Blog
Oahu in June...
Loved our Ford Mustang Convertible to explore the island...must sees are the East Coast, in particular Hanauma Bay to swim with the green sea turtles!
Highlights of our 8 night stay: hiking to the top of Diamond Head crater for spectacular views, taking a fun SURF BUS tour to the North Shore to snorkel & kayak; visiting the Arizona Memorial & USS Missouri, very moving indeed.
Must eat and drinkies: Any cheesecake at THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY, sipping a Mai Tai at Duke’s, a coconut mojito at the colonial Moana Surfrider and the iconic Pink Palace hotels and watching the free Friday night fireworks in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Whilst shopping at the newly completed International Marketplace, be sure to drop in to the National Geographic photographic exhibition on the ground floor, and be amazed...
Mahalo!
- Rosemary McTeigue
Starclipper Adventure with Trish
What a great experience to sail on one of the worlds largest sailing ships, Star clipper is a four-masted ship 360 feet long and carries only 170 guests in pampered comfort.
We sailed out of Beona Harbour leaving the Pacific Aria in our wake who just cruised in after her refit in Singapore.
We were to sail into the Gili Islands and Lombok but due to the Earthquake we had to alter our adventure ( which is easy to do when you can just tender into any Beach directly from the ship). We did a bit of East and West Indonesia with our first visit to the black Volcanic sands of Lovina Beach followed by a visit to Java where we could travel by Jeep and horseback to visit Mt Bromo one of the most active Volcanoes in the world. This trip is not for the faint hearted and each year the local
Hindu Worshippers attend the Yadnya Kasada festival where they throw offerings into the Crater .
We stopped every day and got to visit a few uninhabited islands all water sports included. Another highlight was to visit Crater lake at Satonda Island and lots of magical waterfalls.
It was a real treat to be the only people visiting some of these ports and being able to get on and off a tender whenever you needed one.
IF you would like a bit of adventure but still five star service and Cuisine ( 5 course menu every night ) maybe consider a small ship cruise instead.
If you are into sailing you can Climb the mast ,lie on the nets or learn how to tie knots the crew are happy to show you the ropes.
If cruising the Indonesian Islands to Visit Komodo Island is on your bucket list this is the cruise for you.
if Asia doesn’t appeal to you let Star Clipper take you on a trip to the Caribbean, Mediterranean or a Grand Voyage to unexplored lands indulge your passion for sailing whilst reigniting your love for these breath-taking tall ships.
- Trish Greene
18th Birthday Cruise Celebrations
In early September, I went on an 8 night cruise to and around the islands of Vanuatu on the Pacific Aria with P&O for my 18th birthday, with my entire extended family. The ship visited Noumea and Mare Island in New Caledonia, and Mystery Island and Port Villa in Vanuatu. Mystery Island was by far my favourite destination. It’s only 1km long, around 200m wide and only takes about 40 minutes to explore around the island. It’s uninhabited and this is because the locals from nearby believe the island is taboo. So, on port days, the locals ferry over in boats to provide entertainment and put on markets for the cruise guests. The water is so refreshing and clear, amazing for snorkelling !! The sand feels great when you walk along the beach. And there’s plenty of trees to relax under after exploring this tiny island.
If you are looking for an adventure to Celebrate a special occasion I would love to help you out.
- Hannah Roberts
Lynne Cruises Legend of the Sea
I have just returned from a 10 night cruise on board 'Legend of the Seas' visiting Champagne Bay, Lifo, Villa, Mystery Island and Maree with a group of over 20 friends. This was a cruise to celebrate a friends 60th birthday and I have decided this is definitely the way to celebrate a birthday. It is all so easy with food, entertainment, drinks and amazing destinations all taken care of. We were lucky to have experienced smooth sailing, lovely sunny weather and we only had to pack and unpack once!! I think Maree was probably one of my favourite islands, the beach was clean and pristine with beautiful blue waters but all the other islands were great too.
- Lynne Blair