You can go on a cruise with an onboard gin distillery and infinity pools for £70 each a night & it sets sail from the UK
SUPERYACHTS are often referred to as floating gin palaces.
But they are small fry compared to P&O Cruises’ latest, biggest and best — its flagship Iona even has its own gin DISTILLERY.
I was treated to a demonstration, as the dried and fresh botanicals are added to neutral grain spirit.
There follows a labour of love, where Imran Shaikh adds fresh water, testing all day long to get the exact mix and alcohol content to produce 80 bottles of gin every day for the cruisers.
And where better to enjoy a G&T than in Iona’s Sky Dome.
The ship has been designed for our often bracing northern-hemisphere climate and has just embarked on the first of its summer-season cruises to the Norwegian Fjords.
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The Sky Dome allows you to relax, toasty-warm by a pool with a fabulous sky view by day. By night, it transforms to an entertainment venue offering live music, dancing and shows.
Full disclosure. As a keen cruiser, Iona was everything I thought I wouldn’t like. Too big, too modern, too much choice, too much to do. So I surprised myself by changing my mind within just a few days on board.
Our Conservatory Mini Suite on deck nine was just the first surprise.
Between the balcony and main bedroom you have a light, airy extra area with comfy L-shaped sofa to relax on and watch the world sail by, wrapped in cosy robes for an indulgent breakfast or lazy lunch.
My worries about the ship being too big were also put to rest the minute a gale blew up, creating five-metre waves, in the Bay of Biscay.
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We could barely feel a thing. This ship was built to stay stable in conditions far worse than this.
It’s all down to modern design and technology, and the ship is eco-friendly too as she runs on liquified natural gas.
As for too much choice, I loved the fact we could eat somewhere new almost every night.
We did enjoy simple but delicious fish and chips three times, though.
The Quays does freshly fried cod, and chunky chips. With a double order of pickled cucumber, it was a quick and tasty start to the evening’s entertainment.
Lobster mac
At the other end of the scale, The Epicurean was sophisticated dining, beautifully presented in an elegant setting.
We went twice but could have happily gone again, to try the Frogs’ Legs Sucette, or Irish Beef Fillet and Ox Cheek.
The ship’s four main restaurants are divided into sections by decorative screening, so feel intimate despite their size.
We tried them all and found the food exceeded our expectations. It was always possible to make healthy choices, and the portions not too big.
My favourite, though, was The Glass House. A trio of tapas, followed by Cajun soft-shell crab, garlic prawns, and lobster mac, then a trio of desserts transported me to heaven.
It was a riot of flavours, with wines to savour, in a leisurely setting with piano music playing in the background.
There was certainly too much choice of activities, though. The daily Horizon booklet listed an exhausting variety — if I tried them all I would need a holiday when I got back.
But I didn’t have to tick them all off. I could walk the decks for exercise, admiring the eight infinity pools dotted along the deck, and just enjoy watching people doing archery, quoits, line-dancing — and a slightly scary- sounding Body Sculpt Boot Camp.
They may all have been enjoying themselves but I didn’t feel guilty about not joining in.
In fact, I rewarded myself with a Pimm’s after walking a couple of miles around the deck, chatting and taking in the sea view.
We had easy access to ports of call, which surprised me for such a huge ship.
In Cadiz, Lisbon, Gibraltar, and Vigo we could walk into town and explore at our own pace.
In Cadiz, we watched the town opening up in the morning for business and admired the narrow pedestrian streets with their wrought-iron balconies and patios with potted plants and flowers.
A small cafe, almost a hole in the wall, served us such delicious coffee we had two each — served in beautiful cups and saucers, at a fraction of the price back home. We paid just six euros for four cups of coffee and biscuits.
Lisbon was exciting to explore on the trams which wound up its steep hills.
In Gibraltar, the Barbary apes marvellously mischievous and in the caves a stunning light show revealed their ancient beauty.
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Excursions into Barcelona and Alicante which were well worth the money, and saved on boring queueing times.
But as exciting as the ports of call were, I found myself looking forward to the sea days to relax and enjoy Iona — the ship I thought I wouldn’t like and ended up falling in love with.
GO: P&O's IONA
COVID: All guests aged 12+ must be fully vaccinated (two doses plus booster if applicable). Children aged five to 11 must be vaccinated or provide a negative Covid 19 test.
GETTING/SAILING THERE: A 14-night full-board cruise on P&O Cruises Iona is from £979pp, leaving Southampton on September 24, 2022. Calls at Vigo, Gibraltar, Alicante, Barcelona, Valencia, Cadiz and Lisbon. See pocruises.com.
NOTE: P&O Cruises has no connection with P&O Ferries – it has been owned by the Carnival Corporation for 20 years.
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