cali- IT’S 26°C IN IT’S 21°C IN fornian Becky keep travelling ** hot ANTIGUA — a hot FUERTEVEN- to the other side of the world GIFT spot week at the 3H spot TURA — seven to spend a week in the place BOOK BY Hawksbill by nights at the 3H they call paradise. Rex Resorts is Globales Costa The concept is simple, the 31 JANUARY from £1,198pp with Travel Tropical in Costa Antigua Mistral is designed exclusively Republic. The price is is from £279pp with for the solo traveller. based on all-inclusive IceLolly. The price is I’ve been on singles holidays before, but they don’t compare with flights from Gatwick based on all-inclusive to the Mistral experience. on February 26. See with flights from From the moment you arrive travelrepublic.co.uk or Edinburgh on February you are made to feel special call 020 8974 7200. 19. See icelolly.co.uk and there’s none of the awk- wardness or unease at arriving somewhere on your own. It’s hard Share stories Within 20 minutes I was sat having dinner beside other guests who were keen to intro- duce themselves and make me feel part of the group. Summertime The Mistral is owned and run by brothers Vassilis and Adonis and their small and incredibly hard-working team Fjordland Cruise headed by Donna and Yanni. to Crete Vassilis, who studied at Strathclyde University, took Eight days WAS from £1,089pp NOW from £599pp over the running of the hotel in the mid 90s and his passion bour flanked on both sides by tional Greek music it felt more like taking a trip back in time Europe, with distinctive pink Sailing from Rosyth on board Marco Polo, departs 23 Aug 2019 for the Mistral and everything bars, cafes, restaurants and authentic than others I’ve experi- where little has changed since sand and turquoise water. Cretan is infectious. The broth- GO: CRETE rooftop bars. enced in the past. they filmed the famous dancing Or you could spend the week Board elegant Marco Polo to a trio of fjords. Call at some wonderful ers even drive the minibus on GETTING THERE: For the best prices on flights to Crete, see Dinner at Mihalis Restaurant With two pools and lounging scenes for classic Anthony Quinn lazing at the Mistral’s pools places that dot their pristine shorelines and take the opportunity, on ALICANTE TRIP IS the excursions. skyscanner.net in the old harbour was excep- areas it’s tempting not to leave movie Zorba The Greek in 1964. because the hotel does lunch After dinner I was up at the tional. during the day but the excur- It’s not so much a lunch as a every day apart from Sunday. shore excursions, to explore the beautiful countryside beyond. bar enjoying a few beers, STAYING THERE: The Mistral Hotel is open from April to mid-October and FLIGHT ON MONEY offers a range of excursions. I lost count of the courses sions are excellent. A must-do banquet with salad, fish dishes, However, as you are half-board meeting more new faces and served in a meze style with octopus stew, calamari, fresh HEAD off to the Prices start from £802 for a week, on a half-board basis, flights not trip is the Falasarna Beach/Sfin- you have to pay for lunch. Both the Hanoi and Phnom having a laugh and a dance fish and seafood the main ari Fish Lunch on Thursdays. It’s vegetables and their speciality — There is also a high-quality on Cruise highlights sunnier climes of Spain next Penh flights are timed to with my new friends. Dining included. See singlesincrete.com components but also a mouth- a fish soup known as Kakavia — MORE INFO: For more on holidays to Greece, see visitgreece.gr a full day and another ideal way site spa with a huge selection of Flåm lies at the head of Traditional British & International month on a £99pp return connect in both directions together is a huge part of the watering selection of salads, to get to know your new friends. all washed down with plenty of treatments. And every room is • • flight from Glasgow to with PAL’s non-stop Manila experience and every night no meat dishes, vegetables, cheese Falasarna beach is a glorious village wine called Marouvas. stunning. Sognefjord cuisine, stylish entertainment, Alicante, above, on to Heathrow services on matter whether you have been dishes, pastries and desserts hidden sandy paradise. Once Before you know it almost four guest lecturers & on-board February 5. Price is based their Airbus A350. Book at lying at one of two beautiful and other big tourist resorts. toes, courgettes, goat’s cheese and fantastic local wine. there you have a couple of hours hours have passed. Return trip • A call at Olden offers the chance on two adults travelling pools, or out on of their many Another must-do trip is the leisure facilities philppineairlines.com For evening meals the food is and wrapped in pastry), Three-hour feast to sunbathe or swim and snorkel Maleme