Thursday andwe pick up fromwhere I started…Santorini! The included tour took us by coach from the port area climbing the narrow hairpin bends to the top of the cliffs. We visited Megalochori an authentic Greek village and then made our way to Oia on the cliff top at the north end of the island. Oia must be themost photographed village in Europe withmarble-paved alleys, pristine boutique shops and the famous white washed buildings carved into the rocks. I could see nowwhy Santorini is so popular, the spectacular panoramic views and dazzling sunsets are amazing. After our free time inOia the excursion continued back to the capital, Fira from where we descended to the port via the cable car. We stayed in Santorini for 2 days which gave us an opportunity to explore Oia and Fira again. That evening onboard was the Captain’s cocktail party hosted by Captain Nikolaous Vasileiou, a very elegant affair. Later that night we sat on deck cocktails in hand asCelstyalCrystalweighed anchor and slipped off into the night bound for Heraklion.
It’s an earlymorning arrival in Crete and the included excursion here is a visit to the ancient city of Knossos. Known as the Palace of Knossos the huge archaeological site dates back thousands of years to the Minoan civilization. The tour stopped at Heraklion on return for free time in the city and from here we made our way by foot the short distance to the port.With a few blasts of the ship’s horn we say goodbye to Crete and gaze in awe at another spectacular sunset.
Sunday sees our last port of call, one of Turkey’s largest andmost cosmopolitan resorts, Kusadasi. It’s a good all round resort offering great beaches a lively nightlife and some serious shopping! The included tour at Kusadasi was the famous a rchaeological site of Ephesus. I’m afraid we passed on this excursion as the lure of the shops in the beautiful redeveloped harbour area and town proved far too much for my wife! Too soon we were cruising back to Piraeus but time now for one more sumptuous dinner in the Amalthia Restaurant.
Conclusion: From the moment we stepped onboard we enjoyed the many comforts of Greek hospitality and were pampered by friendly attentive staff. Our memories of the ship and pre-dinner cocktails with new found friends re-living the days activities, the wonderful islandswe visited and the fantastic sunsetswill remain with us for a very long time.
Celestyal Cruises certainly impressed me, with their super itineraries, two lovely ships, Celestyal Crystal and Celestyal Olympia, it’s a cruise line that’s definitely going places. I for one can’t wait to cruise with them again!
David Powell - Editor Amalthia Restaurant
View across deck
Mykonos More Information
2020 prices for the seven-night Idyllic Aegean cruise onboard Celestyal Crystal start from £899 per person based on two sharing an inside stateroom with all meals and drinks onboard, three shore excursions, port taxes and gratuities.
Call Celestyal Cruises on 0800 411 8038 or
visitwww.celestyalcruises.uk
The famous Santorini sunset PAGE 64 The ASHFORD ADVERTISER
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