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popular holiday resorts, patronised by the in some destinations in the Mediterranean.
Romanov royal family in the early 1900s, it Our ship was often the only one in port,
BLACK SEA OPTIONS
is perhaps best known for hosting the Yalta and its compact size meant there were only
Conference of 1945 – one of the most 700 passengers instead of the few thousand
pivotal gatherings of the last century. that throng ashore from bigger ships.
This was where the Second World War Royal Princess (formerly Swan Hellenic’s
Allied leaders Winston Churchill, Franklin popular ship Minerva II) has the feel of a
Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin met to decide country house hotel, with its traditional-style
how Europe would be carved up after the war. wooden panelling, brass fittings and
Walking around the Alupka Palace, where well-placed artworks. We enjoyed excellent
the British delegation stayed, and the nearby cuisine in the main restaurant and the
Livadia Palace, where the main negotiations ship’s two speciality dining spots: Princess’s
took place, was very rewarding. trademark Italian restaurant Sabatini’s and
This was one of the highlights of the the US-style Sterling Steakhouse Grill.
12-night cruise from Venice to Athens, A memorable highlight was Chef’s Table,
which had called at Istanbul before entering a culinary journey which started in a section
the Black Sea and stopping first at the of the galley with delicious hors d’oeuvres Cruise sales to the Black Sea have been steady
Russian port of Sochi, where I joined the and champagne, before moving into the rather than spectacular in recent years.
ship. Sochi will be in the spotlight over the steakhouse for the next five courses. Several lines offer voyages to the region,
next few years in the run-up to hosting the The evening costs an extra $75, which which tends to attract an older clientele drawn
2014 Winter Olympics. includes all drinks, but if you want a meal to the area’s rich history. Sailings are mostly in
Just a short drive away in the forested – and an evening – to remember, it’s the early or late summer and autumn, when
hills was Stalin’s dacha. Walking around the definitely worth the price. temperatures are better for sightseeing.
former tyrant’s holiday home, which is now As voyages start and end in the Mediter-
a hotel, it was interesting to see the rooms ranean or farther afield, they generally
kept as they were in Stalin’s day – notably
BOOK IT
last for at least 12 nights and follow the
his office and billiards room. same route as there are a limited number
Princess Cruises is offering two Black Sea fly-cruises,
of cruise stops.
Small is beautiful departing on August 7 and September 12, 2010, David Selby, Tui UK’s director of cruising,
Another appealing factor was that wherever
priced from £1,759. The 12-night sailings to and from
said the market for the Black Sea was
we went ashore, we never had to battle with
Venice call at Volos in Greece, Varna in Bulgaria,
constrained by its small choice of ports and
Constanta in Romania, Odessa, Yalta and Istanbul.
hordes of other cruise passengers for the flights to serve them.
■ princess.com
same attractions, which can be a problem “It is somewhere people can go to on a
cruise that they would otherwise not be able
to do on a beach holiday,” he said.
Pieter van der Schee, head of brand
marketing for Princess Cruises, which has
featured the Black Sea for more than 15 years,
feels the region is a very attractive option for
Britons because of close historic ties.
“People who have cruised before want to
try new places and to go farther afield, and
this is a new adventure,” he added.
While Yalta and Odessa are the must-see
stops during any Black Sea cruise, other ports
can vary according to the itinerary.
These can include Nessebar in Bulgaria,
Sevastopol in Ukraine, Trabzon, Sinop
and Canakkale in Turkey, and Constantza
in Romania.
Lines offering cruises to the region include
MSC, Crystal Cruises, P&O Cruises, Swan
Hellenic, Seabourn, Fred Olsen, Costa Cruises,
Princess Cruises, Holland America Line,
Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Thomson Cruises,
Oceania Cruises and Cunard.
Companies such as Page & Moy, Viking
River Cruises, Cosmos Tourama and Scenic
Black Sea ports of call: (clockwise from left) the Ukrainian resort of Yalta; Sochi in Russia, host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics; Tours also offer river sailings to the Black Sea.
and the picturesque port city of Odessa in Ukraine. Previous page: Sunset in Sochi
40 18.12.2009
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