beach is a ten-minute to journey to the Briksdal Glacier together. Book at lTHERE’S still time excursions, EVERYONE meets served meze style — with the Papoutsakia (roast aubergines in the turquoise waters. We were whole-day excursion to Elafonissi tui.co.uk or visit your Air for dinner at 8pm. The atmosphere during the Beach — rated one of the best in walk and there are plenty of vil- Seven nights’ full board to plan a new emphasis on sharing plates — in olive oil and spicy tomato also able to squeeze in a visit to lages and resorts you can easily Cruise into Geirangerfjord, with its • local TUI holiday store. news adventure around the There are two huge tables in and there is plenty of vino to sauce stuffed with vegetables) three-hour feast was great and the nearby Falasarna archaeolog- • accommodation on the outdoor dining area and the party carried on until the ical site where the city and old explore by local bus. waterfalls and fjord-side villages lPHILIPPINE globe taking advantage go round and it’s included in and Yiouvetsi (goat meat with My week just flew by and it Airlines has of Emirates’ people rarely sit in the same the price. tomato sauce, olive oil and small hours when we got back port date back to 300BC. board Marco Polo place so it’s a great way to The Mistral specialises in herbs). to the bar at the Mistral. They are now being exca- was very easy to see why so Call at historic Bergen launched new routes from special fares from Glasgow many people keep coming back. • London to Phnom Penh in and Edinburgh. share stories and help new Cretan food with fish, seafood, The kitchen staff get Sundays At night the bar is the focus vated and look incredible. arrivals settle in. Other solo lamb, fresh veg from their own off, but one of the many excel- of entertainment because the Then it was a short trip You are made to feel part of Cambodia and Hanoi in Book by January 31 for the family and no one is left Vietnam via its Manila hub. trips I’ve been on have seen garden, olive oil, honey, cheese, lent excursions is the Sunday nearest bars are about 20 min- south past breathtaking scen- What costs what? quoting code discounts on a huge choice cliques form, but not at the out — even the most shy solo Sale prices right now start of routes for travel until lentils and herbs also from night Chania Harbour Evening utes away. There is a dance- ery before arriving at the A meal for two with wine is Mistral. Nothing was forced, we their own garden. Meal. floor with the bar staff seaside village of Sfinari and £25-£30 and a pint of lager traveller will leave knowing Call 0330 331 0519 TSU from £429pp return, if you November 30. all got on really well. they have had a special holiday. Every night brings a differ- You can explore the captivat- doubling as DJs and the music a truly epic lunch at Sunset is around £2.50. book by February 28 for How about Dubai from The location is perfect, you Fish Restaurant, owned by the Every year hundreds of peo- travel between March 31- £409pp or Bangkok from ent feast. My highlights were ing city, visit the old town, lose stays on for as long as you www.thesuntravel.co.uk/newmarket-fjordland are only a 10-minute walk the delicious fish and octopus yourself in the narrow streets like. It is really lively — typi- Baladakis family. make sure that you visit ple make a return trip to the December 6. £489pp. Chania Old Town. from the beach and the small cooked Cretan-style plus local with plenty of shops and bars, fied by the Greek night which The setting right on the Do Mistral. Join them and you These holidays are organised & operated by Newmarket Holidays Ltd. ABTA V7812. Subject to availability. Sin gle If you want to push the There’s also Dehli from fishing village of Maleme, and gets everyone involved. With beach is just magical and forget to book on the all- will become another one. boat out then they also have specialities Boureki (a dish or visit the lighthouse before supplements apply. Fares exclude gratuities. Standard phone charges. Prices above are per person for the lowest £409pp and Perth, Australia only 30 minutes from Chania unique to Chania with pota- arriving in the stunning har- professional dancers and tradi- entering the unspoiled village is Don’t day Fish Lunch trip. KEVIN KELLY available cabin type. A selection of cabin types is available at ranging prices. All prices are extremely limited & premium economy seats from £749. may be withdrawn without notice. *Book by 31 Jan 2019. Price shown includes 45% discount. from £879 and business For these and more see **Applies to new bookings until 31 Jan 2019. Offers subject to availability & may be withdrawn at class fares from £1,699pp. emirates.com/UK any time. For full t&cs see www.newmarketholidays.co.uk/gift