Fred's Leaving Geordie Shore
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50 Saturday, July 5, 2014 FRED’S LEAVING GEORDIE SHORE CRUISE fans in the north the next three years. As it can sail away from aims to attract 200,000 closer to home as Fred CRUISE Brits ayear it is Olsen’s Black Watch, NEWS launching dedicated above,starts aseries of weekly British Airways itineraries from the Port of charter flights to Venice and Tyne in Newcastle. Genoa in 2015, delivering From now until October, passengers to six MSC the 804-guest boutique liner Cruises ships operating out will sail avariety of voyages, of those ports next summer. including aseven-night The Med specialist has two Norwegian Fjords trip and a new mega-ships due to be 15-night Canary Islands delivered in 2017, followed sailing. by two more in the following And you can upgrade to two years. an all-inclusive drinks MSC Cruises’ Giles Hawke package –including wines, said: “We intend to become spirits, beers and soft drinks asignificant player in the UK –for £10 per person per cruise market. We are also HAIL MARY ... night. Nathan Philpot, sales increasing flights from the and marketing director for UK for our Dubai winter Murcia’s cathedral of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, programme and adding flight Santa Maria, top;The said: “We are offering our capacity to the Caribbean for Good, The Bad And loyal Newcastle guests the winter 2015-16.” The Ugly, above,and, chance to take an even wider Q GRAB abargain break left,alocal beach selection of cruises from from Southampton with a right on their doorstep this ten-night full-board Northern year. Next year there will be Europe cruise on the MSC more, with eight departures Opera from £499 per person. from the Port of Tyne.” The cruise departs the UK Prices start at £885 per on August 28 and calls at TAPAS, WINE..AND MUD ON LADS’ BREAK person. Go to Ijmuiden (Holland) ,StPeter fredolsencruises.com or call Port (Guernsey), Vigo LETTUCE diets, booze gravel. But eventually Ifound before enjoying that great the source of an ancient hot 0800 0355 242. (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal), detox, zumba-yogalates enough of the flamingo poo- Spanish pastime of passing spring. You can even steam Q ITALIAN cruise line MSC Bilbao (Spain) and Le Havre infused goodness and smoth- out in the middle of the day. off your eyelashes by having has set its sights on trebling (France). See virginholidays and spiritual advice ered it all over. We awoke from our siesta apeek down the boiling well the number of British cruises.co.uk or call 0844 from ahippy called Star- You’re supposed to lie in for dinner at La Tapa and beneath the hotel. passengers on its ships in 488 3084. the sun and turn yourself into sampled Murcia’s trademark The basement spa’s arched, shine –that’s the night- acrispy mud pie but as it tapas of tuna and potato on a tiled rooms looked like a mare Ihad conjured up was winter and we were the U-shaped breadstick. medieval hospital, so we at the sound of the only lunatics in the water, we The next morning, beginning opted for the modern spa thought it was OK to skip to look and smelllike cow- next door. words “spa weekend”. that bit. boys,weheaded out on the Iwallowed in apool full of So when me and three lads The waiters in anearby trail into Murcia’s Wild West. lemons, like asweaty went to getpampered in Mur- restaurant, Miramar, were In this barren land where strawberry in afruit punch, cia, Spain, anddid not meet very polite and did not once classics including The Good, then cooled off in the pool as asingle stick of celery Iwas mention the fact we stank of The Bad And The Ugly star- the sun slipped behind the very relieved. rotten eggs. ring Clint Eastwood were mountains. Instead, we gorged our way filmed, one thing grows very On our final evening, El through aweekend of tapas Barren land well —grapes. Carril’s eccentric owner was siestas and red-wine comas. We took atasting tour of ruthless withhis hospitality. But before the food and Plate after plate of tapas the San Isidro winery, which Our glasses were never drink could flow, Idid have rolled out while we watched provides Sainsbury’s with empty as he stuffed us with one spa treatment Ihad prom- afree airshow by Patrulla some of its best-selling reds. mushrooms and chicken ised to try out. Águila or Eagle Patrol, The wine seemed to get better wrapped in prosciutto ham. From Alicante airport, we Spain’s version of the Red the more Itried. He finally let us escape but drove south to the San Pedro Arrows, who train over the Beyond the vines in the dis- only with aparting gift of a del Pinatar nature reserve, far sea opposite. tant mountains is the Roman two-litre bottle of red. We from the rowdy stag and hen We enjoyed the small, spa town of Archena, where could not fit the thing in our parties heading north to the friendly bars alittle too much the Termas Hotel is built on luggage so drank from the English seaside colonies. for agroup who had awine- bottle by the river like It is nothard finding volun- tasting lesson in Murcia the rebellious teens. teerstowipe sulphurous mud next morning. On the flight home we over themselves, provided you Ihad no idea what the looked worse for wear even tell them it will rejuvenate Spanish man was saying GO: MURCIA than the mad hen parties their skin. but worked out my in matching “I heart So there Iwas, stripping off favourite was the most MONARCH fly to Alicante from many UK Benidorm” T-shirts. in front of some surprised- expensive wine. airports from £22.99 one-way. See mon- I’m going to need looking flamingos, ready to be We then wandered adetox now — around Murcia’s arch.co.uk. Adouble room at the NH Cartagena is celery smoothies, restored by the magical mud. from £47 per night. See nh-hotels.com. Adouble Istarted out digging in the food fair, tasting no booze and wrong part of the sea floor every wine, cheese room at the Hotel Termas in Balneario de Archena is maybe some sort and ended up painfully exfoli- and ham we could from £61. See Balnearioarchenahoteltermas.com. A of spa weekend. ating my chest with wet get our hands on, night at the Novotel in Murcia is from £37. See novotel. com. On what to do and where to stay go to JACOB LEWIS murciaturistica.es. BRITISH Airways is food is served and when, decent seat. Now things are testing ahi-tech (sky AIR and even what type of film more civilised and we fly from tech?) blanket, woven NEWS is shown. all over the UK on low-cost with fibre optic strands If it helps the cabin crew carriers –inallocated seats. which change colour predict when we’d like a So Easyjet’s Fearless Flyer according to apassenger’s drink, it’s fine by us (it’s 15 course –running in Gatwick, mood. minutes ago, by the way). Belfast, Luton, Edinburgh, You put on aheadband to l ONCE upon atime the Manchester, Bristol and transmit your “meditative jokes would have been easy. Stansted –isawelcome idea. state” and the blanket reacts An EasyJet course to The two-day course is £189. to your brainwaves, showing overcome the fear of flying? It comprises athree-hour how relaxed you are (or not). The first module would have ground session and a BA hopes feedback will covered the anxiety of getting one-hour flight the next day. help it to improve in-flight to Luton, the second, how to See fearlessflyer.easyjet. service by looking at what beat the scrum to find a com for more information..