p30-34 CGT client_match 6/7/09 12:43 Page 30
Cyprus, Greece & Turkey selling tips
Client
Phil Dargan
director,
Choose and Cruise
match
Cruise
M
any of the major cruise lines offer
eastern Mediterranean itineraries
but with lines that cruise out of
the UK such as Fred Olsen and
P&O Cruises you’re looking at voyages lasting
longer than two weeks. So if time is of the
Whether your clients are looking for a
essence, recommend a fly-cruise.
family holiday, a dream wedding, a bit
I’ve cruised with both MSC Cruises and Costa
of culture, a luxury break or an eastern
Cruises, flying to Venice and sailing around the
Greek islands. For any client looking for a taste
Mediterranean cruise, our experts can help
of Greece, Cyprus and Turkey, both these lines
have some fabulous itineraries that mix the
beach with city tours and a bit of history too.
MSC and Costa are prolific in the region and
have very family orientated ships but these
Italian lines have a very cosmopolitan clientele,
Gemma Antrobus so they are best off choosing another line if
managing director, they want to cruise with lots of Brits.
Haslemere Travel With Costa I sailed from Venice to Piraeus,
the port of Athens, via Corfu, Mykonos and
Culture of interest include the Santorini. In Corfu, we hired a taxi to take us
T
here’s a wealth of impressive ruins of the round the island for the day, but you can also
history and culture ancient city of Pergamum join guided tours. All cruise lines have superb
in Cyprus, Greece (pictured), Ottoman tombs and excursion programmes so your clients will be
and Turkey. mosques in Bursa, World War spoilt for choice. Santorini is predominantly an
Sunvil Real Greece has a One battlefields and memorial evening port and everyone disembarks to watch
fantastic Hidden Greece sites in Gallipoli, the ancient the spectacular sunsets (pictured).
programme. One of my Anatolian Sky city of Troy and Ephesus, the Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean are
favourites is a two-week fly- best preserved and most great for families; I would also recommend
drive itinerary including Athens, Delphi visited ancient Roman city. Celebrity Cruises, Silversea and Regent Seven
(the most important ancient site in Greece), Kirker has a cultural tour (14 nights) Seas for couples and families. EasyCruise is
Olympia (the site of the Olympic Games in accompanied by a tour lecturer, starting in great for island-hopping on a budget and Louis
classic times), Monemvasia (known for its Istanbul and delving into the city's Cruise Lines is also good value for money. They
medieval fortress) and Nafplion (the first Ottoman heritage before discovering offer three and four-night voyages from Athens,
capital of modern Greece, from 1829 to Turkey’s glorious Classical period. which you can bolt on to a hotel or villa stay.
1834). As you drive between each location Moving on to Cyprus, just north of For something really special, I’d recommend
you really get to appreciate the wonders of Limassol on the southern slopes of the Crystal Cruises. Crystal visits a great number of
Greece away from the touristy resorts. Troodos mountain range is an area known ports in Greece and Turkey including Istanbul.
For parents travelling with children, as Krassochoria. Wine production is still This is home to the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace
Explore! offers an 11-day trip around the the main occupation for most of the and Grand Bazaar – excellent for shopping.
islands, including Athens, Paros, Naxos inhabitants and several villages have wine
and Santorini. It’s worth remembering museums. Sunvil Real Cyprus offers a
that it has departure dates for single parents quaint house in Aros that can
so similar families can holiday together. accommodate up to five people –
Anatolian Sky can tailor make a Turkey perfect if you are a wine buff and want to
itinerary to suit your clients’ needs. One be on the doorstep of one of the largest
that proves ever popular includes Istanbul wine producing villages on the island.
(once the capital of the Roman Empire), Cox & Kings features a six-night
Cappadocia (a region of exceptional Highlights of Southern Cyprus private tour
natural wonders characterised by “fairy based in Paphos. Excursion highlights are
chimneys”), Goreme national park (Unesco Kolossi Castle, the Tomb of Kings, Kyokko
World Heritage site since 1985) and ends Monastery, Famugusta Gate and the village
up at a coastal resort. Other cultural sites of Lefkara, notable for lace and silverware.
30
TTG Knowledge – July 2009
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